Perhaps a useful barometer for the recession, and even our society’s overall general economic health, is to look at how car sales are doing.  Nothing seems to reflect the public’s state of mind like their appetite and willingness to express themselves through their cars, in terms of performance and style.

Well, as for how things are going, it’s early, but it would seem The Big 3 are on the rebound in 2010 as showcased at auto shows like Detroit and Chicago.  And, in the collector’s realm of the car buying galaxy, if you happened to be at a Gooding and Company auction in Scottsdale in late January, why, you might just be under the impression that “recession” is something they only talk about in Propecia commercials these days.

But seriously, there at the Gooding and Company auction, a 1956 Jaguar D-Type Sports Racer brought in $3.74 million.  This is the car that won the Le Mans from ’55-’57, the car that essentially solidified Jaguar as a hybrid in the classic sense of performance and aesthetics.  With its muscular yet sleek body and aerodynamic nose, it is one of the most beloved cars of all-time, and its price in Scottsdale certainly reflects that.  In fact, the ’56 Jaguar was one of 3 cars at the auction to top 1 million dollars, the others being a 1934 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing Top Convertible Coupe (1.815) and a 1959 Costin Lister Jaguar Sports Racer (1.1).

At first the recent events in Scottsdale might not appear to be very useful for telling us what’s going on with the average car buyer surveying his Madison used cars lot.  For one, those auctioned cars exceeding the 1 million dollar mark may never pull up alongside that average car buyer at a red light on Main Street or into Joe’s auto garage, let alone sniff the tar bubbles of America’s roadways; but what is significant here is that cars, both at Midwest auto shows and in an internationally recognized auction house in Scottsdale, at least seem to be capturing the public’s imagination again after some dark years.  They are a commodity worth spending on.  Yes, from all accounts it would seem the automobile is revving back up again.  And that would certainly indicate that both auction houses and your local Madison dealer should expect bright days ahead.