The Barrett-Jackson Automobile Auction

[JohnBM01]

With Barrett-Jackson on the way for 2005, I decided I'd open this thread to discuss this wonderful auction. This is a general thread about maybe what to see at this year's auction, some of the moments from last year, and maybe what you expect to see this year. I'll start.

This auction is pretty special. Where else can you basically own history? Ever wanted a Ford GT40 of some kind? Ever wanted a gullwinged Mercedes-Benz of the past? Ever wanted a clean Corvette Sting Ray? Or maybe you want one of my personal favorites, the Jaguar XKE? If you got the money and you're in Scottsdale, AZ, USA, good luck to you! This auction is one of the best in the world. Last yearon the Speed Channel, one car sold for as little as maybe $75K or $95K... while one car sold for as much as $400K!

So in honor of the upcoming Barrett-Jackson Auction, this thread's for you.

 

[eliseracer]

Home of the world's ugliest Elise. The person with the second-least amount of taste in the world will buy it. The person with the least amount of taste was the one who thought of doing that to an Elise. Eugh.
I bet it doesn't go for more than 54,000$.

 

[pimp racer]

I rember the best year was 2002 or 2003 not sure. Where they had that Jag E type up to 900 000 + USD and then it got sold later right after the auction at 1 000 000 USD +! I think it was because of some confusion that it got sold after its auction. Legend has it that the owners canceled the Auction or whatever and then some guy wanted it or somehting and bought it! I cant rember if this is entirely true considering this was a while ago! Anyways I hope this year it will be just as great but ever since 2002 or 2003 the auctions just started to kinda go down quality wise because all you see were these old hot rods and muscle cars. Now there is nothing wrong with them but I just wanna see different and much more rare cars.

 

[JohnBM01]

If you really love this show, you'll probably love this Saturday's coverage spanning about a good 9 hours. So if you don't like reruns of shows you don't really like, you don't have to worry much about it this Saturday. I loved that blue-silver 1958 Corvette. It didn't sell as much as this non-metallic colored 1957 Corvette, but that was one of my favorites from the Friday coverage.

Remember last year that an American coupe sold for $400,000. In 1989, I heard that a certain Hispana Suiza sold for $2,000,000! Can you believe someone actually paying that much to win a car at an auction?

Pimp Racer, I know you have to feel pretty good about having the Palm Beach auction this April. It starts on April Fool's Day, but surely no one's going to be fooled. Florida is pretty damn good with cars. Huge car community there in the Sunshine State.

 

[JNasty4G63]

I rember the best year was 2002 or 2003 not sure. Where they had that Jag E type up to 900 000 + USD and then it got sold later right after the auction at 1 000 000 USD +!

That was '03, and it was an XK-SS not an XKE. The XK-SS is one of those "holy grail" cars at this kind of show. They very rarely show up, and when they do, the go for huge bank. But yea, when they drove it off the stand and went to commercial, it was up to $980k. Later in the show, bidding ended and the car sold for $1.1M making it the tops of the show. That was a fun one to watch.

Hilg

 

[pimp racer]

If you really love this show, you'll probably love this Saturday's coverage spanning about a good 9 hours. So if you don't like reruns of shows you don't really like, you don't have to worry much about it this Saturday. I loved that blue-silver 1958 Corvette. It didn't sell as much as this non-metallic colored 1957 Corvette, but that was one of my favorites from the Friday coverage.

Remember last year that an American coupe sold for $400,000. In 1989, I heard that a certain Hispana Suiza sold for $2,000,000! Can you believe someone actually paying that much to win a car at an auction?

Pimp Racer, I know you have to feel pretty good about having the Palm Beach auction this April. It starts on April Fool's Day, but surely no one's going to be fooled. Florida is pretty damn good with cars. Huge car community there in the Sunshine State.

DAMN! 2 000 000 USD? Oh and that Hispana SUiza is a pretty rare car! Hell I cant even find alot of info about it! It looks like a Saleen S7!
Palm Beach Auction eh? I might have to go....but its like 9 hours or something away from where I live!

That was '03, and it was an XK-SS not an XKE. The XK-SS is one of those "holy grail" cars at this kind of show. They very rarely show up, and when they do, the go for huge bank. But yea, when they drove it off the stand and went to commercial, it was up to $980k. Later in the show, bidding ended and the car sold for $1.1M making it the tops of the show. That was a fun one to watch.

Hilg

WOW! You got good memory! Thanks for the correction and I couldnt figure out wether it was 1.1 or 1.3 million USD.

 

[240Z]

Hispanio-Suiza looking like an S7?
I don't think I've seem this one

Barrett-Jackson is 80% muscle cars now, so it's lost some of its appeal to me.

 

[pimp racer]

Hispanio-Suiza looking like an S7?
I don't think I've seem this one

Barrett-Jackson is 80% muscle cars now, so it's lost some of its appeal to me.

You tell me if it looks like one or not? well lets say a tuned S7! http://www.fantasycars.com/derek/cars/images/hispanosuiza/hs21gts_1.jpg

BTW Barret Jackson is like 90% muscle cars now and all they sell is cars under 100 000 which is not as exciting as seeing those cars that go for like 200 000. I mean we need wider seclection of cars from Various countries not just America. Not that there is anything wrong with American cars at all.

 

[240Z]

That's just what the market wants right now. There is no way to really moderate it, we just have to wait until interest shifts.

I don't think that's the Hispanio-Suiza that sold. I'll find a pic of it.

 

[240Z]

It was an old one, like this:

Probably not the same type. I've seen a wood-bodied one that might have been it

 

[pimp racer]

Oh Ok I see now! That old school one looks like its worth 2 million to me! I mean the condition!

 

[eliseracer]

There was a Ferrari racecar that was sold a while ago, I can't seem to remember the auction either. Went for 4.1Mil$. That was probably the highest I've ever seen at an auction. Automobile magazine had auction reviews every month 👍

 

[240Z]

I think that was an ex-Le Mans Testarossa.

Bleh, I saw a Mercedes SSK go for $7 mil (in Automobile magazine, actually).

 

[Brett]

Was anyone just watching the Auction? A 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 GM Concept Car just went for $3 million and a new Barret-Jackson Classic Car Auction record.

 

[GrItSn'GrAVy]

yeah i just saw that... they had a new gt40 on there too. thats just crazy how the bidding kep going up on that oldsmobile.

 

[Gordonfan24]

$13.24 million actually, with commission. But that is incredible!!! I just started laughing when it went over $1,000,000 just because it was so unreal. It was funny too, how the bidder was sooo determined to win, he actually opened the door and got in to sit in it. He even let Alan DeCarniet(?) sit in the driver's seat, AND IT WASN"T EVEN HIS YET! Now that's bidding with confidence!

Only about 90 cars sold, with a total sales price of over $13.5 million! I really want to go one year, but just as a spectator. You need a lot of money to win one of those cars! (not necessarily, but if you want a nice one...)

Dan Gurney's Trans Am Plymouth is up on the stage now... $315,000 so far. Anyone wanna lend me some money. Only about $400,000.

 

[===o===]

Im sure you mean 3.24 million not 13.24

 

[Gordonfan24]

Yeah, whoops. I was thinking about that Bugatti that sold in the -teens, and mixed the two. My mistake.

 

[McLaren'sAngel]

Hiya! Meow! (='.'=)

I don't really watch the Barrett Jackson Automobile Auction much but I must admit I get quite shocked at times when people go crazy and bid against one another just to get that dream car of their life. It really does show some desperation of how some people can really love automobiles are that particular automobile.

 

[PublicSecrecy]

Holy frik. Just imagine if someone had the cash to throw around like that on a single car? I mean, jesus christ you could buy a jet for that price. You could get like 20 houses! Man oh man...too be that rich...whoah...

 

[JohnBM01]

1955 Oldsmobile F-88 GM Concept Car - Most expensive car in Barrett-Jackson history ($3,000,000)!

Some embarrassingly rich dude bought a car for three million dollars! Craig Jackson said the Saturday show would be awesome. He told no lies. I wished I would have seen as much as I could, but I was watching some other stuff, plus I wasn't able to make it to the Houston Auto Show. I just wasn't there to see it live. But I'm pretty doggone sure Speed Channel will have this deal in Autorotica coverage. To you all who get Speed Channel, I bet you can really look forward to this deal.

I'm not a professional about American automobiles, but one thing I love about the Barrett-Jackson auction is that you get to see all kinds of beautiful American automobiles from our past. There were plenty of Corvettes, lovely Mustangs from Ford and Shelby, nice custom rods, even a few movie cars like one from "The Aviator." Even if you don't like American cars (heck, if you don't, you're missing out on about 2/3 or 3/4 of the show!), you have to admit. These are some lovely, well-restored cars. I think my favorite one I've seen was that lovely 1958 Corvette with that bluish-silver/white color. That machine had some chrome railing down the trunk/boot. I thought it matched the base color pretty well. I probably would have liked it more with maybe a dark, rich, blue color or maybe a scarlet or crimson color. And then, some of them were replicas. If you can't afford the real thing, it's nice to have a replica. I haven't seen much of the show, but as of 9:25 PM CST, I haven't seen a Shelby Cobra of some kind. Were there any, and if so, how much did it sell for?

 

[JohnBM01]

Allow me to go off-topic here.

Looking at the old Mustangs and comparing them to the 2005 Mustang, I usually visualize how many cues from these classic Mustangs are put into the most recent Mustang. You know, I've envisioned a modern car looking almost too much like the old, however, staying as modern as possible. I know Shelby has had their way with Mustangs back in the 1960s, so I can imagine what Saleen would have in mind about reinventing the GT350 and the GT500. The way the car looks now, it seems more like the GT350. I'll have to imagine what a modern GT500 would look like. It would have to be meaner at the front with the two extra lights the way the GT500 looked. It would also have to have horizontally longer taillights. But to be better than the past, it would have to correct this statement made about the 1967 GT500:

"The 1967 GT500, was very powerful - the 428 cid V8, based on the Police Interceptor engine, delivered 355 bhp. A few cars were even fitted with the 425 bhp 427 cid engine. The big block motors meant, though, that the car was not well balanced as the GT350, even if it was very fast in a straight line."
(-Source: The Complete Book of Sports Cars; 2002, 2003)

With one machine, "Cabriolet" was misspelled with one of the Speed Channel graphics. It was spelled as "Cabroilet." I guess that's what you get when you have a NASCAR-devoted network, I guess...

 

[Blackbird.]

Yeah some amazing cars. The best one was the Hot Rod with Caramel looking interior. Flushed screen. With Caramel gauges with white numbering. Very hot car. Sold for I think 120K?

 

[Slicks]

It would be so nice to go and tour the auction... even if you don't have the $$ to buy a car there.
On Friday I watched a '70 Cuda coupe, 426, #'s matching, restored, go for 250grand. I think that's crazy. Whether you're going for an investment or not, you're not gonna get your money back when you evenutally sell it. Although for most people there, money would be a non-issue.

 

[Gordonfan24]

There were some Cobras there, but not many, because everyone has the kitcars now... I think the 1966 Cobra went for around $180-230k, but I don't remember.

The reason that guy had over $3 million to spend is because he was there representing a Colorado Auto Museum (I forget exactly where) and he was sent to get some valuable and truly remarkable cars, to get more people to the museum. The guy he was bidding against for that Oldsmobile looked like an individual buyer...he had his family there, with his son egging him on to bid higher. I envy anyone that can afford those cars...

 

[MazKid]

I admit I do watch the auction, even though there's only been 1 Mazda, actually it was a Mazda-engined race car, on it. I donno why...something about watching rich people buy cars they've never driven, most just buying them because they think it's cool. Most of them don't look to be enthusiasts.

Maybe it's just me but I think it would be a heck of a lot easier if the auctioneer just said "you(points to bidder)-(price), you(points to another bidder)-price." The fast talk gets old quick, and it makes it hard to know what the current bid is, especially since Speed often updates it late or can't get the number right...there was one car yesterday at 70K or so and the bidder raised it to 85K and Speed put up a number of $875,000, to which one of the commentators said "I can add better than that". Heh.

 

[Gordonfan24]

I donno why...something about watching rich people buy cars they've never driven, most just buying them because they think it's cool. Most of them don't look to be enthusiasts.

Most high-stakes bidders are representatives from Museums and large public collections. And yeah, a lot of them just buy the cars for the name, when they are never gonna drive it or anything.

. . . especially since Speed often updates it late or can't get the number right...there was one car yesterday at 70K or so and the bidder raised it to 85K and Speed put up a number of $875,000, to which one of the commentators said "I can add better than that". Heh.

 

[cjrciadt]

Watched almost 19 of the 24 hours of coverage on Speed and was very impressed. By the way the Elise Special Edition went for 75$ grand.

 

[JohnBM01]

No offense, but Saturday had the most action of the weekend. Sunday was rather boring. There were still some great autos at the show on Sunday. Those 1980s Ferrari 512 BBs kind of disappointed me. The first one didn't sell for a lot, and the other sold for about $10,000 or $15,000 more.

Now that the auction is over, we can still talk about Barrett-Jackson's history and all that. That is, we can wait until the Palm Beach auction. Regardless, some good cars and trucks are going to be sold. Did anyone see that nice chopper in the Sunday show? Sold for like, $50K. It was pretty nice.

So with the Scottsdale show done, what did you think was...
A.) ...the most disappointing sale?
B.) ...the least disappointing sale?
C.) ...a nice car spoiled with a poor sale?
D.) ...a bad car given a good sale?
E.) ...your favorite car at the show?
F.) ...the most disappointing machine at the show? You know, what wasn't really going to be a great car to auction off?

That's all from me. See you around!

 

[animateria]

I've missed Speed or any other cable show for a while now... Is this auction still U.S. domestic biased as the last time I've seen it? I remember that the U.S. cars were sold at a higher price, dispite the many rare and unique European cars that were shown on the auction... It was one of those years that even the comentator was surprised that one of the muscle cars was sold at a higher price than any other muscle or European car... They said that it was possible to buy and restore the same car for a way cheaper price or something.... (BTW the high light I remember was the same guy buying off a whole series of cars made by one company or something)

I think many of the people who attended this auction had no idea what they were getting but just had a lot of money to spend and just enjoyed getting the attention...