Mergers and Acquisitions Christie’s and Gooding

Christie’s has announced that it is to acquire leading international collectors’ car auction house, Gooding & Company.   Founded in 2003 by the husband-and-wife team of David Gooding and Dawn Ahrens, Gooding & Company has earned recognition for its high-quality consignments and exceptional transparency in the auction world, offering  vehicles from some of the most prestigious collections and unearthing new discoveries.  David has previously served as managing director of the International Motor Sports department at Christie’s and as president of RM Auctions.  At the close of the transaction Gooding & Company will become known as Gooding Christie’s.  The Gooding team are expected to remain in place after the takeover, still based at its Santa Monica headquarters, with David continuing as President. 

For many years Christie’s car department was a leading force on the auction circuit.  Many of the world’s current car auctioneers and dealers cut their teeth there.  However, Christie’s closed its car department in 2007 after first, a mass defection of many of its staff, who went on to found Brooks Auctioneers – which later merged with RM and Sotheby’s – and a series of embarrassing sales results.

With very much of an eye to further developing the Gooding business, Christie’s will once again become a major player in the rapidly expanding classic and collector’s car market, further solidifying its leadership in the broader luxury sector for which Christie’s owners, the Groupe Artémis, is well known