Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:08 — 35.9MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More
Auto auctions are back! Live, that is. Online auctions have continued during the pandemic, but January sales are a key indicator for collector car sales. And what a January it was.
Brian Rabold, Vice President of Valuation Services at Hagerty, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast.
Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Rabold about the new year, the return of live auctions and some of the surprising prices paid for vehicles.
According to Hagerty, January 2021 auto auctions generated $181.9 million. The impressive tally doesn’t include sales from the launch of the Barrett-Jackson campaign. It’s been postponed until March.
“For us at Hagerty and others in the collector car market, January is a huge month. It always has been,” said Rabold. “Barrett Jackson is one the anchor events that happens every January and over the years nearly a dozen events have sprung up around it.
“A lot of people look around and see whats’s going on at those auctions, read the tea leaves and see where the market is headed. Of course, this year is very, very different.”
Hagerty: New Auction Season Strong
Hagerty compiled a list of the top sellers about January and it’s an impressive, diverse collection.
The month kicked off with Mecum’s best-ever Kissimmee, Florida sale. Mecum offered 24 percent fewer lots than in 2020, but total sales were 27 percent higher thanks to a sell-through rate that jumped from 64 percent in 2020 to 83 percent in 2021.
Average sale prices increased by 31 percent. This performance likely gave confidence to bidders at RM Sotheby’s and Bonhams sales, which respectively recorded 102 and 112-percent increases in average selling price. Gooding & Company’s average price fell 2 percent, from $293,501 to $287,100.
The usual Ferrari, Corvette, Cobras and other popular collector vehicles all sold well. But, for something different, here two unique sales from January.
A 1957 Chrysler Town & Country wagon sold for $67,200. The upscale machine has air conditioning and power everything—amenities a modern driver should greatly appreciate. It “straddles the line between family commuter and rip-snorting tire smoker,” wrote Hagerty, “with fantastic 1950s jet-age styling and good performance from its 325-horsepower 392 engine.”
Mecum Auctions also sold a 1972 Chevrolet C10 CST for $88,000. The surprising price more than doubled the average condition value. The C10 short-bed pickup is equipped with a 400-cubic inch big block engine. It also has some cool features: bucket seats with houndstooth upholstery, a center console and faux wood-grain trim.
Please join us as Rabold details what January meant to the collector industry.
The Weekly Driver Podcast encourages and appreciates feedback from our listeners. Please forward episode links to family, friends and colleagues. And you are welcome to repost links from the podcast to your social media accounts. The idea of more eyeballs on more content works for us.
Support our podcast by shopping on Amazon.com. A graphic display at the bottom of the post links to automotive selections of the online retailer. But there’s also a search function for anything available directly from the site.
If you shop via this site, we receive a small commission. It helps us continue to produce independent content. The site began in 2004 and includes more than 700 reviews.
The podcast is in its third year, and we’ve had a diverse collection of guests — famous athletes, vintage car collectors, manufacturer CEOs, automotive book authors, industry analysts, a movie stuntman and episodes from auto shows and car auctions.
Please send comments and suggestions for new episodes to James Raia via email: [email protected].
All podcast episodes are archived on theweeklydriver.com/podcast
Every episode is also available on your preferred podcast platform. Several of the more prominent platforms are listed below.
Article Last Updated: February 8, 2021.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
