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A Year of Light and Shadows: Classic Car Auction Yearbook 2016-2017

A Year of Light and Shadows: Classic Car Auction Yearbook 2016-2017 24th November 2017

Is it that time of year already? Adolfo Orsi and Raffaele Gazzi have this month published the latest in their 22-strong series of annual snapshots of the market, the Classic Car Auction Yearbook 2016-2017.

While an annual report cannot give the day-by-day analysis of market shifts provided by online resources such as K500, it nevertheless provides an intriguing static insight to the serious collector of 12 months of auction trends, ending with the Monterey sales in August.

Historian and car specialist Adolfo Orsi describes 2016-2017 as “a complex reading of light and shadows” as, for the second year in a row, the Yearbook records a decline from the historical high of 2014-2015, with $1.086 billion in total turnover. “However, the total value of the market is still up +32% from 2012-2013.”

The Yearbook highlights how, for the first time, total turnover is heavily weighted by “the most important and valuable cars sold in August, saved for the Monterey and Pebble Beach auctions,” and the United States continues to top the bill with 64% of the total. There is also an interesting focus on the increase in cars offered at No Reserve, which Orsi describes as a change of auction house strategy in stimulating the market.

The 22nd edition of the Classic Car Auction Yearbook covers 5,659 cars, representing 308 different marques, from a selection of the top classic car sales between 1st September 2016 and 31st August 2017. Auction results are given in euros, US dollars and GB pounds sterling.

Promising 416 pages and 954 photographs, it is available for €70 through an international network of automotive bookstores and internet-based retailers. For more details, see www.classiccarauctionyearbook.com

Photo by K500