Previously, I put together two stories leading up to the Barrett-Jackson event in Orange Country. While I am far from an expert on auction values for our beloved pony cars, it is always fun to speculate on what they might bring in.

Photos: Barrett-Jackson

Often quite a bit less fun is following up to see how accurate one’s predictions was. Usually, you only see those when someone was spot on in their forecasts. Well, in one story, I did pick what should have been some affordable examples and actually named price expectations.

So, how did I do? Well, it’s a good thing that I don’t rely on auction valuations for a living, but overall the result wasn’t too bad. My first pick was a 1966 Convertible with 289 and 4-speed. The car looked in very nice shape, but the color combination of Sahara Beige over Tan seemed a little mild to get people seething about it. I suggested that a selling price of $14-18K would be reasonable. Others in Orange County did not agree and this vert went out the door for $25,300 including seller fee.

On the flip side, a 1965 convertible with 289 and 4-speed transmission was one I expected to go higher, largely because of its recently redone flaming red paint and original black interior. In my boldness, I had suggested that someone would drive it away in the low $20K range. The actual final price was $17,050. The 1965 Ranchero pickup that I had pointed out was an interesting, but far from original example. To me the possibility of a five-figure price tag was possible, but not guaranteed. Someone ended up with this fun, classic vehicle to roam around in for just $9990.

Four other Mustangs of note were also highlighted in the other story. Two of these were charity sales and I’m happy to report that the crowd in OC reached deeply to get these to new owners. The 2008 Shelby GT, Barrett-Jackson Special Edition was sitting at $130K when the final hammer went down. This #8 of 100 limited edition also sported several autographs from celebrities of the American Idol TV show.

A 2007 Saleen/Parnelli Jones Limited Edition Saleen Mustang, number 113 of 500 built was auctioned for charity as well. That car, with only 700 miles on the odometer, found a new owner that was willing to part with $120K for a good cause. Both of these results reflect well on the cars and bring good news for other owners of these limited editions.

Two other Mustangs – classics both – ended up with lower final prices than I would have thought. The repainted, but unrestored, 1969 California Special rolled out the door for a rather low price of $15,950. It may be that the rarity (only 4,188 built) and charm of the CS is yet to be appreciated. Grab them while you can!

Finally, a 1969 Q-Code 428 CJ Mach I Mustang sold for a mere $53.9K. OK, it’s not so “mere” if you don’t happen to have $60K kicking around, but 428 CJ’s often command 6-figure price tags. So unless this example was rougher than we could see, someone went home with a bargain. The unusual Royal Maroon exterior may have been a factor, but for a true collector, this should have increased the final bid.

The Barrett-Jackson road show continues all year and there will not be any shortage of fantasy going along with it. These kinds of Mustangs are fun and nobody ends up out of pocket. Collector Car events really do bring along something for everyone.