The Daily Vroom

Good Morning Vroomers!

Super Bowl Sunday has wrapped, and while most people are talking about the game, my feed is wall-to-wall Buick GNX thanks to its halftime show cameo. A reminder that some cars don’t just belong in the history books—they belong in your garage. Shame there aren’t any GNXs up for auction this week—missed opportunity.

But let’s talk about the cars that were up for grabs. This past weekend saw some major sales, reinforcing (yet again) that weekend auctions don’t mean less money—they often mean more. Plus, we’ve got a 959 that sold for "only" $1.25M, and for auction this week a brutal Viper ACR Extreme, and a diesel Mercedes wagon that’s cooler than half the exotics out there.

Let’s get into it.

🏁 The Driver's 959: Why This One Sold for 'Only' $1.25M

If you had told me a 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort would sell for just over $1.25 million in 2025, I’d have assumed you were talking about a basket case, a flood car, or something with a blown engine. But no, this one was all there—just with some history. And history, as we know in this game, can be both a blessing and a curse.

Let’s break it down.

High Mileage: A Rare 959 That Was Actually Driven

First off, mileage. At nearly 60,000 miles, this is one of the highest-mileage 959s to come up for auction in recent years. While that might not sound like much for a typical Porsche, these cars live in a different world. Many sit in collections, showing fewer than 10,000 miles. The highest-selling examples are practically museum pieces. So while this car’s mileage isn’t outrageous in a vacuum, in the 959 market, it’s a red flag for some buyers who want their six-figure investment looking like it just rolled off the truck in 1988.

The 2012 Accident and Its Aftermath

Then, there’s the accident. The 2012 crash in Montreal involved a curb strike and a light pole—enough to damage the passenger-side quarter panel, front fender, hood, and headlight. While it was repaired at a top-tier Canadian shop and not written off by insurance, the reality is that accident history kills top-dollar sales in the high-end collector market. Buyers paying a premium for a 959 want zero stories. They don’t want to explain away past damage, even if the repairs were done flawlessly.

The Carfax report didn’t do it any favors either. It listed an accident exceeding $2,000 CAD in damages—which is about as helpful as saying it once rained in Vancouver. Everyone knew the real repair cost was significantly higher. The seller later clarified that the total cost of repairs was $45,000, with all work completed using OEM parts by a specialist shop. Structurally, the car was unaffected, and the damage was primarily cosmetic. But some commenters still questioned whether $45,000 was the true cost or if it had been understated, adding more doubt to the mix. In this world, even the perception of doubt can shave six figures off the final price.

The Bottom Line

This was a driver’s 959, not a museum piece. If you wanted to actually use a 959 instead of just staring at it, this was the one to buy. But that’s not what brings top-dollar results in this market. This car had mileage & a past accident, all things that kept it from reaching the big numbers.

Was it a deal? For the right buyer, absolutely. But in the world of 959 sales, this was never going to set records. It was always going to be the outlier—and now, it officially is.

Auction To Keep An 👀 On

I love cars that shouldn’t exist—and the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR Extreme is exactly that. It’s raw, brutal, and completely unapologetic in a world where everything is getting softer. No turbos, no all-wheel drive, no dual-clutch wizardry—just an 8.4L V10, a six-speed manual, and a giant wing that looks like it belongs on an LMP1 car.

This thing demands respect. The Extreme Aero Package isn’t just for show—it generates 1,700 lbs of downforce, enough to make you rethink every braking point. The carbon ceramic brakes will rip your face off, and the Bilstein race shocks keep it glued to the road. It’s the kind of car that doesn’t tolerate half-measures—you either commit, or you don’t drive it at all.

And this spec - GTS-R Blue Pearl with black and red stripes. Perfect. It’s got just 7,400 miles, a clean Carfax, and some tasteful mods, like a muffler delete (because a Viper should sound like an earthquake) and paint protection film to keep it looking fresh.

So is it a good buy? That depends on the final price. If it stays within reason, you’re getting one of the last great analog supercars—something that feels special every single time you fire it up. And as modern cars continue to get heavier, quieter, and filled with screens, this Viper just keeps getting cooler.

You know what’s cooler than a turbo diesel Mercedes wagon? Nothing.

This 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300TDT is one of those cars that flies under the radar—until you know what you’re looking at. Finished in Petrol Green Metallic, this was a one-year-only car in the U.S., with just 2,679 imported. That makes it rarer than a lot of ‘exotics’ people won’t shut up about. And while they were built to haul families across continents, most have been used, abused, and run into the ground. Not this one.

Why This One Matters

• 243,000 miles? That’s barely broken in. The OM603 inline-six turbodiesel is legendary for a reason—these things do half a million miles without breaking a sweat.

• Extensive 2024 service—we’re talking $10K in recent work, including a brand-new Mercedes cylinder head, steering box rebuild, front suspension overhaul, flex discs, and more. That’s the kind of money people don’t drop unless they plan to keep the car forever.

• OEM mudflaps. If you know, you know.

• Blaupunkt head unit. Period correct but upgraded, so you’re not stuck listening to AM radio forever.

• Two roof racks—because a diesel wagon isn’t complete without one.

It’s Not Just a Car, It’s a Statement!

This thing isn’t for someone looking for a commuter car. It’s for someone who gets it. A wagon like this isn’t just transportation—it’s proof that Mercedes used to over-engineer everything to the point of absurdity. If you want a car that was built to outlive its owners, this is it.

And since it’s No Reserve, it might just be the best deal on the internet this week.

The European Speed Collection: Weekend Sales Continue to Prove Their Strength

For those who've been with us for a while, you’ll know we’ve shown time and again that weekend sales don’t mean losing money on your car—if anything, they bring in more. And this weekend’s European Speed Collection by Collecting Cars was yet another example.

Timed to coincide with Rétromobile, this curated selection of performance icons delivered some serious results, with a lineup that reflected the very best of European speed. From modern hypercars to limited-production supercars, the auction reinforced a key trend: premium cars sell just as well—if not better—on weekends.

Three standout results from Sunday’s finale drove that point home:

2022 Ferrari SF90 Spider – €470,000

With just 944 km on the clock, this SF90 Spider was a near-new example of Ferrari’s first plug-in hybrid supercar. The V8 twin-turbo with three electric motors pushes out a staggering 986 hp, making it the most powerful production Ferrari ever built. This car, VAT-qualifying and based in Lyon, landed at €470,000, a strong number for a lightly used example.

2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S Edition Roadster – €557,500

One of just 150 units produced, this SLR McLaren 722 S Edition Roadster is a throwback to the days when Mercedes and McLaren built something that wasn’t an F1 team in turmoil. With only 2,771 km, it was about as close as you’ll get to a brand-new one. The 5.5L supercharged V8 delivers 650 hp, making it a beast in a straight line. Sold from Spain, the hammer came down at €557,500, proving there’s still serious demand for these rare drop-top supercars.

2014 Porsche 918 Spyder – €1,435,000

Then there was the big one—the 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder. With just 930 km and a single owner from new, this wasn’t just any 918—it was a pristine collector’s example. Finished in Liquid Metal Silver with a Mocha Brown leather interior, this hybrid hypercar remains one of the most important Porsches of the modern era. With 887 hp from its naturally aspirated 4.6L V8 and dual electric motors, the 918 was a technological masterpiece that could hit 100 km/h in just 2.6 seconds. It changed the game when it launched and remains a benchmark a decade later. This one sold for a healthy €1,435,000, reinforcing the continued strength of the modern hypercar market.

Weekend Sales Work—And the Data Keeps Proving It

There’s long been a belief that high-value cars should sell midweek to avoid ‘weekend window shoppers.’ But as we’ve shown over and over—and as this weekend’s European Speed Collection reinforced—serious buyers bid on weekends. If anything, the extra time allows them to commit without work distractions.

One additional thought - whenever platforms put collections together, we’ve seen them on plenty of sites in 2024, they always seem to do well. Hopefully we’ll see many more collections this year.