RM Sotheby’s, The White Collection, Houston, December 1-2, 2023
This may be one of the most idiosyncratic, expensive and irrelevant collections ever assembled. People collect all kinds of things, and sometimes specialize in surpassingly tiny variations of a single theme: David Andreani in Italy has over 10,000 Coca-Cola cans; Becky Martz has over 21,000 banana labels (“banana labels”?); David Morgan in England (who claims […]
RM Sotheby’s, New York, December 8, 2023
RM returned to Sotheby’s headquarters on York Avenue in New York City as one of the opening auctions in Sotheby’s “Luxury Week” auction schedule. It was a small sale of just 16 cars, one motorcycle and a single Andy Warhol print of a Mobil sign, but it was astutely aligned with the Big Apple market. […]
1962 Ferrari 330 LM/250 GTO Chassis No. 3765
It is accepted wisdom that David MacNeil, impresario of WeatherTech “laser-measured” plastic floor liners, bought Ferrari GTO 4153 GT five years ago for something like $70 million. That turned out to be optimistic timing even considering 4153 GT’s long and moderately successful competition career. RM Sotheby’s sold GTO s/n 3765 at Sotheby’s York Avenue, New […]
Barrett-Jackson, New Orleans, September 28-30, 2023
For reasons known only to Craig Jackson and Steve Davis Barrett-Jackson decamped some 350 miles east from the NRG Center in Houston to the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans after only two years in Houston. The result was not astounding with everything down by material amounts from what B-J was able to […]
RM Sotheby’s, Hershey, October 4-5, 2023
Hershey is not RM Sotheby’s most significant sale, but it is one of its most enjoyable and intriguing. The cars offered are so unusual that often there are several we’ve never heard of before. They aren’t the best concours-queens, but are positioned to reflect the Hershey AACA Swap Meet environment. In other words there were […]
Bonhams|Cars, Audrain, Newport, R.I., September 29, 2023
Twenty-two of the fifty-three lots in this year’s Bonhams Audrain auction were from the estate of James Messenger. Most were weak-in-the-knees gorgeous modified cars with impeccable construction, concept and presentation. The three Alfa GTs left me in awe, the things I would like my Alfa GT to be, but it isn’t and never will be. […]
Mecum Auctions, Monterey, August 17-19, 2023
Mecum Auctions is Walmart among the five Monterey car week auctions: There’s an ample selection, much of the inventory is relatively inexpensive, some of it is seriously out of the ordinary and there is enough premium product to keep buyers intrigued. Mecum has gradually transitioned to offering more high end, expensive, cars including late model […]
RM Sotheby’s, Monterey, August 17-19, 2023
After a pair of post-COVID years in the rarified stratosphere RM Sotheby’s three-day Monterey auction came back to more dense atmosphere in 2023, still exceptional but less effusive than it was in 2021 and 2022. It showed that RM understands it (and its Monterey competitors) can’t simply bulk up with hundreds of cars to build […]
Broad Arrow|Radius, Jet Center, Monterey, August 17-18, 2003
2023 was Broad Arrow’s second auction at the Monterey Jet Center coincident with the Hagerty Motorlux kickoff party. Last year was Broad Arrow’s first live auction, although the Broad Arrow team has decades of experience, coming mostly from RM. I’m going to put the numbers first to get the details out of the way: The […]
Bonhams|Cars, Quail Lodge, Carmel Valley, August 18, 2023
Bonhams brought THE headline car of the Monterey Auctions to Carmel Valley, the 1967 Ferrari 412P (330P3/P4 in the old style nomenclature), like the Lola T70, a sublime blending of form and function that represents an “old style” application of intuitive aerodynamics. And it sold, on only two bids, for $27,500,000 hammer, $30,255,000 including the […]