SEVEN82MOTORS’ JUNE AUCTION IS LIVE!

SEVEN82MOTORS June auction is underway. Coinciding with the Cooly Rocks On festival on the Gold Coast, the auction features 48 muscle cars, classic cars, customs, hot rods and restomods, as well as 26 lots of collectable memorabilia.

The 48 lots on offer make this auction the largest in SEVEN82MOTORS history, with some truly premium and desirable offerings up for grabs, led by the famous ‘Wild Cad’ 1959 custom Cadillac created by Mario Colalillo.

More Days to Bid

With so much on offer this time around, the auction is longer than usual, running thirteen days instead of the usual seven. Bidding opened on 8 June and closes from 6:00PM on 20 June.

(NOTE: Memorabilia lots close first, followed by the cars at staggered times.)

Vehicle inspections are available at SEVEN82MOTORS Gold Coast premises – 2 Palings Court, Nerang – on the following days:

Thursday, 16 June – 5:00PM to 8:00PM – late night shopping

Saturday, 18 June - 8:00AM to 2:00PM – open day

Monday, 20 June – 9:00AM to 4:00PM – last minute Monday

To find out more, click HERE.

Tour SEVEN82MOTORS!

As a bonus, and in conjunction with Cooly Rocks On, a ticketed car run to SEVEN82MOTORS and a tour of the facility on Wednesday, 8 June, is part of the festival programme. See the Cooly Rocks On website – www.coolyrockson.com - for details.

Auction Car Highlights

With 48 vehicles on offer, all with the quality you’d expect from a SEVEN82MOTORS auction, there’s plenty to choose from and something to suit just about any automotive taste.

Here are some of the highlights.

Lot 149 - 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville custom – ‘Wild Cad’

World-famous custom Cadillac coupe, magazine feature car, multiple trophy winner.

Arguably the most famous custom car ever built in Australia, Wild Cad was the work of Mario Colalillo (d. 2018), with paint by the legendary Gene Winfield.

Six years in the making, Wild Cad started with the roofless shell of a ’59 Coupe de Ville that Colalillo had spotted in a friend’s workshop. To that body, minus all its front sheetmetal, Colalillo would add a custom-made chassis, carefully fabricated to ensure nothing hung below when the airbagged car was at its lowest.

A modified Jaguar independent front end and four-link rear was part of a custom suspension package, with Wilwood component upgrades on Jaguar disc brakes.

The body modifications on Wild Cad were just as impressive as the chassis, including a five-inch roof chop that necessitated the use of custom glass all round. The doors were reconfigured to hinge from the rear, suicide style, using powered rams, while the bonnet and boot lid were modified and fitted with powered opening mechanisms.

In line with the custom chassis, the floors, inner guards, front apron and firewall were custom made to suit. The body was shaved, nosed and decked, with the exterior mirrors deleted, too.

Finished inside, outside and underneath in PPG ‘Vibrance’ purple by the famous Gene Winfield in his iconic ‘fade-away’ style, the paint alone is estimated to be worth $200,000.

To complement this, a custom front grille, featuring a ’55 DeSoto centre bar and teeth, and ’55 Cadillac bullets, was fitted, along with a custom rear filler panel and custom rear bumper with Thunderbird tail lights and a centre exit exhaust. A set of Radir 15-inch wheels and Coker wide whitewall tyres completed the exterior.

The interior wasn’t spared a major makeoverwith a centre-mounted ’59 Chevy gauge cluster (filled with Classic Instruments gauges), full custom metal headliner, custom panel trims in the boot, metal doorcards with upholstered inserts, an automatic quick shifter with custom ‘Beatniks’ gear knob (a nod to Colalillo’s car club) in the custom floor and retrimmed Thunderbird bucket seats fitted.

The signature interior feature, though, was the custom centre console housing a ’59 Caddy tail fin.

So much was going on with the interior that the right-hand drive conversion almost escaped attention, but this was a deliberate touch on Colalillo’s part, who wanted to show that Wild Cad was an Aussie build.

Under the bonnet, in a modified and smoothed engine bay, Colalillo fitted a 454ci Chevy Big Block V8 making 450hp, matched to a TH400 three-speed automatic and driving the rear wheels via a custom painted driveshaft and Ford 9-inch diff.

Upon its completion, Wild Cad featured in numerous publications and won a number of prestigious awards, both here and in the USA, including:

• Australia’s Top Custom – Meguiar’s Motorex, July 2010

• Kustom D’Elegance Finalist - Long Beach Motorama, September 2010

• GM Design Excellence Award - SEMA Las Vegas, November 2010

• Top Radical Custom Hardtop & The George Barris Kustom D’Elegance Award - The Grand National Roadster Show, January 2011

Despite its fully functional driveline, Wild Cad has covered only around 11km in the 12+ years since its completion and has always been a well maintained, cared for car.

This is a rare opportunity to own a one-off piece of automotive artwork and one of the world’s most famous custom Caddys.

For more details, click HERE.

Lot 122 – 1975 Holden HJ Monaro GTS sedan

Genuine matching numbers Monaro, 253 V8, four-speed, freshly completed restoration.

Described by SEVEN82MOTORS as the best restored example they’ve seen, this HJ Monaro GTS is a genuine, matching numbers example, finished in Deauville Blue with Chamois interior trim from the factory and sold new in Adelaide in June, 1975.

The restoration of what’s been described as a run down, but original car was undertaken by Echuca Service Centre, with work commencing in 2020. As many of the original components were used as possible - repaired or refinished where required, with the only replacement parts beyond the usual perishables like the door rubbers being the glass and tail lights. Wheels are genuine GTS date-coded units, fitted with new red-stripe tyres.

Similar care was taken inside, including sourcing the correct Antique Gold cloth inserts for the Chamois vinyl seats, as well as fitting new carpets and headlining.

Under the bonnet, the Monaro’s matching numbers 4.2 V8 was fully rebuilt to factory specifications and now sits in a concours-standard engine bay. The car’s original M20 four-speed manual transmission was also rebuilt.

The same detail in the engine bay extends all the way underneath the car, including the reconditioned original diff, new brakes and new suspension.

The restoration of this HJ Monaro GTS was completed just prior to it being consigned for this auction, so it’s as clean and new as you’re likely to see. It comes to auction with a Holden Historical Report and one of its original South Australian registration plates.

For more details, click HERE.

Lot 141 – 1964 Buick Riviera custom

Subtle body mods, custom paint and interior, 458ci stroker V8, air bag suspension.

Modified inside, outside and underneath, this ’64 Buick Riviera, known as ‘Dorado’ for its golden exterior, is thought to have been originally owned by John Paul Getty II, a member of one of America’s - and the world’s - richest families.

When purchased from Southern Rod & Custom by its current owner, the car was an unfinished project. Over five years, this Buick would be subjected to an extensive makeover and customisation.

Starting with the body, the roof was chopped one inch, the vent windows deleted and one-piece glass fitted. Front and rear bumpers were smoothed and a custom billet grille added, while the headlights were moved to the front guards behind clamshell hoods – in the style of the ’65 Riviera – for a cleaner overall look to the front end.

The paint chosen for Dorado’s golden hue was PPG Yellow Gold candy over a copper base.

Air bag suspension all round, featuring AccuAir e-level air management, allowed for a slammed stance, with a set of one-off 18-inch billet wheels by Curtis Speed Equipment completing the exterior.

Inside, OG Customs retrimmed almost everything in light cream leather and suede, while the carpets are Mercedes Benz style.

Dakota Digital Gauges have been fitted into a factory-style cluster, with a Lokar shifter, billet steering wheel and chrome column adding more modern touches.

Power windows and ‘Vintage Air’ air conditioning have also been fitted, while the boot has been trimmed to match the interior, with custom panels added to hide the Optima battery and components for the air suspension.

In a neatly detailed and custom painted engine bay, this car’s original, matching numbers 425ci Nailhead V8 has been rebuilt and stroked to 458ci, with other upgrades including an Eagle stroker crank and rods, Isky cam, ported heads, dual Edelbrock 4bbl carbies and an Offenhauser intake manifold.

The gold-painted engine is paired to a GM TH400 automatic and rebuilt original diff.

Since completion, this custom Buick has featured in the June 2022 edition of Cruzin’ magazine (and is on the front cover), but has barely been driven.

For more details, click HERE.