The 2023 auction season kicked off with big January sales in Florida and Arizona. We counted a total of 5,394 collector cars sold by Barrett-Jackson, Bonhams, MAG Auctions, Mecum Auctions and RM Sotheby’s. (We’ll have full results and analysis in next month’s issue.) What struck me as we watched all […]

Ahead of the upcoming driving season, “Steve” took his 1958 Porsche 356 “Outlaw” coupe to his favorite local Porsche repair shop for some needed work. Once completed, a short test drive was necessary for the mechanic to verify that everything was working properly. As the mechanic came to a nearby […]

The Dillon County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina announced that a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spyder, valued at $23 million, was stolen during the early morning hours of July 25, 2022. Detective Sara Albarri said that the 8C was inside a 2009 Haulmark trailer pulled by a white […]

Readers often ask where I find “Legal Files” column ideas. Many times, they come from suggestions from SCMers, so if you spot something interesting, feel free to email a tip. This story came from my first and most loyal reader, Publisher Martin. Not usually a man of few words, his […]

A 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Goutte d’Eau Coupé “Teardrop Coupe,” serial number 90108, one of 16 believed to be made, is at the center of a complicated case that recently took a new turn. In June, the purported mastermind of its 2001 theft, Chris Gardner, was extradited from Switzerland. The car […]

Longtime client “Pete” called recently with a problem. He was selling his boat, and what he thought was a simple deal had started to go sideways. The situation resembled some scary car deals we’ve seen over the years. Pete had found a buyer who was willing to buy both his […]

Al and Deb Poller enjoyed driving their 1931 Chevrolet in vintage-car events, but it showed its age. It was time to restore it, so the New Jersey residents searched for a restoration shop. They settled on Okoboji Classic Cars LLC (OCC) in Iowa. In 2013, Mrs. Poller sent an email […]

Picture this. You take your manual-transmission Jeep to the local dealer for an oil change. While you’re reading a car magazine in the waiting room, you hear a commotion. Apparently, a 19-year-old dealer employee who not only did not know how to drive a manual-transmission car, but didn’t even have […]

Just in case you’re one of the few SCMers who haven’t heard about it, RM Sotheby’s set a new world record for the highest automobile sales price ever achieved. On May 5, it auctioned a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe that was part of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Collection, selling it […]

“Legal Files” recently received a call from a distressed longtime friend and client. “Mark” had moved to Arizona and tried to register his 1972 Ferrari Daytona. Mark had owned the car for many years, and presented his clear title issued by his former state. To his surprise, the Arizona DMV […]