5 Oddballs From The Scottsdale Auctions

By Rob Sass

For the most part, the Scottsdale classic car auctions cater to collectors with fairly conventional (albeit extravagant) tastes. “For the most part” being the operative term here. But for those dedicated eccentrics who look hard enough, there can be some mighty odd stuff lurking behind the Mustangs and Corvettes. Here are five of our favorite odd ducks:

1. 1993 Talbo (Russo and Steele) - The Talbo is a loose reproduction of the 1930s Talbot-Lago with coachwork by Figoni et Falaschi. Real ones fetch over $4 million. These nicely put-together replicas have small-block Ford V8 power and don’t fetch $4M.

2. 1991 Lancia Thema (Silver Auctions) - This may be the first Lancia Thema to appear at a U.S. auction. Those who have no idea what a Thema is can be excused. Most Americans have never seen one. The Thema was an Italian four-door sedan that shared the same platform as the Saab 9000 and Alfa Romeo 164. The difference here was the fact that the Thema sported a genuine, flat plane crank 3.2L Ferrari V8. While the car itself was fairly non-descript, the exhaust note was anything but. Still, the car failed to find a buyer.