Monterey Car Week is a pretty incredible event, full of incredible cars and fancy clothes and fish eggs smeared on crackers and beautiful surroundings that my presence only devalues. Significantly. It’s also a place where a remarkable concentration of huge car auctions take place in a short span of time, and I don’t think I’ve fully appreciated just how much of a spectator sport those auctions are.
I’m not kidding; it’s genuinely fun to go to these auctions and make a game of it, trying to guess what the cars will eventually sell for, watching the crowd and trying to figure out who’s likely to bid or who isn’t, enjoying the drama of bidding wars that erupt for some of the lots – there’s a lot more going on there than you might think.
It’s a game of trying to understand the overall car market, which is in itself a complex minestrone of factors: what’s the economy like, what cars are currently desirable and why; what factors in other parts of the culture are affecting what people find desirable? Are there subtle trends happening? And if so, what are they, and how do they affect what’s being sold? It’s strangely compelling.
Going with the whole Co-founder Crew is fun, because David is a cheap bastard who pays for Arby’s sandwiches on installments, and I’m no better at all, plus I have the tastes of a Soviet-era grandma with a hoarding problem. Beau is the only one with any sense, and he gets into all the auctions. He’s the MVP here, and if you watch this video of us at this supercar auction, I think you’ll see why:
As you can see in that video, we like to play a Price Is Right type of game at these auctions, where we look at the cars beforehand, scrutinize and evaluate and process and, yes, guess, all to try and come up with our best prediction of the final selling price. Then we go to the auction, and see who was right and who was wrong.
In this case, we were focused on this incredible array of ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s supercars, exotic and strange wedge-shaped things, from companies like Mercedes-Benz, Cizeta, Bugatti, and, yes, Vector.
This video has a bit of a surprise ending, because Beau actually won the auction for the Vector M12, number five of only 14, the only purple one, powered by a Lamborghini seven-liter V12 engine. It’s a fantastic, ridiculous car, and we’ll have more about this thing soon.
Here’s the takeaway: car auctions can be a blast. And they can be even better if you show up with someone who actually buys one of these crazy things.
You guys are a bunch of goddamn heroes.
And Beau flamboys intergalactic levels of badassery.
Just how do you get treated while looking and then after buying?
Also am I remembering it right Beau bought the purple Vector but didn’t win the estimate on it?
Oh my gosh I just looked at the Sotheby’s photos of this… that GM switchgear is amazing.
Please let me sell you parts for this thing, it will make my year. 😀
Holy crap, you guys bought a Vector M12??? This is the best thing ever.
Did he drive it home from the auction?
If you’re going to spend an absurd amount of money on a car a Vector is definitely a gentleman’s choice, or as the kids say it means “you’re a real one”. It’s just such a bizarre and unique vehicle. I look forward to all the content on it, because outside of Doug getting to review one a few years ago there isn’t all that much information on them out there.
Have you guys heard about this thing’s “cousin”, the Timor S515?
Oh you guys totally have to do a deep dive into that Vector.
Each regular drives it an writes up a short commentary.
With a special guest writeup from Fancy Kristen!!!
Beau and I have driven it twice together!
Well… “driven.”
It hasn’t… gone quite as planned. More on this in due time.
oh no, will this be a Trade In Tuesday segment?
Congrats on your new NA Miata turn signals and ’91-94 Cavalier taillights, Beau!
Well, at least they are not irreplacable boutique parts.
Someone should send Beau the GM “Mark of Excellence” to put on the Vector… LOL
Think he’s a Ford man through and through.
Which is why he bought a Vector?
Vectors over the years used several interesting choices for tail lights: ’80s Buick Century lights on the W8, Nissan Stanza on the WX3, and ’90s Cavalier like you mentioned on the M12.
I always knew the W8 taillights looked familiar!
The real question is, did Torch miss this or was that cut for time?
Let’s face it, Beau’s pockets are like the Marianna Trenches relative to the rest of you guys.
I don’t care much about the 6-7 figure cars. Just not my thing. For me, the fun and interesting parts of the auctions are (usually Thursday) sales of the <$20k cars. It seems like there a lot of neat but lower-interest cars that sell for fairly reasonable money.
Does anyone ever really win an auction? Just means you paid more than every other bidder was willing to pay.
I’m beginning to think Beau used the autopian as a writeoff
Exactly!
He just writes it off!
Well, I see it this way. Beau is a good guy, cause he helped his friends start something amazing. Yes, it may or may not make big money, but he didn’t give up on it. That being said, with the way herb and Ai is zombiefing auto journalism, the Autopian may become a goldmine. Only time will tell.
Oh, we need a full review of the Vector. From David’s analyitical mind, Adrian’s artisitic mind, Thomas’es unabridged joy, Torch’es weirdness.
Sorry I left Mercedes out…
Doesn’t do well towing a 28′ camper, thumbs down?
It can’t pull a trailer so it’s trash. Trailer trash.
I already wrote Torch’s headline six entries up from this.
Did he also win the prediction game? Because that feels like he might have cheated.
“Looks like I’m about $200 over…better bid so one of the cheapskates isn’t the winner!”
If you watch the video, I’d argue he lost the prediction game.
I’m not much of a video person, especially since I’m currently reading/commenting from work, but I’ll try to take a look later. If he lost, then I might retract my cheating accusation.
I can’t believe I correctly called which one of these 3 ended up being the “One Of Us Bought One”!
They should have left Beau out of the picture or added everyone on staff, just to make the game a little more fun.
It’s not hard – unless it is a rotted out hulk being offered for $500 Torch and David are out.
Hey, there might have been a SUPER rusty Countach that needed a transmission rebuild, you don’t know.
Interesting question – given the choice between a junky old LM002 and and old Jeep in the same condition, which would David choose?
Even the sainted Mr Tracy has limits, that said, I happen to have a junky old LM002 in the back shed. Free to anyone who will collect, did not run when parked, but a valuable project none the less, a small and easily overcome snagette, there are one or two things that might need moving, the AEC 6×6 Matador crane with a locked solid transfer box is the easy bit!
I got outbid.
It’s not hard when your bid was $50.