I recently had the opportunity to check out the Toronto Spring Classic Car Auction held at the International Centre. Over the years, I have come to this show to experience the sights and sounds of the classic car scene in action and to keep informed on local prices. Attending in person, is quite the visceral experience as being up close with these vintage machines as they fire up their V8 engines to go up on the block is as close to Barrett- Jackson’s as you can get in Toronto.

I vividly remember the auction in the early 2000s and seeing top quality cars including; matching number Chevelles, 60s Corvettes and Mopar’s such as Chargers, Challengers and Javelins all rolling off the block in the range of 75K-80K and for the trailer queens you would see upwards of 100K bids. Well, those days are definitely over, and the new era is far more realistic and more interesting as there are now bargains to be had for anyone with cash.  Overall, prices of classic cars and trucks are down significantly since the peak in the Fall of 2007 before the global recession really took hold. For the full details of what things sold for check out final sales data. And with the added meltdown of the US economy and housing market over the past few years, far less US buyers are attending these types of Canadian events which has dramatically lowered overall values.

One local dealer who sells a tonne of cars at the auction is Segal Motorcar Company. They always bring some of the cleanest and most pristine high end exotics to the auction block including Porsches, Ferraris, Aston Martins, Maseratis and the odd Bentley.

Here are some of the highlights from the auction.

The next one is scheduled for October and is a must attend event if you are into classic cars.  And if you are lucky enough to be in a position to purchase one, just remember to bring your chequebook because for sure, there’s something for sale that would look great in your driveway.