Donnie Gould learned the trade, built a reputation and developed his career following in the footsteps of one of the pioneers of the classic car industry – his father.
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Gould grew up surrounded by his father’s passion for cars and the classic car industry. “It was 24/7 at my house,” said Gould. His father, Tiny Gould, was one of the first full time antique classic car dealers in the business, really beginning an entire new industry of collecting as early as 1955. “As far as dealers, my father, Bob Adams, Leo Gephart and Tom Barrett are considered pioneers of the industry.” Gould said the knowledge gained through his father was invaluable. “My father taught me a lot of things. Not only that, we worked together well and bonded excellently.”
Gould, now of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has since taken his skills and joined RM Auctions in the role of Southeast Car Specialist and Partner. Beginning at RM in 2002, Gould was not only familiar with the industry, but a familiar face to many. Gould had restored cars for over 20 years and had been active on the auction scene working with Kruse. When Kruse was bought by eBay in May of 1999 Gould’s auction was eliminated from the schedule, but he was not discouraged. Gould said he knew offers were going to come along to pick up his auction, but he wanted to be sure he chose the right company. “I got offers from several companies that I considered to be second rate, and I turned them down. I knew when I was approached by Rob Myers that RM was the perfect fit.”
Myers and Gould began discussing possibilities for their partnership, and they both anticipated renewing Gould’s auction in the Southern Florida region. Gould’s first RM Auction as an employee and partner was Vintage Motor Cars in Arizona 2002 and things began to fall into place following that. “Rob came down to South Florida and we spent a couple weeks selecting sale sites, buying cars and working out the fine details.”
The inaugural Boca Raton Collector Car Auction in February 2003 was a huge success, with attendance soaring over 10,000 and the auction of 500 cars producing sales of almost $8 million.
Since coming on board Gould has developed RM Florida and continued to generate auction fever on Florida’s gold coast. “Our Boca event, now in its third year, keeps getting stronger and stronger.”
After more than 20 years in the restoration business Gould said the opportunity to join RM and leave restoration was a blessing in disguise. “Restoration is tough. . . I love my work with RM and I love the people in the car business. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else now.”
Although he may not still be actively involved in the restoration business Gould said he still enjoys taking collector cars and “dukin’ them up.” His personal favorites include Shelby Mustangs and Ford Performance Products.
If money was no object Gould said he would buy back the only car he regrets selling – a 1976 Wood Brothers Mercury Stock Car. “I found the Mercury Montego in a junkyard and restored it myself, and sold it reluctantly several years later. I even know where it is now, but I strongly doubt it will ever, ever be for sale,” explains Gould.
His personal collection includes a 1966 Hertz Shelby Rent-a-Racer, which was the first car he bought out of high school and was his daily driver for a number of years. The third of only 85 built as a four-speed Gould said he can remember “burning up the town” in that racer. Gould also “burned up the town” racing Vintage Cup race cars for over five years.
Gould retired from racing when he met his wife Renee, who was also in the car business, and started a family. Now the father of three boys, Jeremy, eight; Justin, five; and Jacob, four; Gould admits they keep him very busy and have taken on their father’s adventurous spirit. “My eight year old recently fell out of a tree, and ended up with a concussion and a broken wrist!”
It is too early to tell if his sons will follow in their father’s footsteps, much like Gould did his, but Gould has the feverish collector car industry in his blood and has surely passed that passion onto his own boys.
Hybrid Mode
