Bonhams, Westin Kierland, Scottsdale, January 27, 2022
It felt good to get back to the verdant lawns, marquees and luxury Port-a-Potties in front of the Westin Kierland for Bonhams Scottsdale auction. The ’21 event was live previewed but with socially-distanced bidding largely on line and by phone. ’22 was all here, live, populated and up close and personal. Why were there only […]
Worldwide Scottsdale January 26, 2022
Worldwide Auctioneers opened the critical late week days of Scottsdale auction week, the first auction other than Barrett-Jackson selling cars. Their location, in Tempe physically, is conducive to the moderately-sized Worldwide concept and has the advantage of easy access, plentiful adjacent parking and a café on site that offers really good sandwiches and a pleasant […]
Mecum Kissimmee 2022, Where Records Fell
“Pent up demand”? If there was ever such a thing it was at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction in January. First, the total: $204,267,329, a bit different from Mecum’s PR but this number is based upon their post-sale results list exclusive of “Road Art”, but still by a material amount beyond this year’s record-setting Barrett-Jackson vehicle auction […]
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 […]