The coronavirus pandemic is having a major impact on automotive events, many of which are being canceled or postponed.
The big announcements on Wednesday, March 18, were that Gooding & Company is postponing its auction in London and that the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race also is being postponed. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest that organizes the race said it has rescheduled the event for September 19-20. The original dates were June 13-14.
“Restrictions are currently in force in France and other countries around the world to curb the spread of coronavirus,” the ACO said in its announcement. “Consequently… in conjunction with the Féderation Internationale Automobile and the World Endurance Championship, (we choose) to postpone the 24 Hours of Le Mans originally set for 13-14 June 2020. The new date is 19-20 September 2020.”
Because of the postponement, several other races in various sports car series will be rescheduled.
- Gooding & Company has postponed its “Passion of a Lifetime” auction, a sale scheduled for April 1 at Somerset House in London. The auction would have been the company’s first outside the United States. A new date has yet to be announced.
- RM Sotheby’s will stage its Palm Beach sale scheduled for March 20 as an online-only event. The docket includes a 2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta and a McLaren Senna. Bidding will begin at 11 a.m. (Eastern time) and the sale will end with lot closures staggered from March 25-27, the auction house said.
- Bonhams also will go ahead with its MPH sale at Bicester Heritage but will increase spacing between the vehicles offered for bidding and is adding online and telephone bidding for those unable to attend. The company also will go ahead with its Goodwood Members’ Meeting sale on March 29 but bidding will be done by telephone or online, and only 10 people at a time will be admitted to preview the vehicles.
Here are other changes added to the list impacted by the pandemic:
- Porsche and Rolls-Royce suspend vehicle production for at least the next two weeks in Europe, as have General Motors, Ford and Chrysler in the United States.
- The Arizona FuelFest scheduled for April 4 at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park has been rescheduled for September 19.
- The California Automobile Museum at Sacramento is closed through March.
- The National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park is closed until April 6.
- The Merzouga Rally, scheduled for May 25-29 in Morocco and a qualifying event for the famed Dakar Rally, has been canceled.
- The Trans Am West Championship race April 2 at Thunderhill has been postponed.
- Charlotte Auto Fair, postponed until June 12-14.
- The Scottsdale, Arizona, Off-Road Expo has been postponed.
Here is our latest and updated list of automotive events impacted by health concerns:
Cancelled —
Geneva Motor Show
Historic Vehicle Association Drive History conference
Australian Grand Prix F1 race
Goodguys events in Texas and Arizona
Stadium launch for Copperstate 1000 vintage rally
Greenwich Concours d’Elegance
Buffalo Motorama
MAG auction, Peoria, Arizona
Philadelphia Concours d’Elegance
Studebaker Extravaganza at AACA Museum
Muscle Car City March 21 car show
Merzouga Rally
Postponed —
New York Auto Show
Techno-Classic Essen and RM Sotheby’s auction (tentatively rescheduled for mid-June)
Bahrain, Vietnam and Chinese Grand Prix races
IndyCar races at St. Petersburg, Alabama, Long Beach and Texas
IMSA races at St. Petersburg, Sebring (rescheduled for November 11-14), Alabama and Long Beach
RADwood events in South Carolina and Philadelphia
F9 movie (rescheduled for release April 2, 2021)
Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction (rescheduled for October)
RM Auctions Palm Beach auction (to be held as online-only sale)
NASCAR races at Atlanta and Homestead-Miami
NHRA Gatornationals
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America 2020 induction ceremony
Team Shelby Bash
Road Racing Drivers Club Evening with Rick Mears
Michelin NCM Bash at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park (rescheduled for May 28-30)
Vehicle production at Lamborghini and Ferrari
Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show (UK)
ZF installation education program (through March 31)
NASCAR races (through May 3)
Bicester Heritage April Scramble (rescheduled for June 21)
National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park (all events suspended until April 6)
Arizona FuelFest, rescheduled for September 19
Porsche, Rolls-Royce suspend vehicle production through March
General Motors, Ford suspend vehicle production in the U.S. through March
Scottsdale Off-Road Expo
Charlotte Auto Fair (rescheduled for June 12-14)
Relocated
Classic Car Auctions (UK), moving to Warwickshire Event Centre
Revised
RM Sotheby’s Palm Beach auction March 20 will be conducted online only
Temporarily closed —
Newport Car Museum (through March 20)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (until March 30)
Studebaker National Museum (through March 27)
Owls Head Transportation Museum (through March 29)
AACA Museum (through March 29)
Petersen Automotive Museum (through March 31)
California Automobile Museum (through March 31)
The Henry Ford museum (through April 5)
National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park (until April 6)
Phoenix Art Museum (through April 6)
Blackhawk Collection museum (through April 7)
Automotive Hall of Fame (through April)
Motorsports Hall of Fame (until further notice)
Stahl’s Auto Collection (until further notice)
LeMay — America’s Car Museum (until further notice)
Saratoga Automobile Museum (until further notice)
