Newspaper Page Text
Itofoimrf r-in ’-ihi v_~-;
Collector Car Event
SreamJoJ^^ r T '
by RICHARD
tMcVEY, Editor
fv^^b
Auctioneer Amy Wy '
Sparks-Assiter \
barks out bids
I • JKEjQfE'' fl
■HHr MK: iH
The auctioneer barks out escalating bids, pointing at the rare
prize—a one-of-a-kind 1970 Plymouth ’Cuda convertible—parked center stage with television
cameras focused on its radiant orange, polished-to-perfection paint job. As the price climbs, the
audience stares at two massive video screens flanking the stage to offer a larger-than-life view of
the classic muscle car and its immaculate Hemi engine. Within minutes, the venue—a nine-story,
120,000-square-foot tent in Scottsdale, Ariz.—fills with cheers as the auctioneer slams the gavel
and declares, “Sold for $2 million!”
Although the price is extraordinary, the excitement is repeated
more than L,(XX) times during the annual Barrett-Jackson auto
auction, known as The World's Greatest Collector Car Event.
“I fulfill dreams,” says Craig Jackson, president of Barrett-
Jackson Auction Co., which started the show in 1971. Those
dreams happen in that magical environment called Barrett-
Jackson."
Each year, special events facility West World is transformed
into an automotive paradise for more than 2(X),(XX) car enthusi
asts ranging from jet-setting billionaires to blue-collar workers.
They come to see, sell and buy some of the world’s most-desired
automobiles.
“It’s the Super Bowl of car shows,” says Scottsdale resident
Ken Berger, standing next to his 1967 Pontiac GTO before it
goes on the auction block. "What’s nice is tliat people can walk
around and see the cars and take one home
with them. I’ve bought a few over
the years. Ofcourse, I have to sell ~~
one before I can buy another. "
There's real passion for these
cars. Everybody had one in
high school, or their buddy had
tefc Ode//-
-
A $2 million Hemi’Cuda
Barrett-Jackson
one. It s emotional. If we wanted to be sensible, everybody
would be driving a Toyota," he says, laughing.
List year, bidders from 50 states and 14 countries watched
as 1,084 cars crossed the auction block, bringing in more titan
Sl(X) million during the nine-day event.
A partnership begins
Barrett-Jackson was bom from the camaraderie of car collec
tors Russ Jackson and Tom Barrett. "Tom advertised a car that
my husband Russ was interested in,” says company matriarch
Nellie Jackson, 87. "We went over and looked at it and became
friends.”
In 1967, Russ and Tom collaborated to raise money for the
Scottsdale Library by hosting a car show called Fiesta de los Auto
Elegantes. In 1971. the two combined their names and experi-
ence to create the Barrett-Jackson Auc
tion Co., and added an auction
>1 > I?; .iT ..
Page 8
•www.americanprofile.com
to that year’s Fiesta, offer
ing 150 cars that fetched
Mp more than S6OO,(XX).
~ The event grew steadily,
and by 1990, more than
AM
j