Canadian content abounds at famed Scottsdale auction

Collectors take advantage of favourable exchange rate at Arizona classic car sale

The biggest single consignor at the 2020 Scottsdale Barrett-jackson auction was Vancouver General Motors dealer Moray Keith. The second biggest consignor was Vancouver classic car dealer Wayne Darby. Together with Victoria dealer Tim Quocksister, the trio auctioned well over 100 classic vehicles — about five per cent of the approximately 2,000 that crossed the auction block during the sixday event in Arizona.

Canadian sellers are attracted by a world stage on which to sell their cars with in-person and online bidders — coupled with the draw of a 30-per-cent premium on the U.S. dollar.

Keith said it was time to downsize his collection, as he watched some of his 42 collector vehicles cross the block in an auction that attracts 300,000 visits with many hundreds of thousands watching on the internet and television around the world. Among his vehicles was a replica of the famous Batmobile, a 1937 Ford drag race car that burns methanol to produce more than 2,400 horsepower, and a 1980 Rolls-royce Corniche convertible originally owned by actor-singer Dean Martin.

He is keeping two dozen collector cars and may be looking to buy more in the future. Among his vehicles crossing the block was a 1940 Ford “resto-mod” that sold for US$100,000 plus a 10-per-cent buyer fee. The purchaser was Garry Cassidy, who was sitting a few tables away from Keith. The collectors live less than an hour apart in the Vancouver area.

Vehicles also sold for Keith include a radically customized 1939 Cadillac convertible, at $100,000, a restored 1954 Corvette for $55,000, a 1957 Cadillac Coupe de Ville for $45,000, and a 1958 Chevrolet Impala convertible for $80,000. A stunning burnt-orange 1972 Oldsmobile 442 convertible rocked the room with a winning bid of $120,000.

One of the cars brought down by collector-car dealer Darby was a modified 1940 Mercury convertible. Owner Grant Swain from North Vancouver was satisfied with the US$50,000 hammer price. After expenses, that nets him about $60,000 Canadian.

“This is about what I expected and I’m satisfied with that,” Swain said moments after his black convertible with red leather interior crossed the auction block.

Darby, who brings his own collector cars along with vehicles he sells for owners, says the restored cars with modern components are what continue to bring the biggest money, noting “People want to drive their cars and they want reliability.” He sold a customized 1939 Chevrolet cab-over-engine truck owned by retired Vancouver roofing contractor Rick Ambrose for $87,000. Three of the 41 vehicles he auctioned will be brought back to Canada.

An armour-plated 1937 Cord Beverley sedan brought to the auction by Vancouver-area restorer-customizer Rick Francoeur sold for $120,000.

Hot sellers this year are classic SUVS and modified pickup trucks, such as a 1977 Ford Bronco that hammered for $200,000, and a one-owner 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer that set a world record at $100,000.

There were four Eleanor tribute cars, similar to the star car from the film Gone in 60 Seconds, that sold for up to $175,000. Restomod mid’50s Chevys brought record prices, with a 1955 two-door sedan painted two shades of grey selling for $265,000, and a highly customized 1955 Nomad named “Gone Mad” hammering down at $300,000. A stunning black 1965 Lincoln Continental four-door convertible set a record at $300,000. And five extremely rare race-ready lightweight BMW cars owned by the late actor Paul Walker got a lot of attention — each selling for more than $200,000.

With seven collector-car auctions during auction week in Arizona, thousands of vehicles crossed auction blocks. Leake Auctions, which was purchased in 2018 by Vancouver-based Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, ran its first auction in Scottsdale. And RM Sotheby’s, headquartered in Blenheim, Ontario, also ran a successful action with strong sales.