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Fans of reality hit “American Pickers” have seen Mike Wolfe shell out big bucks for dozens of the vintage cars he’s come across scouring America’s vast antique wilderness. But it is, perhaps, worth noting that some of the more interesting automotive finds on “American Pickers” have come when Wolfe and his cohorts aren’t specifically looking for cars. That was seemingly the case in a Season 12 episode when Wolfe found a 1930s Auburn 653 Phaeton gathering rust and dust in a South Dakota barn.

That barn was owned by an aging couple who’d clearly spent much of their 53 years together assembling a vast collection of antiques. But the Phaeton immediately caught Wolfe’s eye, and he swiftly moved to strike a deal. Unfortunately, the owner came in hot on price, asking a whopping $80,000 for the vehicle despite its sub-pristine condition. After considering the initial ask, Wolfe called Doug Pray, a buddy well-versed in Auburns, to get some details on the car, and ultimately learned that the 6-cylinder 653 Phaetons are less sought after by collectors than 8-cylinder models, as the latter were the higher-end builds during the heyday of the brand. Armed with that news, Wolfe was able to scoop the vintage ride up for $26,050.

Wolfe wasn’t looking to fully restore it himself but rather clean it up, have some work done, and find a buyer to do the rest. It seems a buyer was eventually found, with the Phaeton reportedly selling for more than $30,000.

What happened to the ’35 Auburn 653 Phaeton after American Pickers

The 1935 Auburn 653 Phaeton instantly became one of the coolest cars Mike Wolfe ever found in the series. But after making the deal, he and his former co-star Frank Fritz soon realized they had their work cut out for them in merely getting the vintage vehicle out of the garage. They ultimately decided that removing one of the sheet metal walls enclosing the space was the smartest play, with Wolfe and Fritz undertaking the task themselves until help arrived. Once the Phaeton was free, Wolfe promised that if he got the vehicle’s engine running, he’d drive the car back and take the owners for a ride.

Of course, the first stop the vehicle made after its barn exodus is the shop of the very Auburn Deusenburg specialist Wolfe called to get the 411 on the build to begin with, with the “American Pickers” star hoping they could not only get the engine running but remove the crude layer of white house paint the car had been covered in. Cut to Season 14, and we found Wolfe and his “American Pickers” cohort Danielle Colby checking in with the vehicle’s low-key restoration to find both tasks had been achieved, among several others. However, as they geared up to keep Wolfe’s promise and drive to South Dakota, he revealed that one of the owners had, sadly, passed away in the interim.

That didn’t prevent Wolfe from keeping his promise. And in one of the more heartrending moments in “American Pickers” history, Wolfe and Colby indeed took the owner’s widow for a joyride. From there, Wolfe set about seeing what the partially restored vehicle might fetch on the vintage car market.

Here’s what the Auburn 653 Phaeton from American Pickers pulled in at auction

It’s unclear how much money Mike Wolfe put into the 1935 Auburn 653 Phaeton to get it up and running. However, the vehicle’s auction report notes that the work included removal of the white paint, replacing the convertible roof, and an engine overhaul before it went under the gavel through R.M. Sotheby’s in Hershey, PA. For the record, that didn’t actually happen until 2021. As the Phaeton made its second “American Pickers” appearance in 2016, it’s not clear if Sotheby’s received the vehicle directly from Wolfe or if another owner had taken possession in the interim.

Given those facts, it’s also not clear what Wolfe made on the sale of the ’35 Auburn 653 Phaeton. What we do know is that when the vintage ride hit the auction block in ’21, it sold for a reported $35,200. Assuming Wolfe was the seller at that point, it’s clear that — after Sotheby’s took its cut of the sale — he likely didn’t turn a big profit. According to Classic.comthe same Phaeton hit the auction circuit again in 2022 but did not sell the second time around.

Interestingly enough, it would seem the so-called “Picker Phaeton” found its way back to Wolfe’s Auburn Duesenberg expert earlier this year. As noted in the “Nobody’s Show” YouTube videothe vehicle followed the series’ rare Cadillac Madame X by at least briefly joining a museum collection after Wolfe sold it. But Doug Pray recently pried it away from the museum for an undisclosed amount, with the Duesenberg expert looking to fortify the engine before flipping it himself. We’ll keep you posted if we learn anything about that sale.