OWLS HEAD — On Aug. 22 the Owls Head Transportation Museum conducted its 38th annual New England Auto Auction, and of 187 vehicles included in the sale, the museum sold 150 vehicles on the block, for an impressive sell through rate of just over 80 percent.

According to the museum in a press release Monday, total sales on auction day were $2,863,850, including the 10 percent buyers premium that is assessed to each sale. The auction represents a record-setting sale for OHTM; with both the gross sales and rate of sale representing the highest overall numbers the New England Auto Auction has ever realized.

Additional vehicles were expected to sell in the days following the auction, as the museum continues to work with consignors and interested buyers to facilitate sales. According to the release, By 10 a.m. on Aug. 24, two of the passed vehicles (those that failed to meet reserve on the auction block) - a 1963 Ford Thunderbird and a 1966 Ford Bronco Half Cab - had already been sold.

Factors including the quality, diversity and volume of vehicles, national media exposure, increased awareness of the Museum and overall interest in collector cars were attributed to the overwhelmingly strong performance of the 2015 New England Auto Auction

"Since late 2014 our auction coordinator, Toby Stinson, has been working to identify vehicles and work with potential consignors from all over the country. This effort yielded an exceptional quality and selection of vehicles that have attracted national media attention, piquing the interest of collectors from all over the world," said OHTM Executive Director Russ Rocknak.

Rocknak said that the museum received unprecedented interest from international buyers and that phone and absentee bidding were both very strong.

The New England Auto Auction is the OHTM's largest annual fundraiser, and funds raised by the sale represent about 20 percent of the museum's annual operating budget. While the auction has a longstanding reputation for including vehicles for every budget and collector, the star performers of the day on Saturday included a four-speed 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT-E produced with a factory-equipped 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air engine, one of just three produced, selling for $228,800. The rarity and provenance of this vehicle attracted significant advance media attention from publications including Hemmings Motor News, as well as from the large international community of Cougar collectors.

Other star performers of the day included a 1968 Shelby GT 500, which sold for $137,500, a 1933 Pierce-Arrow 1242 seven-passenger sedan the sold for $115,500 and a 1948 Packard Eight Station Sedan that sold for $90,750.

Full auction results are available online at owlshead.org and by contacting Public Relations Director Jenna Lookner at 207-594-4418. For information about viewing unsold vehicles, contact Stinson at the same number.