The Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson Auction

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, we're so glad you can attend, come inside, come inside. So goes the Emerson, Lake, and Palmer song, but you can't escape the feeling of a big-tent revival when attending the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

For the past 33 years, the B-J organization has quietly built up quite a following in the Arizona desert, offering the people what they want: a chance to own the car of their dreams. At one time, all it took was a sharp eye and some cash. But nowadays, the Barrett-Jackson auction has become something else wholly: an extravaganza.

With huge white circus tents popping up out of the desert floor, reminiscent of a Southern Baptist field meetin', the call of the amplified auctioneer sounds like a passionate evangelist intent on spreadin' the word. The gathered crowd is enthusiastic and close to the action, and, as the bids get higher and higher, they get caught up in the sights, sounds, and smells of beautiful cars rolling across the auction block. Large amounts of money will do that to people.

When one of the cars exceeds its pricing expectations, the people begin to applaud and offer up shouts and whistles when the sold hammer finally falls. The auctioneer sounds like he's speaking in tongues--a rapid-fire method of driving up the prices while spotters work the crowd like someone possessed, arms flailing about and with quick, jerky moves, all in an effort to translate the potential buyer's offer back up to the stage.

There are several ways to determine if an auction is considered successful, and the Barrett-Jackson auction hits on all eight cylinders. The total dollar amount for cars and paraphernalia sold (878 lots this year) was $61,687,526, with one car, a '54 Oldsmobile F-88 Motorama show car, selling for a cool $3,240,000. The event is televised on cable, and the show is immensely popular, and followed even by those without a thin dime to spend on a car.

That non-car buyer can be found in the thousands at the auction, as the event has become a "must-attend" for many. Overcrowding is now a real problem for the show, as parking lanes in and out of the event are constantly cram-packed. But once inside, there is much to see and do, even if you don't have a bidder's badge.

Many kit and replicar builders and manufacturers attend this event, some with booths to show their wares. And the ones we spoke to went away happy, as the amount of money flowing through this venue is nothing short of astonishing. With cars on the block selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars, many in the crowd didn't think twice at dropping $80,000-100,000 for a replicar built to their particular tastes.

Once the domain of the Duesenberg and Packard crowd, the auctions now attract 50- and 60-year-olds with a large amount of disposable income. They don't want their father's cars, they want musclecars, and are willing to set spending records to get what they want. And the Cobra, Daytona, and Vette kit builders were more than happy to discuss future customers' wish lists with them.

It's hard not to get caught up in the moment, either. If you sell a car there, they automatically give you a voucher for that amount so you can possibly spend it sometime during the show. And, by getting 8 to 10 percent of the sale from both the buyer and seller as commission, the Barrett-Jackson organization must now be drowning in cash.

But you gotta take your hat off to auction owner Craig Jackson. He's figured out a way to make it important to attend his show, and you feel you'd be a sucker if you tried to sell your car anywhere else. After all, who else can offer a 100-percent sales guarantee?