At an auction in Boca Raton, Fla., recently, a man from Lake George, N.Y., bought his daughter an unusual present for $37,000: the "Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang" car, complete with wings and propeller, used in the 1968 Walt Disney movie. In Indianapolis last year, Greta Garbo's old Duesenberg brought $95,000. In Hollywood, TV Producer Burt Sugarman recently picked up a unique addition to his collection of classic cars: a 1927 Brewster Stratford Rolls. The price: $125,000.
Offbeat automobiles of assorted vintages and makes are in greater demand than ever. Such serious collectors of classic cars as...