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Rick Carey

Automotive History, Personalities and Passion

AxioMedia

18 Grove Avenue, Mystic, Connecticut 03655 USA

860 245 3681 voice 860 833 3681 mobile

Car Collector's Online Market Journal


Mopar Color Names


Auction Catalog Descriptions


Sebring 12-Hours Endurance Race

Hourly Standings and Time Sheets for Sebring 1964-1967


Rick Carey -- AxioMedia

Automotive History,

Personalities

and Passion


Auction Catalog Descriptions


Auction catalog descriptions are important communication tools that entertain and inform prospective buyers, the collector car market, collectors and enthusiasts. Important cars’ availability for public sale in major collector car auctions is a rare opportunity to describe the cars and recap their histories which is often impossible while these cars are kept in the collections of publicity-shy collectors.

Writing a good catalog description is also a tightrope walk between enthusiastic description of the car and accurate historical and physical presentation. It carries with it an obligation to be as accurate and complete as possible in what may be the only public recitation of a particular car's history.

The following is a sample of catalog descriptions I have written. Graphical representations of the catalog pages and photographs are © by the auction companies and are used with permission.

 

Gooding & Company

1935 Duesenberg SJ Special "The Mormon Meteor" Engine No. J557

Built by Augie Duesenberg and Ab Jenkins and driven to the 24 hour Land Speed Record in 1935, this is the fastest, most powerful and most famous of all Duesenbergs, which says a lot but is entirely true.

RM Auctions

Maserati 5000 GT Touring Coupe S/N 103.004

The second 5000 GT built, powered by a barely-refined 450S V8 with gear camshaft drives and Weber carbs. Pebble Beach 5000 GT class winner in 1999.

The snoot on the Touring-bodied 5000 GTs is the design's most distinctive, and controversial, feature. It is said to be a representation of the nose of Fangio's 1957 World Championship Maserati 250F. I guess you don't have to like it, just understand what it's supposed to be.

Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa S/N 0808

The last Testa Rossa built, 1962 Le Mans winner driven by Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien, the last front-engined Le Mans winner.

Miller V-16 Engine

The only surviving Miller V-16 engine. This description includes a quote from William Burden's book "Peggy and I" which is typical 1930's upper crust. It could have come right out of F. Scott Fitzgerald, but it's real.

1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 2.6 Liter Monza Spider Corsa

    From the estate of Terry Cohn. 1933 French GP

        3rd Place, 1949 Bridgehampton Road Race

            winner.  2211125 

1953 Ferrari 375MM Scaglietti Spyder (1954 coachwork); 0366 AM

 

1956 Ferrari 410 Sport (0596 CM)  

 

 

    Maserati 200SI Sports Racer (s/n 2401)    

    1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster

   Christie’s International Motor Cars Department

    Abarth 1500 Biposto, designed by Franco Scaglione,    coachwork by Bertone

    Ford & Ghia Unique Design Prototype and     

    Porsche 917LH

    1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe, Le Mans 1968-73

Bonhams 

    1954 Ferrari 375 Mille Miglia Coupé, Coachwork by Ghia 

    1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider, ex-Evel Knievel


Copyright © 1996-2009 R.S. Carey and individual publishers as their interests appear.