Every year in January, Barrett-Jackson hosts their collector car auction in Scottsdale. This event has become huge and draws tons of visitors. In recent years, other companies have been coming at the same time and holding their own auctions. A rising tide raises all ships I guess.
I’ve gone to Barrett-Jackson most years, for the past thirteen. This year, I decided to check out a couple of other shows in addition.
On Friday I visited the RM Auction. This was my first time there. The website stated that the preview ended at 5:00 pm, so I went directly to the show since this was the last day. I didn’t get a chance to grab my camera, so I had to use my phone. My main interest in seeing this show was to check out the 1958 Ferrari California Spyder. To me, this is one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
1958 Ferrari California Spyder 250GT LWB
1958 Ferrari California Spyder 250GT LWB
1953 Fiat 8V Coupe Ghia
1966 Ferrari 275 GTS
1960 Porsche 356B 1600 Roadster
view from above
I missed seeing a lot of cars when I was there and I’m not sure where they were. The cars on preview were all outside of the building where the auction took place and I couldn’t see any extra space to host the missing cars. Oh, and that California Spyder sold for $8,800,000.
Saturday, I headed to the Russo and Steele auction for the first time. Their 1959 Maserati Tipo 61 “Bird Cage” was going to be the main course today.
1947 Mercury Woodie front grille
1955 Desoto Fireflite Convertible
1959 Maserati Tipo 61 “Bird Cage”
1964 Porsche 356 SC Cabriolet
1931 Bugatti Type 51 Pur Sang Mono Posto
1941 Packard 180 side logo
1955 Pontiac Starchief Convertible
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible
1964 Lincoln Continental Convertible
1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster
Sunday was the “cheap” day to visit Barrett-Jackson, so that was on the agenda for the day. Being a Formula One fan, I wanted to see the 1998 Ferrari F300 that Michael Schumacher had driven.
1971 Fiat 850 Berlina 2 Door Sedan
1962 Austin-Healey 3000 Mark II BT7 Roadster
1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen Carriage 3-Wheeler – I got so excited to see this since I remember this car from Gran Turismo 4
1957 Chrysler Saratoga Coupe
1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser Indianapolis Pace Car
1967 Chevrolet Corvette Custom 2 Door Coupe
1922 Spillman Engineering Corp 40 Menagerie Carousel
1954 Plymouth Belmont Concept Car
1955 Mercedes–Benz 300 SL Gullwing
1991 Ferrari F40
1998 Ferrari F300
It was a crazy tiring weekend, but I had a lot of fun. I really liked the setup of the RM Auction and I definitely plan to go back next year. Going to Barrett-Jackson so frequently, it’s easy to forget how special some of these cars are when you see like four immaculate Yenko Camaros in the same room. RM had some cars that were new to me and some great examples of more familiar cars. Russo and Steele reminded me of the old days of Barrett-Jackson. All the cars are outside under tents, you spend most of the time walking in dirt, and the cars tend to get dusty because of that. The car selection was very similar to Barrett-Jackson, and I probably wouldn’t go again unless they had a specific car I really wanted to check out, but being outside in the sun made for some slightly easier photography. Barrett-Jackson is a blast to go to even if the phrase “440 Six Pack” doesn’t get you excited. Between the beautiful cars, the exhibitors, and the fair food, it’s just a fun way to spend a day.
Utini! 