Alex, Tyler, and Beck talk about our latest milestone sale, whether there’s a logical value cap on BaT, why it doesn’t matter if two amazing cars close at the same time, “reimagined” classics, how old a car needs to be for Route 66, Duchov luv, cross-country routes, a guerrilla house move, depreciation curves, model pages, and 1959.
This is Part Three of a three-part series. Click the links to read Part One, and Part Two.
It was a warm and sunny June morning and I’d been home about a week and a half. I was out in the garage thinking I should take advantage of the weather and give Mom’s RAV4 a good wash because it needed it. Had gotten dusty sitting in front of the McBungalow since I got back and was still grimy and buggy from the trip, but just as I was getting motivated my phone rang. Saw it was the eldest so I picked up. Knew immediately by his voice that something was brewing. He pretended-normal for a minute, asking me all the usuals. How I was. What I’d been up to. If the dogs were okay. And I answered him with all the usuals. Fine. Not much. Yup. Then he paused and cleared his throat. Said he’d just gotten off a phone call from Grandma—the Beehive—and needed to talk to me about a couple things. So I walked over to my workbench and sat down on my shop stool. “Okeydoke, kiddo. Shoot.”
The fireworks have been snuffed out, the hot dogs are back in the freezer until next year, and we’re all back to work for the time being. We’ve been waiting all week for Friday—not because we’re working for the weekend, but because that’s when we get to share our latest collection of strange and interesting vehicles—the Weekly Weird and Wonderful. This week, we’ve got some gnarly race cars that probably shouldn’t have titles for road use, a stripped-down Jeep with all the frills, one of the most beautiful home-built boats we’ve ever seen, an Italian tax-dodge SUV, and more. But this list is a mere taste of what’s currently live on BaT, so we invite you to head over to our Live Auctions page for more fun once you’ve finished the feature below.
Alex interviews Peter Guida of @mcqueens, one of BaT’s fastest-growing Local Partners and the host of our recent Delaware Meet-Up. The gregarious Guida talks about Maryland and SoCal hot rods, getting shot down, running things by the book, strategies to deliver at large volume, the next big thing, and pitching clients on BaT.
The Riding Shotgun project has been an interesting one for me, to say the least, and as I picked up the e-phone to chat with the seventh subject of the series I couldn’t help but recall what a certain Mr. Gump had to say about that box of chocolates. Thus far in the project, whenever I’ve connected with any of the RS subjects, I’ve never known what I was going to get, and @hardtuned was no different. A handsome, youngish guy with chiseled features and a slender athletic build, he greeted me with a broad smile and an enthusiasm that was contagious. And when he began my ride-along by offering me a “ten-second tour” of his garage and its eclectic occupants, I knew I was in for another fascinating journey.
For much of the North American population, today is a day to stay inside if you can, lest one be exposed to excessive smoke, tainted lettuce, and other modern perils. To keep you from going stir-crazy, we have assembled for your viewing pleasure a curated list of the most interesting and noteworthy vehicles currently on BaT. This week’s installment contains two military vehicles, three race bikes, two fantastic tribute cars, and the coolest woodie wagon you’ve ever seen. But there was such an abundance that we had to leave things like a DeTomaso Mangusta and an LS3-swapped Mercedes tour bus on the cutting room floor. Not to worry, they can still be seen on our live auctions page, which currently hosts around 1,200 vehicles.
It’s time to announce the winner for the sixth round of our 2026 Michelin and BFGoodrich tire giveaway! Over 120 of you weighed in, and it was a photo finish between the gargantuan Ford Galaxie Country Squire wagon and the charming Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible. With the contest being this close, we’re exercising our Editorial Privilege this round and handing the win to the Karmann Ghia! Congratulations to its newest owner, @CertifiedPreownedLungs.
We’re joined for the first time by Emily, BaT’s Operations Manager, to talk about life at BaT HQ, her first event, 308 vs Turbo 2, new merch, office therapy, Spotted Cow and cheese curds, driving to Flagstaff, screaming in bars, the power of ranch dressing, Tyler’s unpopular opinions, a quintessential ’90s VW experience, the New Beetle, and more.
Event Coverage:
Portland may as well have greeted us with a bouquet of literal roses. We had a great time with our wonderful hosts at Portland International Raceway, and the turnout was stellar. What better way to say it than this, from our friends at Avant-Garde Collection:
“What a fine Saturday morning it was for a Bring a Trailer Gathering at the 2026 FOPIR Rose Cup Races! We filled the entire display field on the front straight of PIR and welcomed enthusiasts driving all types of cool vehicles. We handed out lots of 911r merchandise and BaT provided commemorative event posters to attendees.
Recently I did something that all my life I swore I’d never do. Had been offered many chances to do it before but always gamely resisted, white-knuckling through any and all temptations like a champ. However, over the past few years I’ve found myself growing weaker of body and spirit and mind while the deadly-sweet melody of one particular siren’s song only grew louder and more seductive and last week I finally gave up and gave in. I know there are those who’ll think less of me because of it, people who’ll look askance at me when I walk into the room and whisper and hiss and snicker about me when I walk back out but, oh well. It is what it is. Or was what it was, I suppose. There’s no taking it back now and before rumors started to fly I figured I’d better get ahead of any scandal and admit it outright, admit that I’d gone over to the Dark Side and for the first time ever had my car professionally detailed rather than washing it by hand myself. I hope you were all sitting down.