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In the words of Bobby Knight, "If rape if inevitable, you might as well relax and enjoy it". That might be a stretch in reality but when I watch the annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auto auction on TV in January I always think of that quote for some reason. While there appear to be some decent deals there I suppose, after the 10 percent seller's fee plus 8 percent buyer's fee no wonder Craig Jackson always has that devilish grin on his face. And if I were a buyer or seller I think I'd be wanting a cigarette after the hammer drops. But for us mere mortals without huge bankrolls, we can just view it as pure entertainment.
This year prices seemed to be pretty stable for quality cars, and overall sales were up to a record $88 million. The demand for documented rare and desirable cars looks like it's still there. This year seemed to feature Shelby Mustangs and the ever-present Corvettes, both of which were bringing even bigger money than ever. The average "hammer" price for Corvettes and '55-'57 Chevys was up 13% per B-J. After the lawsuit last year against B-J over not enough stage time before hammering a sale for the Ramchargers Hemi-Cuda race car, it appeared this year they were careful to allow enough bid time for most vehicles. The fact that 100 less cars were auctioned off this year than last year seems to bear that out, so more time per vehicle could be allotted. As usual, a little bit of everything was rolled across the block, from the car-eating "Robosaurus" monster machine to the (yet-to-be-built) VIN #1 2009 Corvette ZR1. The Vette went for a cool one million and proceeds from that one plus a few others went to charities. So there were some good causes that benefited from the auction. As always there were some celebrities making an appearance to aid the sales of either their own cars or ones being auctioned for charity.
I used to watch this auction with disdain at the astronomical prices, B-J antics, and TV announcers' mistakes, just to see the cars. But now I've come to appreciate it for the entertainment value. Especially on Saturday of the show, it's kind of like a 3 ring circus with desirable vehicles as the performers. The TV announcers have gotten much better with some knowledgeable people now on board. If you can tune out some of the B-J hucksters and the way-too-frequent TV commercials, it's just the ticket in the middle of a cold Indiana January, especially with the writer's strike going on. Speed TV had a record 39 hours of coverage this year from Tuesday, January 15 through Sunday, January 20.
So if you can endure a little discomfort, just sit back, relax, and enjoy it.
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