
2019 Arizona Auction Week …
Saturday, January 19, 2019 – Scottsdale, AZ. — There is a reason they call it “Prime Time” Saturday here at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction. The unending array of incredible classic cars, muscle cars and resto mod customs parading across the auction stage just kept building. Then the 2019 Ford GT Heritage Edition appeared on the stage and the intense bidding brought the event to a crescendo of excitement. The crowd, now on its feet, watched as the first production 2019 Ford GT retro car, VIN 001, commemorating Ford’s famous wins at the 24 Hours of Lemans, sold for $2.5 million. All of the proceeds of the sale will go to benefit the United Way of Southeastern Michigan. The winning bidder and new owner is Rick Hendrick, legendary NASCAR team owner and his Hendrick Motorsports franchise, a member of the Cars-On-Line.com Classic Dealer Network. The flurry of bidding was a fitting finale for what is billed as the World’s Greatest Collector Car Auction, the Barrett-Jackson.
It was”Prime Time” Saturday here at the 48th Annual Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. And if you’re a car guy there is no place you’d rather be. The air was absolutely electric with anticipation as some of the finest classic cars, muscle cars and resto rods in the world will be on display and for sale here today. The carnival atmosphere makes you feel like a kid at a circus. It has all the glitz and glitter of a Hollywood premier, and just as many celebrities.
Here is what we saw watching the “Prime Time” Saturday sale, when the most expensive and rare cars were presented for sale. (Tap each photo to get more information.)
Friday at the Barrett-Jackson Auction …
The Barrett-Jackson Auction was in full swing here on Friday as charity auctions raised millions of dollars to benefit a myriad array of important organizations. Ford Motor Company auctioned off the first 2020 Shelby GT500 (which will actually be produced in July 2019, the car shown is a prototype.) It will be VIN 001 and will be a supercharged 5.2 Liter producing over 700 horsepower. All of the proceeds of this sale went to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The bidding reached $1.1 million as the winning bidder was Craig Jackson, CEO of Barrett-Jackson.
NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon raised $600,000 for his Children’s Foundation by selling his supercharged 2016 Corvette C7.R. The car first sold to Ron Pratt, a well-known car collector and developer in the Phoenix area. He bought the C7.R for $400,000, then gave it back to the auctioneer to sell it again. It sold the second time for another $200,000.
A rare heart felt moment came when Gas Monkey Garage and actor Gary Sinise sold a custom 1981 Jeep CJ-7 Resto Mod to benefit the Gary Sinise Foundation to provide unique services to our military veterans. Ron Pratt again bought the Jeep for $200,000, then gave it back to the auctioneer to sell it again. It sold the second time for another $100,000. In addition, a spectator donated $1,000,000 to Sinise’s Foundation in tribute to American veterans. And another generous donor from the Phoenix area gave another $10,000 to the Sinise Foundation. The total raised for our veterans was $1,310,000.
With 1,800 vehicles in the sale, the 2019 Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction is in its 48th year. This is the biggest one ever. In fact, they say the auction lots were all sold out over a month ago. The lines of spectators have been the longest we’ve seen here. Watch for our posts on Facebook and Twitter.
Here is a review of the top sales on Friday, January 17. (Tap the photo to link to more information on each car):
Celebrity sitings and glimpses of rare collector cars are adding excitement to the laid back Valley of the Sun this week. During Arizona Auction Week the Phoenix area becomes the epicenter of the collector car world. The top collector car auction companies are all here in the Phoenix area to benefit from the convocation of car collectors gathering for the 2019 Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale. Can you smell the money? Setting an electric atmosphere, some of the highest priced collector vehicles in the world will be sold here this week.
The Cars-On-Line.com car show team will be on hand to cover the high end auctions during Arizona Auction Week. (Check the Car Show Calendar online for all the events and times.) Of course, we’ll bring you all the action from the Barrett-Jackson Auction here in Scottsdale at Westworld. But we’ll also bring you the top cars from the RM-Sotheby’s Collector Car Auction at the Biltmore in Phoenix, the Gooding & Company Auction at the Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale and the Bonham’s Auction at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale.
Gooding & Company Auction at Fashion Square
The highest priced car sold during Arizona Auction Week was not sold at the Barrett-Jackson Auction however. No, it was Gooding & Company that stole the show here in Arizona this year. When a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT SWB crossed the auction stage at the Gooding & Company Auction on Saturday morning, it became the top sale of all the auction houses here in Arizona this past week. The winning bid was $7,595,000 (with the auction house’s commission included.) In fact, Gooding & Company garnered the top three highest sales for the week, all classic Ferraris.
The Gooding & Company Auction was at the Fashion Square Mall in downtown Scottsdale. The incredible selection of real high dollar investment vehicles included some of the most valuable Ferraris in the world, four Shelby Cobras, an L88 Corvette and a wide selection of Porsches.
Here are some of the high dollar cars we were watching at the Gooding & Co Auction:
RM Sotheby’s Auction at the Biltmore
Friday was the final night of the RM Sotheby’s 20th Annual Collector Car Auction at the Biltmore in Phoenix. Some of the finest classic motorcars and European exotic cars in the world were offered here on Thursday and Friday.
Click through a review of the cars we were watching at the RM Sotheby’s Auction. Sales prices are recorded at the hammer price. (Click each photo to get more information and history):
This is a collector car auction where you will find the finest in collector cars from European auto manufacturers as well as high end American classics. Auction started at 5:30 PM on Thursday, Jan 17, and Friday, Jan 18. All times are Mountain Standard Time. Cars-On-Line.com readers can find more about the auction on our Twitter feed.
Bonham’s Auction at Westin Kierland
A revered auction house, Bonham’s Auctioneers will hold their 2019 sale at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale this Thursday, January 17. The headliner car this year will be a 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Series II Spider which has been owned by iconic racers such as James Dean, Porfirio Rubirosa and John Von Neumann. It was also raced by the legendary Phil Hill. Bonham’s expects it to sell for $5 million to $6 million. The auction starts at 11 AM on Thursday.
Here is a preview of the cars we will be watching at the Bohnam’s Auction. (Be sure to tap the image itself to learn more about each car):
Worldwide Auctioneers
WorldWide Auctioneers stole the limelight here at Arizona Auction Week in the Valley of the Sun on Wednesday. The highest dollar sales so far this week were recorded at the WorldWide Auctioneers Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale. When a 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster crossed the auction stage here it sold for $900,000. That was the highest sale recorded so far early in this Arizona Auction Week festival of cars. WorldWide Auctioneers is credited with putting on a very interesting small boutique auction here on McDowell Road in Scottsdale. There were so many vintage classics such as Duesenbergs, Auburns and Packards. They also sold a couple of very rare muscle cars (see below.)
Click through a selection of cars we were watching yesterday at the Worldwide Auctioneers sale. (Tap the photo of each car to get more information and history):
Go to Cars On Line’s Twitter page to join the conversation. We’ll be glad to answer your questions there.
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