You are, shall we say, moderately wealthy. You have an elegant trophy wife who looks absolutely stunning, even in a room full of sexy competitors. Turning aside an offer of delightful French wine in order to be sharp for the bidding, you have your heart set on a 1934 Packard Twelve Coupe. Why would you covet such a machine? To begin, the Packard Twelve was a signature car of the classic era, this example having been created by master body designer Ray Dietrich. The V-12 engine, originally developed for use with front-wheel-drive but later christened the Twin Six, was Packard's inspiration in a "supercar" era remarkably similar to what's happening now, when V-8's, V-12's, and even V-16's ruled the roost. Just four other examples exist and this one is complete in every detail, a three-class winner at Pebble Beach.

So was yours the winning bid? To be honest, I took this shot from the back of the tent at RM Auction's 2008 Scottsdale event, just to give you a feeling for the atmosphere when a great classic is on the block. Look closely to discover the offering price at the instant my Nikon digital camera captured the scene. Unfortunately this shot was spoiled by a white-haired gentleman who got in the way... but wait, isn't that Rob Myers, the initials in "RM, encouraging an even higher bid?