The Daily Vroom

Good morning Vroomers,

Last week was a monster. Over 1300 vehicles sold online, racking up a record-setting $53.2 million in sales. Two cars cleared the million-dollar mark, the 2024 Aston Martin Valour via Collecting Cars out of Germany, and a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL on Bring a Trailer.

I’m feeling incredibly bullish on the market right now, especially here in the US. We’re nowhere near the ceiling. The platforms still have so much room to grow and move more vehicles. Over the next few months we’ll dig into where the market can improve and how the ecosystem can better serve both buyers and sellers.

For now here’s a quick look at the top 10 makes sold last week along with their average sale prices.

Ed Bolian Just Did Cars & Bids and Himself a Favor

Say what you want about Ed Bolian. He’s self-aware. He’s strategic. And this week, he’s doing something that helps Cars & Bids and probably clears out a few too many garage spaces in the process.

The VINWiki founder and Cannonball record-setter is unloading a cross-section of his fleet, all no reserve, all with stories baked in. And while this isn’t a headline moment for Cars & Bids, it is a timely reminder of how much a little personality, narrative, and chaos can do for a platform that often plays second fiddle to Bring a Trailer.

This is a good look. Not just because of who’s selling, but because of how he’s doing it.

The Cannonball King: 2002 Mercedes-Benz S55 AMG
A beat-up W220, sure. But also the actual winner of the 2015 “2904” rally. Still fitted with its 75-gallon tank, CB radio, radar jammers, and some pine tar from the run. It’s got a salvage title and a check engine light, but it also set a 32-hour cross-country record. You buy it for the story, not the seats.

Centerpiece: 1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV
Euro-market, gated, and repainted for a Netflix show. Pop-up headlights. OZ wheels. Arancio California paint. Rhinestones around the air vents. It’s weird in a way only a real driver’s car can be. Not concours. Not fake. Just real.

Daily Life: 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG
The Bolian family hauler. Twin-turbo V8. RennTech tune. Massaging seats. Cracked windshield. Six years of actual use. For Cars & Bids, it’s rare to get an AMG SUV that has actually lived a life rather than been detail-polished for resale.

Meme Material: 2002 Audi TT “BugaTTi”
A Car Trek stunt car dressed up like a Veyron. Rattle-canned red inside and out. Driven into the ocean and back. Probably the only auction listing on the internet where the flaws section might be longer than the highlights. And somehow, that’s the appeal.

Best All-Arounder: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic Wagon
Jump seats. Clean Carfax. VINWiki road trip history. One of the few that’s actually usable without a tetanus shot. Practical, honest, and weirdly cool.

The “Why Not” Option: 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL500
Everything broken. Convertible top is moody. Smells bad. Salvage history. But it’s painted Tanzanite Blue and still has an M113 V8 under the hood. For someone out there, that’s enough.

Why It Matters Even If It’s Not a Big Moment

This isn’t a brand reset for Cars & Bids. It’s not going to shift the collector car landscape. But it does give C&B a dose of what it’s often missing. Personality. Provenance. A reason to tune in.

That said, I’m still waiting for them to do what many others already have. Offline events. Bring people together. Get the cars out in the wild. There’s a loyal community here, and meeting face-to-face could unlock a new level of trust, energy, and long-term brand loyalty.

So what’s the holdup? My guess, and I could be wrong, is that Doug, who is the face of C&B, just doesn’t want to do it. If that’s true, there are two paths forward. One, the PE owners convince him it’s worth the time. Or two, they run the events without him. Either way, it’s a massive missed opportunity if they don’t.

They’ve got the listings. They’ve got the personalities. Now they just need the people in the same place.

Auctions end August 6. Whether you want a Diablo, a meme car, or a long-wheelbase Cannonball machine, this one’s worth watching. Just don’t expect to see it at Caffeine and Octane. At least not yet…

Special Auctions To Keep An Eye On

You see a lot of “one of” cars in the auction world. One of ten in this spec, one of five with this color combo, one of 2200 that happened to be built on a Tuesday. But this is different. This is literally the one millionth Ford Thunderbird ever made. And it’s selling at no reserve.

Built on June 22 1972, this Bird was born at the Pico Rivera plant gifted to the Best in Show winner at a Thunderbird convention spent time with the Classic Thunderbird Club and was eventually donated to the Petersen Museum. That’s the kind of provenance you can’t fake.

Finished in gold with a white vinyl top and turbine style gold wheels this personal luxury land yacht wears its significance on its sleeve. Medallions on the roof and dash mark it out as the milestone car. And the vibe is pure early 70s American excess 460 V8 white leather button tufted seats cruise control and an AM/FM stereo ready for Barry White.

But it needs love. The paint is weathered. The vinyl top is stained. The passenger window doesn’t work. The engine occasionally needs starter fluid. A button is missing on the seat. If you’re expecting a turn key museum piece this isn’t it. If you’re looking for an honest historically significant car that’s been used moved and displayed this is exactly that.

And that’s the charm. At under $7K so far someone could own a true piece of Ford history for less than the price of a modern base model compact. Sure it’ll need some resealing cleaning and mechanical attention but unlike so many static show cars you know exactly what you're getting.

This Thunderbird might not be perfect but it’s real. And there’s only one.

Plenty of E-Types get dressed up to look the part. This one is the part.

Built in 1962. Reimagined by Valley Motorsport. Driven by Jenson Button at Goodwood Revival. This isn’t just some historic-style build, it’s a race winner with the pedigree to back it up.

Full FIA Appendix K spec. Engine bored to 3868cc. Triple SUs. Tuned to attack. Class wins at Castle Combe and Silverstone. Top 10 at Goodwood. FIA passport valid until 2030. Maintained by CKL Developments. This is top-shelf historic hardware with nothing left to prove.

Outside it looks like a clean Series 1 coupe in Old English White. Inside it’s stripped, caged, and ready for war. Tillet carbon seat. Stack rev counter. Every inch built to race. Every detail dialed.

And it’s road legal.

You want Revival. Le Mans Classic. Silverstone. This car gets you in. And once you’re in, it’s good enough to win.

Add the Button connection and it’s not just competitive, it’s collectible.

No fluff. No faking it. Just a real-deal, race-prepped E-Type with results, receipts, and serious presence.