There are places in this world where cars seem more attractive. Monaco, for example. Or San Francisco. The Phoenix, Arizona area where I was attending the Barrett-Jackson and RM car auctions last week, is among them.

I found myself actually appreciating certain vehicles that, back home on Vancouver Island, seem quite ugly. Heck, even the SUV's didn't annoy me quite as much. How is this possible? It's partly due to the air, or to be correct, the atmospheric conditions. I know from my many years working with some of the top automobile cameramen, producing commercials, that the atmosphere affects lighting and can be used to advantage. We once flew a crew two-thousand miles just to shoot in a San Francisco park where the air density provided perfect conditions.

Arizona also offers a mix of desert colors, palms, superb contemporary architecture and wide, uncluttered roads. A pleasant place to visit, a lovely locale for collector car auctions, it makes every automobile a little more appealing to look at. That's the view behind the Arizona Biltmore, where the RM Auctions were held. Rather nice, wouldn't you say?