72 - "Inside Car Auctions" with Mecum Auction host John Kraman

Today, Cars That Matter has the great fortune of welcoming on the legendary John Kraman to the show. John is the host of the Mecum Broadcast where he gets to fully represent all the car fans of the world on Motortrend TV. 

Robert and Mecum start by chatting (3:50) about how televised car auctions impact the market today. (6:00) Robert reminisces about some of the great sales that he’s seen on the Mecum auction (such as the rare Shelby Daytona Coupe going for 10 million dollars), and asks John to share some of his most memorable auction moments over the years. (9.45) John shares about some of the types of cars that have been the most desirable over the years, and ones that may continue to be. (12:00) Robert and John share about where vintage restoration modding is heading and why it’s such a strong trend right now. (13:30) John chats about how the domestic and international markets are changing with the younger generation entering the scene. 

After the break (22:16) Robert asks John if there are any “rules” to being a collector, and John shares some of his best advice yet. (25:00) John shares a story about why the worry of “overpaying” shouldn’t be as big of a deal as people make it. What about bargain hunting? (28:15) John shares some tips on what to look for. (30:15) Robert asks John what he thinks about pre-war cars and where they might be headed. (32:45) Mecum is also involved in motorcycle sales and is one of the worlds largest sellers via auction. John shares about Mecum selling not only cars and motorcycles but all sorts of different categories of vehicles and the great success Mecum has had with them as they approach the infamous 1 Billion dollar checkpoint in total sales. (35:20) Finally, Robert asks John a bit about himself and how he got into the hobby of car collecting.

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Hosted by: Robert Ross

Produced and Edited by: AJ Moseley

Theme Music by: Celleste and Eric Dick

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