A "barn find" 40's car can be quite a treasure, especially if the original owner was famous.
Perhaps not so much if he was infamous.
Or, is it perhaps more so?
A newly discovered Hitler-used German staff car is a "last minute consignment" in a New Orleans classic car auction. It is "last minute" for a reason.
Protests immediately spring up; grass roots and sponsored by a small, mid-city Baptist church... although the pressure behind the protest isn't quite what it seems.
The media soon descends, and are just as quickly denied entrance.
The auction is, after all, on private property. No laws are being broken and the consigner doesn't feel he needs "additional publicity." The auction house stands to make millions with a not-quite-standard auction agreement. As such, they are prone to agree.
The hidden collecting underground of Nazi-era artifacts openly collides with the high-stakes world of news and entertainment television.
Millions of dollars are at stake as A-List car collectors decide the question, "What's in a name... and how much is it worth?"
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Antoine "Andy" Guidry is a down on his luck cable TV producer living well beyond his means in San Diego, CA.
He had risen through the ranks of camera op, field producer, and senior producer until he finally jumped ship and developed his own show... burning more than a few bridges on the journey. When his show was abruptly cancelled, it left him with little more than maxed out credit cards, severely overdue bills, and an increasingly virulent cannabis vaping habit.
Unsuccessful at trying to drum up work from former "once bitten-twice shy" associates, he is forced to sell his most treasured possession, a 1968 Porsche 911T Targa. Needing the money as soon as possible, he selects the next classic car auction he can find, an A-Bear Classic Car Auction in New Orleans, LA. Being a Louisiana native, it feels like he's returning home and starting all over again. At his age, that's not a good thing.
Through an unforeseen twist of fate, he finds he is now the only TV producer on the planet with access to the coup of the auto auction universe. A previously undiscovered Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser Tourenwagen, purportedly used by Adolf Hitler, is also being sold in the same auction as Andy's cherished 911, and with about as much advance publicity.
Unfortunately, the consigner not only has no interest in television coverage, he's actually banned it. He claims it is due to the nature of the provenance, which may be as, or even more valuable than the car itself.
If he can find a loophole that will let him actually cover the auction, this could put him back in the game. He just needs to develop a concept, pitch it, get some front money, field a crew, sneak 'em in, and cover the classic car auction event of the century.
Sure, it sounds a bit daunting. But he does, after all, have three whole days to pull it off.
About the Author:
J. Daniel Jones spent 8 years as a producer/director/host at a small TV station in San Diego, CA. During that time he received 7 EMMY nominations and 3 EMMY awards.
He spent the following 8 years as a writer/producer in the corporate world working on big budget videos for hi-tech clients such as Intel, Siemens, and Motorola.
Finally, he was able to combine his television experience with his long-term love of classic cars and began working exclusively on automotive programs that aired on ESPN2 and The Outdoor Channel.
One highlight of his automotive television experience was when he got the opportunity to shoot and/or field produce over 90% of the 2005 season of Hot Rod Magazine TV, including two major cross country events; the Hot Rod Power Tour and the 1st ever Drag Week.
He also successfully managed to avoid Montezuma's Revenge while shooting and field producing the Carrerra La Panamericana, a classic car retro-race in Mexico. This made him quite a bit luckier than some of the drivers.
Jones was exposed to the classic car auction world while working as a episode producer and editing supervisor for the first season of At The Auction, which showcased RM Auctions, now RM/Sotheby's, one of the world's premier auto auction houses.
His first car was a 64 Barracuda, followed by a 67 Comet Calienté and a 62 VW Bug, all before he graduated High School. He has a deep passion for old cars and currently owns a 64 Cutlass and 79 MGB. He has always lusted for a 68 911T Targa, and likely always will.
J. Daniel Jones lives in San Diego, CA with Cindy, his wife of 29 years, and their youngest son. He is also the proud father of two older children, a son and daughter, who live in Los Angeles, CA and Salem, OR.
