Car Buffs Take a Shine to These Gems

You are what you drive. Or so it was believed, back in the days when cars had personality and character, before the age of efficient but lackluster driving, anti-lock brakes, power steering and air bags.

More than 5,000 car aficionados--who live by that philosophy of auto individuality--came to the 20th annual classic car auction Saturday afternoon at the Hyatt Newporter hotel, ready to sell, buy, gaze and appreciate their beloved vehicles.

The show featured more than 200 classic cars, including John Lennon’s blue 1965 Mercedes Benz 230 SL Roadster and a black, 1933 custom-made Duesenberg once owned by actor William Boyd, who played Hopalong Cassidy.

But Saturday’s auction, which continues through today, was more than a celebrity car auction--it was a slice of history.

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Cars, you see, personify a national identity, explained classic car buyer and consultant, Robert Crocker.

American cars are large, bigger than life with lots of chrome, while the Italian cars are romantic, beautiful but temperamental.

German models are precise, matter of fact. British motorcars are charming, quirky and totally unreliable, Crocker said.

Car shows are about passion, he added.

“It’s a funny thing about our car culture,” said Crocker, who traveled from Redondo Beach to see the show. “You don’t have to be a motor head to appreciate them. I get behind the wheel of a ’57 Chevy and I’m 16 years old again. That’s the charm of it.”

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Indeed, the historic appeal is what prompted Robert Teller of Newport Beach to buy a flaming red 1915 Model T Ford once driven by a Los Angeles fire chief.

Not only does the car come with an antique horn, Teller said, squeezing it mightily, but also a hand cranked siren, which he proudly grabbed out of the front seat and cranked excitedly like a child opening his presents at Christmas.

At $7,000, it was a steal, Teller said happily.

“This is what made America great,” said Teller as he glanced around the lot of classic cars, arms extended.

Mike and Gloria Appelhans of San Juan Capistrano came to the auction hoping to score big on the sale of their 1965 Pontiac Bonneville.

Mike Appelhans paid nearly $10,000 for the car five years ago. Needless to say, he hopes to get more this year, in part to make up for the heartbreak of parting with the car that gets him countless stares on the freeway.

“It’s so fun to drive,” he said, lamenting the day when he would have to part with it.

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Unfortunately for the Appelhans, it’s a buyer’s market, according to Crocker, who attends as many car auctions as possible.

Unlike the 1980s, when buyers were willing to buy, buy, buy at any price, classic car markets now are more reasonable. Most cars sold Saturday went for from $10,000 to $50,000, said organizers.

Though sellers, like the owners of John Lennon’s car, were probably disappointed--they had asked for $100,000 while the highest bid was $50,000--the drop in prices now allowed less wealthy car lovers to enjoy their hobby.

“The market has settled back to reality. A few years ago prices were going out of this stratosphere,” Crocker said. “These cars are for the everyday person.”