Retro Garáž: At the Czech auction, there was a fight for cars that you wouldn’t expect. There were no records this time – Garáž.cz

A look at the auction list of the fall Retro Garage 2023 gave hope that it could be an absolutely record-breaking event, but due to several factors, it did not happen in the end. The popularity of convertibles and traditional Czechoslovak brands was confirmed, the garaged Škoda was a surprise, while no one showed sufficient interest of three million for the iconic Tatra T700.

The event took place on Saturday, November 11, 2023 at the Exhibition Center in Lysá nad Labem, with some of the visitors immediately heading to the floor of the main building, where the live auctions of veterans took place. Auctioneer Pavel Kočí (engineer of everything) and his colleague Marek Odrobina met here on the improved stage.

Auctioneers also took part in the auctions themselves by phone, and there was also the possibility to bid live via the Aukro internet business portal. So the shift was noticeable.

The initial auctions starting from the crown lived up to expectations in terms of selling affordable machines and entertainment. After all, only the final amount of CZK 31,000 for a traditional Pinck corresponds to the market today, while the more attractive Pařez went for CZK 63,000. The days when these machines were sold for a bottle of foreign rum are simply gone.

A rather pleasant surprise was the Jawetta 50/551 Sport moped, which found its new owner for 91,500 CZK. This shows that buyers are interested not only in classic single-track pioneers, but also in less sophisticated domestic machines.

This is also confirmed by CZK 195,000 for Jawa Bizon, or Tatoušek. After all, this laminated piece did not catch on as new at the time, while today there is a demand for it. What about the Jawa 175 Special? Although a freshly post-war piece, it has been preserved, which corresponds to the adequate final sum of CZK 250,000.

You probably remember from our articles that the holy trinity of three types Jawa 500 OHC 15 and Pragovka 350 BCS and 500 BDS also appeared in the menu. These auctions confirmed that the Jawa 500 OHC is a sanctuary for the Czech people, but more or less only in the Šnek version.

Type 15/00 Snail was sold for a beautiful 1,070,000 CZK, which was plus or minus the expected price, but… Type 15/01 did not sell at all, despite its colorful attractiveness. The third of the trio, type 15/02, went to the world for only 750,000 CZK. And we suspect that this is mainly due to the fact that the motorcycle was accompanied by a sidecar and trailer.

What about sleepers? The 350 BCS sold for 1,050,000 CZK, while the 500 BDS was 100,000 CZK higher. However, estimates for these machines were as high as 1.3 and 1.5 million. Although Praga motorcycles (and sign up if you didn’t know that Praga made motorcycles) can also attract collectors in other corners of Europe, in short, Jawa dominates here, which probably won’t change in the future.

On the other hand, good for those who bought cheaply in the Czech Republic. In a few years, he can sell abroad and far more expensive. An auction consisting only of records would not work very well in the long term.

There was an interesting carving for cars, which, however, did not apply to the Škoda 105 S auction with a mileage of less than 840 km. The starting price was CZK 250,000, the final price was CZK 250,000. The very quick auction thus showed that only a low raid is not enough for millions.

And who knows if this auction will not affect the classic advertising market like in 2021, when a brand new Škoda 100 L from Sweden was auctioned for almost two million. After that, Sauto.cz was full of uninteresting old Škoda cars at very inflated prices. Now they might fall.

It was completely different in the open auction of Felicia from 1960, which raised it from the initial price of CZK 450,000 to CZK 571,000 in an exciting fight. It can be seen that once it is a convertible, there is more interest among veterans, despite the fall.

The auction of a garaged Škoda Rapid from 1938, which after a long struggle passed into the hands of a new owner for CZK 680,000, continued in the ongoing auction-battle train. And since the starting price was CZK 350,000, it is a decent result. The new owner will be able to renovate according to his taste, or put the car into full operation, leave it in its period patina and thereby preserve its historicity, which is probably more recommended.

Another “wow effect” came with an auction item called the Praga Piccolo Kellner Cabriolet. The finished and ready-to-use vehicle started at CZK 550,000, however, the grand finale ended at CZK 950,000. Because if so, so be it. If anything, a convertible.

High numbers were expected from the auction of the last three pieces, but in the end everything was different. The rare Praga Lady Tudor after a complete renovation with a starting price of CZK 990,000 (which is, among other things, roughly the price of the renovation) did not sell. Here, probably because of the closed bodywork, the higher starting price, and thus the auction date.

An interesting, but relatively purpose-built veteran Wikov 7/28 in an ambulance configuration found its only interested party and then a buyer for CZK 850,000, i.e. for the calling machine. At the auction itself, you could see that no one else was interested in this specific piece, that is, except for that one enthusiast who bought a period ambulance from the 1930s made from a screw.

To those who find it crazy, we remind you that you should fulfill your dreams. After all, we ourselves invite you to enjoy your cars.

And finally the mythical Tatra T700, a piece of silver according to the Ministry of Health. Although a total of 70 pieces of the T700 model were born (7 prototypes, 40 pieces of the first series and 23 pieces of the second), so it is legitimately a rarity, the auction potential was not fulfilled. From the starting price of 1.75 million, no one dared to bid on 3,060,000 CZK, which was a non-public and later declassified auction reserve. The silver unicorn thus continues to remain in the stable of the original owner.

Finally, it should be mentioned that if a vehicle doesn’t sell at auction, it doesn’t mean it won’t sell at all. How many times do sellers and buyers slap each other somewhere in private, away from public media hype.

All in all, the autumn Retro Garage cannot be called a failure, only cars that no one would say were in the limelight. On the contrary, the models that were supposed to break records ended up selling for lower prices, or were not sold at all. Anyway, on Saturday, April 27, 2024, there will be another spring Retro Garage, which will show us in which direction the Czech vintage car market has moved.