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Alex Hirschi, the woman behind the popular Supercar Blondie YouTube channel, launched SBX Cars on April 2 – an online auction site that sells the hypercars and other ultra-exclusive vehicles she has become famous for showcasing.
Hirschi identified an unserved niche of incredibly wealthy buyers searching for unique automobiles. “There’s a gap in the market,” she told Bloomberg. “We receive a lot of people asking if we have a buyer for one of their unique cars, and we have other people saying, ‘Hey, I want to find this car. I can’t find it anywhere.’”
SBX Cars secured over $100 million in consigned vehicles before its launch. The auction house will operate primarily from Los Angeles and Dubai, with dedicated teams in London as well. Hirschi’s husband Nik Hirschi, a former Bloomberg employee and current SB Media Group CEO, highlights their premium positioning: “There’s no platform right now that just does exclusive sales. We’ve built a whole new platform that is going to feel premium, look premium.”
The venture enters a crowded online vehicle marketplace that has cooled from pandemic peaks. Established players like Bring a Trailer, Cars & Bids, Collecting Cars, and digitized traditional auction houses like RM Sotheby’s, Barrett-Jackson, and Gooding & Co. are all vying to differentiate themselves.
Rarity will be SBX Cars’ calling card. Rather than mainstream offerings, the auctions will feature ultra-exclusive models like vintage Formula One racers, a Mercedes-AMG One hypercar, Tesla’s Cybertruck, and Hyperion’s XP-1 prototype.
Hirschi transitioned from radio host to YouTuber in 2017, amassing 110 million followers across platforms by showcasing her genuine enthusiasm for supercars. Her easygoing, non-expert persona resonated with viewers.
“She has already done all the work that car specialists are supposed to do at an auction house,” says Lance Butler, SBX Cars’ auction director, and former Bonhams veteran, referring to Hirschi’s cultivated network of elite collectors.
SBX Cars will host 15-20 auctions per week initially, each lasting 7-14 days. Listing fees start at $250 with a 5% buyer’s premium – a model Butler believes will make the company immediately profitable.
However, sourcing inventory for such exclusive vehicles poses a challenge. “The air gets thin at that level,” Edward Lovett of Collecting Cars, referring to the limited supply of multi-million dollar hypercars, told Bloomberg.
Steve Davis of Barrett-Jackson told the outlet he views online auctions as complementary but not replacements for live events: “Online gambling is available, but the casinos are full. There’s something about being able to touch and feel an environment.”
Prospective SBX Cars bidders can view vehicles virtually or in person, but the company confirmed no official vehicle vetting process beyond caveat emptor.
Nevertheless, Hirschi remains confident that her media influence can drive demand. “The point is that we can do a video on a car and get 20 million views, and then someone sees the car is for sale, shares it…and a collector says ‘Did you see this?’”
“They don’t have the network,” Nik Hirschi said of traditional auction houses, citing prior multi-million dollar sales initiated by Supercar Blondie features.
Ultimately, SBX Cars’ success hinges on whether Hirschi’s influence translates into consumer trust to confidently trade ultra-high value automobiles. “If it does, she’ll create an 800-pound gorilla in the room,” John Temerian of Curated vintage car dealers told Bloomberg.
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Courtesy : https://www.netinfluencer.com/alex-hirschi-supercar-blondie-sbx-cars-online-auction/