Barrett-Jackson left big shoes to fill and high expectations when they announced they would not return to Reno, Nevada, for Hot August Nights. To fill the void, four local collector car enthusiasts worked together to create a new auction company, Motorsport Auction Group (known as MAG Auctions) and held their inaugural event in 2016 alongside Hot August Night’s 30th-anniversary celebration.
MAG Auctions made a commitment to operate as a local business, and last year gained attention with the anticipated sale of a 1939 General Motors Parade of Progress Futurliner that had been restored by Kindig-It Design in Salt Lake City. Although the buyer and seller could not come to an agreement for the Futurliner sale, the presence of the iconic GM relic helped build excitement for MAG’s first-year sale.
The auction company returns to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on August 10 to hold its second auction during the massive gathering of custom and classic cars. The August auction remains MAG’s only scheduled event for the year and will take place as a three-day sale.
1960 Vauxhall Victor offered by MAGIn addition to action on the block, the event will include displays featuring custom cars, vendors, and a full-size barn within the convention center dubbed “Barn Find Garage,” and an area nearby designated as “Barn Find Row.” The garage is sponsored by Summit Racing Equipment for the second year and will be limited to “true barn finds.” Buyers of those cars will receive a thousand-dollar gift certificate to Summit Racing.
The 1968 Ford Mustang GT500 that had been stolen and recovered 41-years later is set to appear in the Barn Find Garage, as well as a second Mustang with a mysterious background.
According to MAG, the 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500KR was dropped off in 1977 at a repair shop in San Francisco. The owner told the shop his “King of the Road” GT500 needed more power and to “beef up the engine and transmission.”
The shop says they did not have contact information for the owner and after the Mustang sat for some time, they assumed the owner was in the service and would return, but he never did and they never heard from him again.
The car sat in the shop from 1977 to 2012, torn apart. A new owner acquired the Mustang in 2012 and proceeded to spend years rebuilding the car from top to bottom.
Per the docket listing on the MAG auctions site, the car features many modifications and upgrades, but the listing does not indicate whether the modifications were started by the shop, or due to a lack of original parts, or simply the owner’s preference. The listing also doesn’t allude to the whereabouts of the original parts.
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air turned street gasserA 1960 Victor Vauxhall Super, which MAG says is often referred to as the “British version of the ’57 Chevy,” is slated to cross the block. Made by General Motors in the U.K., some of them were imported to the U.S. for sale at Pontiac dealers. This Vauxhall spent most of its life in a private Arizona collection until being moved to California 10 years ago. It shows an older restoration was performed and retains its original parts.
Other consignments on the docket include a number of custom Fords, such as a 1929 Ford street rod with a steel body built by Tommy Carr at Carrs Hot rods, a 1932 Ford Roadster with a steel Brookville body powered by a ZZ350 crate engine, and a 1933 Factory Five Custom Hotrod.
Other customs include a 1949 Mercury convertible that has been fitted with a 1953 mercury tooth grille and a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air that was has remained a street gasser since it was transformed into one during the ‘60s. Muscle cars, street rods and other vintage automobiles make up the bulk of the auction offerings.
More auction details can be found on MAG’s website, while a list of Hot August Nights details can be seen on the event website.
