Description
By: Larry Edsall .
Tom Barrett had a 1933 Cadillac V-16 Town Car he wanted to sell; Russ Jackson came to see it. How this simple meeting between two car buffs in Scottsdale, Arizona, started what would someday be the most prestigious collector car event in the world is the story told in Barrett-Jackson: The World's Greatest Collector Car Event.
From 1967's "Fiesta de los Autos Elegantes" to the first classic car auction in 1971, from the record- breaking participation in the 1980s to live television coverage in the 1990s, and on to record-shattering sales in the 2000s, Barrett-Jackson has become more than just an auction.
Barrett-Jackson garnered national media attention in 1971 when Tom Barrett's Mercedes 770 Phaeton sold for a cool $153,000. The annual auction aired live on SPEED in 1991, and held a cybercast in 1998. And with the addition of Family Value Day in 2006, Barrett-Jackson has stretched to reach people from all walks, and even those too young to walk. The annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event has truly become an experience for the whole family, whether at the auction or from the comfort of the couch. As staff, trends, and times change, one thing remains the same: Barrett-Jackson is—and intends to stay—the World's Greatest Collector.
Highlighting some of the most important collector cars ever offered, and featuring photographs from Barrett-Jackson's extensive collection, Barrett-Jackson: The World's Greatest Collecto Car Event chronicles the start of a friendship and partnership - and follows the ever changing event that has altered the landscape of the collector car industry.
From the 1967 fundraiser "Fiesta de los Autos Elegantes" to the first classic car auction in 1971, from the trend- (and record-) setting events that made the Barret- Jackson name, to the high-tech family-run enterprise, this book chronicles a legend built on a mutual passion - an American success story founded on the most American of icons: the classic car.
