The Branson Auction Spring 2017, April 21-22, 2017
The 2017 Spring Branson auction was missing a key element: Mark Trimble. Mark died February 11, probably while planning on doing aerobatics in the air over the Ozarks. He was dedicated to Branson, but more than that to living a good, fulsome, life. He brought the Branson Collector Car Auction to life nearly 40 […]
Mecum Auctions, NRG Arena, Houston, Texas, April 6-8, 2017
Since arriving in Houston in 2012 Mecum has made a splash, then settled down into a consistent $20 million sale. The “splash” came in 2014 when a single Ford GT40 s/n GT/104, brought $7 million hammer, 23% of that year’s total auction handle all by itself. Over the years the consignment has steadily declined until […]
Auctions America, Ft. Lauderdale, March 31-April 2, 2017
It’s difficult to find a collection of cars at auction backed up by a team more enthusiastic than Donnie Gould has at Auctions America. Two weeks after their partners at RM Sotheby’s hit a home run at Amelia Island, Auctions America did the same in Ft. Lauderdale. The cars were mainstream but that didn’t mean […]
Motostalgia Auctions, Amelia Island, March 11, 2017
Motostalgia Auctions bills itself as the official auction company for the SVRA Amelia Island Vintage Gran Prix, an event that took place March 16-19, a week after the auction, SVRA’s third event of a busy winter season. Motostalgia’s results for 2017 were comparable with last year but actually reflected a better sale when it is […]
Artcurial Motorcars, Rétromobile, Paris, February 10, 2017
On the numbers Artcurial’s $34.7 million 2017 sale looks light, but that isn’t taking into account the $35 million sale of the Ferrari 335 Sport last year which had no comparable blockbuster in 2017. Then there was the $19.1 million sale of the Baillon Collection’s Ferrari 250 GT SWB Cal Spyder two years ago. Without […]
Bonhams, Le Grand Palais, Paris, February 9, 2017
In locating a collector car auction the auction companies’ inducement is to put an auction in a place where car collectors want to gather. That involves finding venues where there are attractions that appeal to collectors, where like-minded souls want to congregate with friends, where the accommodations and settings are friendly, with good food and […]
RM Sotheby’s, Place Vauban, Paris February 8, 2017
RM Sotheby’s kicked off the auctions in Paris during Rétromobile this year with a Wednesday evening sale of 77 lots. Pre-sale highlights included a Ferrari 275 GTB and 365 GTB/4 Daytona with period performance modifications, an Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3 Monoposto, the first Porsche 917/10 and a Porsche 959 Sport. Also scattered under the […]
Russo and Steele, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Scottsdale, Arizona January 18-22, 2017
Russo and Steele in 2017 made a long-awaited move some five years in the making to the Salt River Fields adjacent to the Loop 101 highway. It was vastly successful, with room for more cars, better access, excellent visibility and largely free of the scrub brush and prickly things that made the area surrounding the […]
Bonhams, Amelia Island, March 9, 2017
The Amelia Island auction week opened up with Bonhams on Thursday and its experience foreshadowed what would follow, difficulty in closing the deal on major lots but general success, even if at modest values, with moderately-priced lots. Just five lots achieved hammer bids over half a million dollars and only two of those, the […]
Worldwide Scottsdale 1/18/17
Worldwide Auctioneers, Scottsdale January 18, 2017 Worldwide Auctioneers joined the Scottsdale auction party in 2017 with a focused, realistic sale of 82 cars on the southern periphery of Scottsdale off McDowell Road. Set up in a good-sized tent on the site of a closed multi-marque new car dealership, they assembled a good collection of classics, […]