A lot of people ask me how I know so much about every single car that crosses the block. Well, in most cases it comes down to the fact that I’m a full blown car freak and I’ve been a student of muscle cars – of all persuasions – since I was about 10 years old. It’s amazing how much “useless” information I’ve got stored away. But when it comes to the real nitty gritty details, I make no attempt to hide the fact that I have a note pad that I refer to. If you asked me how many ’67 W30 Olds Cutlasses were built with manual steering, I’d draw a complete and total blank. No doubt, the whole number is low, like well under 1,000, but that’s as good as I could get it. Well, you just have to do better when it comes to Barrett-Jackson. And so the note pad.
Here’s what I do. I have Barrett-Jackson send me an auction catalog just as soon as it comes off the press. It usually arrives about a month before the auction is set to run. Then I contact the production company to see when we are going to be on the air each day. By doing a little math, I can figure out what lot window is likely to coincide with our on-air time for each day. I write down this range then I go to the catalog and start making notes about each and every car that will be in this lot window.
In general, I need an hour of preparation for every hour we go on the air. Yep, that’s about 40 hours of note taking to get ready for the Scottsdale auction. I use these little Mead 3x5 inch note pads and assign one to each day of the auction. For example, on Friday the lot window was car 931 through car 1065. That’s approximately 134 cars during our 10 hours of broadcast time. For each and every one, I jot down fresh and interesting facts as well as paint code and option code data. It helps that the Barrett-Jackson catalog lists each car with a nice color photograph as well as a paragraph or two describing its details and / or modifications.
So let’s say a ’64 Sting Ray is listed. If the catalog description says it’s a Bloomington Gold winner with all matching numbers, I usually like to do an on-camera audit of the alternator stamping number to confirm indeed that all numbers match. To get the correct alternator stamping data, I refer to Alan Colvin’s “Corvette By The Numbers”. So I write down the three or four possible Delcotronic alternator numbers and then walk up to the car and see if one appears. Sometimes it works out great and you do – or don’t – see the required number.
In the case of 1955-’57 Thunderbirds and tri-five Chevys, I like to verify whether or not the body has been repainted a more appealing color; the old Resale Red trick. I use those great Cars & Parts American Car ID Numbers catalogs to learn what the paint codes mean then put ‘em to the test on camera.
The only wild card in using publications like these for basing judgments is the assumption that the printed data is correct and not flawed. I also have to make certain that my interpretation of the data is also correct and not flawed! I have pored over these –and many other reference books – for literally weeks on end, and yes indeed, occasional typographical errors and / or downright inaccuracies do pop up from time to time. When this happens I look for a second source to either confirm or contradict the confusion. But I never guess! It’s amazing how quickly the Speed TV website lights up if any one of us makes an on-air boo-boo.
One time I got my wires crossed and called a real ’69 Chevelle SS396 a bogus car because the Style Number on the cowl tag didn’t read right – according to my (then flawed) understanding. In 1966, 1967 and 1968 the SS396 was a model unto itself and has its own unique Style Number. If you see it, there is no doubt you’re looking at a real big block Chevelle. But for 1969-up Chevy threw a curve and made the SS396 an optional package on the Malibu. The Style Number no longer verified big block or SS status, just that it was a V8 Malibu. So I mistakenly called foul and I was…wrong.
Immediately a deluge of viewer e-mails flooded the control center and I ate my words as quickly as possible. Of course, you can’t always assume the viewer is correct. Some guys think they’re right…but aren’t. But when a bunch of dissenting voices chime in at once, it’s usually time to eat some humble pie – and learn why I was wrong so it doesn’t happen again.
Another neat goody the Speed producers came up with is the VIN-dicator camera. Essentially it’s a miniature camera – about the size of a fire cracker - with a fixed-focus lens I slip on my index finger. By sticking it up against a VIN or option code, I can show the viewer exactly what makes a car legitimate – or bogus – as the case may be. The only hassle with the VIN-dicator is that I have to prepare a few cars in advance when I plan to use it. Believe it or not, Speed keeps a crew of three guys ready on stage just for the VIN-dicator. Okay, so I see a black ’56 Nomad about to hit the stage and I want to verify the correct Onyx Black paint code (687).
I run over to the VIN-dicator crew and they put the camera on my left index finger. Then they follow me to the Nomad, running cables and cords behind us as we go, where I do a demo of the camera showing the paint code so the program director can give it a go / no-go valuation. You see, in many cases there simply isn’t enough light available under the hood to get a good picture of a paint code stamped into a cowl tag. The last thing we want to do is force a dark, poorly lit image on the millions of viewers tuned in to watch the broadcast. This ain’t local cable access! But if I choose wisely and hold my finger real still, the program director says “OK” and we then get set to do the VIN-dicator for real when the car rolls up on center stage.
A minute or two beforehand, the program director will tell all the rest of the guys “Guys, Steve’s going to use the VIN-dicator so lets get it to the stage as quickly as possible”. So the Nomad rolls up, Varsha says; “Here’s a sharp ’56 Nomad and Steve has something to show us”, On this cue, I flip my talk switch to the right and start speaking; “That’s right, it’s not uncommon to do a color change in order to boost a cars appeal. So how do we know that this particular Nomad was always a black car? We go to the Paint Number on the cowl tag where we see the paint code. We need to see code 687 for factory applied Onyx Black, but as the VIN-dicator reveals here, I’m seeing paint code 692 which denotes Harbor Blue. Clearly this Nomad has been color changed. Is this good or bad? It all depends on your personal taste and the rarity of the car. In the case of this Nomad, I’d say there’s no harm done as black is far more striking than blue and the bidders seem to agree”. Then having made my point, I switch my talk switch off and Mike Joy picks things up with some further analysis of the car. Meanwhile the VIN-dicator guys remove the camera and retreat back to their nook, ready for the next one. On average, we like to try and use the VIN-dicator once every hour.
So there it is, a behind the scenes look at what goes into the making of the Barrett-Jackson telecast. Its funny, a lot of people assume I’m up on the latest price trends since I’m so deeply involved. The fact is prices are about the last thing I pay any attention to. After a while they just become random numbers. No two sales are the same in this rarified atmosphere and in many cases the sale price is not necessarily repeatable in the “real world”. Let’s face it, you have a ton of cash floating around under that huge tent. When two of these guys square off, there’s no telling how much cash is about to change hands. So don’t ask me about prices, I haven’t a clue. But if you want to talk about how many M-code ’69 ½ Super Bees were built, those are numbers I can work with!
