FORT LAUDERDALE, FL.- Auctions America by RM posted $17,248,846 in total sales at its annual Collector Cars of Fort Lauderdale auction event this weekend. The top seller, a barn-find 1963 Shelby Cobra (chassis no. CSX 2080), changed hands for $467,500 and represents a unique opportunity to make a direct comparison between the rise in a collector car’s value and that of a traded commodity – gold.

The matching-numbers CSX 2080, the fifth 289 Cobra built, was purchased by its second private owner in 1981 with $30,000† worth of gold coins. The cumulative average market gold price that year was $460 per ounce. The car was driven only once by its new owner and then parked for the next thirty years, leaving it in very original, unrestored condition for its appearance on the auction podium in Fort Lauderdale.

Since 1981 gold values have fluctuated, but have steadily been on the rise over the last decade and reached an all-time high on March 2, 2011, closing at $1,437.20 per ounce. Based on the current gold market, the original investment of gold coins has more than tripled in value and would be worth approximately $93,730 today. The $467,500 selling price of CSX 2080 represents an increase of about 15 times the original purchase price of $30,000 and outperforms the gold market five times over.

“Recently the media has explored the value of collector cars as more than just items to drive and enjoy as a hobby. There is strong potential for beautiful and rare automobiles as tangible assets to offer good returns on a collector’s investment,” stated Donnie Gould, President, Auctions America by RM.

“To avoid disappointment we always counsel our clients to research potential purchases well and, above all else, buy cars that they are truly passionate about,” added Gould.

Presenting all categories and genres of motor cars, the 2011 Collector Cars of Fort Lauderdale event saw a total of 498 automobiles go under the hammer with a 68 percent sell through rate. Registered bidders representing 15 different countries participated in the auction onsite, on the phone and over the Internet.

Collector Cars of Fort Lauderdale Top 5 Sales:

• 1963 Shelby Cobra, CSX 2080: $467,500.00
• 1932 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton, Engine no. J315: $440,000.00
• 1957 Desoto Adventurer: $187,000.00
• 1995 Batmobile from the film ‘Batman Forever’: $165,000.00
• 1938 Ford Hot Rod: $165,000.00