Steve Kittrell of Veloce Valuations – A Piston Community Partner

It Just Feels Right

Steve found out about Piston and the Cars for Piston Scholar program through Bring a Trailer. He said, “I saw some listings and immediately went to the [Piston] website…[I] was instantly buying into the concept.” The idea of taking auction proceeds of donated cars and creating higher education opportunities resonated with Steve and so, he sought a way in which could get involved.

Steve found the opportunity he was looking for when he received a request to appraise something he didn’t usually see: a collection of 81 die-cast miniature models of classic cars. Steve was intrigued by the model cars thinking they would make for a great charity auction feature. He reached out to Jeff Mason about partnering with Piston to make this idea a reality. Soon, the Miniature d’Elegance auction event was slated for release on Bring a Trailer. “We kind of went OCD and took thousands of photos,” he admitted with a smile. “It’s really what [the auction] needed to show how special each and every one of these models were.”

The 81 cars were divided to make two auctions, American Classics and Grand Elegance. The first featured all-American cars from several iconic eras of classic car history while the second featured models of high-end cars from all around the globe.

When asked why other businesses in the collector car industry might want to partner with Piston, Steve had this to say: “It feels really good [to give]. As a business professional, look at what you’d like to do and where you’d like to be. Find something you’re linked with that could be part of your personal legacy or another arm for your business. For me, that means a lot of charitable work. It just feels right.”

Partnership With Purpose

Piston and its Community Partners work together to make automotive careers more accessible to young people who dream of working with collector cars. Piston programs are adding new talent to the industry and Piston partners are recognized as leaders in the community. 

For those businesses interested in building a partnership with the Piston Foundation, they can find more information on the partnership page. Learn more about Steve Kittrell and Veloce Valuations at velocevaluations.com.