Three generations of automotive dealers gathered on Thursday, May 1, to mark the 60th anniversary of Clanton’s Auto Auction in Darlington, S.C. The anniversary sale attracted more than 850 dealers and ran more than 2,000 vehicles across the auction block, selling more than 1,200, according to the company.

“This sale was a tremendous way to mark our 60th anniversary,” said Ray Clanton, general manager. “For six decades, we have been dedicated to our dealers, and they know that honesty and integrity rule our business.”

Clanton’s father, J.C. Clanton, Sr., is believed to be the first to guarantee checks and titles for customers in 1950 – now a universal practice within the industry.

“He was the first to take the risk out of doing business at the auctions,” said Clanton. “That marked the beginning of respectability for the auction business and the acceptance on behalf of franchised dealers.”

Clanton’s Auto Auction says it was also the first organized auction to hold a factory sale, according to Clanton. “In the early 1960s we held a sale for Chrysler Leasing Corporation, which is no longer around today. That marked the beginning of factory business for auctions.”

The auction’s anniversary sale was a far cry from the auction’s first sale, which ran 24 cars and sold 18. At the time, the one-lane operation was known as Dealers Motor Auction and was owned by J.C. Clanton, Sr., and J.P. Kilgo. (When Kilgo died in 1947, Clanton became the sole owner and changed the name to Clanton’s Auto Auction.)

To start the 60th anniversary sale, the auction gave away $2,500, which was raffled off in increments of $500. The five lucky winners of these drawings were West Used Cars of Inman, S.C.; Jerry Bryant’s Used Cars of Darlington, S.C.; Taylor Auto Group of Augusta, Ga.; Redfearn Motor Company of Lugoff, S.C.; and Hardee’s Used Cars of Loris, S.C.

After the sale, dealers enjoyed music from the 1940s to the present and a feast of Southern fare that included fish stew and rice, chicken bog (chicken and rice), barbecue and sliced ham and pork, along with other goodies and a four-tiered anniversary cake.

Clanton’s Auto Auction also recognized “the men of the ‘40s” – Eugene Stewart, Forrest Morrison, Jr., Gentry Arnette, Bobby Tucker, Deward Smith, John Henry Newsome, Sr., James W. Vestal, Bobby Brinkley, Joe F. Boswell, Jr., Fred Perry, L. Gilmer Lanier, Stanley Goodwin, T.W. Jeffcoat, W.B. Helms, Clayton Wells, Fred Mingledorff and Denny Quinton – dealers who began doing business at the auction when it first opened or shortly thereafter.

Another $2,500 was raffled off in increments of $500, with the winners being Rich’s Auto Mart of Hartsville, S.C.; Billy Harpe’s Cars of Florence, S.C.; Randy’s Auto Sales of Scranton, S.C.; and Barefoot’s Auto Mart of Dunn, N.C.

The grand-prize drawings were for two vehicles – a 2003 Cavalier and a 2003 Focus. For every vehicle a dealer either purchased or sold during the month of April or on May 1, a card with his or her name was entered into the drawing. Boatwright Motors Used Cars of Leesville, S.C., won the Cavalier, while Red’s Auto Sales of Lake City, S.C., drove away with the Focus.

In 1987, Clanton and his brother J.C. Clanton, Jr., sold the auction to General Electric Capital. Four years later, Manheim Auctions purchased General Electric Capital. Ray Clanton stayed on, serving as general manager of the auction.

“The auction business always has been a challenging and enjoyable one,” said Clanton. “There’s something new every day. Clanton’s has grown in multiples since it started in 1943, but it has never grown too big to listen to its customers.”

About Manheim Auctions

Manheim Auctions offers services that impact every stage of a used vehicle’s life cycle. These include transaction, reconditioning and certification services, managed remarketing, end-of-lease-term

management services, vehicle transportation, dealer floor planning, retail inspection and

government auction services. The company also assists auto manufacturers, fleet and

lease companies, banks and other financial institutions in selling their used vehicle inventories. Manheim offers technology tools that help dealers and national consignors handle their remarketing transactions more efficiently.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., Manheim Auctions has more than 32,000 employees at its 124 auctions and related businesses. Manheim is a global remarketing organization with 85 auctions in North America and additional operations in the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Australia and New Zealand.