RM Sotheby’s and RM Auto Restoration turn 40! | RM Sotheby's

RM Sotheby’s and RM Auto Restoration turn 40!

RM |

The RM team invites you to celebrate our company turning 40! The celebration takes place the weekend of 21–22 June in our hometown of Chatham-Kent.

Founded by Rob Myers, RM Sotheby’s was born from a passion for classic cars. After years of working on his father’s cars, Myers inaugurated his own single-car garage restoration business, and by 1979 the company was officially incorporated. Over the decades that followed, Myers and his team built a world-renowned restoration facility, known as RM Auto Restoration, as well as the world’s largest auction house for investment-quality automobiles, RM Sotheby’s, a global operation now partnered with Sotheby’s, the world’s oldest auction house. Myers remains at the helm of the organization and looks forward to more exciting growth in the years to come.

Working with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, the 40th Anniversary celebration will give back to the community that has fostered the growth of RM over the last four decades and celebrate Chatham-Kent as the Classic Car Capital of Canada. For 2019, RetroFest™, will also move to 21–22 June, making for the ultimate weekend destination for classic car enthusiasts in Canada.

The community, car enthusiasts, and attendees can expect two days filled with thousands of cars and enhanced RetroFest programming alongside anniversary events put on by RM Sotheby’s, including performances by acclaimed Canadian acts Sam Roberts Band and Big Sugar, as well as a very special concours d’elegance held at RM Sotheby’s head office.

All proceeds from the weekend’s events will go directly back into the Chatham-Kent community, supporting several important local organizations, including the Children’s Treatment Centre Foundation of Chatham-Kent, Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation, and Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation.

“Our 40th Anniversary celebration is going to be an unforgettable weekend in Chatham-Kent,” says Rob Myers, Founder, Chairman & CEO of RM Sotheby’s. “The Friday RM Kickoff parade and RetroFest car cruise will be the biggest yet, and the RM40 Concours D’Elegance on Saturday will gather some of the world’s best cars, never before seen in Canada and unlikely to ever be seen again. We’re bringing thousands of automobiles to Chatham-Kent for the weekend—everywhere you look on 21–22 June, you’ll see a classic car. I look forward to celebrating with friends, collectors, enthusiasts, and the entire community. Let’s have fun at what is going to be the best collector car weekend that Canada’s ever seen!”

“RM has been making our community proud for decades,” adds Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff. “Linking RetroFest with RM’s 40th Anniversary celebration is an amazing collaboration. Add in the fact that local charities will benefit, and it takes it over the top. RM choosing to celebrate with all of Chatham-Kent is a world-class move by a world-class company.”

The RM 40th Anniversary and RetroFest weekend timeline of events will include:

  • 3:00 pm – Shuttle service begins at the former Target parking lot in the Thames Lea Plaza on Grand Ave W, dropping off at Fifth St. at Thames and picking up at Fifth St. east side, south of King St.
  • 5:00 pm – A special RM 40th Anniversary Kickoff Parade beginning at the Civic Centre, starring two mechanical elephants and other wild rides
  • 6:00 pm – The annual RetroFest Car Cruise starting at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre
  • 6:00 pm – Gates open for entertainment by Sam Roberts Band with Walkin’ 47 at Tecumseh Park (show begins at 7:30 pm)

  • 8:00 am–7:00 pm – Shuttle service available on a continuous loop from the former Target parking lot in the Thames Lea Plaza on Grand Ave W to Wellington and Fifth St., Park Avenue Business Centre, and the RM Sotheby’s Headquarters 
  • 10:00 am–6:00 pm – Family activities all day at Tecumseh Park, including zip line, bouncy castle, soap box derby, petting zoo, Junior Judges, the LEGO brick experience with LEGO artist Graeme Dymond, Ms. Retrofest contest, and Hagerty Test Garage
  • 12:00 pm – Southwind Buoys performance at Nest Realty
  • 2:00 pm – Free Dirt Country hoedown at the Tecumseh Park bandshell
  • 3:00 pm – Kent Historic Auto Club/RetroFest Car Show winners announced
  • 4:00 pm – Free Chaser Band performance at the Tecumseh Park bandshell
  • 7:00 pm – Doors open for the Big Sugar concert with Superfly at the Capitol Theatre (show begins at 8:00 pm)

  • The RM40 Concours d’Elegance – Get an exclusive look at more than 40 of the rarest, most beautiful, and most valuable cars in the world. Let an RM Sotheby’s expert guide you through the highlights, which include the multi-award winning 1933 Delage D8S Roadster by De Villars, one of just 99 models built, and representing the height of the Art Deco-influenced French design in the 1930s; and the wild, yet stunningly graceful 1937 Cadillac Series 90 Hartmann Cabriolet, measuring an imposing 22 feet in length, and most recently shown at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Visitors can also look forward to a Ferrari frenzy, with an entire lineup of blue-chip cars from one of the world’s most iconic brands. (Get Tickets).
  • Classic Car Cruise-In – Enthusiasts and collectors are encouraged to drive their classic cars and will receive priority parking.
  • Art at RM, featuring more than 60 artists and crafters, with some artists offering Make & Take projects throughout the day.
  • RM Auto Restoration Open House – The shop will be open to the public for a glimpse into the work of the award-winning craftsmen at RM Auto Restoration, as well as the 100-year-old streetcar currently under restoration for the City of Windsor.
  • A graffiti artist competition, with artists from across Southwestern Ontario participating in a live competition. Visitors to the RM grounds will have the opportunity to participate in an exciting community art project.
  • Live music by local talent Toast & Jam inside the concours. 
  • Duke’s Harley Davidson Vintage & Custom Motorcycle Show
  • Hagerty Ride & Drive – Attendees will have the chance to get behind the wheel of an iconic classic car and take their dream cruise. All test drives available on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Plenty of kids and family activities, as well as food vendors, including Bay Side Brewery and Roesh Meats.

 

Complete details on all the weekend’s events can be found at rm40th.com.

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