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Sometimes people forget guys in his
line of work attend these events in
order to make new money, not new
friends.
Also, in this particular instance at
Bonham’s, he had a large, professional
size, video camera lens not more than
a few feet from him the whole time. I
understand the TV producer’s checks
probably don’t bounce (most of the
time), but you know what? It’s defi-
nitely not my idea of fun. To a guy like
me, it’s kind of convenient to be a no-
body to most everybody.
Southern hospitality reigns
supreme at Bonham’s, because for $20
not only do I get access to a great car
show featuring fantastic automobiles
for auction, I get a great tasting, ar-
tery-clogging breakfast, plus coffee
that is guaranteed to wake the dead.
After gorging cholesterol calories and
knockin’ back the mud-like caffeine, I
seek out the main reason I am at Bon-
ham’s: namely an ‘06 Ford GT (esti-
mated to sell for $325,000 - $375,000),
red with the white stripe package. It
turns out to be within dripping grease
distance from where I had just fin-
ished my morning food fest, so up
comes the camera to eye level and an
index finger still slick with butter
from handling two pieces of toast, and
I begin pressing the silver button –
click, click, click – because, well, that’s
what I am here for.
I wander into the tent where the
“hubbitta hubbitta, habbitta habbitta”
auction is now in full swing and who
should saunter on by with some good
eats to sit in the front row, why none
other than Mark Hyman and Peter
Klutt. We all know both of these two
guys from their television programs,
but when you watch them in action
during this “live” buying and selling
process, it doesn’t take long to realize
they are workin’ the floor. Both of
these gentlemen are experts at the
one-on-one, meet ‘n greets with
prospective clients, meaning practi-
cally everyone under the tent. Some-
day they are both going to pay dearly
for all that hand shaking by getting
the severest cases of carpel tunnel
known to modern medicine.
Sometimes they’ve got a cellphone
glued to one ear, chatting away with
one hand cupped over the other ear,
with now and then a raised eyebrow to
acknowledge acquaintances who stroll
past. This auction tent is one of their
many offices around the nation, most
likely the world, where they conduct
the very important business of buying
and selling exotic, classic, and muscle
cars for themselves or, more impor-
tantly, for clients.
Realize, Mark Hyman was work-
ing hard to develop Hyman Limited
Classic Cars into the well-respected
collector car operation it is today, long
before some producer came along and
whispered in his ear, “
Ya’ wanna’ be on
TV?
” Peter Klutt was bustin’ his der-
riere to build Legendary Motorcar
Company into the well thought of col-
lector car powerhouse it has become
long before some other producer
sneaked up on him to quietly ask,
“
Hey, kid, ya’ wanna be a star?
”
Successful entrepreneurs do not
just “pop out of the box,” they work
long and hard to create and maintain
a business that will provide for the
well-being of their own families, and
the families of their employees. While
I and others are at the auctions to just
enjoy the robust environment of the
auctioneers interacting with bidders,
or buy a car or two, Hyman and Klutt
are workin’!
That being said, I’m still ticked
that Mark lured Steve Bonney, ar-
guably one of the best domestic and
foreign car experts around, to work for
him in St. Louis. Steve used to have a
shop in Northern California and
worked on pert’ near every collector
car I’ve owned. Dagnabbit! I’ll never,
ever mention it again. Maybe.
Why am I pressing into the
stranger’s palm stretched out before
me three greenback Hamiltons to gain
entrance to the prestigious white tents
of Gooding & Company? Because I am
DNA pre-destined to pass through yon
magic portal to cast mine weary eyes
upon the beastly royalty so forsoothly
contained within (I took Shakespeare
in college), otherwise known as a ’64
Shelby 289 Cobra, gaveling at
$1,320,000, and a ’66 Ford GT40 Mk 1,
crossing the block at $3,300,000.
Meandering through the couple of
larger tents protecting the curvaceous,
enticing merchandise on wheels, con-
nected by what can best be called hall-
way tents, you can see the Gooding
folks have tastefully incorporated
Florida’s flora and fauna into their
auction house ambience. The food and
beverage court, as well as the huge
open ends of the tents housing the
cars, actually have beautiful plants
and trees shimmering in the slight
breeze, lowering the humid tempera-
tures to a humanly tolerable level.
And then, there they are, the royal
beasts basking in the bright sunlight,
shining brightly: the Ford GT grace-
fully adorned in a silvery blue color,
and the 289 Cobra brutally covered in
The SHELBY AMERICAN
Spring 2016 67