Bonhams, Goodwood Revival, September 18, 2021
Cataloging auction cars is an art requiring the cataloger to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative, a Harold Arlen refrain made famous by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, among many others. There were some terrific cars in Bonhams Goodwood Revival auction in September, but a number of them had […]
RM Sotheby’s Jean Guikas Collection, Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France, August 19, 2021
For anyone with an appreciation of competition cars Circuit Paul Ricard – famous for its white curbs and red and blue painted runoff areas and the French Grand Prix – was the destination of choice on Friday August 19. Whether in person or on the interweb RM’s auction of the Guikas Collection was the place […]
RM Sotheby’s, London, November 6, 2021
Although RM has held plenty of auctions in London, both before and since teaming up with Sotheby’s, this was their first as the title sponsor of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (hereafter “LBVCR”). Previously the LBVCR-linked auction has been the province of Bonhams, along with the title sponsorship and participation of Bonhams stalwart […]
Mecum Auctions, Las Vegas, October 7-9, 2021
Since coming to Las Vegas a few years ago Mecum has established this venue as one of its more successful, turning in $20 million total sales and impressive sell-through rates consistently. In relative terms 2021 is a modest consignment of under 600 cars but it returned record average and median transaction values. Part of that […]
Bonhams, Greenwich Online Only, October 21-25, 2021
While Covid 19 has brought many adjustments to the collector car auction calendar, other influences have also had their effect. The emergence of new events like Chattanooga have attracted auctions – in that case Mecum. Hagerty’s acquisition of the Greenwich Concours from the founding Wennerstrom family and a Covid-related hiatus in 2020 saw Bonhams well-established […]
RM Sotheby’s, Hershey, October 7-8, 2021
RM’s Hershey auction at the AACA Hershey Region Fall Meet is a throwback, like it used to be before selling collector cars became a big business. It’s Fall in the Northeast. The air is crisp. The trees are turning. Even the cars are a throwback to earlier times when “collector car” meant something from before […]
Barrett-Jackson, NRG Arena, Houston, September 16-18, 2021
Houston’s NRG Arena has been a Mecum venue since 2012 with an April date … except for 2020 when everyone’s regular dates seemed to go out the window. It’s been a steady Mecum performer with consignments of 700-1,000 lots, solid sell through rates around 70% and total transactions running into the $20 million range (ignoring […]
Bonhams, Audrain Concours Auction, October 1, 2021
Benefactor Nick Schorsch, CEO Donald Osborne and Museum Executive Director David DeMuzio, along with a pantheon of employees and volunteers spared no effort in bringing a world class concours d’elegance to Aquidneck Island and Newport, Rhode Island. After an auspicious debut in 2019 and an involuntary hiatus in 2020 the 2021 Audrain Motor Week and […]
RM Sotheby’s, St. Moritz, September 17, 2021
In conjunction with the Internationale St. Moritzer Automobilwochen “Boutique” sales have become a thing at RM Sotheby’s. RM Sotheby’s calendar of single-owner or topical auctions added another venue on September 17 with the 24-lot sale at the Kempinski Hotel in the fabled Swiss mountain resort of St. Moritz. The venue’s preferred title is “Grand Hotel […]
Mecum Auctions, Dallas, September 9-11, 2021
Mecum Auctions’ Dallas appearance fluctuates between September and October, probably depending more upon the availability of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center than any other reason. This year’s thousand-car consignment is a return to track for this sale which has had over a thousand cars in all but two years (2017 and, for obvious reasons, […]