Car show season

You can’t beat a small town car show in the summer. This past weekend I headed up to Rosalia Washington to help of old friend Jay, with the judging of his annual show. Last year Covid, made the event a no go, but this year things were back to normal. With almost 120 cars lining up both side of main street the judging was tough, but i picked a 1937 Studebaker, Z3 Rat Rod and 19631/2 Ford Galaxie 500 with the rare 427 engine option.

A classic small town main street, with the a vintage standing clock.

One of of my picks was this custom 1937 Studebaker pickup. It was one of only a 1000 produced in ‘37. Super rare, with a striking art deco paint job.

One of the most original ideas I’ve seen of a rat rod. This one started life as a BMW Z3, with modified front end and Chrysler body grafted on to the rear. Weird, cool and original.

Back to Sun Valley

I returned to Sun Valley, Idaho for Silver Auctions annual labor day auction again this year. With some of the restrictions easing up, it was the first large even held at the Sun Valley lodge this year. Social distancing and masks were required and because it was held in large open tent there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out. Around 90 cars were consigned with 75% of them going to new buyers. The top sale was a 2020 Corvette selling for $127,000.

The only color for a Corvette.

Rare Z! 900 sold for $10,500.

This 1987 Honda Prelude was an one owner car, it looked new and sold for $4100.00

Time to hit the starter button

The auction world is starting to slowly come back to life again! But it may not be like it was before the shut down. The wholesale car auctions are slowly clawing back to life again.

The independently owned auctions have begun running cars through the building but at half capacity and with dealers wearing masks and exercising social distancing. The larger corporate ones, are completely simulcast with no one in auction arena. Both seem to be working, so we’ll see what happens as we get into the summer.

All my fundraising events were cancelled in February, March, April and May. I’m not sure when these auctions will return to the time when patrons would sit shoulder to shoulder with 200-600 of their auction friends. I have an event in August which is held outdoors, it still a go so we’ll see how we do.

I’m back flying again, but I kinda miss my drives to Vegas.

Time to think

I’ve worked as a wholesale auctioneer for thirty years, which means driving and flying to my weekly auction gigs. I have relied on airplanes to get me to where I’m going. Up until three weeks ago it seemed to be the perfect business plan! Not anymore.

I was still taking my weekly flight to Las Vegas on Wednesday’s afternoons but then when lock down came to Sin City so did the my flights.

Now what do I do? Hey, I’ll drive to Vegas. It’s only a 1000 miles, and I could really use a paycheck. As an auctioneer I work as a contract employee, so if I’m not working I don’t get paid. And because of the uncertainty of being able to fly and no more work on my Wednesday’s or Thursday’s I decided to make the trip. Probably my last days of work in Vegas too.

I have always like to drive on long trips. Whether its in cars or motorcycles, I enjoy being alone on the open road. When I first started out as an auctioneer I would hop into my old Porsche 911 and drive hours to get some mic time.

I decided to take a longer route through the Ochoco National Forest, east toward John Day, south to Burns and crossing the border into Nevada.

I never even turned the radio for the drive. Instead, I spent a lot of time just thinking about the past, future and more importantly the present. Rehashing the pain of old memories, were softened by the beauty of the sunrise cresting over the mountains tops of central Oregon. As I crossed into the vast openness of the northern Nevada landscape my thoughts were replaced with the realization that all can do is accept that things are going to change, and I’ll make my way thru this situation some way or some how.

Social Distancing was in full force as I was traveling alone, paying at the pump and with no place to eat along the way.

Except for a couple stops at a Starbucks drive thru, I never saw or spoke to anyone on the way down. Which really is kinda sad. I always like strike up a conversations with the locals when I’m traveling

Hopefully, the new normal won’t be panic, fear and distance when we encounter our fellow humans when this all passes.

Everyone be safe out there.

Central Oregon sunrise.

Nevada

No waiting at the pumps.

Sunset in Northern Nevada

Sun Valley

My Labor Day weekend was spent working in Sun Valley, Idaho. I headed up to Idaho to help my old friend Mitch Silver with his 32nd annual Labor Day auction. Situated on the grounds of the Sun Valley Lodge over 125 vehicles crossed the block over the two day sale.

It had been over a decade since I had last worked this auction, it was great to see some of my old friends from the car business, and laugh about the old days when we were much younger. The weather was perfect and the crowds filled the tent on Saturday to look at and bid on a wide range of collector cars. I’m looking forward to going back next year.

This beautiful Rolls Royce sold for $54,000.

The rare supercharged Studebaker sold for $34,000.

The super sized motor home sold for $125,000.

Timing is everything.

This past weekend I joined a gathering of Porsche enthusiasts known as P.O.G or the Porsche Outlaw Group. I had heard, through social media Magnus Walker would be in appearance at the event. If you don’t know who Magnus is, he was the star of a documentary film titled Urban Outlaw, it featured his personal collection of Porsches and beautiful scenes of him blasting throughout downtown Los Angeles and the surrounding hills in his vintage 911. The film touched perfectly on the emotional connections of of us who’ve ever owned or driven a Porsche, especially the early 911’s. 

I headed down to the OMSI parking lot on my old GPZ to check it out. It was a perfect November morning. Meaning it wasn't raining!

Lots of cool cars showed up for the event. There was an excellent representation of new, vintage and modified Porsches on display.  A couple days later a friend noticed a picture a photographer had taken at the show on his Instagram feed. Guess who made it into the shot? It was perfectly timed. 

After I saw the photograph it got me thinking about timing. Like being in the right place at the right time.   When I look back on where I am today, a lot of it was just timing and luck. Just like the picture.

Perfect timing. Photo credit@ryansova

Magnus Walker

A gathering of Porsches

More Miles

Work and travel never keep me from clocking more miles on my old GPZ. I jump on my bike as often as I can. A spare minute always means another mile.

I have already managed to get a couple of really good rides in this summer. Last month; I made the trip back to my hometown of Spokane to help out my old friend, Jay with his annual car show in neighboring Rosalia. He had invited me back again to be one of the judges for his annual car show. It’s a tough job when there are so many great cars! Besides the old cars, I got to visit and chat with some of my old college friends who also made the trip to Rosalia for the day. 

My old 1983 GPZ ran like a top for the 800-mile round-trip. Even more surprising was how well I held up on the ride! When I rode the exact route last year, the 90-degree heat took it out of me. The much cooler temperature this year made for a much more comfortable ride.

This weekend, I did a couple of my favorite rides. First one had my heading east out of Portland onto Highway 84 towards The Dalles. From there I rode south on the 197 to Tygh Valley, then east onto Highway 216, which took me along the Deschutes River and up Shears Bridge Canyon. It’s a great twisty ride but you have to be careful because not all of the corners have guardrails. If you go off the road, it’s a hell of a long ways down to the bottom of the canyon! I continued on by connecting through Grass Valley onto Highway 97, then hooking onto Highway 84 westbound back to Portland. It’s a great 300-mile ride that I would highly recommend.

The next day, I took a quick spin to Mount Hood with a quick visit to Timberline Lodge. The road around the backside of the mountain takes you through the wineries and fruit tree farms of Hood River. It really was a perfect weekend of riding.

Did I do the speed limit?

Sherars Bridge Canyon - a fun and fast series of twists and turns

In the background is Oregon’s tallest mountain, Mount Hood

Taking a selfie break along the Columbia Gorge Highway

Beauty and the Beast

The Ferrari 458 is both a beauty and a beast. The sleek curves of its body and thunderous power of its engine are reminiscent of both starlet and stallion in their primes.

While I have laid eyes on and auctioned off many a luxury car, a Ferrari always catches my attention. Its flawless lines and powerful purr make my head turn every time. This particular one, basking in the California sun at the auction last week, was no different.

Even if you are not a car buff, you would notice a Ferrari driving down the street. It has a uniquely beautiful appearance and you cannot miss the sound. When your neighbor starts his Ferrari, the whole block knows it and we all want to go along for the ride. If you ever get the chance to take one for a spin, buckle up Buttercup!

I like Aston's too.

Oktoberfest

October kicks off the fall fundraising season here at srdorsey auctioneering! Instead of the bevy of beer and bratwurst that defines Oktoberfest, our month is chockerblock full of benefits and galas, special appeals and fundraising auctions.

This year, we are back at the World of Speed Museum. We are working again with Chad Brown and his Soul River Foundation in Portland, then onto San Francisco for the Wild Salmon Center 25th anniversary celebration at the end of the month. We will likely raise over a million dollars at these three auctions alone. Very exciting stuff.

On the car side of things; I worked a collector car auction with my old boss Mitch Silver, over the weekend. We'll be meeting up again in Southern California and Las Vegas. Check back in with us at the end of the month to see how we made out!

Traveling Man

Last week was my busiest travel so far this year. I covered a lot of miles in a very short amount of time.

It started here in Portland after my weekly Wednesday Crosspoint auction gig. From there, I headed to the airport for my 3pm flight to California; a quick stop in Oakland and by 930pm, I had landed in Ontario. An early get-up Thursday morning to catch my shuttle ride to Riverside got me to the Highline Sale. From there, I caught a ride with my friend Rod for the four-hour drive to Vegas. I happened to be staying at the same hotel where the Mecum Motorcycle Auction was held, so I caught a glimpse of that. As luck would have it; three of the best professional motorcycle racers from the 70's and 80's, Gene Romero, Jay Springsteen, and Don Castroon were all on-hand for a VIP Q&A session. It. Was. Awesome!

I was up early again Friday morning to work the Manheim Nevada auction. My lane started at 9am sharp. I had 150 Kia's to sell. I sold 100% of them. By 1045am, I was jumping back on the airport shuttle to McCarran Airport, where I caught the 1230pm departure back to Portland. My plane touched down at 230pm; from there, I headed home to do a quick repack. My next stop was Rosalia, Washington; where I am a judge for my long-time friend, Jay's annual hot rod bash. So I took off from Portland again and did the six-hour drive up to Spokane, Washington. I made it to my parents' house at 10pm and pretty much, went straight to bed. An early get-up Saturday morning, so I could join my parents for their weekly breakfast meet-up at Denny's. I took the long way around Spokane to Rosalia, driving the old highway which winds through the Palouse. Once in Rosalia, I judged 70 cars to come up with the best in the bunch. It sure was hard to pick a winner. After the show and a quick bit of socializing, I headed back to Spokane to have a visit with my parents and to spend the night. I was up very early Sunday morning for my six-hour drive back to Portland.

What a whirlwind of a week - 4 states in 72 hours!

Arizona Bound

Last week marked my first return to Arizona for collector car week in over a decade. I went to work for my old boss, Mitch Silver, to help him sell some of the six hundred plus cars he was offering over his four day auction. It had been thirteen years since I had last worked at the Silver Auctions annual collector car auction in Fountain Hills, Arizona. It sure felt good to be back amongst old friends and on familiar ground.

If you're not familiar with what auction week is in Arizona, it's basically when the whole of the Scottsdale area gets turned into a huge week of collector car auctions. There were seven different auction companies in Scottsdale this year offering over two thousand collector cars for sale! It started on Monday, January 16th and continued the entire week right through to Sunday, January 22nd.

Our days would start at 10am. Each day would go on for about ten hours. That's what it would take to run two hundred collector cars across the auction block. I worked with three other auctioneers each day. We worked in shifts, each selling ten to fifteen cars before rotating out. When we weren't on the auction block, we would work in the auction ring to spot bids and to assist the auctioneer who was onstage selling. By the end of the three days, my feet and legs were killing me. I must be getting old!

The collector car business is forever changing. Cars go in and out of favor, depending on market conditions. But as always; the best quality, most rare and uniquely interesting ones, never have a problem finding a new owner.

Everyone has an opinion of the health of the collector car market. From my perspective, it looks pretty darn healthy. It was really great to work with my old mentor, Mitch, and to see all of my old friends who have been some of my best supporters throughout my career as an auctioneer.

This impressive 1960 Chevrolet Bubble Top, sold for $50,000.

This nice 1934 Ford Roadster sold for $34,500.

Who doesn't love an E-Type Jaguar?

Back to Where It All Began

This past weekend I had the opportunity to help my old friend and former employer, Mitch Silver. He was just an hour and a half away; up in Shelton, Washington for a small collector car auction held at the Little Creek Casino. We offered up 75 cars and easily sold a third of them.

Working with Mitch on Saturday brought me right back to the days where Mitch and I, along with the rest of our auction crew, traveled around the Western United States every weekend doing small regional auctions just like this. Before the time that television cameras starting showing up at collector car auctions and the age of the internet, these auctions were the mainstay of the collector car business. Oftentimes, these smaller car auctions offered the smart buyer a good deal on a car. A savvy seller could also benefit from the limited inventory at these smaller shows; making his car more special, therefore a standout at the auction.

Wide Open Wyoming

This past Fourth of July weekend; I had the chance to help my old friend, Mitch Silver, at his annual Jackson Hole collector car auction. Mitch was the one who introduced me to the collector car business and helped to start my career as an auctioneer.

If you have never visited Jackson Hole, Wyoming; you should definitely put it on your bucket list. Where the twisting Snake River wraps around the Teton Mountain Range, there you will find and experience one of our country's most scenic areas.

For twenty six years, Mitch has held his annual Fourth of July sale at Teton Village. This year, the auction did not disappoint; delivering another excellent assortment of cars and western memorabilia.  We sold a wide variety of cars, with everything from a 1932 Oldsmobile to a 1966 Dodge Cornet Hemi. There were late-model classics and even a handful of vintage motorcycles

It was really great to return to the old stomping grounds and to reconnect with my old friends and to enjoy some of that Wyoming hospitality.

Car Show in the Palouse

My old friend, Jay Scholz recently invited me to his annual party and car show in his hometown of Rosalia, Washington. Rosalia is located south of Spokane in the rolling hills of the Palouse. The Palouse region is where most of nation's soft, white wheat; brewing barley; and lentils are grown amongst the soft, rolling hills.

This particuliar car show is sponsored by Jay's hot rod shop, Rose's Garage; where they specialize in all forms of automotive customization. If you want to see some examples of Jay's work, check out his website at www.rosegarage.com.

It really was great to reconnect with my old friends from the days when I worked in the Palouse at the local grain elevator, in order to pay for my college tuition. While I was at the show, I was recruited to be one of the judges. About 60 cars were up on display, with half of them signed up to be judged. There was great assortment of cars and it was a tough job to pick out the best one. But someone had to do it and I was happy to oblige.

Looking down mainstreet.

Cars Yeah: Podcast 345

This past summer, I recorded my first podcast. It was fun and a really good experience.

Basically it started as a connection that I had made through LinkedIn. I noticed a guy named Mark Greene, also from the Pacific Northwest. We had some contacts in common. They were mainly collectors of vintage cars and guys in the business. So I reached out to him. We emailed back and forth. Then he asked, "Would you be interested in joining me to do a podcast?" I wasn't sure what I had to offer compared to all the well-known car guys that he had interviewed and recorded in the past. I felt pretty honored to be invited to do that. I thought to myself, I'm just another car guy!

So we went through the process. Mark did his magic on the editing side. Then early this fall, my first ever podcast hit the internet. Check it out here for yourself at Cars Yeah:

http://carsyeah.com/ourportfolio/345-steve-dorsey/.

Graphic by carsyeah.com.

Crash

I just saved myself $150,000 this weekend. That was the cost of the damage I racked up on the 2015 BMW M4 DTM race car that I crashed into a wall, once or twice.

Well, I wasn't actually driving the real thing; but it sure felt like it. I did get the chance to drive that exact BMW model on the famed Watkins Glen road course. It was the most advanced racing simulator I've ever had the chance to try out to-date. The simulator was set up at the grand opening of the new service center at the BMW Store in Vancouver, Canada. Racing simulators have come a long way in design and development. They can really  give you the feel of the road with very realistic feedback of what it actually feels like to drive a car to its limits. The simulator I got to drive costs $60,000 and is quite popular. While that may seem like a lot for an over-the-top video game, it is invaluable for a driver who is trying to learn a new track or one who wants to freshen up his skills before the race season begins.

Facts and figures aside, it was an absolute blast to drive. What a great event to be invited to. BC beer and wine were poured; the new 7 Series was unveiled; and the latest BMW i8 was also on-hand.

Back in the #YVR. Day 1 @thebmwstorevan @cocktail_canape @poplargrovewine @uratomjit @rainorshineYVR pic.twitter.com/1zG5hEeCJ9

— steve dorsey (@srdorseyauction) October 16, 2015