Auction Upheaval

In a dramatic move before just before Christmas, the three leading figures in Sotheby’s car auction department defected en masse to major rival Brooks. Malcolm Barber, Stewart Skilbeck and historian Mike Worthington-Williams swell the Brooks team, with Barber becoming MD as founder Robert Brooks becomes Chairman. Brooks, who has auctioneering in his blood, has aspirations to broaden his field from cars alone, claiming “a crying need for a contemporary, all-embracing auction house to compete against the establishment”.

Meanwhile the 1995 list shows a dozen motoring sales, including new venue Alexandra Palace (London Classic Motor Show, March 18/19), and the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 23.