Planning a massive car event the same weekend as an already-established show may seem like a strange move, but it was a decision born out of rivalry. As a bit of background to the situation, RM Sotheby’s used to organize the auctions at Amelia Island until the new owner of the event, classic car insurance company Hagerty, formed its own auction house called Broad Arrow and ousted Meyers and his group from the event.
“The fellows from Hagerty went behind my back and worked with my ex-president,” Meyers alleges. “They bought the Amelia Auction Company from my friend, Bill Warner, who ran it for 26 years. They paid a lot of money for it ($6.5 million, according to Meyers), so I knew I would get the boot from being the featured auction company. I thought, ‘Well, we’re kind of getting bored with Amelia Island anyway.'” That’s when Meyers began work on his own, competing event.
“You want to go into the auction business? No problem. We’ll go into the show business and compete,” Meyers proclaimed.
