Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles about cars that someday likely will be considered classics.

When Chuck Jordan returned from General Motors’ European offices to become the automaker’s vice president of design in the late 1980s, he realized that “all the sedans on the road were dull, drab and boring. There was no character, no excitement.”

Secretly, Jordan set one of GM’s advanced design studios to work on a sedan that had character and excitement.

The car was designed and a full-scale model was created.

But Jordan still had a problem: None of GM’s various car divisions had asked for such a car and didn’t seem very interested in the no-longer secret vehicle.

Undaunted, Jordan parked a full-scale model of the car in the hallway at GM’s headquarters, placing it so executives couldn’t avoid it as they walked past the car several times every day.

At last, the day arrived when the head of Oldsmobile asked if he could have the car. Well, not him personally but if he could have the design for his division, as its new flagship sedan.

And thus was born the 1995 Oldsmobile Aurora, which one author has called the last great full-size American car design.

Nearly two decades later, that original Aurora, with its spaceship shape, grille-less nose and full-width tail lamp, still looks fresh and futuristic.

The sell-through rate at Mitch Silver’s inaugural Arizona in the Fall auction was only 26 percent. Seems consignors valued their vehicles more than the snowbirds looking for something to drive during the winter months.

The sale was scheduled with an eye on offering cars that could serve as classy daily drivers for Arizona’s winter visitors, cars they might turn around and consign themselves next spring when Silver does a similar auction just before the ‘birds fly home for the summer.

But in many cases — too many cases — the bids offered fell just short of the owners’ reserve prices.

The high-dollar sale of the weekend was $55,000 for a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible. A 1968 Camaro RS/SS convertible brought $32,500, a 2008 BMW 550Li went for $29,600, a 1961 Pontiac Catalina convertible $29,000 and a 1957 Pontiac Star Chief hardtop traded ownership for $28,000.

Silver is back in Arizona in January for its big annual sale, and returns for its spring event in March. Silver also is working on a possible sale in the Phoenix area during the summer, though that one would be in an air-conditioned building, not outdoors in a tent.

The folks at Mecum Auctions anticipated 750 vehicles would cross the block at their second annual autumn event in the Anaheim Convention Center, but “consignments came in droves” and bids were accepted on 812 vehicles.

Seems, however, that sellers were more eager than buyers, because only 412 of those vehicles sold, though for nearly $14 million.

Tied for high-dollar transactions were a pair of Ford GTs, a 2005 and a 2006, each of which brought $210,000.

The list of top-10 vehicles is an interesting mix. At $180,000 was a 1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro, but then came a 1953 Hudson Hornet Twin-H convertible at $150,000.

Next on the list was a quartet of vehicles sold for $132,500 as a single lot — a 1955 Chevrolet 210 resto-mod, a 2005 Harley-Davidson Roadglide, a 2006 Ness Lowliner bike and a 2008 Adventure motor bike trailer.

Selling for $130,000 each was a pair of 1954 Buick Skylark convertibles. A 1956 Chevrolet Nomad resto-mod brought $125,000, the 1938 Harley WLD Solo Sport formerly owned by Steve McQueen also went for $125,000, while a 1955 Chevy Nomad traded ownership for $120,000.

Mecum ends its 2013 auction year December 5-7 at Kansas City, and then launches its 2014 calendar with a motorcycle auction January 9-11 at Las Vegas, followed by its huge — some 3,000 vehicles huge — sale January 17-26 at Kissimmee, Florida.

We have classic cars. Europe has “historic motoring.” For the third year, a British bank and magazine have sponsored the International Historic Motoring Awards to “celebrate ‘the best of the best’ in what is now a multi-billion global industry.”

The event of the year award was shared by the Amelia Island concours d’elegance and the VHRA Pendine Sands amateur hot rod races while the publication of the year went to the book “The Stewardship of Historically Important Automobiles” published by the Simeone museum of Philadelphia.

The museum or collection of the year was the Louwman Museum of The Netherlands. Motorsport event of the year was the Silverstone Classic while the race series of the year was the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship. Rally or tour of the year went to the 20-Ghost Club’s Centenary Alpine Trial. The Aston Martin Owners Club was club of the year.

The lifetime achievement award went to F1 broadcaster Murray Walker while Philip Young, father of historic rallying, received the personal achievement of the year award.

Car of the year was the recreation of the Bugatti 57SC Aerolithe by David Grainger of the  Guild of Master Craftsmen, Canada (see photo by Joe Wiecha). Restoration of the year was the 1966 US. Grand Prix-winning Lotus 43 by Andy Middlehurst, and specialist of the year was Francis Tuthill Ltd., which sent more than 15 Porsche 911s and more than 50 tons of parts and gear to the East African Safari Classic despite being a family-run company with less than 30 employees.

Among the finalists in the various categories were concours at Pebble Beach and The Quail, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, the Blackhawk, Le May and Mullin museums, the Colorado Grand tour, Hagerty insurance (specialist), and book publisher David Bull of Phoenix (in the personal achievement category for his battle back from a life-threatening motorcycle collision).

Phoenix, October 3, 2013 – ClassicCars.com, the leading online classic car marketplace, announced an all-time high in website traffic, a total of 1,003,558 visits, for the month of September. In addition to its highest-ever number of visits, the site also served a record-breaking 9.4 million page views. These impressive numbers represent year-over-year growth of 59%.

In addition to the growth in website traffic, ClassicCars.com’s dynamic marketplace announced significant growth in other key measures, including the number of buyer inquiries submitted, total vehicles listed for sale by owner, and new Dealer Network members. The company also announced that downloads of its iPhone app, the first of its kind in the classic car market, have exceeded 25,000.

“The phenomenal growth of the site is a company-wide goal towards which we all strive,” said Roger Falcione, President of ClassicCars.com. “Topping the 1 million mark is not only a memorable achievement that we collectively celebrate; it’s an indication of our employees’ dedication and hard work. And of that, I’m most proud.”

Trusted by partners and clients such as Hagerty Insurance Agency, RM Auctions, Barrett-Jackson and more than 300 dealers, ClassicCars.com is the largest online marketplace for classic and collector cars with more than 30,000 vehicles listed. The site utilizes a robust search function to help buyers sort through those thousands of listings and a proprietary “My Garage” feature where users can save their favorites. For sellers, ClassicCars.com provides a feature-rich listing option that includes the “list until sold” benefit for one flat fee. Additionally, the site offers a comprehensive Resource Guide, an Event Calendar where members can post events at no charge and Auction Central, where enthusiasts can find the latest auction news.

“The classic car industry is in an exciting stage and we’re poised to make that translate exponentially for ClassicCars.com,” stated Falcione.

About ClassicCars.com

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, ClassicCars.com is devoted to helping owners sell classic vehicles online.  Featuring vehicles for sale by private sellers, auction houses, and specialty dealerships around the world, ClassicCars.com is home to the world’s largest online selection of classic and collector vehicles for sale. For more information, visit www.classiccars.com.

New Jersey judge Joseph Cassini III and his wife, Margie, are well known within the classic car community. For the last two years — and four times in the last eight years — their cars have won best-in-show honors at the Concours d’Elegance of America. And their 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria drove off with best-in-show honors at the 63rd Pebble Beach concours d’elegance as well.

“This Packard is the epitome of American style and grace in the Classic Era,” said Sandra Button, the concours chairman. “It is understated but elegant, and it has a striking but quiet presence. When it drove onto our show field this morning, and I stepped forward to greet the Cassinis, I could barely hear the engine running.”

The Cassinis’ Packard is only the second American car to win best-in-show at Pebble Beach in nearly 20 years (The 1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster “Mormon Meteor” won in 2007).

The Cassinis also won the top award at Pebble Beach in 2004 with their 1938 Horch 853A Erdmann & Rossi Sport Cabriolet.