Carlisle Auctions’ spring sale was held April 20-21 at the Carlisle Expo Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in conjunction with the big Spring Carlisle flea market and car corral. Total sales amounted to $6 million, which is slightly off from last year’s record sales of $6.5 million, and on par with the spring 2021 sale. The sell-through rate took a dip, too, falling to 68 percent (305 of 448 vehicles offered) from 72 percent each of the previous two years.
The Carlisle team still notched a record, though, as an unrestored, documented 1953 Corvette brought a winning bid of $324,000, including 8 percent buyer’s premium, the highest in the auction’s history. Serial number 100 of the 300 built in the Corvette’s first year of production, the car had ownership history all the way back to owner number one, the founder of American Airlines. The car was repainted once, in 2019, and still had its original engine and two-speed Powerglide transmission. It was one of 49 Corvettes to cross the block, 33 of which sold.
Included in this year’s auction was a 20-car collection formerly owned by enthusiast Robert Metzgar. It was an eclectic lineup, ranging
