American Picker's Mike Wolfe Once Sold The Rear End Of A Car For $3,000
A good chunk of time shown on "American Pickers" involves Mike Wolfe and his team tracking down items to buy. It's easy to forget, but a major purpose of buying so much on their excursions is to later sell the items down the road for a profit. It can be a nice change of pace to actually see Wolfe sell one of his pieces so that it ends up in a loving home.
A lot of the time, it comes down to finding the one perfect buyer for a particular piece. For example, in the Season 19 episode, "Million-Dollar Cars," Wolfe and Frank Fritz go to a shop to sell the rear end of a car to a guy rebuilding an Auburn speedster. Wolfe even mentions in the episode how he's held onto this part for eight years, and he finally gets to send it on its way. The rear end may not look like much to the untrained eye, but it's precisely what the buyer, Doug, needs to complete his project.
The car part was hard to find
When Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz show up at the shop, the buyer is pleased to see them. The team is dedicated to restoring old cars that originally came out in the 1930s, and their latest project involves restoring an Auburn car using all-original parts. The rear end Mike Wolfe had for him is essential to getting the vehicle just right because it's a two-speed rear end, allowing the car to reach speeds of up to 105 miles per hour.
Doug goes on to say that once the project is complete, he'll probably be able to sell the finished Auburn for $750,000. As evidence of how valuable this vehicle will be, he's willing to spend $3,000 for the rear end, and it's not exactly in the best of condition. He then gives Wolfe and Fritz a glimpse of what he's working on, and what he shows them is the kind of car that just isn't made anymore. Wolfe and Fritz, being the big car guys that they are, remain understandably impressed with everything Doug has done up to this point.
The whole sequence of that episode really functions to serve as a reminder of how many people out there are dedicated to keeping the past alive. Hopefully, an episode of "American Pickers" comes out down the line where viewers can see the completed car.