0 to 60 in Just a Few Months!

February 2, 2010

Cars, that is. And that’s a rough number but early interior shots of Portland Motor Club certainly showed lots of room to grow (well, fill, actually). It totally makes sense, of course — we had just opened and we needed customers. Well, customers we have now! We’ve filled up the “Ground Floor” and soon will need to start using the “Mezzanine Level” (via heavy-duty lifts).

Seems that those that stop by pretty much fall in love with the place — the handsome amenities (hi-tech lounge & conference room), polished radiant-heated concrete floors, classic car gallery, onsite expert car detailing shop, professional staff and of course, state-of-the-art security system.

From Ferraris to Things, Mopars to Minis, we have a great random assortment of Classic cars, Muscle Cars, Sports Cars and even some everyday drivers that don’t need to be driven right now.

Thought you’d like to see the place with some color and some metal and rubber in it — enjoy!

[nggallery id=4]

Filed Under: Classic Cars, Muscle Cars Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Crikey! Tornadoes Wallop Scottsdale, Arizona during Auction week

January 22, 2010

While getting my daily dose of professional car storage and classic car auction news from the Google machine, I came across these shockers — what horrible timing! Of course, good to keep this in perspective with the true horror of the earthquake disaster in Haiti, but within the car collector universe, this is certainly bad news for the likes of Russo and Steele and Barrett-Jackson and their many buyers and sellers. I do hope the car enthusiast community can think of some ways to make a difference by combining their special passion with a desire to help those in critical need in Haiti. It’s great to see how many folks are finding unique ways of doing something to help. My ten-year-old son’s Cub Scout troop is holding a yard sale next week to raise money (indoors, of course, it is Maine in winter, after all — supposed to below zero tonight).

from the folks at About. com (and see the next one from AZ Central. com)…

Scottsdale on Tornado Watch During Classic Car Auctions

Thursday January 21, 2010

Arizona has been hit hard by heavy storms causing havoc at the Scottsdale’s Annual Classic Car Auctions.  Earlier today, two tents at the Russo and Steele Car Auction collapsed due high winds and sent debris into the nearby Highway, the Loop 101, shutting down both direction for a time.

Barrette-Jackson staffers have been doing their best to dry off cars before coming up on the block in the main tent while concession stands outside are being blown down.

At 8:45pm, Barrett-Jackson’s President, Steve Davis asked that everyone leave the staging lanes and come inside to wait for a dangerous storm cell to pass.  The National Weather has issued a tornado watch for southwest Arizona, which includes the Phoenix metro area, to be in effect until 10 p.m. Thursday night.

Heavy rain and winds are expected to continue through Friday and then clear up for Saturday and Sunday.  We will be curious to see how much damage the storms do to the week’s auction total sales numbers.

And here’s the other one written by Peter Corbett from The Arizona Republic

Russo and Steele car auction estimates $1.5M in damage

Russo and Steele officials assessed damage Friday after an 800-foot-long auction tent blew onto the Loop 101, snarling traffic and leaving hundreds of valuable collector cars uncovered in a pounding rainstorm.

Heavy tent poles struck some cars and uncovered convertibles were pelted with rain in the ongoing storm that has blasted through the state this week. A collector-car insurance executive estimated damages to the vehicles could exceed $1.5 million.Russo and Steele announced late Friday morning that owners would not be allowed to inspect their cars until at least Saturday morning because the Scottsdale fire marshal has not declared the auction site safe.

Drew and Josephine Alcazar, Russo and Steele owners, hoped to resume the auction Saturday, but there was still a lot of cleanup to do.

“By no stretch of the imagination are we down for the count,” Drew Alcazar said Friday as tent crews worked to clear away the damaged tents.

Public safety officials cleared out people from Russo and Steele’s two display tents late Thursday when the high winds threatened the structures, and the auction continued in the main tent, Josephine Alcazar said.

High winds lifted the north tent high off the ground about 6:15 p.m. and it crashed down on the freeway east of Scottsdale Road, she said.

Russo and Steele shut down the auction and cleared the site. The south tent then blew over, but did not go onto the roadway.

Chuck Favour, Hagerty Insurance vice president of claims, said his company has insured about 125 of the cars at Russo and Steele.

After viewing the auction site from the Loop 101, he estimated that as many as half the 600 cars on the lot were damaged with dents and scratches from tent poles and debris.

Among the cars that were stranded on the site Friday was a 1948 Tucker convertible that could draw bids of more than $1 million.

A 1913 White Gentleman’s Roadster was struck by a pole and an uncovered 1916 Ford Model T Fire Chief car sat out in the rain after a flimsy tarp blew off of it.

Favour expected the claims would average about $5,000 per car.

That works out to claims approaching $1.5 million.

He said he would be surprised if Russo and Steele was able to resume the auction.

Favour said a previous auction in Carlisle, Pa., sustained damage when a much smaller tent collapsed a few years ago.

Other Valley auctions continued on Friday. Barrett-Jackson had to move everyone into its main auction tent as a precaution Thursday night, but otherwise the event continued without major disruption.

Craig Jackson, Barrett-Jackson chairman, said his staff circled the tents with tractor-trailers to deflect the high winds that were rattling the structures.

As a car guy, he said, it was very sad to see what had happened at the Russo and Steel auction site.

RM Auctions reported the highest sale of the week so far on Thursday night at the Arizona Biltmore. A 1963 Aston Martin DB4 sold for $1 million.

On Friday morning, the Arizona Department of Public Safety closed the eastbound on-ramp to the Loop 101 at Scottsdale Road because of the cleanup efforts at Russo and Steele.

The freeway was closed in both directions between Scottsdale and Hayden roads for several hours after the tent landed on the roadway.

Russo and Steele, a Valley-based company, is in its 10th year of holding car auctions in Scottsdale.

Filed Under: Car Shows Tagged With: ,

2010 CLASSIC CAR AUCTION CALENDAR

January 15, 2010

As an automobile enthusiast, you might like to keep an eye and ear on the upcoming classic and vintage car auction season. There’s practically a year’s worth in January alone! From most accounts, last year was a good one with auction sales records broken so it seems that car collecting has weathered the Great Recession pretty well. We’d like to keep you up-to-date on car auction-related info, so keep in touch. Happy to hear any of your reports on auctions you watch and/or participate in — just post a blog entry. Also, please let us know of any major auctions that are missing from this list and let us know of any corrections. Going, going…

Kruse 39th Annual Scottsdale Collector Car Auction
January 16-17, 2010
Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa, Glendale, Arizona
www.kruse.com

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2010
January 18-24, 2010
WestWorld of Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona
www.barrett-jackson.com

RM Auctions Automobiles of Arizona
January 21-22, 2010
Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa Phoenix, Arizona
www.rmauctions.com

Kruse South Florida Collector Car Auction
January 22-24, 2010
Miami-Dade County Fair Expo Center, Miami, Florida
www.kruse.com

Mecum Kissimmee, FL Auction
January 28-31, 2010
Osceola Heritage Park, 1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee, Florida
www.mecum.com

Leake Oklahoma City Car Auction
February 19-20, 2010
Oklahoma City Fairgrounds, Cox Pavilion, 3212 Wichita Walk, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
www.leakecarauction.com

Atlantic City Classic Car Show & Auction
Feburary 26-28, 2010
Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
www.acclassiccars.com

RM Auctions Automobiles of Amelia Island
March 13, 2010
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Florida
www.rmauctions.com

RM Auctions Collector Cars of Fort Lauderdale
March 26-28, 2010
Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center Fort Lauderdale, Florida
www.rmauctions.com

Leake Auction in partnership with Dan Kruse Classics
March 27, 2010
Alamodome, 100 Montana St., San Antonio, Texas
www.leakecarauction.com

Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2010
April 1-3, 2010
The Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds, Palm Beach, Florida
www.barrett-jackson.com

Mecum Kansas City, MO
April 9-10, 2010
Auction Bartle Hall – Kansas City Convention Center, 301 W. 13th St., Kansas City, Missouri
www.mecum.com

RM Auctions Classic Car Auction of Michigan
April 24-25, 2010
The Rock Financial ShowPlace, Novi, Michigan
www.rmauctions.com

RM Auctions Sporting Classics of Monaco
May 1, 2010
The Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
www.rmauctions.com

Dana Mecum’s Original Spring Classic Auction – 23rd Year
May 19-23, 2010
Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E 38th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana
www.mecum.com

Kruse Auburn Spring 2010 Collector Car Auction – 19th Annual Auburn Spring Motorfair
May 20-23, 2010
Kruse International Auction Park, Auburn, Indiana
www.kruse.com

Leake Tulsa 2010 Auction
June 11-13, 2010
Quik Trip Center at Expo Square / Tulsa Fairgrounds, Tulsa, Oklahoma
www.leakecarauction.com

Mecum St. Paul Auction / the MSRA 37th Back to the 50’s With the Minnesota Street Rod Association
June 18-19, 2010
Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1265 North Snelling Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota
www.mecum.com

Bloomington Gold Corvette Auction / Bloomington Gold Corvettes – USA Premier Corvette Auction at America’s Premier Corvette Show
June 25-26, 2010
Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 East Main Street St., Charles, Illinois

Barrett-Jackson Orange County 2010
June 25-27, 2010
OC Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa, California
www.barrett-jackson.com

Mecum Des Moines, IA Auction
July 16-17, 2010
Iowa State Fairgrounds, East 30th & East University Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa
www.mecum.com

RM Auctions Vintage Motor Cars of Meadow Brook
July 24, 2010
Shotwell Gustafson Pavilion at Meadow Brook Hall, Rochester, Michigan
www.rmauctions.com

RM Auctions Sports & Classics of Monterey
August 13-14, 2010
Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center, Monterey, California
www.rmauctions.com

Mecum at Monterey
August 13-14, 2010
Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course, 1 Old Golf Course Road Monterey, California
www.mecum.com

Kruse The Auburn Auction 2010
September 1-7, 2010
Kruse International Auction Park, Auburn, Indiana
www.kruse.com

Mecum St. Charles Auction
September 16-19, 2010
Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 East Main Street, St. Charles, Illinois
www.mecum.com

RM Auctions Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey
October 8, 2010
Hershey Lodge, Hershey, Pennsylvania
www.rmauctions.com

RM Auctions Automobiles of London
October 27, 2010
Battersea Evolution, London, United Kingdom
www.rmauctions.com

Mecum Kansas City Auction
December 3-4, 2010
Bartle Hall – Kansas City Convention Center, 301 W. 13th St., Kansas City, Missouri
www.mecum.com

Filed Under: Car Shows

SECURE HEATED WINTER STORAGE AVAILABLE

November 27, 2009

Portland Motor Club was designed as a “good home for good cars”, a place where cars live most of the time unless they’re out for a drive or a season. However, while we search for all those vehicles to find their permanent homes (there are 140 spaces, afterall!), we can offer seasonal storage which, for the most part in Maine, means WINTER STORAGE. Although our winter storage plan does not come with the kind of access our members enjoy year-round, winter-stored cars do enjoy heated, climate- and humidity-controlled accommodations with advanced security and monitoring systems to protect them. Check around — a lot of winter storage is vastly inferior with crowded conditions (leading to dings and dents), free-range critters gnawing on wires (we hear it all the time), and condensation occurring from cold floors and warmer air (a death-sentence for the integrity of metal). You might save a few hundred dollars by storing your car in a chicken barn or jammed into the corner of a warehouse, but the risks and costs associated with cutting corners can often come back and bite you in the bumper! We’re just saying… we were built to take the very best care of your very best car. We are still accepting month-to-month or over-winter storage. Please call Portland Motor Club about securely storing your vehicle with us this winter. 207-775-1770.

Filed Under: Car Storage Tagged With:

HUGE TURN-OUT at Toys-for-Tots Car Show at Portland Motor Club

September 10, 2009
Toys, Cars and Music make for a great event at Portland Motor Club

TOYS, CARS & MUSIC make for a great Labor Day TOYS-FOR-TOTS BENEFIT CAR SHOW at PORTLAND MOTOR CLUB

(see TV station video links below)

By the time the car show officially started at 10 AM, the main lot was almost full. Eventually, show cars ended up in a side lot, in the back lot and in the neighbor’s lot!!! What a great day at Portland Motor Club with an estimated 175+ show cars stopping by and perhaps 500 or so people passing through during the day. The U.S. Marines were taken by surprise (which doesn’t happen often) by the great toy turn-in which filled up a Humvee as well as a trailer. And the audience was energetically entertained by music from the Monday Night Posse, an area garage band.

Organizers Stan and Cheryl Page, members of several local car clubs including Knucklebuster’s as well as members of Downeast Street Rodz and Portland Motor Club Membership Director were all overwhelmed by the support and the turn-out. Rogers’ assessment: “It couldn’t have gone any better — a huge assortment of truly amazing cars, some literally filled with toys; tons of other toys that actually took the Marines by surprise; a nice array of vendors including Cruise Maine Magazine, Downeast Street Rodz’ food cart, a local t-shirt maker, the AMVETs and the great DJ JP all added a lot to the event.” Adding, “And, much to everyone’s pleasant surprise, the local live music turned out to be a great and lively addition. And the weather certainly didn’t hurt — this amazing weather streak we’ve been having helped everything to come together perfectly. We certainly hope to be able to do this again but we may have to put cars on the roof!”

Hundreds of visitors were able to get a glimpse into the Portland Motor Club facility to see (from a respectful distance) some of the fine cars in climate-controlled (heated / humidity) and secure storage there as well as to get an up-close-and-personal view of one of the state’s finest MOPAR (Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth) muscle car collections — if not the finest.

Portland Motor Club owner Bill Waldron noted, “It was really great to help out the kids with all the toys and and a great day for everyone who came. And it was a chance for us to show off our beautiful car storage facility with its club lounge for members and on-site professional detailing at our Motor Club Auto Care shop. I think people were excited to see what goes on in here. I love cars and know that they need a good home to stay in good shape. Basically we’ve created that — a good home for good cars where they’ll be safe from all the things that damage and ultimately destroy vehicles — critters, clutter, condensation and cold. The four “c’s”, I guess. Oh, and crooks, I suppose. That makes five.” He added, “Every year you hear about this barn collapsing on a bunch of nice cars or that garage catching on fire — it kind of breaks your heart if you love cars. We have a super-reinforced building that is wired top to bottom for anything that can go wrong.”

Special thanks to all the folks who contributed all the wonderful toys as well as cash from the nickels to hundred dollar bills to the raffle prizes including membership/race passes from Maine Indoor Karting (www.MaineIndoorKarting.com) and a complete auto detailing from Motor Club Auto Care (www.PortlandDetailing.com). And, of course, to Maine’s Marines who are the great folks behind Maine’s Toys-for-Tots program. At the end of the event, it was suggested by the Marines that they may need help sorting out all the toys as they get towards the holiday season. To find out how you can participate in this program, go to http://www.toysfortots.org/donate/toys-city-county.aspx?txtState=MAINE.

And now, take a look for yourself at these video links and you’ll see what a busy and amazing event it really was. We’d love your comments, especially if you were there. Also, please feel free to send photos and videos that you’ll allow us to use to <info@PortlandMotorClub.com>

CHANNEL 8’s coverage… http://www.wmtw.com/family/20780622/detail.html

CHANNEL 6’s coverage… http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=108863

Also, click on our Photo Gallery to see some more great photos from the event.

Marines collect hundreds of toys from Maine's generous car club members and visitors to Portland Motor Club

Marines collect hundreds of toys from Maine’s generous car club members and visitors to Portland Motor Club

Portland Motor Club's parking lot was full to overflowing into the neighbor's lot!

Portland Motor Club’s parking lot was full to overflowing into the neighbor’s lot!

Filed Under: Charity Events, Classic Cars, Muscle Cars Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

WGME’s “Thursday’s Child” Adoption Promotion Program visits Portland Motor Club

July 1, 2009

Jonathan is a young man eager to find a forever family that will help him to have a place to really call “home” and to help him to achieve his goals in life. He is very passionate about cars and muscle cars, in particular, so on a Spring day in Portland, the “A Family For ME” Thursday’s Child program, in collaboration with WGME TV13, visited the Portland Motor Club, a new climate-controlled and secure storage facility dedicated to car enthusiasts of all stripes and their car storage needs.

Jonathan was able to meet and visit with owner Bill Waldron and tour the facility seeing the coolest muscle cars that he had only ever seen in magazines or as scale models. Someday, Jonathan hopes to be able to work on cars like these and especially hopes to find a family that supports him in his enthusiasm for fine driving machines.

Click on the following link to see a video of his visit to Portland Motor Club:

http://www.wgme.com/newsroom/features/thursdays_child/videos/vid_29.shtml

Filed Under: TV Appearance, Video

Portland Motor Club to host multi-club benefit Car Show for Toys-for-Tots on Labor Day

June 9, 2009

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 (LABOR DAY), 10am-2pm. Admission is a new unwrapped gift*

Multi-Club TOYS-FOR-TOTS RUN hosted at Portland Motor Club

U.S. Marines will be on hand to assist with this fun family event with prizes, food, music and tours of Portland Motor Club. Portland’s largest fall car show! ALL VEHICLES WELCOME (from antiques and exotics to clunkers to trucks to bikes). FMI, call 207-775-1770. Directions and updates at  PortlandMotorClub.com/. ICE CREAM RUN (actually “FROZEN CUSTARD RUN”) to Hodgman’s in New Gloucester to follow at 2pm

* Each passenger brings a new, unwrapped present to donate to the United States Marine Corps’ Toys-for-Tots program (there is no other fee).

Filed Under: Calendar And Events, Charity Events

Maine’s Most Comprehensive Listing of Car Shows, Clubs & Events

May 21, 2009

Portland Motor Club has built the most comprehensive listing of car shows, cruise-ins, car clubs and special events anywhere in the state. We regularly check other sources to make sure that our lists are current and complete. 

Currently we have listings for both one-time and regular/weekly events in Acton, Auburn, Augusta, Avon, Bangor, Bar Harbor, Biddeford, Boothbay Harbor, Bridgton, Buxton, Camden, China, Dresden, Durham, Ellsworth, Freeport, Fryeburg, Gardiner, Lisbon Falls, Livermore Falls, Milo, Naples, Sanford, New Gloucester, Orrington, Owls Head, Oxford, Portland, Scarborough, Shapleigh, South Paris, Standish, Stockton Springs, Topsham, Warren, Waterboro, Wilton, Winterport, Winthrop, and Wiscasset.

If you know of another special or regular car-related event, please send an e-mail ASAP to info@porltandmotorclub.com and we’ll try to get it into the listings THAT DAY!

Likwise, if a listing is no longer current or is inaccurate, please let us know that too!

Thanks for visiting our blog and our listings. Please check back often and share this information with your car enthusiast friends!

Filed Under: Car Shows

Thirty Seconds of Greatness

April 30, 2009

A shorter take on Rich Brooks‘ (of Flyte New Media) visit to Portland Motor Club.

Filed Under: Muscle Cars, Video Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Professional Car Storage?

April 30, 2009

Providing a marina-like approach, some dedicated vehicle storage facilities offer car owners the freedom to come and go as they like while enjoying peace of mind that their vehicles are protected from the elements, damage and worse  While it is certainly possible for a private owner to create the ideal environment for protecting the condition and value of a collectible car, it requires a serious investment into designing and building a sufficient facility that will take into account many factors such as temperature, humidity, security, access and cost. Usually some sort of compromise results that either consciously or inadvertently jeopardizes the condition, value or safety of the vehicle. Seasonal storage usually means that the vehicle is unavailable for up to six months at a time while often cold temperatures, humidity, critters and other factors can do their worst on your four-wheeled friend.

Professional collector car storage can be the affordable solution that addresses all of the storage concerns of a car collector. By garaging with a company that has designed a facility that specifically addresses all the specific security, environmental and safety concerns of car storage, car owners gain the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their prized possession is getting the care that it truly deserves.

For the auto enthusiast, it is heart breaking to hear about the seemingly annual garage collapse or burned-down chicken barn housing irreplaceable cars. Imagine the sense of security that comes from knowing that one’s vehicular pride and joy is locked away in a fortified facility featuring smoke and heat detection, a sprinkler system, and continuous visual monitoring and video recording. It’s a bit like car storage heaven!

For certain vehicles, these are not seasonal issues: proper year-round care and housing is vital to protecting the condition and value of cars that have significant worth. Even if the owner lives at a distance from the storage facility, proper care and storage trumps convenience. Oftentimes such a vehicle is only used or shown occasionally anyway. For those who do live relatively close to a year-round storage facility, they can consider such a place a marina-like service where their car receives secure storage, care and maintenance, and it is prepared and ready to go when they are, any time of year.

Car owners might also like to know that their batteries are tended to regularly, that someone is watching out for leaking fluids and other problems, and that while the car is in storage, its condition can be maintained via reconditioning and restoration services. Also, concerns about the safe and proper transportation of vehicles to and from such a facility can be handled by professional covered transportation services that certain facilities may offer. A professional car storage facility can also cater to custom care concerns and requests such as specialized mechanical work or upholstery replacement.

Some facilities even offer a members’ lounge where one can talk shop with fellow enthusiasts and can enjoy the camaraderie of gathering with other collectors, or they take a meeting with a business associate. In some cases, they might have access to the facility for special business or social occasions. In many cases, other collector car events such as car club meetings, educational events, rallies, shows and even auctions can take place on the premises. For a relatively reasonable annual fee, collectible and special vehicles can get the home they deserve and their owners can get the protection they really want and need for their valued investment. It’s nice to know that there are a few places out there that are providing car storage done right.

Portland Motor Club
Portland, Maine

Filed Under: Auto Advice, Classic Cars, Muscle Cars Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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