After they've served their original purpose, race cars are often sold on to new owners to compete in new series and formats. If they've been around long enough, they earn the status of 'classic', usually retiring to only compete in dedicated classic showcases or track days. Aside from going to classic racing events, one of the best ways to see old race cars is at an auction.
These American race cars won't be able to compete with modern machines, but that's not why collectors keep them. Instead, they're a window back in time, evidence of an era when the USA not only produced some of the best-performing machines in the world but some of the best-looking ones too. Let's take a look at ten classic racers that have gone up for auction and explore the stories behind each one.
10 Chevrolet Camaro Trans Am '70
Trans Am was a series created by the Sports Car Club of America to showcase American-built performance cars, including this '70 Camaro. Built to 1970 Trans Am regulations, the car didn't race until 1972, with driver Robert Clemens at the helm.
The Trans Am racing series attracted many of the best racing teams and manufacturers and was right at its peak when this Camaro was competing. Since then, the car's been fastidiously maintained, with its second owner entering it into competition right up until 2006. It went up at Mecum's 2017 Monterey auction and sold for an undisclosed sum.
9 Ford Mustang '67
An all-American icon, the Ford Mustang has a long and varied racing history. This '67 example is one of the early racers, modified by Charlotte, NC's Holman-Moody. It's one of only two examples created by Holman-Moody that year, so to say it's rare is an understatement.
The car had a short stint racing in South America where it reportedly notched up several victories but was later shipped back to the US where it continued to compete. It's been subject to an extensive restoration to get it back to its original spec, and went under the hammer at Mecum's Glendale auction in March 2021.
8 Pontiac Trans Am IROC '96
Built for the last years of the IROC competition, the '96 Trans Am signaled GM's re-entry into the series. This particular car was one of five built for that year and was raced by three-time IndyCar champion Sam Hornish Jr at Daytona in 2003.
It later became a practice car, remaining in use right up until IROC's final series in 2006. The car went up for auction in 2018 with an estimated price of just $40,000 - $50,000.
7 Oldsmobile Cutlass '77
Built by Banjo Matthews, this '77 Oldsmobile Cutlass was driven by three-time NASCAR winner Cale Yarborough and helped him win the championship in 1978. It's since been subject to a full restoration, which was completed in 2000.
Unusually, the auction lot listing says nothing about what the car has been doing since that time. But, given the immaculate condition, it's in it's safe to say it won't have had many miles put on it.
6 Chevrolet Camaro Le Mans '82
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is probably the most famous endurance race in the world, and this Camaro was custom-built for it. It's a competition-proven build, reaching second in its class at Le Mans in '82, then winning two races in its class in 1984, at Daytona and Sebring.
The car continued racing through the '80s and '90s around America, then was sold to a new owner and given a full restoration. It's not been used since, which seems a bit of a shame since this is such a prolific race car. It found a new home when it was auctioned off in 2014.
5 Mercury Cougar XR-7 '67
Bring a Trailer is home to all sorts of rare, exotic machinery, but there are some great American racing classics to be found on there as well. One such example is this Mercury Cougar, which is unlike many other old race cars in that it's not original.
In fact, the car has been subject to a number of upgrades and changes since its original race conversion, although all with period-correct '60s style. The engine is a new Ford unit built-in 2015, and modern power steering has also been recently installed. While it's not as original, it's still a great car and it means its owner can enjoy the feel of a '60s racer while still having more modern handling and power.
4 Pontiac Fiero '85
For all that's said about the regular Pontiac Fiero, it makes an undeniably good-looking race car. This example is chassis #001, built by Huffaker Engineering under contract from GM to race in the IMSA championship.
Racing in '85 and '86, the car took seven class victories at circuits like Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio. After just two seasons, it was refurbished and put in GM's heritage museum, where it stayed until 2009. It was then sold to a private owner and offered up for public sale in 2019.
3 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R '93
Introduced in '92, the Mustang Cobra is already a rare beast, built to showcase the best of what Ford's performance team could make with a road car. The Cobra R took things a step further and was built for racing only. To make sure they were used as intended, Ford only made 107 of them and insisted on selling them to owners with racing licenses.
This '93 example is one of those 107, finished in the only color available on the car, Vibrant Red. It's been modified to improve its racing capabilities, and now features a full roll cage, super-lightweight parts, and even the removal of the passenger seat. It's been well-raced and came up for auction with an estimate of between $50,000 and $75,000 in 2016.
2 March Buick 85G GTP '85
This car represents something of an unusual collaboration between three parties: Buick, McLaren, and Phil Conte Racing. It was configured for IMSA's GTP class and raced between 1985 and 1987.
Unfortunately, the class was dominated by Porsche and the Buick never saw any victories. But, it proved competitive in qualifying, even taking pole for the '85 Daytona 24. Today, it sits ready and waiting for a new owner to take it out on track and let its turbo V6 sing.
1 Chevrolet Monte Carlo '95
Driven by Dale Earnhardt, this NASCAR Chevy Monte Carlo originally started life as a '91 Chevy Lumina. It was rebuilt in '94 into its current form and competed in what was then the Winston Cup Series.
The car won at North Wilkesboro in 1991, then managed a second place at New Hampshire in 1994. As well as racing success, it was also used in a prominent Burger King commercial at the time. The car went up for auction in January 2021 with an estimate of $75,000 - $150,000.