Russo and Steele, Scottsdale
Russo and Steele marked its 20th anniversary this year, January 15-19, with an auction just south of the North 101 Freeway and Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale, Arizona. The venue was a change for Russo and Steele, which had held events at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick — site of this year’s Ritchie Bros./Leake auction.
The 2020 site was previously used for Russo and Steele events before 2017. The company touted the new/old site’s visibility and parking advantages in a press release.
The auction offered over 550 cars, ranging in price from the $1.045 million 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster to a 2000 Chrysler 300M that sold for $330. Era wise, Russo offered everything from a 1919 Chevrolet to a 2018 Jeep.
The sale was held in Russo and Steele’s Auction in the Round format, which is both very exciting and loud. Bidders had a chance to peruse cars both in the tents and as the vehicles waited to cross the block, adding to the sound and action. At $10.7 million, overall sales were down from last year’s $11.8 million, but there were some notable deals, such as the 1932 Ford roadster on these pages that sold for about the cost of a reproduction steel body, and a 1971 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 convertible that sold for $50,600 against a book value of $160,000. Look for that one soon, in the pages of Hemmings Muscle Machines.
If you want to shop these bargain opportunities, Russo and Steele has its next sale scheduled for August 14-15, in Monterey, California. Of course, as always and particularly right now, it’s wise to double check as the sale dates approach.
BY THE NUMBERS
Total Sales: $10.7 million
Sell-Through: 55.1 percent
Average Sale: $37,948
Top Sale: 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster; $1.045 million
