Rare car collection auctioned
More than $1 million was spent at the auction of the late Gary McVicar’s classic car collection. It featured a variety of rare and interesting classics the well-known Christchurch businessman had accumulated before his death about four years ago.
The live auction, run by Turners Cars, was held in front of a huge crowd, including 600 registered buyers and a large online bidder presence.
Turners Cars said that there was a huge amount of work that contributed to the smooth-sailing of the night.
“Before the day, there was a huge behind-the-scenes effort to make it all happen. Cars that hadn’t run for 20 years were literally hauled from barns and dusted down, paperwork and history compiled, provenance verified and a full three weeks of fettling to get them all running.”
The hard work paid off, with 29 of the 30 classics heading to new homes around New Zealand.
Turners Cars said it took an hour to finalise the first 10 lots due to the sheer amount of enthusiasm on the night. “Wives were urging husbands to keep on bidding, museums were battling to snag that rare exhibit. All of them enthusiasts.”
One of the stars of the show was the Auburn, which sold by negotiation for a significant price. A Stutz limo – the last of its kind in the world – and a Chrysler roadster were huge hits also with them fetching around $111,000 and $90,000 respectively at the auction on October 13.
As with the one car that didn’t sell, McVicar’s family decided to keep a Rolls-Royce as a reminder of his love and passion for classic cars.
