Auctions America’s first online memorabilia sale did $276,300 in business with bidders from 45 states and 10 countries. Not only was the sales total pleasing to the auction house, but so was the fact that nearly 80 percent of the bidders were new customers.

The sale included more than 800 lots, around half of them from the Wally Arnold Collection.

The high-dollar sales of the event were $6,785 for a United Motors double-sided porcelain outdoor sign with its original neon lighting and $6,325 for a 15-inch Mohawk Gasoline metal-body globe complete with both lenses.

The sale included a variety of collectibles. A Rexall Drug Store double-sided outdoor sign with new neon sold for $4,887.50, a 1940’s Fosters Old Fashioned Freeze porcelain California drive-inn menu sign went for $4,715.

“The variety of collectibles available at our debut memorabilia-only sale clearly appealed to a wide and international audience,” Auctions America president Donnie Gould said in a news release. “The format of the auction proved very successful and was a great jump start to the expansion of Auctions America’s memorabilia division.”

Auctions America returns to its more familiar in-person auction of classic cars March 14-16 at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where more than 450 vehicles are expected to cross the block at the Broward County Convention Center.

 

No doubt, you’ve heard about how “less is more.” Well, Bonhams’ third annual Arizona classic car auction provides evidence of the truth in that statement.

Bonhams may be the world’s oldest auction house (it was established in England 1793), but it is the youngest in terms of its participation in Arizona Auction Week, which is didn’t join until 2012, and when it sold 40 cars for $5.7 million. It did much better in 2013, when it sold 91 classic cars for $13.4 million, but that still left it deep in the shadows when compared with the results posted by rival high-end classic car auction houses — RM, Gooding & Company and Barrett-Jackson’s Salon Collection.

Such results didn’t sit well with a company known for the quality of its catalogs, whether they showcase fine art or fine automobiles. Note that the all-time at-auction record for a classic car occurred last July at Bonhams’ Goodwood auction where an ex-Fangio 1954 Mercedes-Benz W19R sold for $29.6 million.

But Bonhams’ classic car auctions in the United States hadn’t been nearly as successful, so the team regrouped and replenished its roster and decided to try the less is more format, but with less applied only to the number of cars in the catalog. The quality of those cars, however, would be significantly improved.

The first effort for the new plan was the company’s annual sale at The Quail (lodge and golf course) on the Monterey Peninsula. The result? Instead of $12 million in sales in 2012, the 2013 auction did more than $30 million, and with fewer cars.

Fast forward to Scottsdale in January, 2014, where 101 cars were offered and where 86 sold — for $23.3 million! Not only did overall sales nearly double when compared with 2013, but the average price per car went from $147,000 to nearly $273,000.

“The prices car by car probably were more important than the overall sales,” said Jackob Griesen, who was hired last year not only as a car specialist but as head of business development for Bonhams’ American motor car department. “The prices car by car were some very outstanding numbers. We set a lot of world records. Cars brought as much or more as they would anywhere else, I think.

“We all worked really hard,” he added. “We had a clear focus and mission. We’ve built a lot of momentum globally. We handled some important cars in 2013 that put us in the headlines. That means more great cars for us and more success. To some extent it feeds on itself.”A 1951 Ferrari 212 Export coupe known as “the Tailor’s car” sold at Bonhams’ Scottsdale event for $3.19 million and a 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider brought $3.08 million, significantly more than its pre-auction estimate of $2.4-$2.7 million.

Not only did the Alfa bring double what another one sold for a year ago, but, Griese noted, a 1968 Ferrari 300 GTC went for more than $800,000, “a very strong number.”

He also saw strong, even “huge” numbers being bid on 1970s and ‘80s European sports cars, whether a Ferrari 308 or Testarossa or a Porsche 911S.

Such cars, he said, have strong appeal to younger buyers, people in their mid-30s to mid-40s who may be new to classic car auctions and who bring fond memories of cars they saw when they were kids. Now they are able to buy them, provided, Griesen said, those cars have relatively low mileage and have been properly cared for. Both the cars and the money, he said, are “young tigers.”

“I would say there is a new generation coming in, and you also can see it in the (prices on) 1930s cars being a little soft unless it’s something truly spectacular that has stood the test of time, like the Alfa or a good Duesenberg or a Marmon 16.

“We saw a lot of new buyers, a lot of new clients, and they were buying cars at several different levels.” 

Forget the adage about the third time being the charm, for RM, it was the company’s 15th visit to Phoenix that set the sales record with a whopping $45,563,450 in business during Arizona Auction Week.

And that figure could grow because RM has 30 days after the auction to complete the sale of classic cars that didn’t quite meet the consignors’ reserve prices during the bidding.

“We were on the phones on Monday trying to find homes for all the cars,” said RM car specialist Ian Kelleher.

And how’s this list for some of the leftovers: A 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, a 1961 Chaparral 1 race car, a 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera 6, a 1957 Porsche 356A Reutter Carrera Speedster, a 1953 Siata 208S Spyder, and a 1929 Bentley 4 1/2-litre Vanden Plas Tourer.

Each of those cars was bid to at least $1 million at the Arizona auction, and the owner of the 275 GTB/4 turned down a bid of $2.85 million.

Had just those six cars sold for their high bids, the auction total sales would have been $10 million more than the already record amount.

But even without those sales, the sale’s total was 25 percent better than a year ago, when RM did a one-day, 84-vehicle sale. The $8.8 million price for a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT long-wheelbase California Spider at RM was the most money ever paid for a collector car at any Arizona auction.

“There was a new format with the two days and we think it went quite well,” Kelleher said in an understatement. “Attendance was greater, even on Wednesday when we opened for a ‘soft’ preview. that was pretty encouraging.

As for the auction itself, “There was in excess of a thousand people each night,” Kelleher said.

“There were a lot of familiar faces, but it also looked like [the audience] was getting a bit younger. Each year the younger group steps one step further into the full breathe of the market. It’s not an overnight transition, but I do see it transitioning.”

Kellerher said RM also is encouraged by the fact that “people aren’t attending to see if the market is going to crash. They’re coming to see what they can buy and take home. Nearly half of the people I talked with were new clients and first-time buyers, not speculators. They were end users.”

And he said the newcomers are doing their homework: “They’re taking time to see the cars, calling for more information, asking for documents, doing due diligence, doing all the things you want someone to do to become a long-term client.”

While total sales increased greatly, the average sale price was less than the one-day auction in 2013, but Kelleher said that was expected.

“It’s reflective of the increased number of consignments and some lower-dollar vehicles,” he said. The non-sale (so far) of some of those high-dollar cars also was a factor in the average sales price.

Kelleher added that while exotic post-war European sports cars were particularly strong at the RM, Gooding & Company and Bonhams sales in Arizona, even those from that genre in the sub-$150,000 price range were being snapped up by newcomers from around the globe. Examples sold in that range at RM’s Arizona auction included XK and E-type Jaguars, Porsche 356Bs, Alfas, and Austin-Healey 3000s.

“That’s very encouraging,” Kelleher said. “More people are looking to get in or to stay in the hobby. These are cars people can drive on a more regular basis and enjoy, and cars they can enjoy with their families and on [vintage sports] car tours.”

 

Everybody down to the youngest of gearheads knows about the fourth generation Toyota Supra, primarily because of its many appearances in popular video games as well as the “The Fast and the Furious” film series.

With its basket-handle rear spoiler and powerful twin-turbo inline-six engine, the final Supra model (made from 1993 to 1998) has long been subjected to overwrought sport-compact customization, for better or worse. The Supras that survive intact are likely assured a role as future classics on the world’s auction stages.

But what of the earlier models, the three generations of Supra built from 1979 through 1992? These are also pretty cool sports coupes, all powered by Toyota’s slick and torquey inline-six engine.

The first generation of Supra, now known as the Mark I and produced from 1979 through 1981, is particularly appealing because of its attractively detailed styling, one of the best mainstream production designs from the late 1970s.

Starting off as a slightly longer and upscale version of the Celica sports coupe – stretched to accommodate the inline 6 and named the Celica Supra – the first generation stepped up style and performance to compete with the highly successful 240Z from arch rival Datsun (now Nissan).

Horsepower from the 2.6-liter six seems paltry by today’s standards at 110, raised to 116 in its final production year, but Celica Supra Mark I was lightweight and still enjoys a reputation as a gutsy performer.

The second generation, or Mark II, was also a variation of the Celica. The styling is more streamlined and features the hideaway headlights that were so popular in those days. Toyota boasted that the suspension was tuned by Lotus, and power was raised with a 2.8-liter six producing 145 horsepower, moving up to 161 in its final 1986 model year.

The Mark III continued the styling trend set by the previous version, but it was now based on a new platform, and Celica was dropped from its name. There was also a major boost for the inline six in size and power, moving up to 3.0 liters and 230 horsepower. But the Mark III gained weight, hitting around 3,500 pounds, which somewhat dulled performance.

The exotic Mark IV raised Supra’s profile considerably, particularly with the twin-turbo six that boasted 320 horsepower in standard trim. The final Supra enjoyed a lengthy run from 1992-1998 (with Japanese home-market models continuing through 2002)

Toyota has already set a precedent for the collectability of Japanese sports cars, with the rare 2000GT of the 1960s now commanding prices in the high six figures. It’s the only vintage car series from the Land of the Rising Sun to regularly achieve those lofty results. It has also raised the respectability of its more-humble Asian brethren, including the Supra.

Overlooked amid the excitement about cars selling for millions of dollars at the recent Arizona classic car auctions was the news that you could buy cars at those same sales not for six or even five figures but for as little as $1,100, which is what it cost someone to buy a 1981 cadillac Seville sedan at Barrett-Jackson.

At Russo and Steele, a 1968 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia coupe sold for $1,650. A  1995 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon went for $1,674 at the Silver Auction.

O.K., there were no four-figure cars at Bonhams, RM or Gooding & Company, but a 1949 Crosley Hotshot roadster did sell at Bonhams for $13,200, a 1966 NSU Spider went for $24,200 at RM, and a 1960 Triumph TR3 brought $29,700 at Gooding.

Thanks to the fact that Hagerty Insurance stations someone at each auction venue to track every sale, we can share news of the least-expensive vehicles sold at each event. In fact, if you scroll down the page you can see the 10 least-expensive cars sold at each auction… but wait!

Don’t scroll down just yet, because we also asked Hagerty to provide a list of the cars at each auction that sold for an amount closest to the average sale price, and for good measure the company provided median sales figures and vehicles.

The average sales price at the six Arizona auctions was $107,024, great news for consignors and for the auction companies, perhaps not so great news for grassroots classic car collectors and especially for those just trying to get into the hobby.

What might that average price have bought you at the Arizona auctions? Well, a 1966 Lotus Cortina Mk I coupe went for $107,250 at Gooding and a 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W-30 hardtop coupe went for $106,700 at Barrett-Jackson.

However, average prices are skewed by those multi-million-dollar sales, so it can be instructive and enlightening — and even heartening — to look at median sales prices, the price point that separates the most expensive 50 percent of cars sold from the least expensive 50 percent.

At the Arizona auctions, 2,234 cars were sold. The median price paid was $44,000, which means somewhere around 1,100 cars cost more than $44,000 but the other 1,100 or so cost less than that amount.

For example, while the average price paid at Barrett-Jackson was $78,087, the median transaction was $49,500. Or consider Bonhams, where the average was $272,890 but the median was just $88,000.

To put this in the perspective of sensible sheetmetal instead of dollars and cents, here are some of the cars you could buy for precisely that $44,000 media price:

• a 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS 409 hardtop coupe at Barrett-Jackson,
• a 1958 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 J-2 hardtop coupe at Russo and Steele,
• a 1966 Ford Bronco at Russo and Steele,
• a 1959 MGA roadster at Gooding,
• a 1978 Maserati Merak SS coupe at RM.

 10 Least-expensive cars sold

figures provided by Hagerty Insurance

OVERALL

1. 1981 Cadillac Seville Sedan sold for $1,100 (Barrett-Jackson)
2. 1968 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Coupe sold for $1,650 (Russo and Steele)
3. 1995 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser Station Wagon sold for $1,674 (Silver)
4. 1980 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe sold for $1,925 (Russo and Steele)
5. 1999 Land Rover Discovery SII Sport Utility sold for $2,052 (Silver)
6. 1968 Ford Crew Cab Short Bed Pickup sold for $2,200 (Russo and Steele)
7. 1981 Alfa Romeo GTV-6 Coupe sold for $2,200 (Russo and Steele)
8. 2005 Chrysler Sebring sold for $2,268 (Silver)
9. 1973 Chevrolet Cheyenne Super 20 Pickup sold for $2,376 (Silver)
10. 1995 Volvo 945 Station Wagon sold for $2,376 (Silver)

BY AUCTION

Barrett-Jackson

1. 1981 Cadillac Seville Sedan sold for $1,100
2. 1987 Toyota Custom Convertible Pickup sold for $2,750
3. 1969 Toyota Corona GT Sedan sold for $3,850
4. 1966 Dodge A100 Van sold for $4,290
5. 1957 Cushman Golf Cart sold for $4,290
6. 1982 Toyota Custom Pickup sold for $4,620
7. 1955 Reo M36 C Military 6X6 sold for $5,225
8. 2001 Chevrolet S-10 Custom Pickup sold for $5,500
9. 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Landau Coupe sold for $5,500
10. 1966 Volkswagen Beetle Custom Sedan sold for $5,500

Russo and Steele

1. 1968 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Coupe sold for $1,650
2. 1980 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe sold for $1,925
3. 1968 Ford Crew Cab Short Bed Pickup sold for $2,200
4. 1981 Alfa Romeo GTV-6 Coupe sold for $2,200
5. 1978 GMC Sierra Grande Short Box Pickup sold for $2,750
6. 1978 Chevrolet C-10 Pickup sold for $2,860
7. 1960 Pontiac Bonneville Hardtop Sedan sold for $3,080
8. 1984 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Convertible sold for $3,520
9. 1991 Jaguar XJS Coupe sold for $3,850
10. 1981 Mercedes-Benz 380SL Convertible sold for $3,850

RM Auctions

1. 1966 NSU Spider sold for $24,200
2. 1957 BMW Isetta 300 Micro Car sold for $30,250
3. 1959 Imperial Southampton Coupe sold for $33,000
4. 1959 Autobianchi Bianchina Transformabile SII Coupe sold for $33,000
5. 1952 Harley-Davidson FL Sport Solo Motorcycle sold for $38,500
6. 1957 BMW Isetta 300 Micro Car sold for $38,500
7. 1978 Maserati Merak SS Coupe sold for $44,000
8. 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II Limousine sold for $44,000
9. 1967 Fiat Abarth 1000TC Berlina Corsa sold for $46,750
10. 1950 Hudson Commodore Eight Convertible sold for $46,750

Gooding & Company

1. 1960 Triumph TR3 Roadster sold for $29,700
2. 1955 MG TF 1500 Roadster sold for $34,100
3. 1976 Triumph TR6 Convertible sold for $35,200
4. 1957 BMW Isetta 300 Micro Car sold for $37,400
5. 1941 Cadillac Series 60 Special Sedan sold for $40,700
6. 1957 MGA 1500 Roadster $41,800
7. 1928 Ford Model A Sedan Delivery sold for $41,800
8. 1952 Hudson Wasp Twin H Coupe sold for $41,800
9. 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 Sport Utility sold for $41,800
10. 1959 MGA Roadster sold for $44,000

Bonhams

1. 1949 Crosley Hotshot Roadster sold for $13,200
2. 1964 Fiat 2300S Coupe sold for $16,500
3. 1968 Bentley T1 Sedan sold for $17,600
4. 1948 Fiat 500B Topolino Cabriolet sold for $18,700
5. 1951 MG TD Roadster sold for $20,900
6. 1931 Chevrolet Coupe sold for $22,000
7. 1967 Simca 1000 Coupe sold for $24,200
8. 1960 MGA 1600 Roadster sold for $24,200
9. 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye Roadster sold for $26,400
10. 1958 Morgan Plus 4 Roadster sold for $30,800

Silver

1. 1995 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser Station Wagon sold for $1,674
2. 1999 Land Rover Discovery SII Sport Utility sold for $2,052
3. 2005 Chrysler Sebring sold for $2,268
4. 1973 Chevrolet Cheyenne Super 20 Pickup sold for $2,376
5. 1995 Volvo 945 Station Wagon sold for $2,376
6. 1976 Cadillac Seville Sedan sold for $2,376
7. 1974 Mercedes-Benz 450SL Convertible sold for $2,700
8. 1996 Cadillac Seville Sedan sold for $2,808
9. 2002 Chrysler Sebring sold for $3,024
10. 1997 Ford Mustang GT Convertible sold for $3,024

 Cars bracketing average sold price

OVERALL

One up: 1966 Lotus Cortina Mk I Coupe sold for $107,250 (Gooding)

Average = $107,024

One down: 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W-30 Hardtop Coupe sold for $106,700 (Barrett-Jackson

BY AUCTION

Barrett-Jackson

One up: 1965 Chevrolet Corvette 327/365 Convertible sold for $78,100

Average = $78,087

One down: 1953 Packard Caribbean Convertible sold for $77,000

Russo and Steele

One up: 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Sportsroof Coupe sold for $42,350

Average = $41,824

One down: 1999 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe sold for $41,800

RM Auctions

One up: 1956 Talbot-Lago T14 LS Coupe sold for $423,500

Average = $421,884

One down: 1933 Packard Twelve Coupe Roadster sold for $418,000

Gooding & Company

One up: 1942 Chrysler Windsor Town & Country Barrelback Woody Station Wagon sold for $462,000

Average = $449,650

One down: 1957 Porsche 356A Speedster sold for $445,500

Bonhams

One up: 1932 Marmon V16 Victoria Coupe sold for $275,000

Average = $272,890

One down: 1929 Stutz Model M Monte Carlo Sedan sold for $264,000

Silver

One up: 2001 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible sold for $17,820

Average = $17,414

One down: 1976 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Convertible sold for $17,280

 Cars bracketing median sold price

OVERALL

One up: 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS 409/360 Hardtop Coupe sold for $44,000 (Barrett-Jackson)

Median = $44,000

One down: 1958 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 J-2 Hardtop Coupe sold for $44,000 (Russo and Steele)

BY AUCTION

Barrett-Jackson

One up: 1966 Ford Mustang GT 289/271 Convertible sold for $49,500

Median = $49,500

One down: 1970 Plymouth Cuda 383/335 Hardtop Coupe sold for $49,500

Russo and Steele

One up: 1971 Chevrolet C10 Stepside Pickup sold for $29,700

Median = $29,700

One down: 1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible sold for $29,700

RM Auctions

One up: 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Convertible sold for $165,000

Median = $165,000

One down: 1930 Packard Speedster Eight Runabout sold for $165,000

Gooding & Company

One up: 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Convertible sold for $143,000

Median = $143,000

One down: 1968 Porsche 911L Coupe sold for $143,000

Bonhams

One up: 1977 Porsche 911S Coupe sold for $88,000

Median = $88,000

One down: 1968 Ford Mustang Bullitt Fastback Coupe sold for $88,000

Silver

One up: 2002 Ford Thunderbird Convertible sold for $12,960

Median = $12,960

One down: 1993 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway 40^th Anniversary Coupe sold for $12,690

 

 

‘The future, according to Syd Mead, is just “reality ahead of schedule.”

Mead, who worked briefly as a designer at Ford in the very early 1960s, has become famous around the world as the “visual futurist” whose projects include the design of vehicles for science fiction movies such as Blade Runner, Star Trek, Aliens and Tron.

Progressions, a show of 50 of Mead’s illustrations (those shown here provided by CarArt.us), opens August 18 and runs through October 18 at the Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery in Conway, S.C.