1955 Hudson Italia 2-Door Coupe

What is it that makes certain cars more collectible than others? Certainly the car’s condition, its documentation, and any unusual factory options can affect a car’s value. However, I think the most important factor is rarity. The less common a car is, the more valuable it becomes.

Sometimes car manufacturers deliberately make small runs of cars, ensuring that they will become instant collectibles. Take a look at some recently produced exotic cars and their prices:

Lexus LF-A Supercar – 500 units – $375,000 each
Aston Martin One-77 – 77 units – $1,000,000 each
Lamborghini Veneno – 3 units – $3,000,000 each

It boggles my mind that automakers can produce a run of $1 or $3 million dollars cars and have no trouble selling all of them. However, it wasn’t always this way. There was a time when automakers had a hard time finding buyers for hyper-expensive cars. One of the first manufacturers to create a ridiculously high-priced supercar was none other than the Hudson Motor Company.

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10 Things I Loved About Barrett-Jackson 2013

Today was the final day of Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2013. By the numbers, it was one of the most successful auctions ever. Over 3,400 bidders participated in the 7-day event, buying $100 million worth of vehicles – $58 million of which happened on Saturday alone.

As the cars are delivered to their new owners and the booths and tents are packed up, I would like to reflect on 10 things I loved about Barrett-Jackson 2013.

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Scottsdale Auto Auctions 2013 Calendar

January is the busiest time of year for auto auctions in Scottsdale! Whether you’re bidding or just browsing, there are a plethora of car auctions to satisfy your need for speed with the thrill of the auction environment. These annual consignment auctions feature everything from classic cars, muscle cars, and concept cars to rare and exotic or historic vehicles. Let’s take a look at the big events coming up this month:

Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction
Dates: Jan 13-20, 2013
Location: Westworld
Address: 16601 N. Pima Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Catalog: 1,365 vehicles for sale
Gate Price: $10-55 (varies by day)
Week Pass: $160
Website: barrett-jackson.com

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Cars and Coffee Scottsdale – October 2012 [VIDEO]

Once a month, car enthusiasts from all over the greater Phoenix area get together in Scottsdale to enjoy some coffee and look at some cars. The show is called Cars and Coffee, and it is open to any make and model of vehicle.

Though anyone is welcome, the show primarily features high-end and exotic cars such as those from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin, Lotus, and others. We were on hand to capture some of the action at this month’s event. Hope you enjoy the video!

…Huh?

I caught this one a while back, out in Scottsdale, most likely around the time of all the car auctions that go on out there in the beginning of the year. When I saw it coming, I assumed it was some sort of Lincoln concept car for some reason, or possibly some kind of horrifying body kit slapped onto a Cougar, with sort of a Toronado Trofeo flavor. I was struggling to get my phone out of my pocket to get a picture and wasn’t really able to get a good look at it. It wasn’t until I got home and looked at the picture on the computer that I realized how obviously Fiero-based this thing was.

The car is actually a Zimmer Quicksilver, based on an stock 2.8, automatic Fiero. Only 170 of these atrocities were ever built.