The vehicle auction platform Cars & Bids is doing something interesting in the online auction space worth discussing in this column. Collector car auctions held in conjunction with  major automotive events are nothing new — we feature them all the time — but today’s subject offers a unique twist on the concept. In this week’s Market Monday, we’re taking a look at The Velocity Collection being offered by Cars & Bids at the 2026 Velocity Invitational.

After a one-year hiatus, the Velocity Invitational is back at Sonoma Raceway to deliver a weekend-long celebration of historic motorsports, modern performance cars, and wine country hospitality on May 29-31, 2026. Like Goodwood’s Festival of Speed, Porsche’s Rennsport Reunion or the Monterey Historics, Velocity Invitational is all about the sights and sounds of cars in motion, where historic racers blow their fuel-tinged exhaust into a crowd of spectators rather than sitting idly and dripping oil on a concours lawn. Only genuine race cars with a winning provenance are invited, but this is not an event for the ultra rich. Tickets for kids 15 and under are just $5, though adult General Admission for Saturday and Sunday will run you $200.

The event has been praised in years past for the stunning assortment of historic race cars and exotics in attendance, plus the access you have to the vehicles (the paddock is open to anyone with a ticket — as it should be). Formula One driver Yuki Tsunoda (reserve driver—he lost his seat this year) will be a featured guest, plus Sung Kang will be there as well. Ride-along experiences, a Porsche Spring Challenge race and much more are also on the docket.

Cars & Bids has consigned 17 special cars that they have dubbed “The Velocity Collection.” Each one is live and open for bids now with the final day of bidding occurring on Saturday, May 30. The online sale of a themed collection isn’t unusual, but Cars & Bids has teamed up with Velocity Invitational to have a presence at the event. In a twist on placing online bids on a live auction sight-unseen, these 17 cars being sold through the Cars & Bids platform will be on-site at Sonoma Raceway for inspection and viewing. This is a new move for the platform, but we’ll discuss that in a bit.

There are 17 cars offered for sale in Cars & Bids’ Velocity Collection, 2 of which are offered at no reserve. Below are my favorite lots from the sale, with estimated market values and current bid prices.

This is one of the most gorgeous 1960’s race cars ever built. If you asked me to choose between this and a Porsche 904 and value wasn’t a factor, I’d have the Giulia TZ. Prices for these cars have been soft in 2026 based on recent sales, so it will be interesting to see where this car ends up given the venue isn’t exactly typical for this special collectible. I’d estimate this car’s value at between $800,000 and $900,000. Bidding currently sits at $165,000.

This particular model was developed for the 1972 Formula 1 season and replaced the preceding 721X, which was an absolute failure. The 721G was based on F2 underpinnings and was able to propel Ronnie Petersen to the podium at the German Grand Prix. This car, being a “tool room” car, has no racing provenance. Race cars are difficult to value, and March is a cool, but somewhat less known constructor of F1 cars. I’d say this example might fall somewhere in the $75,000-$100,000 range, but I could be way off. Bidding sits at just $6,072 so we have a long way to go.

This one’s probably my favorite of the collection. While I’m not typically into backdated 911s, this one with its Gulf racing-inspired livery and high-quality interior really looks great. There are quibbles, such as the livery being a wrap instead of paint, some panel misalignment, and my usual hatred of Momo steering wheels in 911s but that’s easily changed. Porsche customs have been doing really well the last year, so I would expect a car like this to sell for $125,000-$150,000. Bidding currently sits at $60,500 with 12 days to go.

Values for these cars have been softening lately, despite the meteoric rise in values for G-body 911s. Probably my favorite drop-top G-series 911, the Speedster was an homage to the earlier Porsche 356 model with the same name. While not as stripped down as its inspiration, the 911 Speedster had a radically cut-down windshield, low top, and double-hump hard tonneau. This car has around 36,000 miles, while most top-dollar 911 Speedsters have well under that. I’d estimate this car to sell for $150,000 to $200,000, probably at the low end. Bidding currently sits at $13,000.

I’m appraising a Ferrari F430 right now for a client. Even though it’s not a Scud, I spent much of last night’s sleep literally dreaming about driving and enjoying this model of Ferrari. The 430 Scuderia succeeded the 360 Challenge Stradale as Ferrari’s track-focused motor car to compete with the Porsche 911 GT2 and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. Lighter and more powerful than the F430, the Scuderia or “Scud” featured a single-clutch automated manual called the Superfast 2 that shifted gears in just 60 milliseconds. These have exploded in value this year, with the average Scuderia priced between $350,000 and $400,000 with some approaching $1M. There’s no shortage of Scuds with higher dealer asking prices than my estimate, but those cars have much lower mileage than this example. Bidding for this car is already at $385,000 so we may find a new normal.

It’s pretty standard practice to allow online bids on a vehicle crossing the block at a live auction in 2026, but it’s a little odd to do the reverse with no auctioneer. The Velocity Invitational certainly seems epic and the vehicles that Cars & Bids has assembled for this event are appropriately themed and high-quality examples, but what does Cars & Bids hope to achieve with this concept?

Other live auctions — even those for memorabilia, art, and other collectibles — offer the ability to place absentee bids leading up to the actual live auction where the auctioneer introduces the lot and controls the sale. Those pre-bids effectively become the new starting bid, and every bidding channel — in-room, phone and online — competes to be the one who takes it home on auction day.

In the case of The Velocity Collection, it’s not clear how the on-site activation is going to be set up. It doesn’t sound like there will be a live auctioneer and aside from noting there will be a special area in the paddock for the collection, details are scant in the promotional info from Cars & Bids.

Auction platforms deciding to hold in-person events isn’t a new phenomenon. Bring a Trailer has been hosting “Alumni Gatherings” for past sellers and buyers to get together and share their passion for automobiles for years. I have yet to attend one of these events, though I get plenty of invites from the site. Sadly, the locations are usually in some corner of the country like Seattle or Miami and too challenging for me to get to. Cars & Bids started hosting a similar series of meet-ups this year.

Themed rallies, cocktail receptions, special seminars and celebrity meet and greets are common ways traditional auction houses engage the community and build their brand. It seems online auction platforms like Bring a Trailer and now Cars & Bids are experimenting with these types of events. The spectacles surrounding live auctions like Mecum, Barrett-Jackson and others serve to draw enthusiasts and boost bidding, but what’s the goal here? Without live bidding at the event or some other type of compelling experience to offer besides a static car display, the impact for the brand will likely be minimal.

If I had to guess, this is a “soft” launch or test into a new type of bigger activation for Cars & Bids. Aside from generating some additional awareness for Cars & Bids among Velocity Invitational attendees, it gives their team some valuable experience in assembling a collection, managing the complex logistics of transporting that collection to a live event, engaging with event attendees, completing sales transactions and holding those vehicles in storage until pick-up.

It’s possible that Cars & Bids is making a simple brand awareness play with this effort, but I’m thinking that it’s a test into something bigger — perhaps a live auction of their own. 

Will we see a “Cars & Bids: Live” type of event at a future Velocity Invitational? We just might, if things go well. I hope such an event includes some real innovation, as the traditional auction format could use a spicing up.

What do you think Cars & Bids is up to? Let me know in the comments!

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisals, and auction services for buyers and sellers of collector European cars. If you’re interested in acquiring an overseas car, give us a call or drop a line!