Here’s what I’m covering in today’s issue:

Sales last week – who’s up and who’s down

PistonHeads results – first auction results

Awesome cars up for auction – you asked, I delivered!

 Vroomy reads – roundup of all the best car news

The figures shared below account only for auction-time sales. Any post-auction deals (nice hustle!) aren't included in our weekly total. I also don’t count any other sales such as car seats, memorabilia etc..

I only include websites that have sold 20+ cars in the chart below.

It's intriguing to observe that even as sales numbers have risen, the total dollar volume of these sales has actually decreased. Last week, the combined value of vehicles sold was just a touch above $40 million. This is slightly down from the $42.5 million we noted the week before.

Bring A Trailer's contribution to this was $26 million, which, when compared to their previous week's figure of $29 million, shows a decline. On the other hand, Cars & Bids demonstrated growth, with their sales climbing from the previous week's $3.6 million to exceed $4 million last week.

To provide perspective on some of the newer entrants in the scene, let's consider Hagerty. They didn't make our main list, but their performance is noteworthy. They managed to sell 12 cars, accumulating a total of $317K. This contrasts with their performance the week prior, where they sold 13 cars, but the total value was significantly higher, just over $880K.

The approach Hagerty is taking puzzles me. I'm genuinely curious about their endgame. From preliminary insights and some behind-the-scenes chatter, I was under the impression that they aimed to make a bold, aggressive statement in the market .

For those wondering what was the top selling cars it was this beautiful 1973 Ferrari Dino GTS that sold for $599,000.

Another observation worth mentioning is that BaT stands out as one of the few auction platforms conducting auctions over the weekend, specifically on both Saturday and Sunday.

While I recognize that some auction houses might be more engaged than Bring A Trailer during an auction's final hours and its immediate aftermath, it's noteworthy when BaT emerges as your prime competitor. Given there's a clear demand for weekend car purchases (as evidenced by BaT's impressive $5.5m sales this past weekend), it seems logical for other platforms to explore weekend auctions. While this might necessitate a rotational weekend staff and on-call tech support for any unforeseen technical glitches, the potential payoff could be significant. In the future, I'll look into comparing car sales prices from weekend versus weekday auctions. What are your thoughts on this?

I was optimistic about sharing the successful launch of PistonHeads, a new auction platform from the UK.

Regrettably, none of the initial five auctions resulted in a sale. However, such outcomes are not uncommon when a launch isn't accompanied by significant publicity. Their focus should remain on featuring quality cars, which they're currently doing. Given their established reputation in the UK, a strategic marketing approach should eventually lead to sales.

e grip

On a side note, while the website is generally user-friendly and sleek, I do have only one minor critiques. Post-auction, I'd appreciate clarity on the final bid and details when clicking on the '10 bids' link.

All in all, I'm rooting for them and will continue to observe their listings and outcomes, updating you as things progress.

I've received several inquiries to highlight a range of cars available for auction from various online platforms. Instead of selecting from just a handful of websites, I've chosen two vehicles from 10 of the most reputable auction platforms available.

Just click on the image to take you right to the auction.