A few weeks ago, I attended my first-ever vintage-car auction at The Inn at Saint John’s, an RM-sanctioned sale that was paired with the inaugural Concours d’Elegance of America in Plymouth, Michigan, an event that was formerly held at Meadow Brook Hall in nearby Rochester.
The strangest and perhaps most interesting car on offer was a 1939 Pontiac whose body panels were constructed exclusively of Plexiglas. This truly unique ride sold for $308,000 and even got some coverage in mass media such as NPR, Yahoo!, and the New York Times. But what impressed me the most was the RM staff’s extreme efficiency at keeping the cars moving across the block. The first car, an fairly unremarkable 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood, drove into the Grande Ballroom through wide double doors, immediately up a short ramp, and onto the stage. As soon as the car was centered on the turntable, its driver keyed it off so that its engine didn’t add to the commotion in the room or drown out the auctioneer’s voice. The Cadillac spun 180 degrees on the turntable and was soon pushed—by four or five workers—off the stage and downhill on the same ramp. Only once it had rolled outside did its driver restart the engine so he could pilot it to a parking spot under a large outdoor tent. As soon as the Cadillac was hammered SOLD—bidding usually continues after the car has left the room—the next offering (a 1974 Triumph TR6) was placed into first gear and swiftly driven into the building and up onto the same stage. That process happened about seventy more times with different cars over the course of the next few hours.
Most auction attendees probably don’t pay too much attention to the staging process, though, because auctioneer Max Girardo is so adept at getting and holding people’s attention. This Australian doesn’t use the double-speak that I’m familiar with hearing at farm and estate sales in rural Michigan. Instead, he speaks the bids slowly and clearly, a cheerleaderlike permasmile on his face, filling the pauses with amusing (and lightheartedly pressuring) comments like these:
“Let’s say $50,000—we’re all behind you!”
“Go on—I dare you!”
“Don’t stop bidding … why would you want to do that?!”
“Bid to your happiness!”
“I would bid again if I was you, sir.”
“I want you to have it. You deserve to have it!”
“The phones are winning. They’re leaving you behind!”
“It’s gotta be worth that … ”
“Why not? Do it!”
“It’s worth your while—I guarantee it!”
“Don’t say ‘no’ today.”
“It’s slipping away from you, sir.”
“It’s only $25,000—forget the million bit.”
Check out the December issue of Automobile Magazine—on sale around Halloween—for contributor Dave Kinney’s extensive report on the auction results at Pebble Beach. He’ll cover the Saint John’s sale in our November issue.
While at the RM Auction, I ran into Hagerty's Jonathan Klinger, whose 1930 Ford Model A is the subject of 365daysofa.com and was featured in our July 2011 issue. I enjoyed driving it around the parking lot but wished I had more time and space to get the hang of nonsynchro shifting into second or third gear.
The top seller at Saint John’s was this 1932 Packard Twin Six Individual Custom Convertible, which sold for $1.1 million 
The obligatory Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, in this case a 1955 model that sold for $676,500 
The 1939 Pontiac ‘Ghost Car’ back in the day 
1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six “Ghost Car,” before the auction 
The Pontiac “Ghost Car” goes across the block 
Auctioneer Max Girardo (left) is often a blur at the RM Auctions podium 
A 1954 Kaiser-Darrin drives up onto the stage 
The Kaiser-Darrin rolls out of the ballroom, making room for the next car in line 
A 1951 Jaguar XK120 gets ready to enter the ballroom 
Some already-offered cars staged beneath the Grande Ballroom awning at the Inn at Saint John’s 
The staging area outside the RM Auction, including cars, tent, and trailer 
While at the RM Auction, I ran into Hagerty’s Jonathan Klinger, whose 1930 Ford Model A is the subject of 365daysofa.com and was featured in our July 2011 issue. I enjoyed driving it around the parking lot but wished I had more time and space to get the hang of nonsynchro shifting into second or third gear. View the original article here
Labels: Attending , auction , classiccar , first
0 comments:
Post a Comment