When we arrived to the welcome area by way of chauffeurs with golf carts, stepping off onto the carpeted area, Don says “this is just like being back in Hollywood, when I was at Paramount.” We immediately knew there was going to be something different about this event.
Sliding into our most natural roles of Valet, Key Grip and Producer we took the off moment and felt it was appropriate to pose for our film credits.
The behind-the-scenes magic unfolded as car detailers, mechanics and caretakers meticulously maintained all of our “actors,” converting them into characters that will soon grace the silver screen by passing in front of a crowd of 500 or more bidders via black half moon in the main hall.
The team at Broad Arrow did a wonderful job utilizing the Jet Center’s buildings and planes to create the illusion of being behind the scenes of one of your favorite cop dramas or spy movies of the time. All of the prompts and arrangements made you feel as if you were amidst the backdrop of iconic soundstages and vintage architecture. And with so many people in attendance previewing vehicles on sale this week, the facility was brimming with energy, anticipation, and beautiful cars.
Skilled technicians orchestrated intricate lighting setups which allowed for interesting camera angles to capture every nuance of the unfolding Radius story.
Classic advertising puns and jokes were being thrown around like SAAB’s “Born from Jets” slogan or Porsche comparing the 924-turbo to a fighter jet in one of it’s ads, to Ridley Scott’s Nissan 300ZX-Turbo super bowl commercial “…and, then, the… turbo! kicked, in!…” as the driver is chased by a fighter plane as we continued to tour the Monterey Airport “Jet Center.”
The addition of a VIP Lounge at Broad Arrow Radius events is new and the word on the street is that it might evolve into a “club” specifically for auction goers with additional perks much like existing “drivers club” available today from Hagerty.
Beyond the glitz and glamour that the digital silver screen projects, the backstage of Radius pulses with an intoxicating blend of passion and pressure. As bidders roam through and investigate each vehicle, the air becomes thick with anticipation around entries like the Ferrari 280 GTO and F50 up on the mainstage.
And what movie set wouldn’t be complete without an audition from this James Bond classic, a 1964 Aston Martin DB5.
Backstage on the set of Radius, one is privy to the visceral pulse of artistic ambition, a realm where legends are made, sacrifices are rendered, and the very essence of storytelling is captured in each breathless moment of this event. We wish all of the bidders the best of luck, and congratulations to the new custodians for each of these vehicles.
Broad Arrow’s Radius is a fresh take on luxury auctioneering, with nearly $70 million dollars of cars on-site and available for purchase, spanning the turn-of-the-century brass era classics, through the height of the dolce vita, and onto the modern supercars there’s something here for everyone.
