Online auctions are really cooking now. Barrett-Jackson wrapped up its first exclusively online sale on May 17. Preliminary results show that this wasn’t a typical Barrett-Jackson auction, but we knew that going into it. By my count, only four lots had the no-reserve status that we normally associate with a […]
Month: May 2020
Keith’s Blog: Jaguar and Volvo Progress Reports
Last week, I told the tale of taking the 1965 Volvo 122S and the 1971 Jaguar E-type S3 V12 to the Oregon coast. My daughter, Alex, drove one of the cars, and my son, Bradley was a co-pilot. Both cars failed at the end of the trip. When something wrong […]
Acura NSX, Nissan Skyline NISMO, Honda Civic
1999 Acura NSX Zanardi Edition # 29964. S/N JH4NA2124XT000170. 57k miles. “3.2-liter VTEC V6, 6-speed manual transaxle, #43 of 51 Zanardi Edition Models, fixed-roof hard top, new Formula Red over Onyx, staggered-diameter BBS wheels, recent timing-belt service, new water pump, recent service records.” Condition: 1. SOLD AT $135,000. Bring a […]
An Endless Summer
Fourteen years at SCM has taken me to some interesting places. I’ve been to Monterey, Scottsdale and Amelia countless times. I’ve run down the PCH in brand-new BMWs, studied Alfas under the glass ceiling of the Grand Palais in Paris, and buzzed a cornfield full of Corvettes in Illinois while […]
Cars in the Courts
The COVID-19 lockdown has had a dramatic effect on our society. Among the many dislocations are that people are driving less, interacting less — and trying to stay out of trouble. Also, the courts are pretty much shut down except for essential business. As a result, there haven’t been any […]
1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC AMG 6.0
Sold at $390,000 RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island, FL March 6, 2020, Lot 160 Chassis number: WDB1269451A476006 SCM Condition for this car: 2- Of all the recent Mercedes-Benz AMG sales, this is the blockbuster. The premium that this example generated, however, is no accident. AMG built this car at their Affalterbach, […]
Color Madness
I named this column “Unconventional Wisdom” for a specific reason. So often through the years, I have been involved in situations in which statements were made that were considered absolute by the speaker. “They never did that.” Or its inevitable twin, “They always did that.” The topics that engender these absolutes can wildly vary, but […]
A Time of Transformation
This pandemic sucker-punched all of us. In the past 30 days, the collector-car world has gone from hoping that things might stay the same to realizing they are changed forever. The cancellation of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Queen Mother of all car events, sent a clear signal. Is […]
The Amazing, Affordable Alfa Spider
The affordable European sports-car pantheon usually comes down to just four cars: the MGB, the Triumph Spitfire, the Fiat 124 Sport Spider, and the Alfa Romeo Spider. I can already hear the seismic rumble of readers jumping up to mention the MG/Austin-Healey Spridget, Triumph TR-series, Opel GT, Sunbeam Alpine, Volvo […]
From the Auction Desk: Resetting the Auction Calendar Again
States are implementing phases for opening businesses back up, and that has some auction companies back in the office getting to work. According to Jason McCormick of McCormick’s Classic Car Auctions in California, “We have been classed as an ‘essential business’ by the City of Palm Springs and Riverside County, […]