In America, a wrecked car placed on Ebay for a starting bid of just $500 eventually sold last week for $226,521.63.
In the original item description, the seller admitted knowing little about the car and sounded almost apologetic about its condition. A string of emails and forum postings followed, and thankfully the seller soon realised what he was sitting on!
It turned out that the car, a 1963 Pontiac Tempest Super Duty Le Mans Coupe, was one of just 6 made by Pontiac as drag racing specials. This particular car was raced by Stan Antlocer from Detriot, Michigan.
Only 2 Super Duty Tempest Le Mans Coupes were thought to still be around, but some savvy Ebayers spotted this hidden gem about to change hands for a tiny sum of money, and promptly contacted the owner.
A flurry of interest followed, and 71 bids later the seller was looking at a final bid of nearly a quarter-of-a-million dollars. This is despite the fact that the car is in a sorry state of repair, lacking even an engine or gearbox, and was covered in rust and dents. The owner couldn't even unlock the boot (edit: trunk).
It is likely that the car will follow the fate of its surviving sibling and end up being restored, and perhaps displayed in a museum or private collection. But whatever happens to the car, its owner is likely to be getting the rounds at the pub for quite some time.
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