Bonhams, Olympia, London, December 3, 2018
Following by only two days Bonhams high-end auction at its New Bond Street headquarters Olympia is an opportunity to move some more mainstream and affordable collector cars. And that is exactly what happened, with the results that follow. After covering the Bond Street auction, Chris Sharpe proceeded to Olympia where he remarkably reported on pretty […]
Premier Auction Group, Punta Gorda, Florida
November 30-December 1, 2018 Kenny Garman, Brian Marshall and Julie Zimmerman are usually working auctions put on by others, all over the country. Premier Auction Group is their own auction, however, in the backyard of some of the principals at the Charlotte Harbor Event Center on Florida’s Gulf Coast. This is a first time event […]
Bonhams, London New Bond Street Headquarters
December 1, 2018 It’s best to let the numbers and the results speak for this auction at Bonhams headquarters on New Bond Street in London. There were six lots with low estimates of $1 million or more, an exemplary consignment of quality cars. Only one of them sold. Its $3,023,113 final price with commission was […]
Mecum Auctions, Las Vegas, November 15-17, 2018
The numbers below describe a typical Mecum auction with a mid-$30’s average and mid-$20s median. Missing from that picture are the 39 cars from the Academy of Art University collection, a paltry 4 ½% of the lots offered that has an outsized position on Mecum Auction’s ambitions. 26 of the 39 offered from the collection […]
Mecum Auctions, Dallas, October 3-6, 2018
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Since securing the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in 2012 to enter the Dallas-Ft. Worth market Mecum Auctions has built – as they seem consistently to be able to do – a steady four-day presence with 1,000+ lots on offer. Their calendar record hasn’t been as steady, with five of […]
The Epic Alfa Romeo – 8C 2900B at Artcurial Retromobile
[Quick note: This magnificent Alfa Romeo sold for €16,745,600, about US$19 million.] Artcurial Motorcars headline consignment for its annual Retromobile auction in February 2019 is a Touring Berlinetta bodied Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B, chassis number 412024. Alfa Romeo built only a handful of its masterpiece, the 8C 2900, in the late Thirties. They are […]
RM Sotheby’s, Porsche 70th Anniversary Porsche Experience Center, Atlanta, October 27, 2018
RM Sotheby’s capitalized on the 70th anniversary of the founding of Porsche with a one-time auction at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta. “Capitalized” in the sense that Porsche is far and away the hot marque of the moment. The all-Porsche sale in Atlanta was recognition of that stature and an acknowledgment that Porsches are […]
Barrett-Jackson, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, September 27-29, 2018
2018 marked Barrett-Jackson’s eleventh year in Las Vegas and posted (by a 2% whisker) its highest sale total ever for this venue. The showmanship and free-spending atmosphere that pervades Las Vegas ideally complements the showmanship and free-spending atmosphere of Barrett-Jackson collector car auctions, a symbiotic relationship that, as the results show, works. They cram 700 […]
The Branson Fall Auction, October 19-20, 2018
Branson Fall is an interesting phenomenon. There have been Branson Fall auctions in advance of contested national elections when the bidders were flat and preoccupied. The upcoming midterms, however, seemed to have little or no effect on the size or enthusiasm of the Branson crowd and bidders this year. The room was full and the […]
RM Auctions, Hershey, October 11-12, 2018
As part of RM’s restructuring the Hershey auction in 2018 reverted to the RM Auctions banner, replacing RM Sotheby’s branding here and Auctions America elsewhere. It was a distinction without a difference: same feel, same people, same venue. Only the signage reflected the change with the absence of Sotheby’s. RM’s Hershey auction reflects the AACA-based […]