Mecum Auctions, Dallas, Texas, October 15-17, 2020
Mecum clings faithfully to a largely live auction format. Live bidders socially-distanced in the room. Live auctioneers on the block. A mix of phone and internet bidders but with a bid-spotter/ring person gesticulating and calling out loudly to claim precedence for remote bidders. It builds engagement and excitement like no “online only” auction can where […]
Bonhams, Goodwood Speed Week, October 17, 2020
No spectators. No fancy manufacturer exhibits. No posh entertainment. Few period costumes. This was not the usual Goodwood Revival. It was Goodwood for the participants, and it was a unique experience. Here’s what Chris Sharpe said: “Goodwood without any crowds whatsoever was a privilege beyond words. The history of the circuit is one thing but […]
Bonhams, Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, Philadelphia, October 11, 2020
Strategically positioned on the Sunday before Hershey Week, Bonhams auction at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum celebrates Dr. Fred Simeone’s philosophy of preserving and driving great cars. In 2020 there was no Hershey Week, but Bonhams went to Philadelphia anyway and presented a docket that included some simply marvelous old unrestored cars. None was more […]
RM Auctions, Dennis Mitosinka Collection, Online Only, September 25, 2020
Dennis Mitosinka’s collection consisted largely of 400 lots of automobilia, memorabilia and parts but culminated in 31 varied but intriguing automobiles offered without reserve. The most notable of them were little-seen prewar classics. The auction followed the usual pattern for online auctions: infrequent bidding until the minutes before the scheduled closing time, then a flurry […]
Artcurial Motorcars, André Trigano Collection, Auriol, Gibel, France, September 13, 2020
It was with great fanfare that Artcurial Motorcars announced this single owner collection in late winter of 2020, scheduled for May 2 on location in the Mid-Pyrenees. The location was convenient to nothing, but promised to be delightful in the spring. CoViD-19 put paid to that shortly after the auction was announced. The auction went […]
RM Auctions, Auburn Fall, Auburn, IN, September 3-5, 2020
If there’s any remaining question about how well the collector car auction market is adjusting to CoViD-19’s restrictions and revised value chains it’s nowhere better seen than in the recent history of Auburn Fall. It handily beat 2019’s pre-CoViD sale total and nearly matched it in average transaction value. It didn’t match 2018’s sale total […]
Worldwide Auctioneers, Auburn, Indiana, September 5, 2020
Auburn, Indiana is Worldwide Auctioneers’ home turf and after building a successful series of sales under tents in a field and at the NATMUS Cord Front-Drive (“L-29”) Assembly Building they last year moved into the former Dean Kruse WWII Museum complex across I-69 from the Auburn Auction Park while maintaining their momentum. Worldwide’s Auburn auction […]
Gooding & Company, Hampton Court Palace, September 5, 2020 “Passion of a Lifetime”
Gooding & Company made a splash with its first auction outside the U.S., setting record after record with only a 15-car docket featuring the collection of Hubert Fabri. There was no insignificant car on the docket. They ranged from a concours restored Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Alpine Eagle tourer to a pair of aged, peeling, used […]
RM Sotheby’s, Shift/Monterey, August 14-15, 2020
The culmination of RM Sotheby’s summer of Online Only was the online replacement for their annual blockbuster auction at Monterey, for online styled “Shift/Monterey”. With a total sale of $30¼ million it was at the top of the Monterey replacements with a total changing hands over twice either Gooding’s $14.4 million or Bonhams $12.8 million. […]
Bonhams, Quail Online, Los Angeles, California , August 10-14, 2020
An organization that traces its history back to 1793 should be expected to be traditional, staid and fiercely resistant to anything that resembles innovation. That has not been the case for Bonhams approach to online auctions. In the UK Bonhams started a series of affordable classic auction sales called MPH last year, a venture that […]