Scottsdale, Arizona.

In 2012, I was invited to visit Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction by a friend of mine who is also into classic cars. It was our first year that we spent the winter in Arizona after our retirement in December 2011. From that visit forward, we always reserved a day to visit the auction.

In January 2022, we decided to sell our winter home and spend our remaining winters traveling until we can travel no more. In a few days, we’ll be headed for Florida to spend a month in Saint Augustine. From there, if all goes as planned, we’ll be on a Caribbean cruise and then trek westward toward New Orleans and into Texas. We are looking forward to new travel adventures and seeing places we’ve never been before. One casualty of our decision is that I will be missing the January 2023 Scottsdale auction. Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to catch one of the other auctions held around the country by Barrett-Jackson or Mecum. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some of my favorite images from the last decade that were captured at the auto auction.

The opening image features a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette “Restomod.” That term describes a restoration with modifications to make the vehicle one-of-a-kind. As you can see by the restorer’s placement of mirrors underneath the vehicle, the team that restored this vehicle is just as proud of the underside of the car as they are of the rest of the work to make this Corvette new and unique.

Over the years, I’ve been an admirer of luxury vehicles over the hot rods and sports cars, but pretty much all of them are out of my price range anyway. I appreciate the work and dedication needed to keep these cars looking nice, if not specifically historically accurate. This Auburn is truly a beautiful classic.

You may have already noticed that I often prefer close-ups of the vehicles I photograph. This serves two purposes, to focus on a detail that sets the vehicle apart from others, and to reduce or eliminate the distraction of other nearby vehicles and the many attendees at the auction. The large chrome radiator with the Rolls Royce emblem is immediately identifiable by car nuts like myself.

The motorcycle in the image above is a classic bit of Americana… er, ah, oops… these ladies happened to step in front of the bike I was trying to photograph. >grin<

I’ve shared this image before. This Cadillac was parked under a tent, but the vehicle’s nose was in the sun. I created an HDR image and tweaked the exposure to focus on the massive chrome grill and bumper.

In all, we attended ten auctions in Scottsdale. There was no auction in 2020 due to the pandemic, and in 2021, the auction was moved to March. What I found of most interest is the historic nature of classic cars. I especially enjoy reading the placards often provided by owners looking to sell their vehicles. The tidbits of knowledge they provide are always fascinating. This post-war Lincoln is equipped with a V-12 engine, power windows, factory AM radio, and a fully rebuilt drive train.

One of Ford’s biggest marketing blunders was the ill-timed Edsel. Manufactured from 1957 to 1959, the namesake of Henry Ford’s son couldn’t survive the inadequate market research of the time. Ford manufactured a little over 118,000 units in those three model years. The remaining examples of this classic are sought-after symbols of a major manufacturer’s failure.

I am not convinced that electric vehicles are going to completely replace gasoline vehicles in the long term. They will have their place in the grand scheme of things, but unless there are major developments in the cost and power output of batteries, they are not efficient for long trips. Of course, I’ve been wrong about lots of things, and I could be dead wrong about this as well. I personally own a hybrid vehicle and think it provides the best of both technologies and I don’t have to spend 30 minutes every three hours sitting at recharging stations on a multiple-day road trip.

The history of the automobile is intertwined with the 20th-century development of the transportation industry, especially in Detroit Michigan. I have often complained that the quest for maximum energy efficiency has created a worldwide emphasis on computer-designed body styles, all trying to emulate the most energy-efficient body shape. When I was a teen and a young man, I could easily identify any American car by its looks and even a good number of the few foreign cars that were just getting a foothold in the American marketplace. These days, if you can’t see the logo badge, one car looks just like another.

I am always interested in the history of specific brands and models of automobiles, especially those classics that I was familiar with as a young man. In recent years, I ran across a blog that echoes my love of automotive history. Of late, his blog diverges at times from automotive subjects, but I always find his take on the world and automotive history, in general, to be interesting. I invite you to check out “Disaffected Musings” and see what you think. The author goes by the pen name “RulesOfLogic.” He invites comments and has a core of regular commenters that often add much to the topic of conversation.

For a closer look at these classic automobiles, you can view and scroll through the album on my Flickr site here. The weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is on hiatus for this week and next. I decided to share some images of classic cars while I lament the fact that I won’t be at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale this year. I promise next Thursday to take the day off, but my regular Cellpic Sunday and Travel Tuesday posts will be published on schedule.

John Steiner