The Auctions America Auburn Fall 2017 sale was held August 31 to September 3 at the Auburn Auction Park in Auburn, Indiana, resulting in $19.2 million in total sales and a 79 percent sell-through rate on all lots sold. Held over Labor Day weekend during the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Festival, Auctions America’s flagship Auburn Fall sale included more than 700 vehicles and over 250 lots of memorabilia.
“We’re proud of our success in restoring the Auburn Auction Park and bringing the annual Auburn Spring and Fall events to new heights,” said Donnie Gould, who leads the Auctions America team. “Thanks to our international marketing reach and in response to client demand, we’ve been able to continually increase the quality of cars on offer at Auburn Fall, which shone through this year in a 26 percent increase in the average sale price per lot.”
The top result at the Auctions America Auburn Fall 2017 auction went to the 1933 Duesenberg Model SJ ‘Sweep Panel’ Phaeton, J-510, that retains its original body by LaGrande. Though the Model SJ did not meet its reserve on Saturday, it was sold the following day for $2,300,000 to become the most valuable automobile sold in Auctions America history. The second of two Duesenbergs on offer at Auburn Fall, a 1929 Model J Convertible Coupe, J-417, the only example originally fitted with coachwork by Fleetwood, sold for a within-estimate final price of $990,000.
Additional highlights from Saturday’s feature segment include a Bloomington Gold-winning 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, which sold for $269,500 (Est. $225k-275k), a 1937 Packard Twelve Coupe Roadster offered from single ownership since the 1980s achieved $261,250 (Est. $225k-275k), and a restored 1958 Buick Limited Convertible brought $239,250, exceeding its pre-sale estimate of $175,000 – $225,000.
The Auctions America Auburn Fall 2017 auction once again illustrated the power of no reserve offerings, as two groups of cars from single collectors out-performed pre-sale expectations on both Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Lots 2104 – 2112 nearly all exceeded estimate, highlighted by a 1931 Cadillac V-8, which more than doubled its low estimate at a final $169,400 (Est. 75k-90k). On Saturday, lots 4125 – 4131 was led by the Buick Limited Convertible mentioned above, as well as a 1956 Mercury Montclair, which brought $137,500 against an estimate of $75,000 – $100,000.
Another memorable auction moment came during the sale of the private tour of Jay Leno’s Garage. After a competition between bidders in the room and on the phone, the tour for four raised a final $35,000 to benefit Jay Leno’s JDM Charities, as well as Honor Flight of NorthEast Indiana. Auctions America also pledged to donate $25,000 of the proceeds from Auburn Fall to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
Rob Myers, CEO and Founder of the RM Group of Companies, added, “I have been coming to Auburn for more than 30 years, both on my own and with the RM Group of Companies, and I have no plans of stopping. The Auburn Auction Park and the events we hold here are an integral part of our business. We are deeply committed to continuing this great tradition and putting on an even more successful Auburn Fall in 2018. We look forward to sharing further details later this year.”
Auctions America Auburn Fall 2017 – Top Ten Auction Results
- 1933 Duesenberg Model SJ ‘Sweep Panel’ Phaeton by LaGrande – $2,300,000
- 1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe by Fleetwood – $990,000
- 1953 Chevrolet Corvette – $269,500
- 1937 Packard Twelve Coupe Roadster – $261,250
- 1958 Buick Limited Convertible – $239,250
- 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Chevelle – $187,000
- 2003 Delahaye Custom Boattail Speedster – $181,500
- 1936 Pierce-Arrow Twelve Town Car Prototype by Derham – $170,500
- 1931 Cadillac V-8 Roadster by Fleetwood – $169,400
- 1932 Packard Eight Sport Phaeton – $166,100
For complete auction results, visit AuctionsAmerica.com.
[Source: Auctions America]
