Automotive auction platform and enthusiast community Bring a Trailer (BaT), a unit of Hearst Magazines, set a new high-water mark in 2025, surpassing previous years with more than $1.7 billion in sales and marking the fourth consecutive year in which that number exceeded $1 billion. BaT says it also saw its highest volume of listings, with 49,486 total auctions split between cars, trucks, motorcycles, memorabilia, and parts, at an 81% sell-through rate. On average, the site hosted 951 auction listings per week, with a high of over 1,200.
The most expensive vehicle sold was a 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari is one of 499 coupes built between 2013 and 2016 and is said to be one of just three finished in Blu Elettrico and the sole US-market example to carry the color. The car was delivered new in the US via Ferrari of Seattle to a Washington collector who retained it for seven years before it changed hands in 2021 and was later purchased by the selling dealer in 2025. It sold last August for $4,475,000.
Perhaps the most unusual, and my personal favorite was a custom recreation of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster made famous in the 1983 comedy National Lampoon's Vacation that sold for $62,500 on the online auction site, according to the listing.
The sale closed Sept. 23, 2025, after 73 bids, with the winning bidder identified only by a screen name on the auction platform.
The vehicle began life as a 1989 Ford LTD Crown Victoria station wagon. It was later modified to replicate the over-the-top Wagon Queen Family Truckster driven by the fictional Griswold family in the film. The movie car, remembered for its metallic green paint, excessive woodgrain trim and stacked headlights, was itself based on a Ford LTD Country Squire but heavily customized for comedic effect.
Photo: Bring a Trailer.
According to the Bring a Trailer listing, the seller acquired the Crown Victoria in 2023 and undertook the transformation to mirror the film car’s exaggerated design cues. Modifications include octuple headlights mounted in pairs at the front corners, narrowed side windows, simulated woodgrain body panels and a faux fuel filler mounted on the hood. The wagon also features a raised roof rack with custom-fabricated trim elements intended to match the on-screen prop.
The exterior finish reflects the bright green tone associated with the movie version, and the seller documented the build process with photos included in the auction listing.
Under the hood is a fuel-injected 5.0-liter V-8 engine paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. Bring a Trailer reported that the air conditioning system was serviced under current ownership. The front suspension was overhauled, and the braking system was refreshed, according to the listing. No mechanical modifications beyond maintenance and refurbishment were detailed in the auction description.
Inside, the wagon offers seating for eight passengers in tan upholstery. The interior retains a period-correct cassette head unit. The dashboard and controls reflect the late-1980s Ford design typical of the LTD Crown Victoria platform. Photos in the listing show wood-tone trim and broad bench-style seating consistent with the era.
The six-digit odometer displays approximately 198,000 kilometers. The seller stated that about 15,000 kilometers were added during current ownership. The vehicle is said to have been driven across the Southwestern United States and through California after completion of the build, including visits to filming locations associated with the movie.
The auction listing also notes that the sale included accessories, literature, workshop manuals and a binder of service records. A clean Carfax vehicle history report was provided. At the time of sale, the wagon was registered in Alberta, Canada.
The Wagon Queen Family Truckster has become one of the most recognizable fictional family cars in American pop culture. In the film, the vehicle is portrayed as an over-designed, awkward station wagon intended to parody 1970s and early 1980s family haulers. Its stacked headlights, excessive faux wood trim and bright paint were intentionally exaggerated for comedic effect.
While the original movie cars were studio-built props, replicas have periodically surfaced in the collector market. The $62,500 sale price places this example among higher-dollar novelty builds sold through online enthusiast auctions.
Bring a Trailer, which specializes in enthusiast and collector vehicles, routinely features custom builds and pop culture tributes alongside production classics and specialty performance cars. Bidding activity on the Truckster recreation indicates sustained interest in film-related vehicles, particularly those that balance nostalgia with drivability.
Photo: BringATrailer.