The CEO has the floor - May

The folder, and the person behind it

You can't force a price. But you can give the market the basis to dare to pay it. Two things do that job better than anything else: the history, and you yourself. 

Start with the papers. A car without documentation raises questions. A car with a complete history inspires confidence. Service books, receipts, inspection reports, pictures from the renovation are not bureaucracy, they are proof. Dare to show the WHOLE picture wins in the long run. I see it every time two similar cars go at the same time: the one with the thickest cover and honest blemishes almost always ends up higher. Not necessarily the nicest car.

Commitment sells

Then comes what many forget. An auction is not a classified ad, even though both live online. The auction has a life. It is fed by people with emotions and opinions, and the comments section is where it is decided. We have sellers on the platform who win 85–90 percent of their items. It is no coincidence. They answer questions, they get involved, they even treat the annoying speculator with patience. It inspires trust — this person seems to be a serious person to buy a car from. Others do the opposite. They do not answer, or get irritated by a reasonable question, and it is immediately visible in the bidding. Silence and a bad tone cost money. 

Because basically, all of this is about the same thing as our market data: replacing uncertainty with facts. Documentation, good pictures and a seller present do exactly that. They give the speculator reason to dare. 

The market still sets the price. But a seller who proves his car — and himself — gives it significantly more to work with. Next month, we'll take it a step further and look at what actually happens at the end of an auction — and what the heck the term "aftersales" really means. It's where more deals are made than most people realize.

  

Sold during the month (sold value excl. fees)

1989 Porsche 911 930 3.3 Turbo 5-speed
Last model year with a five-speed manual transmission — a spec that few 930s have. Air-cooled turbo in its most drivable form, and the market knows it. 1 025 000 SEK 

1958 Jaguar XK150
Matching numbers XK150 in a class of its own. 69 bidders (!) set the price — it's rare to see that kind of commitment on a British classic. 580 000 SEK

1947 Lincoln Continental Coupe
Side-vented V12 in a 1940s barge renovated to the teeth. Some cars really make the world stop and stare — this is one of them. 237 500 SEK 

1968 Volvo P210 Duett
Duet with disc brakes, dual Weber and over a hundred horses. Not a project — a finished car with the right spec and the right color. 200 000 SEK

1965 Volkswagen 1500 Lim 311 Notchback
Award-winning Notchback in absolutely top original condition. A reminder that preserved cars with a good history often beat restored ones every time. 125 000 SEK

1953 Land Rover Series 1 Soft Top
Formerly in the fire service, now restored to its original color — but with traces of a working life. It's the kind of history that can't be faked. 120 000 SEK