Its that time of year when the NFL is winding down, the NHL and NBA are midway through their long seasons and the MLB is still a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting.  It’s also time for the numerous collectible car auctions to make their way to the Valley, and specifically, the 39th annual Barrett-Jackson Automobile Auction.  

Now I know the last thing most people want to talk about during these times of economic stress is people spending thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars on vehicles from yesteryear.  I can’t blame you, if it wasn’t for insufficient funds, I wouldn’t have any myself.  But regardless of your current economic status, there’s still something to be said about admiring and appreciating the old, rare, odd or just plain collectible automobile.

I believe my passion for the automobile started in my youth with trips to pick up family members at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Il.  Besides dodging the Hare Krishnas (back when it was still legal to wear orange robes and pass out literature) or checking all the coin returns in phone booths (pre-cell phone days), I always sought out the rotating Bradley GT on a pedestal in the United Airlines terminal.  The exotic shape, gull wing doors and the fancy paint job had me hooked.  I always left with a handful of their placards. Little did I know the Bradley GT was just a piece of fiberglass on a VW Bug chassis and engine.  It didn’t matter, I was hooked.  Combine that with the stories my mechanic grandfather had of his 40 years under the hood or almost becoming a Tucker dealership, I really had no choice to love the automobile.

As like most of you, my admiration of exotic cars had to come from outside the family home.  Some of the cars that occupied our garage were a VW Beetle, Chevy Vega, Pontiac Astra, Volvo 145 station wagon and finally a Plymouth Reliant.  It was no wonder my first car was an Opel GT, you know, the poor man’s Corvette.  It was painted metallic copper so you couldn’t see all the rust.  Enough of my car history, let’s get to the good stuff.

What started out as one auction in Scottsdale, the Barrett-Jackson family of auctions has now grown to four, with the other three residing in Palm Beach, Florida, Orange County, California and Las Vegas.  Known for its elaborate lifestyle vendor areas, palate-tempting food courts, manufacturer ride and drives, and of course the auction, Barrett-Jackson can safely say they are the purveyors of the world’s greatest collector auctions.

Most of the vehicles sold at auction are considered American classics–Corvettes, Mustangs or Plymouth Superbirds.  The ironic part is the cost of these cars when they were in the showroom.  In 1957, a Corvette with a V-8 engine on a show room floor went for $3200-$6000.  At Barrett-Jackson, that same car with original paint, parts and matching VIN numbers could go for upwards of $194,000.  The Amphicar, the rare amphibious German convertible (only 3,878 made) sold for $3,000 new in 1965, can attain a price of $10,000 for a scrap vehicle and over $50,000 at auction.

Even if you’re not in the market to purchase any of these beauties from yesteryear, just strolling through the tents admiring the pristine vehicles is a thrill.  To see the 1930 Ford Model A Coupe John Dillinger used as a getaway car is a little eerie, considering it was once bullet-ridden and blood stained.  But like everything else in life, each of these vehicles has a story just waiting to be told.  And maybe when my 1965 Plymouth Valiant Convertible with a small block V-8 gets restored, it to could go up for auction with it’s own tale to tell.  But for now,  it’s that diamond in the rough, with a cover, under a carport, just minutes away from one of the world’s greatest car auctions.

Maybe someday.