Our family vacation to Arizona, a sunny respite from the rain and politics of Oregon, coincided with Scottsdale Arizona’s week of car auctions; I stopped in at three of the auctions and what I saw radically challenged my confidence and bank account. But, I saw some beautiful cars and trucks, and I’m glad I walked through the auction previews. Don’t worry, the auction cars can be enjoyed even if you don’t have the budget of a politician investing with insider knowledge.
Arriving in Scottsdale it’s instantly apparent you’re in a different automotive environment. The highways aren’t populated with EVs decorated with Biden stickers doing 55 in the fast lane; no, in Scottsdale you’re being passed by Porsche and Ferrari badges. Also, there must have been a break in the fence at the local Corvette ranch, because the newest generation of Corvettes are everywhere. Speed limits seem to be more guidelines than rules; if you’re going 10 mph over the posted limit in Scottsdale, you’ll be holding up traffic.
Our first night in AZ we hiked a desert preserve on the east side of Scottsdale. After the hike we went to a nearby restaurant. On our way in, parked near the front door was a 1969 RS SS Camaro. On our way out, the Camaro had been replaced by some type of Lamborghini that Bruce Wayne would approve of.
The next night I caught up with an old friend who lived in the area, Shane, who produces the Youtube channel Shane Show, and has long been involved with the automotive market and culture in Arizona. He’s owned an early Skyline nearly as long as I’ve known him, and among many other choice selections along the way (including a Nissan GTR), he’s now the proud owner of a Porsche GT3 with ceramic brakes, titanium exhaust and a fresh motor (courtesy of a Porsche recall).
Shane took me on an evening launch with the GT3 and I was… astounded. The zero to 60 puts a weight on your chest like only the best of cars will, and the nearly instant shifts seemed like a sportbike motorcycle; “howl, ting, howl, ting, howl, ting” and you’re suddenly doing 80 (or some other fast number, I didn’t look).
My wife was beside a pool over a mile away and she later realized she had heard us and thought it happened in front of the house. She also thought it was a sportbike speeding by. The car makes an exceptional smooth, but rapidly spinning-up, howl that is glorious. I’m a fan! I’m stoked for Shane and his new car.
Press Play for a Video of Shane’s Car
Saturday was “Family Day” at the Barrett-Jackson auction, which (thankfully) meant kids were free and there were STEM exhibits and pinewood derby events aimed at kids. Between my friend Eric’s family, and mine, we brought five younger kids to the auction. We enjoyed looking at cars with the kiddos for a while, but they got bored with the idea of looking at cars long before Eric and I did, and the STEM exhibits provided a new activity for them while Eric and I did a final sweep of the auction halls.
It was my first time at Barrett-Jackson. I was unaware of the size of the event. Parking off-site and being bussed to the event was my first clue that this wasn’t your typical car show. The show was quite large, and broken into three huge halls, a large open-air central courtyard, and (four?) carnival sized tents. One hall had industry exhibitors, one hall had the auction stage (and on Saturday was filled with exemplary examples of cars being sold), and the last hall had a variety of exhibitors intermingled with the choicest auction offerings. This last hall was quite long and, in terms of exhibitors, had everything from your automotive themed kitchen sink to a fortune-teller (due to personal beliefs, I can only wonder if she was also providing automotive themed services). The central courtyard had a variety of exhibitors including luxury RVs and helicopters, if you’re in the market. There were also food carts in the central courtyard. The carnival-like tents had more “normal” cars, like un-optioned Chevelle’s, square-body Chevy trucks, etc.
There were 1,850 cars to cross the auction block, according to Barrett-Jackson’s website, which was paramount to one of the most impressive car shows I’ve ever seen. But, it lacked the personalization of car shows; there were fewer cleverly constructed accoutrements with the cars, or owners parked in lawn chairs in front of them. Except, the last Grand National built had a nice themed exhibit, complete with videos of it leaving the plant. And we enjoyed a nice conversation with the seller.
Personal favorites?
There was an exhibitor who’d built a beautiful crew-cab bumpside Ford Highboy, paying homage to the two-tone paintjobs of the period. I loved it.
On the topic of period paint jobs, there was a 70s Bronco with a radical paint job I dug. The interior of the Bronco was equally as rad.
Some of the customs grabbed me. Someone built an LS powered, stick shift 1954 Corvette. I don’t know if it was in any way a Corvette, but I liked the idea since I’m a big fan of the 1953-54 Corvette.
I enjoyed seeing a fabled Yenko Camaro.
The 1950s Mercedes (plural) were gorgeous.
And it was neat to see “supercars”, like the Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1.
All in all, I think my favorite exhibit might have been the massive amounts of neon automobilia.
I couldn’t figure out how to walk through it, but even from the outside it was beautiful.
Press Play for a Video of a Neon Sign
I wonder how the Mobil Gas pump fared at auction, since I recently built a similar one and couldn’t get more than $1,000 for it… but I can’t figure out Barrett-Jackson’s website, and it seems like you have to pay to see results. Being cheap, I may never know. (Update: Barrett-Jackson posted this result as a news blurb, the pump sold for circa $18k! I sold mine to the wrong market!)
After the show, to make it a very full “car day”, Eric and I headed over to The Pavilions, a weekly Scottsdale gathering of enthusiasts in a parking lot. Strangely, the first man I walked up to had built a car I’d (partially) owned. I met the man who built Dwarf cars, the hulk of one I’d once turned into a playtoy for my kids. He’d brought an example he’d turned into a street-legal car.
It was probably just under 60 degrees, so the attendees were quickly leaving. I heard one man say that he was leaving because it was “going to start snowing soon”. I was slightly chilled in my t-shirt and shorts.
It was a nice variety of cars. Everything from your early street rods, to Cummins swapped Ford pickups and modern Transformer-themed customs. Seemed like a cool event, where you could bring whatever you wanted.
After Saturday’s car activities, I took several days to hike around the desert, feed lions, eat delicious Mexican food, watch Doc Holiday shoot people, etc. After three days of fun family activities, I felt up to seeing more fancy cars.
Eric and I again ventured out, this time to the Bonhams and RM Sotheby’s auction previews. I’d asked both if I could have a media pass (and guest pass), thanks to this blog, and both agreed.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure I would “fit in” at these high-end auctions, but I determined there was only one way to find out. My fears were quickly allayed; while I may not be in the market for these cars, I was among other enthusiasts enjoying themselves and found conversation wasn’t hard to strike-up.
For example, we had a great conversation with Greg about his small-block Chevy powered Devin; the car went on to sell for $95k, a roughly $20k premium to the Corvair-powered example we’d see later in the day at RM Sotheby’s.
Other highlights at the Bonham’s preview included an AC Ace with, possibly, the most perfect bodywork and paint I’ve seen. It’s hard to explain, but when bodywork and paint are nearly perfect, it’s notable. The AC went on to sell for well-over estimate.
And again, I found myself drawn towards late 50s-early 60s era European convertibles. It’s no wonder I own an MGA, since it’s the affordable entry point into this period of design. Bonham’s 1960 190 SL Mercedes was very pretty, with red interior and Slate Grey paint.
I think the next step up for me may be an Austin-Healey. Six cylinders must be better than my MG’s little four-pot. The example Bonham’s offered was a 1962 car that looked classic in British Racing Green, and was used in Father of the Bride Part II.
After enjoying Bonham’s preview we drove over to RM Sotheby’s preview. Both Bonham’s and RM Sotheby’s auctions were on the lawns of luxury resorts in Scottsdale, settings which seemed quite different from the Barrett-Jackson experience; I’m not saying either was “right”, but it was nice to experience something different on my second day of Scottsdale car auction activities.
Due to the busy nature of my family vacation, I’d not done any homework/research before going to the RM Sotheby’s auction and this was to my detriment. Read up on the lots before you attend. For example, while looking at a clean Honda CL350 I was somewhat confused why it was there, unaware that the bike was John Wayne’s.
Thankfully, there was an atmosphere of “event” surrounding the Sotheby’s preview, and an expert was walking through the cars discussing interesting facets of the cars. Still, I couldn’t stay all day, and only later, when reviewing the auction results, was I somewhat surprised at the sheer number of seven-figure cars I’d been walking among. Twelve cars sold for more than one million, while a handful of others approached the million-dollar mark.
Cars offered by RM Sotheby’s that caught my eye included the 1964 Mercedes 300 SL Roadster, perhaps partly for its pronounced factory-optioned headlight stone guards. This car sold for $2,315,000.
A 1955 Lancia Aurelia was notably attractive; this Lancia is a rare example of a car thats removable top adds well to the overall shape, whereas most removable tops seem somewhat ungainly. This car sold for $940,000.
An Italian Iso Grifo, powered by a 1970 Chevrolet 427, was a nice mix of American muscle with Italian bodying.
The bevy of Ferraris was a treat.
One Ferrari, a 330 GTC Speciale, was a design study car of Pininfarina, and uniquely individual. Perhaps the most striking feature was the pop-up fog lights. A number of the design elements worked-out on this car, like the fog lights and hood vents, were incorporated in later production model Ferraris.
The first Apollo I’ve seen was being auctioned. Another Italy-America partnership, this one conceived in California, bodied in Italy, and finished in the states; The Apollo is considered more American than the Iso Grifo and boasts a small block aluminum Buick motor. A handsome car, and perhaps a good value (compared to the Ferraris and Iso Grifo), it sold at $156,800.
Another car to catch my eye was a 1967 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2 by Touring. The unique body lines were certainly a treat to see in person.
Finishing out our Arizona trip, I continued to see beautiful cars, trucks and Jeeps flying down the Arizona interstates. I’m not sure what’s in the water in AZ, it doesn’t taste very good (the water, seriously) but it seems to be creating quite the well-healed state. Or should I say, well-wheeled?
Personally, the Arizona car experiences may have created a self-confidence hit. In the land of Prius, my two little British-esque sports cars (a fake Lotus 7 Locost, and a 1957 MGA) seem unique and fun. But after a week in Arizona they seem underpowered and rudimentary. I find myself wondering things like, “If I sold both cars, and auctioned off my rare book business (RareTome.com), could I buy something exceptional?”
One thing auction week in Arizona doesn’t encourage is contentment with what you have.
