Although the first rule of the internet is “never read the comments,” it is precisely these comments that make Bring a Trailer so much more compelling than most online auction sites. If a car is noteworthy, the comments regularly number in the hundreds. Of course, we all try to guess […]

Last month, we looked at various factory-supported programs that provide certifications of originality, condition and provenance of collector cars. But those are not the only “stamps of approval” out there. There are also third-party services that provide inspections and documentation to help establish authenticity, although these vary in scope even […]

Among the many qualities that confer value upon a collector car, none is as important — or open to dispute — as provenance. The term refers to evidence that a vehicle is what a seller claims it is, and that any notable history of the car can be proven to […]

In early November 2022, McPherson College announced that an anonymous donor had made an extraordinary endowment gift to the school. This record-breaking, potentially $500 million donation is the largest single commitment ever made to a liberal-arts college. This news thrust the small Kansas-based school into the headlines. It is notable […]

As far as time-travel fantasies go, buying up used cars before they became collectible may not seem quite as clever as betting on the World Series or investing in Apple when its stock was trading at $15. But to most car enthusiasts, there’s no question that being able to easily […]

I have always used a collector car as a daily driver. It makes little errands a bit more joyful, and having the car out in public invites conversations wherever I go. My current car is a 1974 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 1.3, which I’ve been using since 2015 without any incident […]

In early August, Barrett-Jackson announced that IMG had acquired a 55% interest in the collector-car auction company. The sale price of $261,250,000 gives Barrett-Jackson a total valuation of $475m. However, what makes this story about more than money is the strategic fit between IMG and Barrett-Jackson and how that will […]

The 2022 SCM 1000 AMG Invitational was born out of a phone call. About two years ago, SCM Publisher Keith Martin called me to discuss his next serial car purchase. I suggested he consider an R230 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG. I explained that it is a near-supercar bargain, bestowed with one […]

Dr. Frederick Anthony Simeone, whose extraordinary car collection featured many racing cars with Le Mans history, died on Saturday, June 11. He was 86. Fittingly, his last moments were spent at the hospital he regarded as a second home, as the 24-hour race was well underway. “Dr. Fred,” as many […]

In my just-released book The Archaeological Automobile, I write that all restoration is fictional. What I mean is that despite the most careful effort and the most meticulous research, the resultant job will be no more than an approximation of the automobile’s lost reality. “But surely not!” I hear hundreds […]