Speedster Auctions in 2024 (to Date)
Hello, all of you speedster fans! It's been quite a year for auctions and car shows. Every event that I attended had some beautiful speedster on the lawn being shown, or one in a building being sold.
At the auctions, the high end of the speedster market cruised along as hoped for, with fully restored models changing from one collector to another. This group largely doesn't pay attention to the stock market or who's in the office of the President. They have "drop dead" money and they’re going to spend it. And they did!
An example of this crossed the block at Worldwide's Auburn event, held in August. A 1932 Auburn 12-160A Speedster (twelve cylinders, 160 horsepower) hammered for a whopping $925,000, with an all-in price of $1,022,500. Wow!
This 1932 Auburn 12-160A Boattail Speedster netted over $1 mil at the recent Worldwide Auburn auction. image courtesy Worldwide Auctioneers
Considering that this was a largely no-reserve auction of a private collection, hobbyist-level speedsters were auctioned as well. Two Ford Model A speedsters, both in very good condition, hammered for $6200 and $6500, respectively. IMHO, this part of the market is softening. What do you think?
This attractive 1928 Ford model A Speedster hammered for a miserly $6200, and its cousin, same chrome yellow color, sold for only a few hundred more. Such a deal! image courtesy Worldwide Auctioneers.
For those of us looking for even greater bargains, two recent online auctions on Bring a Trailer underlined that this tier of the market might be correcting. Downward.
Yes, it's quite a project, but it's a speedster! image courtesy Bring a Trailer
Another speedster bargain, this one done, mostly... image courtesy Bring a Trailer
This, of course, means that there are still opportunities out there for those of us who are looking for a speedster...
But Wait—There's Hershey's Eastern Fall Meet Looming!
Every year the Antique Automobile Club of America holds a giant gathering at Hershey in October and stages it at the ginormous Hershey Park.
Hershey's annual Eastern Fall Meet in Hershey is one to not miss!
Thousands of people flock to the all-week swap meet, held in the Giant Center's parking lot. Parts abound, and there will be hundreds of restored classic cars of all types and prices being sold during that event.
It will be interesting to see what speedsters are bringing this year, and I'll be there to check on them and report back to you. You betcha!
And Get This:
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, the world-renowned AACA Library is holding its annual yard sale behind its building from 4 to 7 pm. In their two tents they have books, brochures, and automobilia for sale at bargain prices. It always attracts a horde of interested buyers. For this year, the library is issuing free visitation tickets to better spread out the crowd.
Next to the two AACA book tents there will be a large tent with the SAH banner on it and authors in the SAH tent selling books. I'll be there—please come and visit!
The Society of Automotive Historians tent is also part of this gathering, with authors inside this tent (marked “New Books”) selling their books. Look for it if your are there.
I will be in the New Books tent selling copies of my book, Classic Speedsters. So, even if you have already purchased a copy, please do stop by and say hello—I always enjoy meeting speedster fans and talking about speedsters. Please visit if you are at Hershey! Don't forget—Tuesday, Oct. 8, 4-7 pm.
The AACA holds a national judging event on Friday of the week, this year being October 11. Between 1000-2000 cars gather on the lawn at Hershey Field to be judged, and this is when the Best of the Best come out to play. If automobiles were a religion, this would be the annual Gathering of the Faithful. Y’all need to come and see this a'Happening!
Finally, RM Sotheby's is holding its annual Hershey auction of classic cars on October 9th and 10th, and there will be a bevy of speedsters on offer, some of which appear in my book, Classic Speedsters. One that stands out to me is Lot 135, a 1926 Kissel Gold Bug Speedster that is being auctioned with no reserve.
This 1926 Kissel Gold Bug Speedster is identical to that which Amelia Earhart owned and drove. Photo by Darin Schnabel 2024 image courtesy of RM Sotheby's
Readers of my book will recall that I wrote a bio on Amelia Earhart for my chapter on Kissel; she owned and drove a Gold Bug Speedster.
If you don't already have a copy of my book, stop by on Tuesday and get yourself one. It's a good read and also makes a great gift!
Hold On—News About My New Book!
I've been working on a few book projects this year and wanted you, my readers, to be among the first to know about a special children's book that I’ve written that is being illustrated by a well-known automotive artist.
We should be ready to publish and roll it out in 2025, and if you have children, grandchildren, or someone you know who would like an endearing story of a child and a very special car—hmm...maybe you would like a copy of the book for yourself?
1928 Bugatti Type 35A. Although designed to race, many T.35's were outfitted as street speedsters. image courtesy Worldwide Auctioneers
The above image is a teaser, and the book is titled Blue Bug. I bet that you can put two-and-two together, so I’ll leave details about what car is in the book at that. Anyway, I'll have more about this new project in my next post and some images of it to share with you. I’m very excited about this one!
Stay tuned, my speedster friends. And don't forget to
Go drive that speedster!
A sunny day, a curvy road, and a ride in a speedster. How could Life get any better?