RM Auctions kicked off Monterey’s famed classic car week at the Portola Hotel & Spa on August 13 with the distinguished Nick Alexander Woodie Collection achieving in excess of $7.3 million in total sales.

The four-hour auction attracted spirited bidding as 51 magnificent pre- and post-war Ford & Mercury wood-bodied station wagons crossed the block before a packed house.

The top-seller of the collection was a Dearborn award-winning 1946 Mercury Sportsman Convertible, the rarest Sportsman of all, which brought an impressive $368,500. Other highlights included an exceptionally rare 1948 Ford Super Deluxe Sportsman Convertible for $275,000, and a handsome, all-wheel-drive 1946 Ford Super Deluxe Station Wagon for $247,500.

“The early interest and enthusiasm for this collection translated into a very successful auction,” said Ian Kelleher, President and Chief Operating Officer of RM Auctions. “The room was filled to capacity, with the sale of each lot celebrated by an enthusiastic crowd. The strong results of Nick Alexander Woodie Collection illustrate RM’s continuing strength in the presentation of single-owner collections," he added.

A 1939 Ford Deluxe Station Wagon, the final lot of the Nick Alexander Woodie Collection reserved for RM's Saturday night sale in Monterey, exceeded its original high estimate to bring $215,000 hammer price. This amount will be donated to the Midland School in Santa Barbara, California by Nick Alexander, in addition to the 10% buyers premium of $21,500 and other monies raised which will be donated by RM.