From the Auction Desk: Cars in the Time of Coronavirus

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Sláinte.

What a week it’s been. From RM Auctions moving their Palm Beach sale to the Internet — and Barrett-Jackson just postponing their Palm Beach sale by six months — the immediate auction calendar took a major body blow.

The subsequent recommendations from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention limiting groups to 50 or fewer people showed the wisdom of those decisions.

Now, buying and selling cars probably isn’t at the forefront of many minds at this particular moment — at least in the United States.

The Brits are carrying on at the moment, with H&H’s Duxford sale still ready to roll on March 18 and Bonhams MPH in Bicester still slated for March 21.

In a press release H&H stated, “Our auction at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford is going ahead as planned this Wednesday March 18th. The cars are being spaced out more than usual, as is the seating. Car door handles are being wiped down with disinfectant on a regular basis as are history files etc.”

Brightwells also released a press statement saying, “The first news to report is that we will continue to hold our auctions, viewing days and keep offices open to all, under the current advice.

“In terms of auctions, we understand that some people who usually wish to attend sales in person, may make the decision to instead use our remote bidding facilities of telephone bidding, commission bids and online bidding. If you have not used any of these facilities before, you may be given comfort that we currently sell over 50% of our lots through these bidding streams and our systems are extremely easy to use. If you are not confident that attending the auctions would be the right thing for you, we wholly recommend you use these bidding options and we are happy for you to contact us to discuss any steps you may wish to have help with.”

When this situation ends — and it will end at some point — we’ll see what sort of economic stimulus package the Fed has devised for kick starting the national economy. The wider world may take longer.

Stay tuned to SCM and ACC for the latest auction updates, and keep washing those hands.