Ladies & Gentlemen, Raise Your Paddles
The largest ever Cruisin’ the Coast Car Show returns to the Mississippi Gulf Coast this month.
You don’t have to be a classic car owner to enjoy Cruisin’ the Coast in Biloxi, but it helps. At the time of writing more than 9,600 classic and collectible, pre-1982 vehicles were registered to take part in this huge annual car show, which has been voted “America’s Best Car Event” by USA Today four times. Visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast in early fall and it’s easy to see why. Thousands of car enthusiasts from all over the country and even overseas bring meticulously-restored examples of classic American and foreign rolling stock to southern Mississippi, transforming its coastal towns into “America’s Largest Block Party” between October 1–8. For automotive enthusiasts, that’s probably enough reason to plan an excursion. But for those looking to add a concours-ready classic to their own garage, there is the Vicari Collector Car Auction, which puts hundreds of highly desirable collector cars under the auctioneer’s hammer at Biloxi’s Mississippi Coliseum & Convention Center, October 4–7.
According to show owner Pete Vicari, more than six hundred cars will be auctioned this year, to auto collectors and enthusiasts from sea to shining sea. “It can’t get much larger,” Vicari noted, “because of the size of the building.” Over four days, vehicles as diverse as a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, a 2016 Rolls Royce Ghost, a 1965 Ford Thunderbird, and a 1957 Chevrolet school bus will change hands, in a fast-paced, live auction environment that is as exciting for spectators as it is for the bidders themselves. The auction includes vehicles offered with “reserve” and “no reserve” pricing, meaning that sometimes, a bidder drives off in an absolute bargain. “Cars with no reserve are sold regardless of the price,” Vicari explained. “I tell people all the time, ‘Look at the car and come up with a number in your mind. Bid that number, then stop.’ Most of the time, the seller will say, ‘Let it go.’ ”
After twenty-six years of running the Vicari Collector Car Auction, Pete Vicari has seen some extraordinary vehicles change hands, including many younger than the 1982 “vintage” cutoff. “Two years ago I sold a helicopter,” he said. “You like foreign, I like muscle. We don’t discriminate; we’ve got something for everyone.”
So, with six hundred rare and highly desirable rides up for grabs, which vehicle is Pete Vicari most excited to see roll up to the auctioneer’s stand? He points to an especially built 1953 Buick Skylark convertible commissioned by General Motors’ legendary styling chief, Harley Earl. Only 1,690 Skylarks were built in 1953, and this is a rare, surviving example finished in factory white paint with a black-and-white pleated leather interior. “It’s judged one of the best in the country,” Vicari said. He would know because he’s actually sold this vehicle before. “That car was purchased many years ago [during the Vicari Car Auction], he noted.“ “There were two very egotistical drunks bidding on it, and neither would let it go. Eventually it went for $375,000.” How high does he anticipate bidding might go this time around? “It could go for any price,” he said. “You roll the dice when you buy a car. Sometimes you buy it early, and then the price just accelerates.”