Usually, a smoking hot American muscle car that’s been owned by a big celebrity is sure shot when it comes to fetching massive numbers at auction. But in the case of David Spade’s old 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sport that was auctioned earlier, even a high bid of $122,000 wasn’t enough to get it sold.
You could be the new owner of Britney Spears’ notorious car.
You might be thinking that’s a lot of money and it is, but it obviously wasn’t enough to get the owner of the Chevelle to let go of the pink slip. The murdered-out muscle car is no longer in the possession of comedian David Spade who’s most famous for voicing a cartoon llama in one of the most epic adventures ever told. Maybe that’s why the current owner decided this ride could pull a much higher price.
Just what the seller’s reserve price was remains a mystery. But it’s true that someone dropped $374,000 for the same care at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2022 event. Before anyone says that Bring A Trailer just doesn’t bring in the same caliber of buyers, keep in mind the site has auctioned off quite a few rides for big money, including a 2017 LaFerrari Aperta for a cool $5.36 million.
Some are arguing that the Barrett-Jackson carnival-style events make people so giddy they’re willing to overpay for just about anything. Also, some buyers get caught up in the fact the auction is televised as they try getting 15 minutes of fame, something that doesn’t happen with Bring A Trailer. Maybe that’s a factor, but we doubt that constitutes a $252,000 price gap.
Some might say this auction shows the collector car market is softening. It might be, but this is just one lot listing, not the entire market. Still, we might see more auctions on Bring A Trailer and elsewhere fail to meet reserve.
What isn’t being talked about is the fact this Chevelle might be showing how the murdered-out look that was so ultra hot years ago has aged like a cheese in the sun. Perhaps everyone is tired of these sinister-looking builds, including the great David Spade? Or maybe the fact this was owned by the llama actually devalues it? It’s all up for debate now, until maybe this car shows up at the next Barrett-Jackson auction and pulls in a cool $500,000.
I remember watching a Barrett – Jackson auction several years ago, when a C4 Corvette that had been owned and driven to work by Johnny Carson sold for a “whopping” $8,600. It isn’t always the name of the owner that makes the price go up.