• The Summit to the Sea classic car caravan, will be held Oct. 22-24, giving classic car enthusiasts a day-long jaunt across the center of California from Yosemite to Morro Bay, with a stop for lunch at the historic Jack Ranch Café. The event is scheduled to coincide with three important anniversaries: The 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Grant, the 150th anniversary of California State Parks and the 50th anniversary of cityhood for Morro Bay. Participants will gather on Wednesday evening, Oct. 22, for a hosted celebratory barbecue in Oakhurst, the southern gateway to Yosemite. After spending the night in Oakhurst, vehicles will cruise through Yosemite, where dignitaries will be on hand for the official send-off on Thursday morning. From there, they will travel 140-miles south on historic Highway 41, stopping for lunch at the famous James Dean-themed Jack Ranch Café in Cholame, near the intersection of Highways 41 and 46. After lunch the vehicles will continue on another 80-miles to Morro Bay. For registration information, go to www.FromTheSummitToTheSea.com.
• Mecum Auctions’ inaugural Harrisburg sale, July 24–27, proved to be an over-the-top success with $21,111,582 in total sales, eclipsing Mecum’s Dallas auction in 2011 as the largest-ever inaugural consignment collector car auction. With 735 of the total 1,056 vehicles offered hammering sold, the auction sell-through rate reached 70 percent. Top sales among the cars included a one-of-four 1970 Dodge Hemi Coronet R/T equipped with both the 426/425hp Hemi engine and four-speed manual transmission that gaveled at $305,000, as well as a three-time MCA Concours Gold-winning 1968 Shelby GT350 Convertible selling for $145,000.
• RM Auctions, the official auction house of the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s, posted $7.4 million in total sales at its annual Motor City sale, in Michigan, at the end of July. Top sales honors went to the 1911 Mercedes 38/70HP Seven-Passenger Touring with coachwork in the style of Vanvooren, which achieved a final price of $495,000. Also attracting strong interest was the 1930 Gar Wood 28’ Triple Cockpit Runabout, originally built for Logan T. Wood and delivered new to Detroit, which realized $275,000. Other notable sales included a 1925 Duesenberg Model A Touring, the original road-going Duesenberg, and a 1925 Renault Model 45 Tourer, formerly owned by the Nethercutt Collection, both of which exceeded high estimates at $264,000 each.
• Auctions America’s second annual California sale bested the company’s 2013 results in every category. Held July 31-August 2, at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel, the multi-day auction presented more than 400 vehicles plus rare memorabilia generating more than $17.5 million in total sales. The sale’s top lot was a 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster finished in the color combination of red over tan with a tan top. The thoroughly restored Mercedes-Benz was in remarkable condition, exemplified by its $1,155,000 price tag. Another unusual sale was that of a rare Ferrari 333 SP engine, which commanded $310,500.
