The Daily Vroom

Good morning Vroomers,

Yesterday was a big one. Hagerty had what I’d call their best ever day (details below), while Cars & Bids not only grabbed the top sale but also landed another slot in the day’s top five. If every platform keeps raising the bar, the whole market wins.

Also a quick thanks to everyone who reached out with positive feedback or dropped a comment on yesterday’s data-heavy post. We’ll keep those coming, including some deep dives on specific models. More to come.

MARKET LEADERBOARD

💰 The figures shared below don’t count any other sales such as car seats, memorabilia etc… All online auction sites are analyzed to put this leaderboard together.

I only include websites that have sold 5+ vehicles in the chart below.

YESTERDAY’S TOP 5 SALES

Want to dive deeper into any of these listings? Just click on the car to take you directly to the listing.

Hagerty’s Best Day Yet

Hagerty just delivered what I think is their single best day of online sales with 26 cars changing hands. I wrote recently about how they have started to really step up with collections and no reserve listings, and now that strategy is translating into actual results. Huge kudos to them.

The headliner was a $177,000 sale of a Hellcat Powered 1970 Dodge Charger R/T 6-Speed, offered without reserve from the Burnyzz collection. This one was a showstopper: Plum Crazy over carbon fiber, a modern 6.2 liter supercharged HEMI paired to a six speed, and a full Schwartz Performance chassis. It was not just a resto mod, it was a total re imagining, with Dakota Digital gauges, Wilwood brakes, coilovers, and a sound system to match the firepower under the hood.

More importantly, the fact that it hammered at no reserve underscores where Hagerty is winning right now. They are attracting serious consignors willing to let the market set the price and bidders are responding. Yesterday was not just a big day because of the number of listings ending, but because sell through is climbing. They are now averaging around 10 auctions a day, about half of them no reserve, and the momentum is real.

I am here for all of this and more, I love to see platforms succeed.

Hagerty is proving that a platform built on collections and transparency can scale quickly if the right mix of cars and sellers show up. Let us see if they can sustain it. Now, over to you, Hemmings.

Auctions To Keep An Eye On

This is exactly the kind of car that gets me interested. A true pre merger AMG, built in Germany with the 990 AMG Version code on the datacard. That code is the proof. It tells you this car was born AMG, not pieced together later.

The look nails it. AMG body kit, sculpted air dam, side skirts, three piece spoiler, and those OZ Aero III wheels painted to match. It has that Hammer era stance that makes a W124 feel so much tougher than the standard car. Even the little touches like the painted trim and the carbon weave showing through the Black Pearl Metallic paint give it character.

Step inside and it feels just as right. Karo fabric seats, extra wood on the console and wheel, and AMG gauges with that 280 kmh speedo. It is period correct but not dated, and it has the kind of detail that makes you smile when you notice it.

Then you get to the engine. AMG bored out the M104 six to 3.4 liters and fitted their own cams. Power jumps well beyond what a normal 300E could do, but what matters is how it feels. Sharper, louder, more alive. This was AMG when they were still independent, when each build had its own personality.

The story behind it makes it even better. Originally built as an exhibition car for Mercedes in Mannheim, then kept by the same family for decades before the current seller bought it. That kind of history is rare and it shows how significant this car was from day one.

What I like here is the combination. Authentic AMG, the right options, the right look, and a backstory that connects directly to the brand’s roots. It is not just another old Mercedes with some bodywork, it is a real piece of the AMG story

Those that know me know I am a huge wagon fan, and this one shows exactly why. The E34 Touring has always been one of the best looking long-roof BMWs, and here it gets the proper treatment with an S50 swap from an E36 M3 and a 5 speed manual.

The combo makes it feel like the factory missed an opportunity. BMW should have built them like this. You get the practicality of a Touring with the fun of an M3 powertrain, plus the right touches like Brembo brakes, throwing star wheels, and a proper lowered stance.

Inside, it is all business. Black on black, dual sunroofs, leather, and a few smart upgrades like the ZHP shift knob and M3 wheel. Nothing overdone, just enough to remind you this is not your average 525i.

Cars like this remind me why wagons have such a following. They do everything a sedan does, carry more, and with the right spec they are cooler than most coupes. This one nails it.

This 40 Ford has been through a lot in a short time. Hot Rods by Dean did a $186k build that mixed old school looks with serious modern firepower. Under the hood sits a Roush 427R crate motor hooked up to a Hughes 700R4 and a Winters quick change rear. That is hot rod royalty.

The details are spot on. Stock body lines and what looks like mostly original paint, but underneath it is a TCI chassis with independent front suspension, coilovers, disc brakes up front, and a Borla exhaust. Inside it is tan upholstery, square weave carpet, vintage style gauges, and air conditioning. It feels period correct until you put your foot down.

What really makes this one interesting is the backstory. The car sold for $94k back in March, barely broken in with just 78 miles since completion. The original owner who commissioned the build never got to drive it, and the next buyer, at 92 years old, admitted it was simply too much car for them. That honesty struck a chord in the comments.

The community response was full of nostalgia and insight. Stories of first 40 Fords, teenage hot rod memories, and plenty of praise for how right the stance looks. Some pointed out the choice to keep rear drums as a nod to tradition, others noted the whine of a quick change rear or the lack of blower noise. And of course the familiar advice came up again, buy one already built rather than spend years and a fortune trying to recreate it.

On top of all that, the listing itself was handled by one of the best. Proper photos, clear backstory, transparent detail about the build, and a seller that actually engages with bidders. It makes a difference and it shows.

For me, this car nails what a great hot rod should be. The timeless lines of a 40 Ford coupe hiding serious performance underneath, nostalgia blended with engineering. And in this case, presented in a way that made people want to talk about it and, more importantly, drive it.