Speed Digital announced it will partner with HemmingsPRO Auctions to host a battle more than 50 years in the making: Mustangs versus Camaros.
On May 26, the new partners will bring collectors and enthusiasts a Mustangs versus Camaros sale, the first of a series of monthly themed, timed online auctions.
This event will help settle the long-standing rivalry between the two sporsts car brands and determine which American classic is truly most popular, Speed Digital said.
"We look forward to bringing this unique auction format to millions of Mustang and Camaro fans," Speed Digital president Neil Pitt said in a news release. "It will be exciting to see which fan base has a stronger showing. Will a Mustang or Camaro bring in the highest winning bid? Will more Mustangs find new homes or will it be Camaros? Only time will tell, but it will be fun to watch it all unfold on May 26."
Mustangs and Camaros from 1964 to 2017 will be included in the auction and all inventory will be provided by dealers within Speed Digital's Dealer Accelerate network.
Interested buyers can currently bid at hemmings.speeddigital.com. The timed online auction will close on the night of May 26.
During the live auction, a 2017 Petty's Garage King Premier Edition Mustang powered by a 5.0L V-8 engine producing 825 HP will be auctioned off at 7 p.m.
The customized car signed by Richard Petty himself comes in the Petty's Garage signature limited "ghost series" black and silver paint scheme. According to Speed Digital, the proceeds from the sale of the car will go to charity.
"The Petty's Garage Mustang won't be the only vehicle drawing interest during the Mustangs vs. Camaros online auction. You would be hard-pressed to find more premier Mustangs and Camaros in another auction," Speed Digital added. "Two of the most sought-after vehicles that will have bidders reaching for their wallets include a 1969 Ford Mustang estimated to go between $236,000 and $355,000 at the auction and a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro COPO."
Other sought after cars include the 1968 Shelby GT500, the 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 and the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS, which are estimated to go for $133,000 to $187,000, $99,000 to $134,000 and $90,000 to $122,000, respectively, according to Speed Digital.
For more information about the upcoming auction email Bentley@speeddigital.com or visit hemmings.speeddigital.com.
Copart recently announced the launch of its upcoming fourth annual Copart Rebuild Challenge, a contest where U.S. car enthusiasts and automotive rebuilders competitively demonstrate how they’ve restored, customized or rebuilt a vehicle of their choice.
"Every year, the contest draws more anticipation. Since last year's contest concluded, aspiring contestants have been asking when the Rebuild Challenge will be returning, and I'm thrilled to finally be able to say it's back and open for entries," Copart vice president of marketing Michelle Hoffman said in a news release.
Up to July 11, contestants can enter the challenge by submitting before-and-after photos of their chosen project to Copart.com/Rebuild. Each entry should include a caption with a brief description of the rebuild project, the online vehicle auction company said.
Contestants have the option to share their submissions on social media by using the hashtag "#CopartContest."
Additionally, Copart said contestants must also register for free membership to enter the contest. Membership can be obtained through the online registration form available at Copart.com/Register.
Following the entry period ending mid-July, a panel of Copart's in-house judges will choose 10 finalists. On July 18 public voting will begin to determine three winners who will be awarded a cash prize, according to Copart.
Third place will receive $1,000, second place will receive $2,000, and the grand prize winner will be awarded $5,000.
"Any enthusiast or rebuilder can find what they need in Copart's inventory of more than 125,000 vehicles," Hoffman said. "Thousands of muscle cars, classics, exotics and more are available to Copart members every day."
For more details about the Copart Rebuild Challenge contest visit, Copart.com/Rebuild.
AutoMobility LA has announced that it is now accepting submissions for its 2017 Top Ten Automotive Startups Competition, which recognizes startup companies that have impressive innovations with the potential to shape the future of the new transportation industry.
The competition’s finalists will be named just before the 2017 AutoMobility LA show, which will take place this fall at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
At the convention, the competition’s winning startup will receive an on-stage advisor session with influencers in the technology and automotive industries. The session’s participating advisors will include Bill Tai, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Norman Firchau, the president and chief executive officer of Porsche Consulting North America and Jeff Henshaw, Microsoft’s quantum computing program manager, according to AutoMobility LA.
“Our Top Ten competition is a true sentiment of what AutoMobility LA is all about – a celebration of the new mobility industry,” AutoMobility LA and LA Auto Show president and chief executive officer Lisa Kaz said in a news release. “As the new mobility industry continues to evolve, our goal is to recognize companies who are truly disrupting the traditional automotive space and building the next great product or service that will change our lives.”
This year, companies will be evaluated by a team of juries made up of the LA Auto Show executive team and senior executives from companies such as Elektrobit, NVIDIA, TIME's The Drive, Porsche Consulting and Microsoft.
Additionally, at the upcoming AutoMobility LA show, the competition's finalists will receive access to a complimentary booth space at the convention as well as an invitation to a VIP reception with the AutoMobility LA executive team, advisory board members, top investors and industry executives.
“The startups will also be recognized in front of 25,000 media professionals, influential thought-leaders, automakers, tech titans, designers, developers, investors, dealers, government officials, analysts, fellow startups and more,” AutoMobility LA said.
Submissions for the Top Ten Automotive Startups Competition will be accepted through July 15. For more information and to apply, visit https://automobilityla.com.
Previous competition winners include Argus Cyber Security, Elio Motors, EverCharge, Inc., High Mobility, HopSkipDrive and PolySync.
Sheehy Auto Stores has launched its 20th annual Sheehy 8000 sales event, a three-week community-wide effort to raise funds for the American Heart Association, the group announced on Friday.
Throughout the rest of the month, each of Sheehy Auto's dealerships throughout Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Va.; and Baltimore will host a variety of initiatives in support of the fundraiser before it wraps up on July 5.
"This year is a milestone for us as we continue our mission to raise awareness and funds for a cause that is close to many of our hearts," Sheehy Auto president Vince Sheehy said in a news release.
"We are thankful for our customers, communities and team members who rally behind this effort, making each year's campaign more successful than the last."
Sheehy Auto said this year’s campaign includes healthy cooking demonstrations, blood pressure screenings and CPR training for employees and the community across all of its locations.
"The support of Sheehy Auto Stores has allowed us to make a considerable impact on the health of our communities in the region," American Heart Association vice president of marketing Michelle Nostheide said. "We appreciate the generosity of their team members, customers and vendors, and their efforts towards workplace wellness. Together, we can lessen the burden and loss heart disease and stroke cause for so many families."
Last year's Sheehy 7000 campaign raised $225,000 for the American Heart Association, according to Sheehy.
Additionally, the dealer group said it has been a several year sponsor of the charity’s National Walking Day, which was held last month at Springfield Town Center in Virginia. Each of Sheehy's dealerships also hosted individual step challenges among employees on the day of the walk.
Sheehy Auto said it has raised a total of more than $40 million for community and non-profit organizations since it was founded in 1966.
Last week, Southeastern Auto Auction of Savannah hosted its annual Masters Sale and golf tournament, which is named after The Masters golf tournament that is held in Augusta, Ga., just a few hours away from the auction.
This year’s Masters Sale featured over 800 vehicles, and by the end of the sales event, the auction gave away over $2,500 in cash prizes, according to SAA.
To wrap up the sale, dealers were selected to putt on the auction’s putting green for a chance to win up to $1,000.
The day following the sale, the auction’s golf tournament featured a record number of teams as well as a $25,000 hole-in-one challenge and longest drive contest.
Additionally, from hole sponsorship funds for the event, the auction raised a donation of $3,000 to present Shriners Hospital for Children following the tournament.
“It was a great week! We sold a lot of cars, had beautiful weather for the sale and golf tournament, and raised money for Children in need,” SAA vice president Bill McCready said in a news release.
Carriage Trade AA turns 40
Carriage Trade Public Auto Auction will host its 40th-anniversary sale on May 22, which will feature an estimated 1,000 vehicles along with a number of prizes and giveaways, the auction recently announced.
“We’re excited about this milestone anniversary and are looking forward to celebrating with the people that have made it possible, our customers and our employees,” Carriage Trade general manager Brian McNally said in a news release.
In May of 1977, Carriage Trade held its first sale with a total of just 35 vehicles, the auction said.
Currently, the auction sells on average about 500 cars each week, according to Carriage Trade.
For more details about the auction's sale, visit www.carriagetrade.com.
DAA Northwest recently announced that Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd will take the DAA stage on July 19 for the auction's 22nd annual Rock & Roll Sale.
“Each year, we put a lot of thought into bringing in a headliner that will be a great fit with our customers. Judging from the smiles on faces in our lanes last Thursday, Lynyrd Skynyrd fits the bill,” Bob McConkey, president of the McConkey Auction Group, said in a news release.
“This event gives us all a chance to gather together to celebrate the things we love – cars, friends and rock & roll!”
DAA first announced Lynyrd Skynyrd would headline the annual event during the auction's NASCAR Days sale on April 20.
Following the year McConkey invited Jerry Lee Lewis for DAA Northwest’s first Rock & Roll event to commemorate a move to a new facility in July of 1992, “customers immediately began asking McConkey, ‘Who are you going to have next year?’ It was clear the Rock & Roll Sale needed to be an annual event,” the auction said.
DAA Northwest has since hosted artists such as Chuck Berry, Heart, The Doobie Brothers, Pat Benatar, Chicago and a number of other international headliners.
“We host promotions every month, but the Rock & Roll Sale is definitely our signature event,” McConkey added.
The auction said Lynyrd Skynyrd is a cultural icon that appeals to multiple generations, and their hit song “Sweet Home Alabama,” which became a classic American rock anthem, has sold over two million ringtones.
The Southern rock band has a catalog of over 60 albums and has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, according to DAA.
Additionally, more than 5,000 cars, trucks and bikes will also be featured during DAA’s annual sale and the event wraps up with over $30,000 in prizes.
Manheim Pennsylvania will host over 100 auctioneers who are set to face-off in the 2017 World Automobile Auctioneers Championship (WAAC), which will showcase auctioneers competing for $12,500 in prize money as well as the title of the best auctioneer, best ringperson and best two-person team.
“It’s our privilege to sponsor this year’s event and celebrate the top professionals in automobile auctioneering,” Manheim Pennsylvania general manager Joey Hughes said in a news release. “It will be an inspiring display of hard work and unique craft.”
Auctioneers will be judged on chant, voice quality, salesmanship and other performance elements of efficient and authentic auctioneering.
Contenders will also have to showcase their ability to interact and communicate with bidders and buyers.
“The level of talent at this event will be unparalleled, and picking the winners will be an exciting, tough job,” Manheim Inventory Services senior vice president Grace Huang and judge for the championship said.
Other Auto auction industry executives set to attend the championship include Shane O’Dell, president of Cox Automotive Financial Solutions Group and Jerry Hinton, president of the National Auto Auction Association.
“It is fitting to hold this competition at Manheim Pennsylvania, where modern-day auto auctions began in the U.S.,” WAAC president Paul Behr said. “We appreciate Manheim making this event possible, and for the industry leader’s commitment to auto auction professionals.”
Manheim Pennsylvania is said to be the largest auction in the world, its operations currently sit on 400 acres, according to Manheim.
The T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research has announced that it will honor Facebook's U.S. Automotive director Stephanie Latham at the Women of Influence Awards and Luncheon next week.
Latham, a breast cancer survivor and passionate supporter of the cause, will join five other women in accepting their awards during the foundation's fifth annual event at the New York Plaza Hotel on May 12 at 11:30 a.m.
“The awards celebration honors six outstanding women who have achieved tremendous goals in both in their business and personal life and will benefit ovarian and breast cancer research,” the foundation said in a news release.
Latham joined Facebook in 2011 and in her current role as head of its U.S. Automotive team, she works alongside marketers and agencies to forge solutions across platforms that boost brand awareness in efforts to sell more vehicles.
She also held leadership positions on Facebook’s Retail, Financial Services and Restaurants teams before leading on the Automotive team.
Prior to joining Facebook, Latham served as the executive director of Account Service at the Barbarian Group, where she managed the GE, CNN and Google accounts.
Latham received her MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.
She currently resides in Northern California with her husband and their 2-year-old daughter.
For more information about the 2017 Women of Influence Awards and Luncheon's other honorees and to obtain tickets for the event, visit tjmfwomenofinfluence.org.
Columbus Fair Auto Auction announced that it has been tapped for the second year in a row by Ally Financial to receive its Leadership Auction of the Year award in recognition of its overall sales performance last year.
“We value the Ally Financial relationship and strive to differentiate our auction through process and execution”, Alexis Jacobs, CFAA chief executive officer, said in a news release. “This award is a testament to the entire team and their work effort.”
CFAA was founded by Jacobs’s father, William Jacobs, in 1959.
The auction currently has 11 auction lanes, a reconditioning center, a 48-bay body shop, a mechanical repair center, an on-site test track, and a full-service restaurant, according to the CFAA website.
NAAA revises arbitration policy
In other auction news, the National Auto Auction Association announced on Monday that its auction standards committee has updated its arbitration policy and guidelines.
The committee made several changes, and their edits include the exclusion of previous policy material as well as the addition of new material.
To view each of the committee’s changes, click here.
The parts of the policy the committee has newly omitted is written in red and all new policy content is in green.
NAAA’s final version of its updated policy and guidelines can be accessed via the "Policy" section on www.naaa.com.
CarMax will open two new stores in the state of Washington — the used-car retailer’s first locations in the Puget Sound region — the company announced on Friday.
One store will be in the city of Lynnwood at 202 Valley Avenue Northwest and the other will be located in in the city of Puyallup at 21317 Highway 99.
CarMax said the new locations will provide more than 200 new jobs to the area and will supply customers with around 200 to 400 vehicle options of nearly every make and model.
In addition to the vehicles ready to purchase at each location, customers can ask for transfers of just about any vehicle at other locations nationwide, according to the retailer.
“Our company is committed to making every step of the car buying process stress-free for our customers, and we look forward to serving the Puget Sound region with the great customer experience CarMax is known for,” Bill Nash, president and chief executive officer of CarMax, said in a news release.
At a grand opening celebration on Friday, CarMax said the CarMax Foundation was set to give out $25,000 in grants and donations to local organizations, including Junior Achievement of Washington and Communities in Schools of Puyallup.
Associates of Lynnwood and Puyallup locations chose the two organizations and have participated in volunteer events with both groups, according to CarMax.
“We are honored to support these organizations and admire their dedication to serving area youth,” David Thompson, location general manager of the CarMax in Lynnwood said. “The community has been very welcoming of CarMax and we look forward to being a great regional partner, while serving customers for years to come."
Additionally, CarMax announced it also has plans to invest approximately $95,000 to fund a Puget Sound area playground, which has been projected to be built next year through a partnership with KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit that encourages children to get the balance of play they need to grow into healthy and successful adults.
