Are movie cars really too expensive?
It was in 2021 when a Porsche 928 from 1979 was auctioned by Barrett & Jackson for USD 1.98 million. Never before or since has more been paid for an early 928.
The reason? Tom Cruise had driven the manual eight-cylinder in the movie "Risky Business". This was enough to sell the car for over 30 times more than other examples of the same type.
Too high a premium? Well, a wooden panel has just been auctioned off for USD 718,750. This wooden panel also made an appearance in a movie, saving Kate Winslet from sinking in the film "Titanic", but did not have enough space to save Leonardo DiCaprio, although this is still a matter of debate today.
The piece of wood is said to have been part of the door frame of the first-class lounge, a movie prop. The salvage value is unlikely to be more than USD 100.
The 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SE from the film "Smokey and the Bandit" of the same year will soon be going under the hammer. The German title at the time was "Ein ausgekochtes Schlitzohr" and despite low production costs of USD 3.4 million, the film generated an impressive USD 300 million in sales. Barrett & Jackson is auctioning the 6.6-liter V8 coupé with 3-speed automatic on April 18-20, 2024 in Palm Beach with no reserve price, but if Burt Reynolds is as popular as Tom Cruise, then this Pontiac Firebird should easily exceed half a million USD, but would still be a bargain compared to the Titanic wood panel.
