RM Sotheby’s is the world’s leading auction house for rare and investment-grade automobiles. In a recent showcase, they unveiled a hidden chapter of Southern California car culture.
Since the late ’60s, Rudi Klein quietly assembled an extraordinary collection of rare cars, parts, and memorabilia in a modest junkyard in South LA. Known to a select few, the collection had remained out of public view — until now.
Forth+Back was tasked with developing the visual identity for The Junkyard, a multi-day auction celebrating Klein’s legacy. The system took cues from the bold, industrial language found on auto parts, paired with the tactile materials of the junkyard itself—rust, steel, grime, and grit. These elements shaped everything from the print and digital system, to event merchandise, including custom letters fabricated from rusted metal.
The studio also designed a 250-page catalog that documented the full collection and its history — bringing to life the scale, detail, and story behind one of LA’s most unexpected automotive archives.
