By Dean Larson

Photos: Seller, BringaTrailer.com

How many times you been surfing classifieds and found an ad for a great vehicle with horrible photos? Vertical photos, too few photos, photos with half the car cut out; there should be an international championship for horrible classified ads judged on creativity and ingenuity employed in taking terrible photos. Maybe there is, that would sure explain a lot.

Moral of the story is, unless you’re trying to fool your wife, saying that you have the car “for sale,” there’s no excuse for terrible photos when you’re trying to sell a car. Great photos sell cars, and the owner of this Porsche 550 Spyder replica for auction on BringaTrailer.com has taken things one step further with professional photos and a video as well. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that this Spyder is headed towards a sale, inspiring multiple early bids and numerous comments within the first 24 hours of its seven-day auction.

Built by Vintage Motorcars of Hawaiian Gardens, California, this three-owner 550 Spyder is a well looked after example with a fiberglass body over a steel tube chassis. It’s powered by a 2,276cc Type 1 VW built by CB Performance. Target output on the engine is around 180 hp thanks to dual Weber carburetors, and front disc brakes help bring the Spyder back to the speed limit. A low-mileage car, offered with extra parts, service records and desirable SB-100 registration, this 550 is as likely as any to sell on BaT.

But what really separates this car from the pack is presentation. Professional photos are becoming a standard when listing your vehicle on internet auction sites like BringaTrailer and eBay, but they’ll go a long way on your average Craigslist ad as well. Put your car’s best foot forward, and you’re more likely to get your asking price, I’ll speak from experience there.

What’s interesting is that videos are nearly a standard item for selling on BringaTrailer these days as well. Auctions for interesting vehicles without videos are sure to have several comments saying “a video would go a long way,” or “seller, please post a video of the engine running.” Even a quick cellphone video goes a long way towards inspiring a bidder to make that final bid.

But dealers and extra savvy sellers take it a step further than that. The owner of this 550 Spyder put together a nice 1 minute 45 second video filled with glamor shots of the car, rolling shots and plenty of exhaust noise. Through the whole video, the seller explains all aspects of the car, and he’s a pretty decent salesman.

It comes as no surprise, that with a little digging, the owner of this car is a professional promoter named Bill Price. With experience at MTV and Comedy Central, it’s clear this guy knows his stuff, and his ad reflects that.

But I don’t think you need to be a TV professional to cash in on this method, however some basic camera and video editing skills will help you stand out in a sea of classifieds. And I know that sounds daunting, but modern day cellphones and applications like iMovie make this stuff really simple. So get out there and over deliver in your next classified ad, it just might make the sale.

The auction here on BringaTrailer.com ends Tuesday, May 21, and the current high bid is $20,000.