The Ultimate Last Chance Preview

What makes a car valuable? For some, it’s the rumble of a HEMI® V8; others love the way a car can carve a corner. We can certainly all agree that rarity makes a vehicle interesting and we’ve made it to a moment that combines ALL of those things: This Saturday is The Ultimate Last Chance Auction from Dodge at Barrett-Jackson Northeast in Connecticut.

We made the announcement a while back that we are going to auction off the very last 2017 Dodge Viper ever built…then we created a “twin” 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT® Demon, custom painted in the exact same Viper Red (side note: Mark Trostle, Dodge’s Head of Design told me that Viper Red looks so good on the SRT Demon that he wishes it could have been a standard color for the SRT Demon!). Both cars are true One of One models and fully documented as the last of their kind. Talk about unique! To top it off, 100% of the hammer proceeds will go to United Way, a charity we’ve worked with before when we auctioned off memorabilia from the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant where Viper was built. The Ultimate Last Chance Auction is one auction for BOTH cars!

So, let’s cut to the chase: How much do you think they’ll sell for? We’ve been down similar roads before and have talked about how the first Gen 5 Viper and the first Challenger SRT Hellcat sold at auction for big premiums. SRT Demons are already trading hands regularly in the $150,000+ range at auctions (making me rethink my 401(k) investment strategies!) I reached out to collector car guru Steve Magnante who points out that rare options and celebrity ownership can affect a car’s value, but this is unprecedented: “The charity angle certainly can increase the price and the 2 for 1 auction is an unusual purchase. It’s one-stop shopping for the person who wants the pinnacle of Dodge performance, if they have deep enough pockets!” Steve laughs. But as for the actual price speculation…it only takes two people who want it badly enough to bid against each other.

We will find out together, Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern Time in person at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, and live on Discovery’s TV broadcast.

0 Comments