Gooding & Company has just announced its recent consignment of the Drendel Family Collection of 18 Porsches at its Amelia Island Auction on Friday, March 9th.  Recognized as the world's finest private collection of its kind, the Drendel Family Collection consists of both road and race cars spanning 25 years of Porsche history from 1973 - 1997. The arrival of this extraordinary collection in Amelia Island offers collectors and Porsche enthusiasts around the world the opportunity to own a piece of Porsche's winning motorsport heritage.

Detailed below are four of the most significant collector cars being offered as part of the Drendel Family Collection:

1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder

The Porsche 917 racing program was one of the most successful in the history of motor sport and the 1973 917/30 Can-Am Spyder represents its pinnacle. With a 1,000 hp turbocharged flat-twelve, American racing champion Mark Donohue's 917/30 was so dominant that the Can Am Challenge Cup was disbanded and the other manufacturers withdrew due to their inability to compete. One of four examples completed at the Porsche factory, 004 was intended to be the 1974 Penske-Sunoco team car but was instead sold to Australian Porsche Importer Alan Hamilton. Later purchased by the Porsche factory, this car is now the centerpiece of the Drendel Family Collection. Estimate: $3.25 - $4 million.

1984 Porsche 962

According to Gooding & Company specialists, this car is the finest example of the Porsche 962 and one of the most successful racing cars of its generation. With only two owners from new, this back-to-back 24 Hours of Daytona winner will be one of the Drendel Family Collection's most significant offerings at the auction with its immediately recognizable Löwenbräu livery, list of legendary drivers, unrivalled racing record and superb documentation. Estimate: $1.75 - $2.225 million

1976 Porsche 935/76

The first 935 built, this car served as the prototype and development mule for one of the most successful series of Porsche racing cars. This historically-significant example ran as a factory team car under the recognizable Martini & Rossi livery and its podium finishes at Watkins Glen and Dijon helped Porsche capture the Group 5 World Championship in 1976.  In addition to its impressive provenance and great originality, this factory race car has the remarkable distinction of being the first Porsche with a 930 serial number prefix. Estimate: $1.7 - $2 million

1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution

This rare factory team car - one of just four built - has competed at top events (Le Mans, Nürburgring and Laguna Seca) in the highest levels of international racing with known drivers behind its wheel. Later campaigned by Rohr Racing at Daytona and Harry Bytzek in the Canada GT Challenge Cup, GT1-004 has one of the most impressive racing records of any factory GT1.  Estimate: $900,000 - $1.2 million

For more information about the entire Drendel Family collection of Porsches visit Gooding & Company's website.

Photos - Gooding & Company

On May 5 - 6, 2012, the nation's first and largest gathering of classic cars and boats for the last 16 years, Keels and Wheels Concours d'Elegance, will take place once again at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas. And for as long as we can remember, The Houston Classic Auction was an integral part of that event.

But this year the Houston Classic Auction has teamed up with the Concours d'Elegance of Texas for their inaugural event at the La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa on the shores of Lake Conroe in Montgomery. The Houston Classic will be held on May 5th and the Concours d'Elegance of Texas will be May 6th. The La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa, which is situated north of downtown Houston, recently underwent a $130 million expansion and renovation which makes it a perfect setting for both events.

So here are two great events happening on the same weekend that are within 60 miles of one another.  Just another good reason to head to Texas in May.

Suggested reading: Keels and Wheels Photo Gallery

It was an exciting week at the Annual Scottsdale, Arizona Auction week.  The preliminary totals for 2012 from six auction houses show a combined sales of well over $180m, well surpassing last year's $160m.

Gooding & Company has a lot to brag about regarding their 2012 Scottsdale auction results including 13 record breaking sales and the highest selling car for the week - $4.62m for a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing. Gooding sold seven cars that were over  $1million mark during their 2 day, January 20-21 sale, at the Scottsdale Fashion Center. Their sales total was $39.8m, which is $4.8m more than last year...read more.

Barrett-Jackson's huge tent event at WestWorld from January 15-22 had a sales total of $92m, an increase of $24.5m from the 2011 number. A 1948 Tucker Torpedo brought was their top seller at $2.9m, a 1947 Bentley Mark VI, with coachwork by Franay, sold for $2.75m, while a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing with only 4,159 miles....read more.

Although Ferraris took the lead at RM's 2012 Scottsdale Auction, there was a good selection of cars to satisfy the taste buds of any collector or car enthusiast. A 1957 Ferrari 410 Superamerica that brought $1.8m was the top seller at RM's January 19-20 auction at the Arizona Biltmore.  RM's total sales were $25.5m...read more.

Bonhams has been one of the big players within the classic car auction circuits for many years, but 2012 was the first year they came to one of the biggest weeks for classic car enthusiasts, the Annual Scottsdale Classic Car Auctions. And were glad they came. At the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, on January 19, a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Sedan sold post-sale for $700k, leading the way to a preliminary sales total of $6.2m...read more.

For the 12th year in a row Russo and Steele's Scottsdale Auction has remained true to its tagline of "For enthusiasts- by enthusiasts" in delivering an action packed auction event with a record turnout. Russo and Steele's top sale was a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 that sold for $687,500, and total estimated sales were $18.2M for their January 18-22 Scottsdale event...read more.

Silver Auctions' top sale was a 1960 Facel Vega HK500 that brought $87k and led the way to a total of $2.95m. Visit Silver their for full results.

1960 marked the turn of an era of automobile styling in the United States. No longer would the massive amounts of chrome be so prevalent than in the late 50s on the exterior of the car; they would be toned down and never again seen.

At the Scottsdale auctions we found many wonderful examples of the finned cars of the 50s, and one example of  an affordable and maintainable car that we thought would excite our readers and yet be reachable for the hobbyist with a limited budget.

We found such a great example at the 2012 Barrett Jackson auction, a 1960 Impala 2 Door Hardtop sporting a correct Tuxedo Black exterior paint with radiant red and white hounds-tooth interior, and in some heated bidding sold for just under $30,000. This seemed to us to be a very good purchase for this solid and well prepared true American car. Since leaving the St. Louis, MO assembly plant, this sport coupe was originally fitted with a 4-speed manual transmission and a 348cid V8. The engine was later replaced with a 427cid big block to make the performance a little more exciting. Visually and performance wise we feel that this car deserves attention and is a really practical lower to mid-range entry point into the hobby.

It's important to note that the 50s tail fins were the creation of Harley Earl the GM designer who is well recognized for employing women in his design teams. The success of his innovative tail fin design swept through the entire nation of car buyers during the 1950s. Fins were an extravagant expression, indeed they were splendidly outrageous, impractical and most people lusted after them!

Today it is remarkable that you can satisfy the lust by buying into a fully restored Chevy Impala for the same price as a Nissan Maxima!