2006 Barret Jackson Auction

Remember when the circus came to town? The people of Phoenix must feel that way every year when the Barrett-Jackson auction rolls into their backyard. Traffic is bad enough in the quickly expanding Arizona community, and when the auction tents start popping up all over the northeastern desert floor like prickly cactus, everything comes to a standstill. But after looking into moving his extravaganza 'cross town to another location, Craig Jackson recently found out that the people of Scottsdale really do love him.

Now in its 35th year, the success of the Barrett-Jackson auction has helped create other auctions, much in the same way those little animals attach themselves to whales in the ocean just to feed off their scraps. All the auctions (there are a total of four going on simultaneously in and around Scottsdale in one weekend) have gained a life of themselves and, since the advent of hours-long daily television coverage by various cable TV crews, it's pushed the simple act of auctioning a car into a whole new realm. But lest we forget, the real spectacle at the auctions (and what helps drive drunk bidders to do amazing things with gobs of money) are the amazing cars-the only real reason the auctions exist in the first place.

By looking at the results of the cars that sell each year, you can determine the trends of car buyers and sellers as they sweep in and out of history. The Scottsdale auction, once a denizen to the opulent Duesenbergs, Packards, and Delahayes, has all but been supplanted by musclecars and Corvettes. In fact, of the 1,100 cars that went across the block at this year's Barrett-Jackson show, 100 of them were Corvettes. Gone is the exotica Italia (Ferrari, Lambo, Maserati), and a herd of wide-bodied mid-'50s Chevys have taken their place. In fact, at Barrett-Jackson in 1986, only one Camaro went 'cross the block, while in 2006 there were 54. In comparison, 20 Ferraris were sold in 1987, and only three were registered at this year's event. The times, my friend, they are a changin'. But that doesn't mean there aren't deals to be made, or that there isn't anything to look at. Though other auctions around the country are older, and some offer more than 5,000 cars in one showing, it's the Barrett-Jackson auction that can request (demand) that all cars cross the block without reserve, guarantying a 100 percent sale ratio-the holy grail for auction houses. That also helped push the total sales record for this event, which only last year was set at $61.6 million, to a little over $100,000,000-a truly staggering amount of money generated by only a portion of the 4,800 registered bidders.

Also new for this year was the big tent. And when we say big tent, we mean BIG TENT. The no-post tent that covers the auction block, seating for bidders, the art and paraphernalia display, plus many of the high-profile cars, is 1,500 feet long and more than 300 feet wide-more than 10 acres under cover in all! And it's all air-conditioned! And that still doesn't count the outside tents that cover even more cars. It's truly mind-blowing when you see it for the first time.

Suffice to say if there is some kind of car out there you'd like to own, or if you'd like to move that crummy old aluminum-bodied Daytona coupe that has been crowding your drill press out of your garage, then Barrett-Jackson would like to talk to you. Who knows, you might just set a record! You can check out all the sales results from this show and the events Barrett-Jackson produces online at www.barrett-jackson.com. KC