GetOut Magazine

Take home the car of your dreams
at Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction
By BETTY WEBB
Get Out
Jan. 16, 2003

Craig Jackson, president and CEO of the Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction, says you dont have to be rich to buy a car at the festivities.

But it helps, he says, laughing.

Last year, the auction boasted sales of more than $26.9 million, and its not unusual for one car alone to bring the gavel down at more than $1 million. In 1996, the owner of a Bugatti Royale turned up his nose at a $12 million bid, then later sold the car for a rumored $13 million to $14 million. But this years sale topper among the approximate 800 consigned cars one is run through the auction ring every 15 minutes may not reach quite that high.

Actually, we start off with the less expensive cars early Thursday morning, what we call the entry hobby cars, Jackson explains. You can sometimes get one of those for a couple thousand dollars.

Jackson began the auction 32 years ago next to the old Safari Resort in downtown Scottsdale, but as it grew in popularity, it moved north and is now held at WestWorld. As tastes in collectors cars have changed, the Barrett-Jackson auction has changed, too.

The muscle cars, the Shelby Cobras, the Corvettes, the Chrysler products those are getting very, very popular with baby boomers who have collected some wealth and are nostalgic for the cars of their youth, Jackson says. We started that muscle-car craze here at Barrett- Jackson, and its really caught on. Some of those muscle cars now range upwards of $175,000, but, of course, some can be had for less. It just depends on what you want and what you are willing to spend.

Typical of the cars up for auction this year are a 1966 Dodge Charger Fastback, 1966 Plymouth Satellite Coupe, 1952 Chevrolet half-ton pickup and a 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood Sedan. Then there are the foreign aristocrats a customized 1957 XK-SS Roadster, 1979 Alfa Romero Spider Roadster, 1979 MGB Roadster Limited Edition, 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL Convertible and a 1975 Porche 914 Targa.

Jackson is adamant that a person doesnt have to buy a car in order to have a good time.

This is one of the worlds greatest places to people-watch, which is one of the reasons were televised live, he says. Even if you cant pony up a couple hundred thou for something shiny, youll have fun. You come out, you look at acres and acres of gorgeous cars, you can talk to dealers and owners, you can visit the 200 to 300 vendors we have selling catalogs and memorabilia. If you want to stay all day, and most people do, we have several restaurants on site. On Friday, therell even be a fashion show for the wives.

Then, on Saturday and Sunday, were running an automobilia auction, which includes just about everything related to automobiles. Antique gas pumps. Pedal cars. Hood ornaments. They are all authenticated, original stuff, and therell be no minimum, no reserve. This will be great fun for everyone.

But the most fun to be had at the Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction is good old-fashioned people-watching.

These are really fun-loving people, Jackson says. Its fun watching them flex their egos and financial muscle.

Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction

Where: WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale
When: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday
How much: One-day pass $15-$25, four-day pass $60-$80. No pets allowed.
Info: