Vintage automobiles a rare find and a true treasure!
Imagine purchasing or inheriting a piece of property and discovering there is an old barn or shed on the property that has not been opened for years. After building up the nerve to open the old doors, and hoping there is not a bed of snakes or other unwanted guest behind the door, you unearth a vintage auto, lets say a 1937 Bugati, that is covered with dust and 50 years of grime. You pinch yourself to make sure you are not dreaming.
This is exactly what happened to a young man in Newcastle England in the beginning of February. When asked to clean out the garage of his uncle he found to his amazement a vintage car that was only one of 17 ever made. When this car was sold at auction it bought the unprecedented amount of $4.4 million dollars.
Another amazing find occurred in Portugal, when a gentleman purchased a farm complete with an old barn hidden in the woods. This time the lucky guy did not just find 1 car but rather he found over 180 antique vehicles. Covered in thick mounds of dust were cars that ranged from vintage 1920 American automobiles to a classic Porsche 356, to more recent models from the 1970’s.
Chances are if we want to get our hands on a classic car we are going to have to do more than pray that our uncle dies and leaves us a rare Bugatti. There are a wide variety of ways to acquire a classic or vintage car. Ebay often has rare and exotic automobiles available; it is not uncommon to find anything from a 1940 Ford Woodie Wagon to a 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo.
There are other websites as well that can be a good source for luxury or vintage cars such as Luxurymotors.com. Luxury motors offers everything from Maybachs to Bugatti’s, and while they tend to carry mostly newer models of luxury cars they are known as well to carry vintage classics such as a 1936 Auburn speedster WL. Another great source is Vintagecarconnection.com/ which offers vehicles that have been fully restored and those that are in bad need of restoration. Craig’s List can also be a real valuable tool in the pursuit of a classic car.
A popular way to purchase a fully restored vintage automobile is through an auction. A great example of this is the Classic car auction of Toronto which runs from the 3rd -5th of April, at the International Center in Mississauga. This local auction usually offers between 400-500 classic automobiles, including such automobiles as a 1953 Mercury Convertible and a 1966 Ford Shelby Cobra 427.
Purchasing a car at an auction, such as the yearly event in Toronto, can be done in several ways. Naturally you will have to be the highest bidder but you do not have to be present at the event to bid on or win a car on auction. The Auction organizers make it possible for you to take part in the auction either by telephone, internet or absentee. No matter which way you intend to bid on a car you will need to register with the company organizing the event. (In the case of our local auction it is the RM Auction Company.)
In the case of an absentee bid, you can submit your absentee bid by mail to the auction company and you will be notified following the sale of the vehicle as to your success.
If bidding by phone, a representative of the auction company will contact you just prior to your designated car going on the “block”. Bidding online can be done in two different fashions. You can log on to the “live” feed for the auction at the exact time the car you are interested in comes up for auction The second way to bid online is similar to an absentee bid, you can leave “proxy” bids with the auctioneers website prior to the sale.
No matter which way you bid, an auction can be a great way to purchase a high quality restoration. However, if even you are not planning on bidding, the car auctions can be a great place to gain exposure to the vehicles that are available.
While it is not uncommon for a car at auction to go for well over $100,000 for a rare fully restored vehicle there are also those vehicles that are priced considerably less that are still a great find.
Another way to get exposure to classic vehicles is to find your local chapter of a car club and find where and when they meet. The GTA has many car clubs available and the names of these clubs and their meeting times and locations can be found onWheels.com. While some clubs cater to all types of vehicles there are those that are dedicated to a particular model such as the Upper Canada Corvette club (uppercanadacorvetteclub.com) or the Model A owners of Canada (Modelaowners.com). Car clubs can also be a good place to locate cars for sale.
No matter where you get your classic car, whether it is from an old barn your uncle left you or a world class auction, there are numerous opportunities in your area to purchase and enjoy a vintage car.
