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2021 Okotoks Collector Car Auction

'Hybrid' event to be held at New Horizon Mall north of Calgary on June 12

Greg Williams
Jun 05, 2021  •  June 5, 2021  •  4 minute read  •  Join the conversation
Available at this year’s Okotoks Collector Car Auction on June 12 at the New Horizon Mall is this 1962 Corvette. It’s a ‘hybrid’ auction format, and there will not be an auctioneer selling vehicles — instead, cars and trucks are available to view at the mall, but bidding is all online.
Available at this year’s Okotoks Collector Car Auction on June 12 at the New Horizon Mall is this 1962 Corvette. It’s a ‘hybrid’ auction format, and there will not be an auctioneer selling vehicles — instead, cars and trucks are available to view at the mall, but bidding is all online. Photo by Okotoks Collector Car Auction

COVID-19 has upset many routine gearhead activities, from car shows to auctions. Traditionally held in late May in Alberta, the Okotoks Collector Car Auction has operated since 1975. In 2020, proprietor Jeff Hill had to quickly pivot in to salvage the event when the first coronavirus lockdown took place.

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“What a nerve-racking experience this has been,” Hill says. “The Okotoks auction is a community event, and we wanted to keep the community safe. When things started changing in March and April with restrictions, we decided not to hold the event in Okotoks.”

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As regulations eased, Hill searched for a suitable location to host an auction.

“A friend had held an event at the New Horizon Mall (just north of Calgary), and I got in touch with them about holding a sale there last September,” Hill explains, adding the New Horizon Mall has a large, surface-level covered parkade that he estimates has room for up to 200 cars suitably spaced apart. Hill and his team were able to prepare the lot for an auction with a modified format.

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“No one was sure if anyone would be spending money on cars,” Hill says, and continues, “but we did well, many cars sold, and it was very encouraging.”

For 2021, Hill is returning to the New Horizon Mall on Saturday, June 12 for what he calls a ‘hybrid’ collector car auction.

“All of the cars will be displayed, and people can go and view them for themselves before registering for an online-only bidders’ card,” Hill says.

This is not a ‘live’ auction in terms of an auctioneer selling vehicles as they cross the block. Similar to how eBay works, potential bidders can enter a maximum bid on the car or truck of their choice, with the process ending at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Bidding takes place solely online.

“All of the cars show up on the Friday, with a 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. preview and the doors will be open (for viewing) all day on Saturday during the sale,” Hill says.

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  1. Available at this year’s Okotoks Collector Car Auction on June 12 at the New Horizon Mall is this 1980 Chevrolet K10 4x4 Bonanza with an upgraded 5.3-litres LS engine.
    Available at this year’s Okotoks Collector Car Auction on June 12 at the New Horizon Mall is this 1980 Chevrolet K10 4x4 Bonanza with an upgraded 5.3-litres LS engine. Photo by Okotoks Collector Car Auction
  2. Once ubiquitous, these first-generation Honda Civics are now rarely found in good, original condition. This 1976 Civic is an Alberta car, sold new in Red Deer, and features re-upholstered seats with original paint.
    Once ubiquitous, these first-generation Honda Civics are now rarely found in good, original condition. This 1976 Civic is an Alberta car, sold new in Red Deer, and features re-upholstered seats with original paint. Photo by Okotoks Collector Car Auction
  3. Scenes from the Okotoks Collector Car Auction held last September at the New Horizon Mall just north of Calgary. This year, the auction will be held on June 12 in the same location.
    Scenes from the Okotoks Collector Car Auction held last September at the New Horizon Mall just north of Calgary. This year, the auction will be held on June 12 in the same location. Photo by Okotoks Collector Car Auction

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Interesting vehicles available include a mostly all-original 1976 Honda Civic. Although a humble commuter vehicle when first introduced to North America in 1972 for the 1973 model year, first-generation Civics have become something of a cult classic. Indeed, demand for many early to mid-seventies Japanese vehicles continues to rise With its transversely mounted 1,500cc four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels and fully independent suspension, the Civic supplied reliable, and fun, transportation with room to carry four adults. The first-generation Civic lasted until 1979. This two-door ’76 Civic hatchback in orange is an Alberta car, sold new in Red Deer. The seats have been reupholstered and the paint, which is gleaming in the online photographs, appears to be original with usual signs of age. The Honda is being sold with a reserve.

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Other offerings include a number of early eighties GM pickups, including a 1980 Chevrolet K10 4×4 Bonanza with short box. This truck, finished in orange and grey, has been updated with a 5.3-litre LS engine.

It’s a good time to buy or sell a toy.

Hill expects to have close to 100 vehicles consigned, including a 1934 Plymouth hot rod sedan with front and rear suicide doors, a 2017 Acura NSX hybrid supercar, and a 1954 MG TF roadster. (For a look at other vehicles available, visit okotokscarauction.com). Vehicles being sold without reserve include three Mustangs: a 1966 Mustang convertible, a 1967 Mustang coupe, and a 1972 Mustang fastback. Also without reserve is a 1976 Pontiac Trans Am ‘clone’. Although the 455 cubic-inch engine and four-speed manual transmission are not numbers matching to the car, they are Pontiac components.

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Three other vehicles, all in running and driving condition, being sold without reserve include a 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III coupe, a 1963 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible, and a 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible. One more no reserve consignment is a 1974 Honda CT Trail 90. This machine, showing 3,743 miles, has not run in the last 24 years but looks fairly complete and shouldn’t be too difficult to clean and repair.

“It’s a good time to buy or sell a toy — whether it’s a boat, a motorcycle or a car,” Hill says. “People are spending fair money for good cars, and one thing I like to emphasize is we need to keep this stuff local.

“People talk about sending their cars south (to the big American auction houses), but if we keep shipping our inventory south, we won’t have anything left here for enthusiasts to buy and drive and show. Let’s keep our collector hobby healthy.”

Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca

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