RUSSO AND STEELE—SCOTTSDALE 2020
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF antique vehicle auctions that take place in Scottsdale, Arizona, each January: Those that are carefully curated with a select and limited array of exquisite cars from all corners of the global market, and sales that deal in rapid-fire volume for buyers and spectators who prefer a wider variety of options. One of the companies that falls into the latter category is Russo and Steele. Based right in downtown Scottsdale, the auction house has been a pillar of hot winter gavel action in the desert city for two decades.
The new year delivered Russo and Steele’s annual sale to its old stomping grounds, located just off the Highway 101 loop at the bottom of the Scottsdale Road exit ramp. As in years past, spectators and bidders could preview the consignments — strategically positioned under four big-top-style tents — beginning on Wednesday, January 15, but the auctioneer’s hammer didn’t start to ring out until noon the next day. It was all over on Saturday, January 18, when the last of more than 500 vehicles rolled across the block. By then, just over 280 had sold (or a fraction over 55 percent) for a take of more than $10.7 million.
Topping Russo’s sales list this year was a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster that achieved $1,045,000, followed by a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona that realized $550,000. Coming in third was a 1956 Porsche 356A that
