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For Vicari Auction President Pete G. Vicari, handling classic cars began as a family affair.
Influenced by his older sisters’ gearhead fiancés, Vicari bought his first classic car, a 1940 Ford Coupe, for $20 at just 14 years old. He worked side-by-side with his future brothers-in-law to restore the coupe, which was his first foray into classic car ownership and restoration. They eventually sold the coupe, but Vicari was hooked.
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When it was time to head off to college, Peter J. Vicari senior (Pete’s father) wanted to send his son to school in a sensible 1970 four-door Oldsmobile 88 coupe. But Pete couldn’t justify it. “The Olds wasn’t very fashionable,” he said. “I couldn’t see myself going to college in anything less than a Corvette.”
Coming home for a visit after his first week at college, Vicari traded in the Oldsmobile coupe for a ’66 Corvette convertible roadster – the vehicle that sparked his passion for Corvettes.
Later when Vicari married his wife, Barbara, and started a family, duty called and he sold his beloved Corvette. Over the years, Vicari wished he could somehow get the vehicle back, so after Katrina hit in 2005 Vicari contacted the existing owner. He learned that his Corvette had been stored in a garage and subsequently submerged in 15 feet of water. The vehicle’s owner agreed to sell it back to Vicari, who jumped at the opportunity to bring it home and restore it to its original beauty. Today, his ’66 Corvette holds pride of place in his personal car collection in the Vicari Motorsports Museum.
After college, Vicari returned to work at his father’s construction company, Pete Vicari Contractor, Inc., where he learned all facets of the business – climbing from laborer to job superintendent to project manager and finally, in 1980, becoming president. Through his in-depth knowledge of the construction industry, Vicari was appointed to the New Orleans Board of Building Standards and Appeals, a position he held for three years.
Pete Vicari General Contractor, Inc. serves eight states, building and renovating residential, commercial and municipal structures. The company has completed more than $500 million in construction projects. In addition, Vicari’s company has been awarded contracts for numerous historical renovation projects and was a predominant force in rebuilding the community after Hurricane Katrina.
Restoration of large historic buildings is one of Vicari’s passions, and he has gained wide recognition for his expertise. “I love restoring buildings and we’ve won many awards,” he said. “I enjoy new construction, but I love taking that old diamond and polishing it up to make it an ace.”
Vicari attributes his strong work ethic to his late father, who passed away in 2004. “He put a broom in my hand when I wasn’t in school and I went to the construction sites to clean up at 12 years old,” he said. “I’m a workaholic. I don’t consider myself smarter than anyone else, but I will outwork you. When I say I’m going to do something, it will get done.”
While operating the construction business, Vicari continued collecting classic vehicles and slowly growing his collection from one to 50 vehicles. After Katrina, the company was extremely busy rebuilding local businesses that suffered major damage from the storm, including banks, apartment complexes, oil and gas exploration firms and other businesses. The Vicari Museum that housed Pete’s personal collection was one of them. The neighboring building fell on the museum and tore a wall away, soaking the historic contents – including the vehicles. “We had to sift through the debris in order to recover the artifacts,” he said.
The private Vicari Motorsports Museum, now restored, houses exotic collector cars, bicycles, motorcycles and race vehicles as well as a vast array of collectible memorabilia. The exhibit represents years of careful collecting and many hours of research to verify the authenticity of the items. Recently, Peter sold nearly his entire classic car collection to a single buyer, but has kept his first Corvette and a few other beloved vehicles. He has again begun rebuilding his classic auto inventory.
While growing his collection, Vicari became increasingly involved with the auto auction scene. In the beginning, Vicari served as the local New Orleans sponsor for the Kruse International Collector Car Auction & Show. His first sale, held at Boomtown Casino in 1995, went off without a hitch.
Two years later, Vicari sold an entire classic auto collection for Imperial Palace President Ralph Engelstad at his inaugural Biloxi Auction, which took place during Cruisin’ the Coast®, a Gulf Coast festival to celebrate antique, classic and hot rod vehicles. For Vicari, the sale of the Imperial Palace collection was his real start in the classic auto auction business. This year will mark the Vicari Auction Company’s 26th annual Biloxi Auction held in conjunction with Cruisin’ the Coast.
Today the Vicari Auction Company employs professional auctioneers. Vicari worked with a sponsor and eventually took his certification test, passed it with flying colors and 20 years ago became a licensed auctioneer. “You never know when our auctioneer might not be able to be there and I’ll have to get up and conduct an auction myself,” he said.
Vicari goes the extra mile to help his customers with securing vehicle documentation and storage, even offering to keep vehicles in his museum and care for them as if they were his own until the new owner can take possession. “We work very hard to give our customers the personal care they deserve,” he said.
Vicari Auction Company Classic Auto Auctions:
- 26th Annual Biloxi Auction at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center in Biloxi, Miss., held in conjunction with Cruisin’ the Coast, Oct 4-7, 2023
- 4th Annual Spring Auction at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center in Biloxi, Miss., held in conjunction with the Crawfish Music Festival, April 19 & 20, 2024
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