• In a move that acknowledges the importance of historic vehicles to our human heritage, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mrs. Irina Bokova, has agreed to establish an official partnership (consultative status) between UNESCO and FIVA, the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens. Announcing her decision, Mrs. Bokova commented, “FIVA’s commitment to our industrial heritage is in line with UNESCO’s efforts in this field, and the partnership between our two organizations will undoubtedly offer new possibilities for increasing the impact of our respective actions.” Mrs. Bokova went on to express her hopes that the partnership will continue to strengthen, opening up new avenues for future collaboration.
• On June 25th, the Racing History Project will host AutoFest, an automotive literature and memorabilia swap meet at Pomona, California’s Wally Parks NHRA Museum. Admission is free, while interested vendors can email vendors@autofest2017 to reserve space. Limited indoor vendor space is available.
• Sales totals at Mecum Auctions’ spring 2017 Kansas City auction in March surpassed $7.3 million. More than 30 vehicles were hammered sold during the two-day event, in addition to 74 pieces of Road Art.
A low-mileage 2005 Ford GT with all four options hammered at $300,000 to claim the No. 1 slot on the list of sales, although Chevrolets were also prominent among the top sellers, with four 1960s Corvettes and a 1967 Camaro RS/SS finding their way into the auction’s top 10.
• Barrett-Jackson’s 15th Annual Palm Beach Auction in Florida, totaled $20.5 million in sales and set 14 world records for collector car sales while enjoying a sell-through rate of 99.4 percent. The three-day event featured 498 collector cars crossing the auction block, while some 278 Automobilia lots sold for more than $450,000, a 28 percent increase over last year. The auction’s top seller was a 2006 Ford GTX1, one of fewer than 200 produced, which sold for $401,500, while a 1969 Mustang Boss 429 took runner-up honors at $291,500, a price it shared with one of the coveted 23-window VW Microbuses.
