Happy New Year!
It’s an especially happy new year for us at Road Scholars Magazine – or should I say, “the award-winning” Road Scholars Magazine. In mid December, as we wrapped up the slightly tardy issue for last month, our regular contributor Randy Wells won the Motor Press Guild 2016 Feature Story of the Year award for his October 2015 story “Searching for Salt.” MPG is a national association of automotive journalists and we are told there were almost 100 entries for Feature Story category. For those who missed it when it was originally published, you can click here to read the full article, and Wells has provided us an update in this issue. Salt is back, as is optimism. Randy will continue to cover the story.
Elsewhere in this issue, we have other familiar contributors back with unfamiliar stories. Sean Smith based in New York writes about an RSR Project and its creator. And West Coast automotive historian Larry Crane introduces us to one of Porsche history’s most important – and least known – contributors, Robert Erberan von Eberhorst.
We wrap up this issue with Arizona auction previews, looking at Bonhams, Gooding & Company, and RM Sotheby’s offerings for Porsche enthusiasts and other interested parties.
Two recent international sales – The Porsche Club Great Britain auction in October and the Duemila Ruote sale in November – brought pleasant results in the U.K. and astonishing ones in Italy. It’s widely acknowledged that bidders in Italy got caught up in the frenzy, that many were first-time auction attendees, and than more than a few of those did not quite understand that the auction hammer price was not the final purchase cost because of Italian V.A.T. and RM’s buyer’s fees. Several cars returned to the auction platform before the sale concluded. Still, it was a complete sell through. And if it is a barometer of better car markets coming, we will know for sure after Arizona.
People far smarter than I am point out that the Federal Reserve Bank’s recent announcement of a rate increase, the continuing healthy stock market, the steady rise of the U.S. dollar against other currencies, and the first 100 days of a new U.S. president (which begin during Arizona auction week) will affect collector car market prices.
Just remember one thing, the value of your interesting cars and older Porsches in the garage is unique among all collectibles: You can drive this one.
Finally, this issue marks the end of our second year of publishing Road Scholars Magazine. We are very grateful to you for your readership and your support.
Randy Leffingwell
Editor, the award winning Road Scholars Magazine
randy@road-scholars.com