Just for the heck of it, I asked Christine in ProTeam’s accounting department to check the records and see how many first generation (1953 to 1955) Corvettes that ProTeam has owned in the last 15 years.

Wow! Check this out! 1953 to 1955 Corvettes owned = 74 of which 19 were 1953′s, 44 were 1954′s, and 11 were 1955′s.

I remember five years ago when we had to work hard to get someone to pay us $100,000.00 to $110,000.00 for a 1953 and now they consistently sell for $250K to $450K with no end in sight. Fun Fact: Five years ago I sold Banker Bob a nice 1953 for $105,000.00 and yes, Bob just sold lot S91 at the recent Mecum Bloomington Gold auction for $296,625.00… Vette-N-Vestment!

Prediction: as the availability of the 1953 Corvette dries-up the first generation buyers will have to resort to the NEXT BEST THING… that is right! 1954 Corvettes will begin appreciating at a more rapid rate, especially the good ones with the only difference is top color as all 1953′s were white paint with red interior and a black soft top.

295 Corvettes were offered with 145 selling with a sold percentage of 49%. Total auction sales were $8,255,306.00 and highlights are as follows:
Lot #S53 – 1953 Corvette Convertible: $283,500.00
Lot #S91 – 1953 Corvette Convertible: $296,625.00
Lot #S55 – 1955 Corvette Convertible: $178,500.00
Lot #S32 – 1957 Corvette Convertible: $152,250.00
Lot #S35 – 1960 Corvette Convertible: $102,375.00
Lot #S63 – 1963 Corvette Coupe Z06: $367,500.00
Lot #S67 – 1967 Corvette Convertible Black 435: $467,250.00
Lot #S73 – 1969 Corvette Convertible: $97,125.00
Lot #S93 – 1996 Corvette Convertible Grand Sport: $80,850.00
Terry’s Overview: The 1953 Corvettes that sold may sound quite expensive but I predict any restored 1953 Corvette will benchmark at 500 grand within 18 to 24 months at hi-profile events, as several recently sold for almost 500K. The 1963 Z06 that sold for $367,500.00 recently sold for $255,000 in the desert (Jan. ’07). That is a 31% leap in just six months… Wow! The 1967 Triple Black 435 convertible that sold for $467,250.00 was a no excuse well-known “Real Deal” and quite frankly I would rather have $500,000.00 in one “Real Deal” than the same money in 4 or 5 wanna-bee’s with fake trim tags and fake paperwork. The 1996 Grand Sport convertible that sold for 80 grand plus, had approximately 6,000 miles on it. These cars are hot as only 190 convertibles were produced. I guess this kinda shows us that NOT all high prices achieved at auction are Arizona of Florida driven!!!