The iconic Escort has been named the favorite Ford of all time by fans of the UK’s best-selling car brand. Launched in 1968, the Escort was sold in six generations and enjoyed an impressive 32-year production run, with the final hatchback model rolling off the production line at Halewood, Liverpool, in July 2000 — although the Escort van remained on sale until 2002. The Escort garnered 36% of the vote in a survey organized by The Classic Ford Show, narrowly beating the Capri.
RM Sotheby’s annual Motor City sale this July 30 at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan, will offer of one of the most significant American motor cars of the Classic Era, a 1929 Duesenberg Model J “Disappearing Top” Convertible Coupe by Murphy. The proceeds from the sale of the Duesenberg will benefit Hillsdale College, a top-ranked, non-profit, classical liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. For more complete information please visit www.rmsothebys.com
Max Girardo has left RM Sotheby’s, where he served as auctioneer and managing director of their European operations, and has established Girardo & Co., an exclusive, new London-based brokerage that deals in only the highest quality cars available to the market. For more information visit www.girardo.com
McPherson College, celebrating 40 years of automotive restoration education, honored Paul Russell of Paul Russell & Company, Essex, Mass. with an honorary Doctorate of Applied Arts this past May. According to the college, “Dr. Russell has provided immeasurable support to the historical automotive endeavor.”
Auctions America saw the return of its annual Auburn Spring event, May 5–7, where some 400 collector vehicles and assorted automobilia crossed the block, totaling nearly $7.2 million in sales—a result that represents a 40% increase over 2015. Top sales were led by a 1968 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2, a 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429, and a 1968 Shelby GT 500 Fastback.