Key Moments Before the Auction
Most people only see the auction itself, but have no insight into what happens before the first hammer falls. In fact, the specialists at an auction house are already hard at work months before the auction. But the real rush begins in the days leading up to the sale. At Broad Arrow Auctions, Carl Bauer is responsible for documenting and preparing the cars before the big day. With a team that includes five editors, among others, the vehicles are described and the documentation is compiled. When the cars arrive at the auction site, they are inspected, checked for completeness, and the documentation is finalized.
Each vehicle has a box containing one or more folders with invoices, brochures, historic photographs, etc. The team at Broad Arrow often purchases or obtains additional documentation—such as certificates of origin, historic photos, etc.—so that everything is ready for the preview days and the auction day. “We often make the cars even better,” Carl Bauer explained to me. Not only are the vehicles cleaned and polished, but the essential documentation is also completed and organized.
During the preview, interested buyers can then review the documentation at the “Records & Research” desk and have a Broad Arrow specialist explain the car to them. Sometimes test drives are even possible, but space in the Dolder Grand parking garage is too tight to maneuver the cars around. Still, a test run of the engine could be heard on some of the cars.
Anyone looking to buy a car should definitely take this opportunity to review the documentation and the accessories stored on-site (e.g., tool kits) and ask any questions they may have. That way, you won’t be buying a pig in a poke. And the work done by Carl Bauer and his team has paid off. By the way, everyone working there is a car enthusiast. It couldn’t be any other way, says Karl Bauer—after all, a day in this business often lasts well over eight hours.
Following the preview days on Thursday and Friday, a final preview of Dolder’s Broad Arrow cars will be held today, November 7, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Parking Garage 3 in Zurich. This preview is free and open to the public.
In the afternoon , the auction at the Dolder begins at 1:30 p.m. , though registration is required. Anyone who has taken a close look at their dream car during the “preview” will now enter the bidding war well-informed and might even walk away with the winning bid in the end… and it might cost less than you’d think at first glance, since the 1982 Toyota Celica Supra 2.8i pictured here is being offered for CHF 10,000 to 15,000 with no reserve price …
