Russo and Steele, Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey, August 17-19, 2017
Last year I got in trouble with Russo and Steele’s impresario, Drew Alcazar, for complimenting him and the Russo and Steele team on establishing a record Monterey total sale. Maybe the compliment was a little awkwardly worded, but it was sincerely meant. That mistake will not be repeated in 2017 with a total sale that […]
Mecum Auctions, Del Monte Golf Course, Monterey, August 16-19, 2017
Mecum Auctions has become an integral part of the Monterey Car Week and auction calendar since arriving on the peninsula in 2009. Mecum puts together the most welcoming and inclusive auction of the week, with rows of affordable cars and a fast-paced, TV-driven presentation that invites participation with its openness and accessible consignment. It’s the […]
Gooding & Company, Pebble Beach, August 18-19, 2017
The big news going into the Monterey auction week was Gooding & Company’s decision to change its days from Saturday-Sunday to Friday-Saturday. The big news coming out of the week was Gooding & Company’s dramatic drop in its total sale, $91.5 million, down 29.5% from 2016’s $129.8 million and its lowest overall sale total since […]
RM Sotheby’s, Monterey, August 18-19, 2017
RM Sotheby’s found itself back in a tent in Portola Plaza again this year as the Convention Center reconstruction remained incomplete. And it wasn’t the same tent as last year. That one was damaged beyond expedient repair just a week before setup began and another had to be substituted. The area was the same but […]
Bonhams, Quail Lodge, August 18, 2017
2017 was Bonhams most successful Quail Lodge auction. The 2014 Thursday auction of the Maranello Rosso cars, including Ferrari 250 GTO s/n 3851GT, is treated as a separate event, a Black Swan. This year’s sale was highlighted by a road-legal McLaren F1 that brought a curve-setting price of $15,620,000, but there were nine other cars […]
A Quick Monterey Auction Review
$329.5 million changed hands at the Monterey auctions this year. The money wasn’t all that changed. Worldwide Auctioneers made its Monterey debut at one of the most attractive venues on the Peninsula, the Pacific Grove Golf Links. And Gooding & Company moved their sale from Saturday-Sunday to Friday-Saturday, compressing the Monterey auctions into just four […]
Bob’s Cars/The-cars-of-Bob
My friend Bob Fleischmann died last September. We did stupid car stuff, including the 1980 U.S. Express from Merrick, Long Island to Redondo Beach, California in his Pantera in 42 hours 57 minutes. His widow, Jean, has an overdue rent bill for storage of Bob’s project cars that we’re trying to help her get out […]
RM Sotheby’s, Santa Monica, California, June 24, 2017
Yes, that says “RM Sotheby’s”, not Auctions America. Santa Monica was started as an Auctions America sale. Its re-branding as RM Sotheby’s coincides with another RM Sotheby’s schedule change, the elimination of the sale at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan during the Concours d’Elegance of America. Reasons? Draw your own conclusions from […]
Barrett-Jackson, Northeast, Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Connecticut, June 22-24, 2017
Barrett-Jackson returned to the Northeast for its second round June 22-24, 2017. A measure of the success of B-J’s foray into New England is the price of admission on Saturday: The same $75 that B-J charges for a Saturday ticket at its original Scottsdale auction at WestWorld. Spectator traffic may have been impeded by a […]
Leake Auctions, Tulsa, OK, June 9-11, 2017
Few collector car auctions have the history of the Leake Auction Company. Begun in the Sixties by James C. Leake, Sr. out of his passion for old cars and particularly Rolls-Royces, it has been continued by his daughter Nancy and her husband Richard Sevenoaks. The third generation, their daughter Audrey and her husband Ty Young, […]