Santiago takes shortened auto auction into fall season

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Oct 21, 2002 by Ray Carter The Journal Record

After 18 years organizing annual classic car auctions in Oklahoma City, Rocky Santiago is making some big changes this year.

For the first time ever, the auction will be held in the fall and will run only one day after years of being a two-day, springtime event.

"It's my 18th year but this is the inaugural fall sale," Santiago said. "There's never been one here before."

Santiago, owner of Santiago Sports and Classics, said there will be 200 cars up for sale at the Oklahoma City Fall 2002 Collector Car Auction, with 300 to 400 registered bidders. In past years the auction included as many as 400 cars.

Santiago expects the auction to raise $1 million.

Logistical problems forced Santiago to cut the auction to just one day. However, he said the shorter time frame has improved the quality of the cars in the sale.

"I can be a lot more selective about the caliber of cars that are coming in if it's a one-day sale," he said. "I can turn some cars away that I don't think are collectable."

Most of the cars for sale will be from Oklahoma or surrounding states. The show will include everything from a 1929 Model A to several 1969 Camaro Z-28s.

In spite of the changes, Santiago said buyer interest remains strong. His Web page (www.santiagosc.com) links to a National Auto Trader Web site, increasing public awareness of the event.

"We're getting people calling us from all over the country," Santiago said. "We even have guys in Canada calling us. The Internet is kind of an amazing deal."

He expects attendance at the sale could run between 5,000 and 10,000.

"This is the best car show you can go to, except everything's for sale," he said.

The auction will be held Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Travel and Transportation Building at the state fairgrounds in Oklahoma City. Admission is $5.

In spite of the economic downturn of the last two years, Santiago believes interest in collectable cars remains strong. In fact, a plummeting stock market may have actually increased interest in collectable cars.

"Today's economy is uncertain at best. A lot of people are turning to hard assets. A collector car represents one of the best hard assets there is," Santiago said. "First of all, they're not depreciating. In most cases, they're appreciating. And then second of all, it's something that you can actually enjoy a lot."