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Barrett-Jackson is heading back to the Las Vegas Convention Center's West Hall from September 10-12, and the auction house has already revealed one of the most historically loaded vehicles set to cross the block: a 1951 Cadillac Series 62 Royal Parade convertible built for a young Princess Elizabeth years before she became Queen Elizabeth II.
General Motors built the car specifically for the princess's 1951 Canadian Royal Tour, with General Motors Canada supplying it for the occasion. Finished in black over a red Hydes leather interior, the Cadillac pairs its original 331ci OHV V-8 and heavy-duty four-speed Hydramatic transmission with a custom clear bubbletop enclosure made by an aviation company, letting crowds see their princess while shielding her from the weather. It's one of only two 1951 Cadillacs built with a factory four-barrel carburetor, and it also carries power steering, power windows, power-adjustable front seats and an oversized radiator suited to slow-speed parade duty. The sale includes a factory commemorative dash plaque, the original build invoice, period photos of the princess with the car, and a rhinestone-and-silver replica of the George IV State Diadem tied to Queen Elizabeth II's reign.
The Cadillac won't be alone on the docket. A freshly finished 1962 Chevrolet Corvette convertible built around an LS3 stroker engine, six-speed manual and Art Morrison GT Sport chassis will also cross the block, part of what Barrett-Jackson chairman and CEO Craig Jackson calls "the perfect setting for our upcoming September auction." Modern exotica joins the mix too, including a custom 1996 Ferrari F355 with F430- and F40-inspired styling cues, a 2007 Ferrari F430 F1 Spider, a Lingenfelter-supercharged 2013 Corvette Split-Window coupe from Classic Reflection Coachworks, a Boyd Coddington-restored 1963 Corvette Fuelie, a five-year restoration 1966 Mustang fastback and a 2024 Rezvani Military Edition Tank.
For collectors trying to put a number on a car like this, Hagerty's Valuation Tools offer a useful starting point. Hagerty currently prices a stock 1951 Cadillac Series 62 convertible in #3 (Good) condition at $58,200, a benchmark for unmodified cars in solid driver condition before any premium for provenance gets factored in. A one-off built for the future Queen Elizabeth II, complete with royal-tour documentation and photography, sits in a different category entirely - closer to the rarefied space of celebrity- and royalty-owned cars that routinely blow past standard price-guide numbers once bidders start chasing a piece of history rather than just a driver-quality Cadillac.
That gap between guide value and provenance-driven price has become a bigger storyline across the collector market lately. Motorious readers who followed the recent modified 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS coupe listed on Hagerty Marketplace already know how much documented history can move the needle once Hagerty's data meets a motivated bidding audience.
Barrett-Jackson enters Las Vegas on a hot streak. Its inaugural Columbus auction pulled in $38.1 million and a new Boss 429 record earlier this year, and the company's Scottsdale-based Collection Showroom recently listed a wild custom 2020 Jeep Gladiator 6x6 for buyers chasing something a little less traditional than a postwar Cadillac.
The Las Vegas weekend kicks off September 9 with an invitation-only opening night reception at LIV Las Vegas inside the Fontainebleau, the auction's official host hotel and a short walk from the West Hall. Bidder registration is open with several package tiers, plus Muscle Lounge and Hammer High Top upgrades, and advance tickets are on sale now with discounted pricing for seniors, military and first responders; kids 12 and under get in free. Consignments for the September auction are still being accepted.
