1957 Buick Caballero Estate Wagon magical auction at Pebble Beach goes for record amount while benefiting veterans.

1957 Buick Caballero Estate Wagon magical auction at Pebble Beach goes for record amount while benefiting veterans.

Something magical happened at Pebble Beach with a 1957 Buick Caballero Estate Wagon on offer from Gooding that carried a pre-auction estimate of $100,000-$125,000.  Jay Leno's Big Dog Garage restored the car at no cost in order to benefit The George W. Bush Military Service Initiative, which honors post 9-11 veterans and works to help them transition back to civilian life.

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Casablanca Buick sells for big bucks!

Casablanca Buick sells for big bucks!

The 1940 Buick Phaeton automobile from Casablanca, Warner Bros., 1942, sold for $461,000 at a Bonham auction in November 2013.

This car looms large in the final act of Casablanca: Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault drives the car to the airport at gunpoint, with Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in the front, and Ingrid Bergman (Ilsa Lund) and Paul Henried (Victor Laszlo) in the back seat. Throughout the final moments of the film, Rick, Ilsa, Victor and Louis linger on the airport tarmac next to the Buick Phaeton, and the film's immortal final moments between Rick and Ilsa take place next to the car.

As a member of the Warner's fleet, this car also appeared in other films of the era, including High Sierra, also starring Humphrey Bogart.

"Here's looking at you kid!"

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