The Daily Vroom

Good morning Vroomers,

Last week was another huge one with over $50 million in online auction sales. The headline number looks great and proves there’s still real liquidity out there. But let’s keep it in perspective, that’s still just a single-digit slice of the overall car market.

The real volume as you can see from last weeks sales below, lives in that $10K to $40K range. Not the flashy stuff, not the poster cars. Just everyday machines, the high-mileage BMWs, Mercs, and Mustangs that keep this market moving. They’re in general not special, but they sell, and that says something. It says people trust these platforms enough to buy sight unseen, which is still remarkable when you think about it.

And considering how many used-car sites exist outside the auction world, and how many people still don’t fully understand how powerful these online auctions can be, it’s clear there’s massive room to grow. The market we love is still just warming up.

Sale of the week

Some sales just feel like turning points, and this one does. A 2,200-mile SLR McLaren 722 trading hands for $647,500 is a reminder that the market still occasionally rewards deep knowledge over deep pockets.

The SLR 722 isn’t just a “special edition.” It’s what happens when McLaren’s F1 engineers and AMG’s hot-rod builders are told to make something outrageous that still carries a warranty. You get a carbon monocoque chassis built in Woking, a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 mounted so far back it’s nearly mid-engine, side-exit exhausts that sound like a cannon at half-throttle, and an air brake that could stop a plane. The 722 bumps power to 641 hp, sharpens the suspension, lowers the ride height, and somehow still makes it all feel drivable. This was peak mid-2000s ambitionwhen technology and excess were in perfect sync.

What makes this one stand out is the condition. Just 2,200 miles. Unmodified. Clean history. Paint protection. These cars were always exotic, but few were preserved like this. The only knocks were a scuffed splitter and older tires, easy fixes that don’t touch the core value. You can’t replicate mileage and originality later.

Now, the deal. SLRs have been quietly climbing, especially clean 722s. The last comparable car with higher mileage sold in the same range, which makes this price a buy. As Carrera GTs and Enzos shot into seven-figure territory, the SLR got left behind- too civilized, too misunderstood. But collectors are catching on. It’s a rare car that still feels usable, still delivers something unique, and still trades for less than its peers.

For $647,500, someone just bought the best era of AMG and McLaren rolled into one. It’s a car with proper engineering credibility, an outrageous backstory, and the kind of theater that modern supercars can’t fake. In a few years, we’ll look back and realize this was cheap.

Auctions To Keep An Eye On This Week

Every week there’s a car that just stops me. This Volvo V70R did. Flash Green over Atacama, manual, slicktop, it’s the full unicorn setup. The color alone gets attention, but paired with the orange interior and that six-speed spaceball shifter, it just works.

The seller’s exactly the kind of owner you hope for on Cars & Bids. Detail-obsessed, transparent, and clearly someone who builds cars because he loves them. You can see it in the comments, people who’ve bought cars from him before show up just to vouch for how meticulous he is. That doesn’t happen often.

And make no mistake, this wasn’t a quick resale. He’s spent the last six months restoring this thing, part by part, mile by mile. It’s been a passion project, and you can tell he’d probably rather keep it if life wasn’t getting busier. Everything’s been refreshed, from bushings and belts to brakes and interior trim. Even the photos show pride, not polish.

What’s great about this listing is the energy around it. The comment section’s full of genuine excitement, people calling it minty, others calling it the unicorn of all Volvos. That kind of response tells you everything about how special this combo is.

V70Rs have always had a loyal following, but this one hits that sweet spot between rare, usable, and flat-out cool. Flash Green with Atacama and a slicktop six-speed.

This is the R129 that makes you stop scrolling. A real SL72 from the pre merger era, about 35 made, most gone to collections you will never see. This one is here, in silver over black, with the right AMG bits and paperwork to match. Mileage in the low 40s, presentation that looks honest, and a seller that actually knows what they are holding.

What I like is the story. Built as an SL600, converted by AMG when it mattered, documented, and used enough to prove it is not a museum piece. It was repainted in 2003 after a minor off road incident, then kept and driven for years. That tells me the car was fixed properly and then enjoyed. Fresh PS4S tires are a smart signal. The whole thing reads like a rare car that has been cared for rather than hidden.

I do not care about internet arguments over 7.2 versus 7.05 liters. I care that this is a hand worked M120 V12 from peak Mercedes, with the feel and torque you buy a 90s AMG for. I also do not want to hear about manual swaps. The value is in originality and provenance. Keep it as delivered, service it, and drive it.

This has the ingredients to land a serious number. Rarity, condition, documentation, and a seller with a track record. If you want the best R129 without a made for Instagram spec, this is it.

Every car has a story, but few read like this. A 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet C, originally presented as a wedding gift from Nazi Germany to King Farouk I of Egypt. That’s not folklore, that’s documented history, and it’s now sitting on The MB Market with bidding at $250,000 ending today.

Only 32 Cabriolet Cs were ever built, and this one wasn’t just another coachbuilt Benz. It was a diplomatic statement on wheels. Finished in royal dark red, Farouk’s personal color, the same shade he famously declared exclusive to Egyptian royalty. The message was clear: power had a palette.

After decades hidden away, first in Cairo and later in a French barn, the car was rescued and restored in Germany in the late 1990s by Esdar Fahrzeuge, who kept roughly 90 percent of the original components. It’s one of those restorations that feels more like preservation than reconstruction.

The 540K wasn’t a showpiece in its day. It was a weaponized luxury car. A 5.4-liter supercharged straight-eight, manually engaged Roots-type compressor, four-speed manual, and a top speed of around 110 mph, faster than anything else you could buy in 1937. Every curve and chrome flourish exists to remind you this was Germany proving a point.

What makes this listing fascinating isn’t just the car’s past. It’s what it says about The MB Market’s trajectory. This is a serious swing for a platform that’s been quietly moving upmarket. You don’t land a pre-war 540K unless you’ve built real trust with heavyweight sellers. And this one, coming from a Berlin dealer with documented provenance and restoration logs, is exactly the kind of car that raises the platform’s ceiling.

Forget comps. This is an artifact more than an asset.