For more than 100 years, the automobile has held a place in our hearts. Since the days of Karl Benz and his invention of the first internal combustion engine, we have since pursued automotive bliss. Artists have been mesmerized by the curves and lines that make an automobile look like drivable artwork. Writers have been captivated by this subject resulting in thousands of books being written over the decades. Model builders have been fascinated by recreating intricate miniatures of those great moving sculptures. Famous sculptors have been hired to create hood ornaments to identify manufacturers, professions, or even certain individuals. Several artists were commissioned by manufacturers to capture their vehicles and catch the attention of the average person walking down the street. The result was captivating posters that reflected the times. Many original posters have not survived the years, but the ones that have are now a great investment. Over the last 30 years, collectibles have grown extensively, and have become a wise venture by thousands all over the world. Various collectibles have always proven to be great investments. Otherwise, auction houses wouldn’t exist to serve collectors of vintage cars and everything surrounding them.
When I began collecting automobilia over 30 years ago, it was because I fell in love with automobiles many years before, and spent my life absorbing everything I could about the subject. It wasn’t long before I went from admiring the cars in the garage to also admiring them on the wall. Over the years, I have gotten to know many talented artists, and have been lucky to share their artwork with the world. I began doing auctions, and I saw the interest grow over the years in many others. Now, automobile and memorabilia auctions are national events. We’ve been privelaged to travel the country attending major international Concours d’Elegance, vintage car auctions, as well as major modern and vintage racing events to share in the excitement with other collectors and enthusiasts. Whether it’s in Hershey, Pebble Beach, Retromobile, or right here on the internet at www.arteautoauction.com, you’ll always find us here offering you timeless gifts and collectibles for yourself or the enthusiast in your life.
Our current auction ends next Wednesday, December 17th, and we’re featuring 448 lots of memorabilia from major modern racing events and vintage cars. We have everything ranging from books, literature, posters, paintings, all the way to badges, models, sculptures, trophies and an actual car, that was a former racing vehicle in Argentina. It’s a 1937/38 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Racing Coupe similar to Fangio’s vehicle, and almost positively competed in some of the same events. You can see in the photo on the right, it’s a truly classic vehicle. And now, you have the chance to be the next owner of this vehicle. Simply go to www.arteautoauction.com, and if you have any questions or would like to bid by speaking with us, you can always contact us here in the gallery, at 830.864.5040, or email info@arteauto.com.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Arie Luyendyk--World Class racer, fellow collector and enthusiast
The only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in both the CART and IRL eras, and holder of most of the major Indianapolis speed records, Dutch driver Arie Luyendyk claimed his first CART win in the 1990 Indianapolis 500 in a stunning upset before becoming one of the most respectable all-around drivers in the United States in the 1990s. Luyendyk initially sought a Formula One career, winning the Dutch Formula Ford title in 1973, the European Formula Ford title in 1975, and the European Super Vee championships in 1977, before eventually switching to race in the U.S. Super Vee series, which he won in 1984. The following year, in 1985, he switched to the CART Series, where he drove for Bettenhausen Racing and he was named both Indy 500 and CART Rookie of the Year for that season. After a very similar season in 1986, he moved to Ron Hemelgarn's team for 1987, where he had one of the best seasons for the team in CART, scoring a podium and four 4th place finishes. Showing great promise he finished seventh in points ahead of Danny Sullivan and Emerson Fittipaldi. In 1988, he moved to Dick Simon's team, where he dominated at Portland, starting and finishing second, and led a good portion at Phoenix. In 1989, he stayed with the Simon team and scored points in eleven of the fifteen races despite questionable equipment, scoring a podium at Portland. In 1990, Luyendyk had his first shot at a potentially winning ride with Doug Shierson Racing, where Sullivan and Al Unser, Jr. had previously won races, and after a couple of decent races to start the season, he qualified third at Indianapolis and claimed his surprise triumph taking the lead from Bobby Rahal on lap 168 and winning by nearly eleven seconds. The race would go down in history as the fastest Indianapolis 500 ever, as he won with a record average speed of 185.981 mph. After a retirement at Milwaukee, he would not finish lower than sixth for the next five races. His excellent first half of the season placed him eighth in the standings, behind the seven major superstars in the series at the time (Mario and Michael Andretti, Fittipaldi, R. Mears, Rahal, Sullivan, and Unser Jr.), but ahead of everybody else. He and Teo Fabi were in fact the only drivers to lead that season besides the aforementioned seven, proving what a stranglehold the top teams and drivers held over this era. The Shierson team shut down after the 1990 season, as Shierson elected to retire as a car owner after winning Indianapolis. Luyendyk's team was sold to Vince Granatelli for the 1991 season.
1991 would be Luyendyk's finest season, as he scored a dominant win at Phoenix, and a win at Nazareth after a late-race pass of Michael Andretti. He also scored podiums at Indianapolis, Detroit, and Michigan. Along with several other points-scoring races, he finished sixth in the CART points, two points ahead of Mario Andretti and well ahead of Danny Sullivan, and he led more laps than Rahal and Fittipaldi, clearly establishing himself as a real contender with the greatest drivers in CART. Amazingly, Luyendyk was not able to find a full-time season ride for 1992, only running Indianapolis and Michigan in a second Chip Ganassi car as a teammate to Eddie Cheever. He retired from both races, but impressed Ganassi enough to name him as his replacement for 1993. Luyendyk scored his best performances at the highest-profile races, winning his first pole at Indianapolis, where he finished second after he followed Fittipaldi past defending Formula One champion Nigel Mansell, who made an error on a restart due to his inexperience in oval racing, and started and finished third for the team. He scored another podium in the season finale at Laguna Seca, leaving him a decent eighth, but not beating Cheever's results by very much. Ganassi would hire Michael Andretti, returning to CART from a failed attempt at F1, for 1994, and Luyendyk was forced to move to Indy Regency Racing, where he did manage to finish second (after starting 26th) at Michigan in a race that had heavy attrition.
Despite his focus on road courses early in his career, Luyendyk moved to the all-oval IRL from its inception in 1996, where he joined the little-known Treadway Racing team. He was by far the biggest name in the IRL when the series started and the only Indianapolis winner to compete regularly in the series. The IRL badly needed drivers and Luyendyk would always be assured of a ride there, which may be why he made that decision. He won the second IRL race ever held at Phoenix from the pole, and he won in dominant fashion. However, he retired from the other two races and was not in contention for the (very short) season championship. He set the fastest qualifying speed at Indianapolis in 1996 with a four-lap average of 236.986 mph, but did not win the pole as it came in a later qualifying session, as his car was ruled underweight in the initial qualifying session. In 1997, Luyendyk returned to prominence in a big way. Although he started with three DNFs in his first four races, he won his second pole position at Indianapolis in 1997, and made a late-race pass on Scott Goodyear to win. That race came under some controversy as a green flag came out ending a caution period with one lap remaining, and the green flag was thrown but the caution lights were still yellow. Goodyear was confused and slowed down while Luyendyk got a huge jump on the restart to win. The following week at Texas, there was even greater controversy, as there were a series of electronic scoring glitches and certain laps were not counted for certain drivers. A.J. Foyt's driver Billy Boat was ruled as the winner, but Luyendyk felt he had won, entered victory lane, and challenged Texas Motor Speedway's Eddie Gossage about the officiating. Foyt then pushed Luyendyk into some tulips, while Luyendyk still challenged the official race result. Ultimately, after an observation of the tape, it was ruled that Luyendyk had in fact won the race, but the whole charade did provide some mainstream attention for the IRL. Those two wins would be Luyendyk's only two wins of the season, but he was the only driver to win multiple races that season, as all the IRL teams in 1997 had wildly inconsistent seasons.
Arie Luyendyk has been a friend to arteauto.com for many years now, and he has graciously allowed us access to many items from his personal collection, including the helmet from his 1993 Indy 500 race, in which he took 2nd Place behind Fittipaldi. We are also featuring several of his ID cards and passes with lanyards from various races and tracks, as well as Racing Suits from his friends, including Didier Theys, Danny Sullivan, Paul Tracy, Jacques Villeneuve, and Stefan Johansson. We also have the autographed gloves worn by Luyendyk in his 3rd Place finish at Indy in 1991, behind R. Mears and M. Andretti.
1991 would be Luyendyk's finest season, as he scored a dominant win at Phoenix, and a win at Nazareth after a late-race pass of Michael Andretti. He also scored podiums at Indianapolis, Detroit, and Michigan. Along with several other points-scoring races, he finished sixth in the CART points, two points ahead of Mario Andretti and well ahead of Danny Sullivan, and he led more laps than Rahal and Fittipaldi, clearly establishing himself as a real contender with the greatest drivers in CART. Amazingly, Luyendyk was not able to find a full-time season ride for 1992, only running Indianapolis and Michigan in a second Chip Ganassi car as a teammate to Eddie Cheever. He retired from both races, but impressed Ganassi enough to name him as his replacement for 1993. Luyendyk scored his best performances at the highest-profile races, winning his first pole at Indianapolis, where he finished second after he followed Fittipaldi past defending Formula One champion Nigel Mansell, who made an error on a restart due to his inexperience in oval racing, and started and finished third for the team. He scored another podium in the season finale at Laguna Seca, leaving him a decent eighth, but not beating Cheever's results by very much. Ganassi would hire Michael Andretti, returning to CART from a failed attempt at F1, for 1994, and Luyendyk was forced to move to Indy Regency Racing, where he did manage to finish second (after starting 26th) at Michigan in a race that had heavy attrition.
Despite his focus on road courses early in his career, Luyendyk moved to the all-oval IRL from its inception in 1996, where he joined the little-known Treadway Racing team. He was by far the biggest name in the IRL when the series started and the only Indianapolis winner to compete regularly in the series. The IRL badly needed drivers and Luyendyk would always be assured of a ride there, which may be why he made that decision. He won the second IRL race ever held at Phoenix from the pole, and he won in dominant fashion. However, he retired from the other two races and was not in contention for the (very short) season championship. He set the fastest qualifying speed at Indianapolis in 1996 with a four-lap average of 236.986 mph, but did not win the pole as it came in a later qualifying session, as his car was ruled underweight in the initial qualifying session. In 1997, Luyendyk returned to prominence in a big way. Although he started with three DNFs in his first four races, he won his second pole position at Indianapolis in 1997, and made a late-race pass on Scott Goodyear to win. That race came under some controversy as a green flag came out ending a caution period with one lap remaining, and the green flag was thrown but the caution lights were still yellow. Goodyear was confused and slowed down while Luyendyk got a huge jump on the restart to win. The following week at Texas, there was even greater controversy, as there were a series of electronic scoring glitches and certain laps were not counted for certain drivers. A.J. Foyt's driver Billy Boat was ruled as the winner, but Luyendyk felt he had won, entered victory lane, and challenged Texas Motor Speedway's Eddie Gossage about the officiating. Foyt then pushed Luyendyk into some tulips, while Luyendyk still challenged the official race result. Ultimately, after an observation of the tape, it was ruled that Luyendyk had in fact won the race, but the whole charade did provide some mainstream attention for the IRL. Those two wins would be Luyendyk's only two wins of the season, but he was the only driver to win multiple races that season, as all the IRL teams in 1997 had wildly inconsistent seasons.
Arie Luyendyk has been a friend to arteauto.com for many years now, and he has graciously allowed us access to many items from his personal collection, including the helmet from his 1993 Indy 500 race, in which he took 2nd Place behind Fittipaldi. We are also featuring several of his ID cards and passes with lanyards from various races and tracks, as well as Racing Suits from his friends, including Didier Theys, Danny Sullivan, Paul Tracy, Jacques Villeneuve, and Stefan Johansson. We also have the autographed gloves worn by Luyendyk in his 3rd Place finish at Indy in 1991, behind R. Mears and M. Andretti.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Walter M. Murphy Coach Coachbuilder/Sales Plates
Pasadena, California’s Walter M. Murphy Company is primarily remembered today for their magnificent creations on the Duesenberg chassis.
Records indicate that Murphy built 125 Duesenberg bodies - about 25% of all the Model J's, JN's, SJ's and SSJ's produced - and as a very high proportion of the automaker’s cars still exist, so do a large proportion of Murphy’s coachwork.
Murphy is known to have built on Bentley, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Cord, Crane-Simplex, Doble, Dorris, Duesenberg, Essex, Ford, Hispano-Suiza, Hudson, Isotta- Fraschini, Lincoln, Locomobile, Marmon, Mercedes-Benz, Mercer, Minerva, Packard, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow, Rolls-Royce, and Simplex chassis.
Although it was formed in 1920, the firm’s roots go back another 20 years to two of Detroit’s early automotive pioneers, Henry M. Leland and Henry Ford.
The Walter M. Murphy sold-badge on the right hand side is just one of many memorabilia badges that is offered for sale at www.arteauto.com along with an old RAC Badge from the UK. The picture on the right hand side is two Murphy Coach coachbuilder/sales plates which went on each chassis which was sold by the company.
Also on the right hand side is a picture of a collection of 54 British Auto and Motorcycle Club Badges which has a rich and noble history in car memorabilia.
There is a rich history behind most automobile memorabilia badges. Just look it up on the internet for an affluent history of car badges.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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Records indicate that Murphy built 125 Duesenberg bodies - about 25% of all the Model J's, JN's, SJ's and SSJ's produced - and as a very high proportion of the automaker’s cars still exist, so do a large proportion of Murphy’s coachwork.
Murphy is known to have built on Bentley, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Cord, Crane-Simplex, Doble, Dorris, Duesenberg, Essex, Ford, Hispano-Suiza, Hudson, Isotta- Fraschini, Lincoln, Locomobile, Marmon, Mercedes-Benz, Mercer, Minerva, Packard, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow, Rolls-Royce, and Simplex chassis.
Although it was formed in 1920, the firm’s roots go back another 20 years to two of Detroit’s early automotive pioneers, Henry M. Leland and Henry Ford.
The Walter M. Murphy sold-badge on the right hand side is just one of many memorabilia badges that is offered for sale at www.arteauto.com along with an old RAC Badge from the UK. The picture on the right hand side is two Murphy Coach coachbuilder/sales plates which went on each chassis which was sold by the company.
Also on the right hand side is a picture of a collection of 54 British Auto and Motorcycle Club Badges which has a rich and noble history in car memorabilia.
There is a rich history behind most automobile memorabilia badges. Just look it up on the internet for an affluent history of car badges.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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Monday, November 10, 2008
Driver Race Suit Memorabilia
The Indianapolis 500 has become extremely trendy in society today. The 93rd Indianapolis 500 started on May 24th of this year. This event has become one of the many ways in which major corporations advertise. From this sport has grown driver race car suit collections.
One of the trends in the Indy 500 memorabilia is the collection of drivers’ race suits. If a car collector finds one, he will surely buy it. This allows the link to a time in which we fondly remember about a particular event in racing history.
Authentic racing suits are highly prized by car enthusiasts and race fans. Most drivers have about a dozen different racing uniforms. Most end up in car museums, auctioned for charities and given to primary sponsors as gifts.
Take the racing uniform of Danny Sullivan who won the 1985 Indy 500. His 1983 racing suit goes for approximately $1,900.00 if you can find it. Arteauto.com seems to be the only place to find it.
Or, don’t forget Didier Theys. He raced in the 1987-1993 seasons with 47 career starts, including the 1989, 1990 and 1993 Indianapolis 500. His suit sells for $950.00 which is also found at arteauto.com.
Racing suits of Jacques Villeneuve of 1985, Paul Tracy of 1995 and Stefan Johansson of 1995 all have intrinsic values ranging from $1,200.00 - $1,450.00 (www.arteauto.com)
So, step up to collecting racing suits and share them with friends and family and other of your sport racing friends.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com/. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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One of the trends in the Indy 500 memorabilia is the collection of drivers’ race suits. If a car collector finds one, he will surely buy it. This allows the link to a time in which we fondly remember about a particular event in racing history.
Authentic racing suits are highly prized by car enthusiasts and race fans. Most drivers have about a dozen different racing uniforms. Most end up in car museums, auctioned for charities and given to primary sponsors as gifts.
Take the racing uniform of Danny Sullivan who won the 1985 Indy 500. His 1983 racing suit goes for approximately $1,900.00 if you can find it. Arteauto.com seems to be the only place to find it.
Or, don’t forget Didier Theys. He raced in the 1987-1993 seasons with 47 career starts, including the 1989, 1990 and 1993 Indianapolis 500. His suit sells for $950.00 which is also found at arteauto.com.
Racing suits of Jacques Villeneuve of 1985, Paul Tracy of 1995 and Stefan Johansson of 1995 all have intrinsic values ranging from $1,200.00 - $1,450.00 (www.arteauto.com)
So, step up to collecting racing suits and share them with friends and family and other of your sport racing friends.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com/. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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Friday, November 7, 2008
1959 Cadillac Car Couch: http://www.vintagevending.com/
I found this great article about the restoration of a 1959 Cadillac Car Couch and thought I would share it here. For pictures go the site from the URL in the title.
We restored hundreds and hundreds of items over the years—but only one car couch. Car couches are typically made by cutting off the back quarter of a very distinct collectible car. The secret, however, is that it usually comes from the less collectible four-door model of that car or one that has severe front-end damage.
What makes this 1959 Cadillac couch different from most car couches is that it was done in reverse. When car couches are made, the seat is usually placed inside where the trunk formerly was. But the customer who commissioned this piece wanted it done differently, making the restoration a bit of a challenge. The couch was to go in their basement recreation room, so they wanted to be able to see the tail light fins when you walked down the stairs, but have the seating facing away. It would be freestanding in the middle of the room. This would be the opposite of most car couches you see that are made to go against a wall.
This was a pretty involved project with lots of welding, fabrication, bodywork, paint, upholstery & chroming. We have included a few pictures of the process in addition to the finished piece. Also check out the two hassocks we made to compliment the piece. This is definitely one item I would love to still own.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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We restored hundreds and hundreds of items over the years—but only one car couch. Car couches are typically made by cutting off the back quarter of a very distinct collectible car. The secret, however, is that it usually comes from the less collectible four-door model of that car or one that has severe front-end damage.
What makes this 1959 Cadillac couch different from most car couches is that it was done in reverse. When car couches are made, the seat is usually placed inside where the trunk formerly was. But the customer who commissioned this piece wanted it done differently, making the restoration a bit of a challenge. The couch was to go in their basement recreation room, so they wanted to be able to see the tail light fins when you walked down the stairs, but have the seating facing away. It would be freestanding in the middle of the room. This would be the opposite of most car couches you see that are made to go against a wall.
This was a pretty involved project with lots of welding, fabrication, bodywork, paint, upholstery & chroming. We have included a few pictures of the process in addition to the finished piece. Also check out the two hassocks we made to compliment the piece. This is definitely one item I would love to still own.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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Thursday, November 6, 2008
TEXAS 1000 TO STOP IN HARPER, TEXAS
On Tuesday, November 11, 2008 the Texas 1000, a yearly event with entrants from around the U.S. and around the world driving 30+ sports & exotic cars such as vintage Ferrari, Porche, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Triumph and Sting Ray will make their lunch stop in Harper on their 5 day tour through the Hill Country.
Their lunch will take place at “l’art et l’automobile”, a gallery and auction house whose owner, Jacques Vaucher relocated from New York in the summer of 2006. A 4000 sq foot barn full of transportation memorabilia such as books, artwork, trophies, badges, sculpture etc. will be transformed into a café/gallery.
The lunch will be catered by his wife Karen Vaucher, a veteran of the restaurant business in NYC and East Hampton, NY. Lunch will feature 2 main courses: Braised Thai Chicken & Penne Pasta with Vine Ripened Tomatoes Concasse, Fresh Herbs and Grilled Salmon with Mediterranean Seasonings, Chardonnay Smoked Sea Salt and Grated Pecorino Cheese. A Spring Mix Salad with dried Cranberries and Texas Pecans and a Dessert Table will also be featured.
l’art et l’automobile is open by appointment to the public by calling 830- 864-5040 or by visiting its website: arteauto.com
Old Stone Market specializes in Elegant Gourmet Dinners catered in your home by calling Karen Vaucher at 830-864-5060 or on her cell 631 377-0878. Website for gourmet products including Black Peppercorns from Madagascar is oldstonemarket.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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Their lunch will take place at “l’art et l’automobile”, a gallery and auction house whose owner, Jacques Vaucher relocated from New York in the summer of 2006. A 4000 sq foot barn full of transportation memorabilia such as books, artwork, trophies, badges, sculpture etc. will be transformed into a café/gallery.
The lunch will be catered by his wife Karen Vaucher, a veteran of the restaurant business in NYC and East Hampton, NY. Lunch will feature 2 main courses: Braised Thai Chicken & Penne Pasta with Vine Ripened Tomatoes Concasse, Fresh Herbs and Grilled Salmon with Mediterranean Seasonings, Chardonnay Smoked Sea Salt and Grated Pecorino Cheese. A Spring Mix Salad with dried Cranberries and Texas Pecans and a Dessert Table will also be featured.
l’art et l’automobile is open by appointment to the public by calling 830- 864-5040 or by visiting its website: arteauto.com
Old Stone Market specializes in Elegant Gourmet Dinners catered in your home by calling Karen Vaucher at 830-864-5060 or on her cell 631 377-0878. Website for gourmet products including Black Peppercorns from Madagascar is oldstonemarket.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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The Indy 500 Memorabilia Convention
As you may or may not recall, over 30 years ago, a tiny group of racing collectible enthusiasts just had their 30th anniversary in May of this year. This group is called the National Auto Racing Memorabilia Show which has gone through a progressive advancement in those 30 years.
The year was 1979 and the place was at Howard Johnson’s Motel on Washington Street of downtown Indianapolis. This is where the Indy 500 Memorabilia Convention began. Now the happening is shown at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
The Indy 500 Memorabilia Convention is now the second-oldest automobile memorabilia conference in the country. The convention is infamous in that each year hundreds and thousands of auto racing enthusiasts descend on this convention to buy, sell and trade automobile memorabilia in which you cannot find anywhere else In the market. The NARM Show (National Auto Racing Memorabilia) of the Indy 500 Memorabilia Convention offers the best place to find crew used uniforms, one-of-a-kind hood ornaments and cars which go back to the early 1920’s.
There are things that you see and items that are for sale here that you just can’t find anywhere else in town. At one booth you might find yourself looking through IndyCar crew-used shirts; at the next booth you are thumbing through candid photos of the drivers you followed in the 60s or 70s; and at the next one you’re debating whether or not to spend the money on one of the only two pit badges you need to complete your collection. You’ll find a guy who has just put the video of the ’68 Race, complete with amateur 8mm shots of fans coming in to the track posing for the camera in their race day finest, on to a DVD. At another stop you find a vendor who recently purchased the negatives from a UPI photographer who shot Watkins Glen in the 60s and has a multitude of prints featuring Graham Hill, Jimmy Clark and Mario. This is not a NASCAR diecast get-together.
If you’ve been coming to this shindig for as long as I have you know most of the exhibitors and about half of the other people in the hall. I run in to a good amount of folks I’ve known for what seems to be half of my life. From time-to-time it’s also afforded me an outlet to sell or trade duplicate items from my collection. Nobody comes to this Show and leaves in thirty minutes. Many come back to the show for a second day.
There is more to come tomorrow of this great event.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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The year was 1979 and the place was at Howard Johnson’s Motel on Washington Street of downtown Indianapolis. This is where the Indy 500 Memorabilia Convention began. Now the happening is shown at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
The Indy 500 Memorabilia Convention is now the second-oldest automobile memorabilia conference in the country. The convention is infamous in that each year hundreds and thousands of auto racing enthusiasts descend on this convention to buy, sell and trade automobile memorabilia in which you cannot find anywhere else In the market. The NARM Show (National Auto Racing Memorabilia) of the Indy 500 Memorabilia Convention offers the best place to find crew used uniforms, one-of-a-kind hood ornaments and cars which go back to the early 1920’s.
There are things that you see and items that are for sale here that you just can’t find anywhere else in town. At one booth you might find yourself looking through IndyCar crew-used shirts; at the next booth you are thumbing through candid photos of the drivers you followed in the 60s or 70s; and at the next one you’re debating whether or not to spend the money on one of the only two pit badges you need to complete your collection. You’ll find a guy who has just put the video of the ’68 Race, complete with amateur 8mm shots of fans coming in to the track posing for the camera in their race day finest, on to a DVD. At another stop you find a vendor who recently purchased the negatives from a UPI photographer who shot Watkins Glen in the 60s and has a multitude of prints featuring Graham Hill, Jimmy Clark and Mario. This is not a NASCAR diecast get-together.
If you’ve been coming to this shindig for as long as I have you know most of the exhibitors and about half of the other people in the hall. I run in to a good amount of folks I’ve known for what seems to be half of my life. From time-to-time it’s also afforded me an outlet to sell or trade duplicate items from my collection. Nobody comes to this Show and leaves in thirty minutes. Many come back to the show for a second day.
There is more to come tomorrow of this great event.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Automobile Memorabilia – The Collector’s Dream
Be sure to keep your feelers out for all those great license plates and other collectible automobile objects. There is no group larger than the sports car enthusiast with the exclusion of collectors of sport items.
My friend Richard has been speaking on this issue for years and has made a great deal of money off of automobile memorabilia. Websites such as WomenWithWheels.com are proof positive of the impact of automobile memorabilia. Items collected by car buffs are boundless.
Look at cover hood ornaments alone. Many of these sell for hundreds of dollars. Taking a quick look at Ebay, you see ornaments selling as much as $2,000.00 or more. There is incredible opportunity for those who seek wealth in car memorabilia.
What are some of the things for which to seek and buy when you catch the bug of automobile memorabilia? That is a harder question to answer since there are unlimited car memorabilia items in this world.
Sculptures, mascots, models and toys of automobile memorabilia are just some of the items of which to find and buy. Decals, badges, hood ornaments sell for hundreds of dollars per item depending on the year, make and model of the car from which they came.
Prints of various automobiles are also selling at unbelievable prices. They sell from as little as $200.00 up to tens of thousands of dollars.
I have loved cars since my teenage years when I saw my first supercharged porches. Join our blog and learn to become a car enthusiast who learns how to search for the treasures of the automobile memorabilia world.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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My friend Richard has been speaking on this issue for years and has made a great deal of money off of automobile memorabilia. Websites such as WomenWithWheels.com are proof positive of the impact of automobile memorabilia. Items collected by car buffs are boundless.
Look at cover hood ornaments alone. Many of these sell for hundreds of dollars. Taking a quick look at Ebay, you see ornaments selling as much as $2,000.00 or more. There is incredible opportunity for those who seek wealth in car memorabilia.
What are some of the things for which to seek and buy when you catch the bug of automobile memorabilia? That is a harder question to answer since there are unlimited car memorabilia items in this world.
Sculptures, mascots, models and toys of automobile memorabilia are just some of the items of which to find and buy. Decals, badges, hood ornaments sell for hundreds of dollars per item depending on the year, make and model of the car from which they came.
Prints of various automobiles are also selling at unbelievable prices. They sell from as little as $200.00 up to tens of thousands of dollars.
I have loved cars since my teenage years when I saw my first supercharged porches. Join our blog and learn to become a car enthusiast who learns how to search for the treasures of the automobile memorabilia world.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Actor Steve McQueen Automobile Memorabilia Auction was a Success
Actor Steve McQueen’s automobile memorabilia was up for bidding on October 25th and a complete success. His racing trophy sold for $125,000.00 and his wife Neile McQueen (Neile Adams) sold several of his guns which brought a heaping number of dollars ($200,000.00). As you recall Steve McQueen died from mesothelioma in Mexico in 1980.
The range of the auction was from $500.00 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. On sale was a 1958 GMC pickup truck, 1929 Harley Davidson Model B, and 1920 Indian Powerplus ‘Daytona’ Racing Motorcycle. These brought in a whopping $1,000,000.00 dollars.
Included in the Bonham’s and Butterfield’s auction in Los Angeles, California was a pair of chaps from "Tom Horn", western saddle by Jack Grigsby, Wells Fargo Bank Master Charge credit card, mailgram regarding John Wayne, Wurlitzer jukebox and Coca-Cola advertising standee. These sold for over $500,000.00 dollars.
The 130 motorcycles and 35 cars that were auctioned brought in a total of $6.5 million dollars. Automobile memorabilia does pay off for you collectors and car enthusiasts.
There were a lot more big ticket items: McQueen's 1879 .44-caliber Winchester rifle, one of 18 guns for sale, went for a cool $20,000 (estimate $2500); a personalized Idaho license plate—MCQ3188, the number referring to his ID number at the Boys Republic reform school—was a shocker at $4500 (estimate $100); and his circa 1920 Indian Powerplus board-tracker (lead photo) brought $130,000 (estimate $60-90,000).
Too rich for ya? Then how about a T-shirt “heavily worn and faded with holes and rips throughout” for $3250? Or maybe one of the man's baseball caps, old and crumbling, for $2500? If McQueen sweat in it, it was worth money.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com/. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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The range of the auction was from $500.00 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. On sale was a 1958 GMC pickup truck, 1929 Harley Davidson Model B, and 1920 Indian Powerplus ‘Daytona’ Racing Motorcycle. These brought in a whopping $1,000,000.00 dollars.
Included in the Bonham’s and Butterfield’s auction in Los Angeles, California was a pair of chaps from "Tom Horn", western saddle by Jack Grigsby, Wells Fargo Bank Master Charge credit card, mailgram regarding John Wayne, Wurlitzer jukebox and Coca-Cola advertising standee. These sold for over $500,000.00 dollars.
The 130 motorcycles and 35 cars that were auctioned brought in a total of $6.5 million dollars. Automobile memorabilia does pay off for you collectors and car enthusiasts.
There were a lot more big ticket items: McQueen's 1879 .44-caliber Winchester rifle, one of 18 guns for sale, went for a cool $20,000 (estimate $2500); a personalized Idaho license plate—MCQ3188, the number referring to his ID number at the Boys Republic reform school—was a shocker at $4500 (estimate $100); and his circa 1920 Indian Powerplus board-tracker (lead photo) brought $130,000 (estimate $60-90,000).
Too rich for ya? Then how about a T-shirt “heavily worn and faded with holes and rips throughout” for $3250? Or maybe one of the man's baseball caps, old and crumbling, for $2500? If McQueen sweat in it, it was worth money.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacques Vaucher was schooled at Winfield France's famous racing school. Jacques found his niche in touring car endurance championships in the US and produced winning results in Limerock and Watkins Glen. He has been in automobile memorabilia for 30 years with galleries in New York and now Harper, Texas. His main site is http://www.arteauto.com/ and his auction site is http://www.arteautoauction.com/. His blog is http://www.arteautoblog.com/.
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