Many parts of the country are starting to reopen after weeks to months under stay-at-home orders. The first bars and restaurants started taking diners again in my county out here in Oregon. I hope they did well, considering the situation.

Decisions in March and April gutted the spring auction calendar, with postponements and cancelations galore. But, given the enormous push from some sectors to reopen the economy, it appears that we’ll have some sales to actually attend in June.

In Read More

The numbers are atypical, I absolutely agree there.

Preliminary results from Barrett-Jackson Online Only May sale showed 45 of 85 lots sold for $3,560,525, which is far from the normal Barrett-Jackson bottom line.

This was a far-from-normal sale, however.

I counted only four cars listed as no reserve. In recent years, that number might have been the total number of cars with reserve at one sale, such as the Northeast or Palm Beach auctions.

We’ll be Read More

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, and will return to full time operation with all staff on Monday May 11. We will be operating under all CDC guidelines to protect you and Read More

It appears that the last weekend in June won’t be the car-selling fest that I predicted after the initial wave of COVID-19 rescheduling.

Barrett-Jackson announced on Monday morning that their June 24–27 Northeast sale, usually at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, will not be held due to coronavirus concerns.

“We spent a great deal of time consulting with local public health and government officials,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “The team Read More

It’s a whole new world for collector-car auctions.

One that can be measured in photo file size and pixels.

Wave after wave of cancellation, postponement and rescheduling notices — it’s been seven weeks since they started popping up in my inbox — gave way to a big one breaking late last week. Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance announced they were canceling this year’s event. Gooding & Company, the official auction of Pebble, followed suit within the hour.

I expect we’ll hear Read More

Maybe you’re just sick and tired of being stuck at home by now.

No one can blame you or your family for feeling that way.

But we’re not out of this yet. Over 42k of our fellow citizens have died because of this virus since January. It’s currently the leading cause of death in the United States.

But what’s the point of getting back to what was normal, if so many are no longer there?

Federal Read More

With land auctions closed down, our options for buying and selling cars are very limited at the moment.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t strange and interesting discoveries to make. Check out this ’89 Turbo Grand Prix ASC/McLaren that sold on Monday for $15,500.

You can read the auction-site copy for in-depth details on this specific car, but ASC/McLaren, you might remember, was a subcontractor to many of the auto manufacturers around the world for convertible bodies Read More

By now, many of us are getting used to days at home. Oregon’s governor mandated a stay-at-home policy on March 23, so it’s been two weeks-plus at home for most of ACC’s staff, although I started a week earlier since I’m part hermit.

Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones that has the ability to work from home and the days of the week still mean something to you. Perhaps the days are blurring together and the best way you Read More

By this point, I’m sure most of us are pretty tired of the stay-at-home orders, or some level of social distancing, that have marked a profound change in our daily lives.

Yes, I know, you click on the car stuff to avoid reading about COVID-19, but this isn’t a political debate or your buddy’s new car that you don’t have to care about.

This is also nothing new for humans, as disasters natural and manmade have forced folk from their Read More

I think it’s safe to say that with at least 40% of our fellow citizens under stay-at-home orders, the vast majority of collector-car auctions have been called off for the next little while.

I’ve been crossing off auctions on my desk calendar left, right, up and down.

Branson announced on Monday that their spring sale has been postponed due to mandatory decreased capacity at their venue and social-distancing Read More