2/1/2007
Barrett-Jackson: Wild and Crazy Again
A good friend of mine, Tim Lopata, says with a grin that Disneyworld moves to Scottsdale every January, because everyone in that big tent out there is a little goofy. Well, regardless of what any one individual seems to do, there is little doubt that the annual Barrett-Jackson auction is a bellwether event on collector vehicle interest and value. The 2007 version was no exception; there was well over $100,000,000 (yep, 100 million) in sales and commissions when the hammer fell for the final time on Sunday afternoon.
 Hanging out and watching things gets expensive in Scottsdale. |
I’ve been asked by friends to go out and personally view the spectacle on a couple of occasions, but since my pal and SpeedTV announcer (and fellow Mopar Max contributor) Steve “Magneto” Magnante already has the best seat in the house (and is honestly a lot more knowledgeable than I am on the small stuff), I’ve never done it. Stevie Mags did a great job this past weekend explaining some of the ins and out of various cars going over the auction block, and used an uncanny ability to decode VIN tags from memory, quickly discern rare parts originality, and critique correct finish and fit on high dollar offerings. ADVERTISEMENT
But here in Tennessee, I didn’t miss out. We decided to get together for a little friendly wagering on Saturday night, with a half-dozen guys sitting around eating pizza and tossing quarters into a bucket. The rules for the game are simple. Armed with an Internet-
I cannot say whether I had an unfair advantage, but I had been driving my wife a little crazy as I watched the auction on and off for the previous three days. I had never seen it televised before this year. One thing I noticed right off the bat was that the auctioneering staff controlled the price more than I had ever realized. Some cars got the “come on, folks, you won’t get a better deal than this” treatment, while others were motioned into the wings as soon as bidding slowed. I’m not interested in finding some conspiracy theory on the whole deal, but it was a little surprising.
