• A Look at yesterday’s comments of note

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “20 or so years ago my wife and I were staying at the Cypress Inn in Carmel. One morning I got up very early, so early that the hotel staff had not begun morning preparations.
    I stumbled down into the lobby and saw an elderly lady walking the other way. I asked her if she knew where I could get a cup of coffee.
    She smiled a 10,000 watt smile and said there was a place around the corner, or if I wanted to wait she’d make me some.
    She wasn’t in a uniform and had no name tag so not quite…”

    74

    angushopper commented on No Reserve: Ex–Doris Day 1976 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL

    “A cassette deck next to an 8-bit onboard computer, wrapped in wood trim. Perfect. I hope the next owner shares my irrational nostalgia for older interiors.”

    14

    Crovet commented on No Reserve: 21-Years-Owned 2000 BMW M5

    “Not an uncommon swap in the late 1980s. I recall reading a Pontiac Magazine from that era where someone restored a ’69 Firebird that had the Chevy motor in it. There were far more parts available for small block Chevys either through catalogs like J.C. Whitney, or in junkyards, which were chock full of them. And, hey, if it ain’t broke…why fix it? If it gets to the point where the 350 needs to be pulled, then you can start thinking about putting a proper Pontiac motor back in. But,…”

    11

    David_C. commented on 350-Powered 1969 Pontiac GTO Convertible

  • BaT Success Story: Out of His Comfort Zone and Into a Caprice Wagon: A Practical Look

    This Success Story comes to us from BaT member AlexW, who won this 1988 Caprice Classic wagon from Competitioncars in a September 2025 BaT auction:
    In September 2025, I purchased a 1988 Caprice Estate with 27,000 miles from Competitioncars. This was my first experience buying a vehicle on Bring a Trailer, and the thought of buying ANY car online felt 100% against my best judgment; I am a risk-averse guy, and I know firsthand what can happen to cars over the years (i.e. unreported accidents, hidden flood damage, previous owner neglect, falsified titles, odometer shenanigans, etc.). Still, I really liked the wagon I was looking at. What I especially liked, and what allowed me to throw my typical caution to the wind and make a bid, was Bill’s presentation of the car. The photos and description he provided in the listing rang true, as did the totally transparent videos he posted.

  • Question of the Week: What’s Your top Temporary Fix That Turned Permanent?—WINNER’S UPDATE

    WINNER’S ANNOUNCEMENT:

    Happy New Year! We’re back to announce the winner for our Question of the Week, where our victor will accept a $25 credit for a hat or T-shirt from the BaT Gear Store and the acclaim of their peers.

    Our question this week was: What’s your best temporary fix that turned permanent?

    Thanks to everyone who participated! We brushed the dust off our idle laptops—asleep from the holidays—and got right to work reading your responses, which featured various amounts of JB Weld, baling wire, food and beverage cans, and other random objects for perfectly cromulent fixes. This week, we’re leaning on the most-liked comment (our People’s Choice!), and awarding the prize to BaT member @sinclair:

  • | |

    Here’s an Amazing 2025 Finish, and Excitement for 2026!

    BaT Community!
    That was quite a flurry of activity to finish off 2025. We’re proud, and thankful, to say that 2025 represented another in a long string of great years for BaT Auctions, and the ever-expanding BaT Community of buyers, sellers, experts, Local Partners, watchers, commenters, and crazies are what continues to make it happen. As always, our goal is to offer as many people as possible the opportunity to transact in the most transparent, fair, cost-effective, and positive way possible, while optimizing for the integrity and truthfulness that leads to the best buyer and seller outcomes. That is what drives everything we do, and the BaT Team is excited to bring this to even more enthusiasts in 2026!

  • Yesterday’s comments of note You Should Know

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “I would have seen this car take pole Vancouver Indy. Never missed a day of Indy CART when we had the series in Vancouver. What experiences! Those of us that are hardcore racing fans should count ourselves lucky to see have these cars run. I fear for open wheel racing with the growth of hybrid/EV. You just cannot substitute internal combustion and the screaming revs , the smells, the vibrations deep in your chest .
    Magnificent car, this example. And the absolute top of the heap for its…”

    31

    Tobyallen commented on Ex–Jacques Villeneuve 1995 Reynard-Ford Cosworth 95I

    “Jacques Villeneuve is from my home province of Quebec and is a legend in these parts for having won the F1 Championship in ’97.
    His father was Gilles, was one of the most electrifying F1 drivers ever. 1982 R.I.P.”

    26

    Hoppy18 commented on Ex–Jacques Villeneuve 1995 Reynard-Ford Cosworth 95I

    “Only request is whoever wins this does a series on YouTube documenting”

    17

    JamesTH commented on No Reserve: 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT Project

    “I drove one of these on the Lotus Factory test track, a phenomenal car. This has the touring suspension which makes it a nice daily driver. I did not drive an Emira with the sport suspension but from what I hear it is still very streetable. I have a friend with an Emira so far the only repairs are software updates.”

    7

    randymiller71 commented on 2024 Lotus Emira First Edition V6 6-Speed

  • BaT Auction Success Story: 3.0CSi is a Monterey Memento You Should Know

    BaT member Jekyll and his son wrapped up this year’s Monterey Car Week after winning a Euro-spec 1972 BMW 3.0CSi listed by BaT seller/Local Partner Mohr Imports as part of their Car Week Collection, Postcards from Monterey. He wrote in to tell us about it:
    I never expected to bring a car home from Monterey. My 19-year-old son had asked whether we could attend this year’s Monterey Car Week. He recently graduated from high school, and we had spent a lot of the summer restoring and upgrading my 1962 MGA, including an engine rebuild and a five-speed conversion. His original hope had been that we would complete that project in time to drive the car down to Monterey, but alas, anyone who has been involved in a restoration will know that timelines are fluid and rarely adhere to any set deadline.

  • Yesterday’s comments of note: A Practical Look

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “A downright handsome car and true survivor. These were rare when new and can’t imagine many are still around.”

    18

    Green_Meanie commented on 1987 Buick Somerset Custom T Package V6

    “This is why I love BaT, this is one of the coolest truck builds I’ve seen.”

    11

    Wkordo commented on 1963 International Harvester Travelette–Bodied 2001 Ford F-250 Super Duty Power Stroke 4×4

    “Yay! This was my first car!”

    10

    HelmetsnHiFI commented on No Reserve: 1974 BMW 2002 4-Speed

    “I know that Singer, Gunther Works, and others have their devoted fan bases, but for me, nothing does it quite like a RUF, ever since teenaged-me read (and dreamed) about the Yellowbird in Road and Track in 1987.”

    13

    CSM1234 commented on RoW 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa G50 RUF BTR III Conversion

  • |

    BaT Stats, 2025 Awards, Watchlist Favorites, and Too Much Time in a Tiny Plane — Explained

    This week we discuss 1990s Sacramento basketball, “frame off” restorations, newly published BaT stats, an ex-Nonnenberg car live on the site, whether Zac can ever be a truck guy, the annual BaT Awards, an upcoming Meet-Up and track day, watchlist picks, Healey love,  a 912 in a coffee shop, and a Thunderbird with fascinating history. 

  • Yesterday’s comments of note You Should Know

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “I have an old family friend (89 years young) that I showed these pictures to that has been a wood carver all his life and has made some exquisite pieces of animals, custom stair cases, door frames and such using a chain saw and wood chisels and a lot of sanding. He was really impressed and spent a half hour flicking between the photos and commenting on the details presented here with the biggest smile. On our second pour of Blanton’s I joking asked him if he could do something like this and…”

    33

    Lockinload commented on No Reserve: 1:1 Ford GT Wooden Display Model

    “I did not expect to buy a car today but could not pass this one up. It’s coming to Texas to be driven.”

    16

    mynewride1979 commented on 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe 6-Speed

    “Yes, I have rally plans for this Saab :)”

    9

    retrosporting commented on No Reserve: 1966 Saab 96 Special Project

  • Yesterday’s comments of note — Explained

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “FAC’s faced the worst survival rate of any US aviators stationed in SE Asia. The job required amazing feats of flight on a daily basis. They had to manage a bank of radios to simultaneously coordinate and communicate with the ground troops they supported, the air assets that delivered ordnance and the headquarters that authorized the strikes. The marker rockets they laid down showed the fighter bombers where to hit, usually perilously close to our troops fighting for their lives. Any…”

    44

    2hecknback commented on 1951 Cessna L-19/O1 Bird Dog

    “I remember John racing a Tiga back in the 80’s! I’ve been running S2’s for over 40 years. This is a beautiful car, and I hope who every is lucky enough to win this car will come out and run with us. The Sports2000na club is running strong, check out our website to see the 2026 schedule. One of our feature races in 2026 is at Indy with SVRA in June. We will have a least 30 S2s show up for Indy. It’s a great group, close racing, a lot of fun. Don’t let this ” piece of Automotive History”…”

    10

    winningedge commented on No Reserve: Ex–John Oates 1984 Tiga SC84 Sports 2000

    “I’ll never understand why Hyundai cancelled the Veloster N. When I was in the market I could never find one.”

    6

    Bladerunner2019 commented on No Reserve: Modified 2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo 6-Speed