The Barrett-Jackson Auction Company will celebrate its 40th anniversary with an unprecedented automotive lifestyle event in Scottsdale from Jan. 17-23, 2011. The milestone event will include a collector car auction at Westworld, the 2nd annual Scottsdale road rally, a cruise-in and many other exciting activities. SPEED will broadcast 40 hours of live coverage during the six action-packed auction days in commemoration of the 40th anniversary. The company officially announced the celebration in September during the 3rd Annual Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction and will continue the festivities throughout the coming year at each of its events in Scottsdale, Ariz., Palm Beach, Fla., Orange County, Calif. and Las Vegas.
“Our 40th anniversary will celebrate the automotive passion that has transformed this hobby,” stated Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “Barrett-Jackson is honored to be one of the catalysts for the mainstream acceptance of car collecting, and we’re excited to throw a party for the millions of people who have joined the pastime over the past four decades. They make car collecting a dynamic activity we all enjoy.”
To observe the company’s achievement, Barrett-Jackson will offer bidders the opportunity to take home four collectible cars from the “Barrett-Jackson Collection.” These special cars will be from the 1971 model year to remember the first Barrett-Jackson auction, which was held in Scottsdale in 1971. In partnership with SPEED, the four vehicles will travel together in a special Barrett-Jackson anniversary-themed transporter across the country to make special appearances at race tracks, grassroots events and each of the 2011 Barrett-Jackson auctions, beginning in January at the 40th annual Scottsdale event. Each car will then be sold separately during the 2011 Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction.
“We couldn’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate 40 years in the business than to throw a huge, coast-to-coast party for collector car enthusiasts from all corners of the country,” added Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “We realize that not all car lovers are able to make the trip to a Barrett-Jackson auction event during the year, so we decided to bring a little bit of Barrett-Jackson directly to their hometowns.”
Plans for the coast-to-coast tour are underway and will include stops at each of Barrett-Jackson’s four auction venues, including the 40th Annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, 9th Annual Palm Beach Auction and 2nd Annual Orange County Auction, where the vehicles will be on display. Between the auctions, Barrett-Jackson and SPEED will host events and promotions featuring the four 1971 cars at races and other automotive-themed events, all leading up to the Las Vegas event, where each vehicle will be auctioned.
“We’re thrilled to help our friends at Barrett-Jackson celebrate their 40th anniversary in style,” said Rick Miner, senior VP of production and network operations at SPEED. “By offering an unprecedented 40 hours of live programming for the 40th anniversary of the Scottsdale auction and joining Barrett-Jackson in hosting the nationwide anniversary tour, we’ll be able to reach more collector car fans across the country than ever before.”
As the anniversary celebrations continue, a VIP package will be given away at each of the auctions, and a 40th anniversary DVD box set with exclusive interviews from Barrett-Jackson executives will be available for purchase. To promote the events online, Barrett-Jackson is hosting a contest through its Facebook account, where 40 lucky winners per auction will take home tickets and merchandise. Additional details concerning the year-long promotions will be announced in coming months.
“We’re founded on a love for classics, Hot Rods, Resto-Mods, exotics and muscles cars,” noted Davis. “The past 40 years have been incredible in many ways for Barrett-Jackson. We’ve launched three additional auctions, pioneered internet bidding, established unprecedented transparency and trust in the industry, brought the auction excitement to fans’ living rooms through SPEED and so much more. We know 2011 will be a year to reflect on our many achievements as an organization and look forward to a new and exciting future that lies ahead of us. Some say life begins at 40, and for the team at Barrett-Jackson, it couldn’t be more true. We look forward to celebrating our anniversary with our loyal fans, consignors, bidders, sponsors, exhibitors and other friends.”
Barrett-Jackson Auction Company will ring in the New Year and its anniversary at the 40th Annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, scheduled Monday, Jan. 17, through Sunday, Jan. 23, at WestWorld of Scottsdale. Barrett-Jackson is currently taking consignment requests and bidder applications. For more information, please visit www.barrett-jackson.com.