Auctions America has restored Auburn, Indiana, to its position as the 'Classic Car Capital of America,' posting the company's strongest sale results to date along with record attendance at its annual Auburn Fall Collector Car Weekend, 28 August 28–1 September. Sales reached more than $28,000,000 with 80 percent of all lots sold, demonstrating the strong and consistent growth of Auctions America's flagship sale.
Held during the famous Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, this year's sale marked Auctions America's most successful event to date, combining a world-class auction with a range of exciting automotive-themed activities to provide a memorable celebration of the hobby. This attracted more than 70,000 enthusiasts to the historic Auburn Auction Park, surpassing last year's attendance by nearly 40 percent. New this year, NBC Sports Network broadcast from the event for three days, delivering coverage of the sale to more than 80 million homes across the U.S. Also reflecting strong growth, a record number of bidder registrations were received from 17 countries and 45 states across the U.S., highlighting the event's standing as a Labor Day tradition with vast global appeal. Nearly one third of bidders represented first time clientele.
In honor of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, locally-built vehicles were prominently featured among the 1,123 automobiles offered, with top sales honors going to a highly desirable 1930 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe for $1,540,000; a rare 1929 Duesenberg Model J Sports Sedan for $962,500 and a 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Dual-Cowl Phaeton for $858,000, all sold during Saturday's all-new Salon Offering. Rounding out the top five sales and attracting enthusiastic bidding were an iconic 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona for $434,500 and a striking 1933 Auburn Twelve Boattail Speedster for $371,250.
Once again proving that Auctions America is an auction house of choice for the sale of private collections, Auburn Fall presented several important collections. Renowned collector and enthusiast, Kirk F. White, sold a diverse group of 404 lots of memorabilia and antiques from his personal collection during a full-day memorabilia sale on Wednesday, August 28, with several of his important hot rods crossing the block during Friday's sale session.
Indiana native, Ed Ewing's collection of 94 eclectic automobiles, also attracted strong interest from collectors, spurring numerous heated bidding contests during Saturday's Salon Offering. Highlights from Ewing's collection included a well-equipped and eye-catching 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible for $220,000, a rare 1967 Shelby GT 500 Fastback for $200,000, and a popular 1961 Fiat 500 Jolly for $99,000. Vehicles auctioned from the prominent collections of William Munday and Richard and Linda Kughn also garnered tremendous interest.