Page 8 - Experience Magazine Fall 2023

transaxle for a 50-50 weight distribution, and a
Steve Davis wide body primarily made of carbon fiber. They had

BEHIND THE SHADES cutaways on display before they unveiled the car,
and the active suspension was like something from a
science fiction film.
STEVE DAVIS’ DARK
GLASSES PROTECT It was incredible. As I was looking at this 7th-generation
HIS EYES FROM A Mustang, it took me back to my memories of the
LIGHT SENSITIVITY 1965 Shelby GT350, and how amazing that car was
CONDITION – BUT at the time. As a kid, I lived and breathed all things
THAT DOESN’T automotive, and watched the proliferation of muscle
HINDER HIS VISION
OF THE COLLECTOR cars, which had a feel similar to the new developments
CAR MARKET. we’re seeing now. One manufacturer would come out
with this incredible car, and then another manufacturer
would top it with their newest offering.
Fast-forward from being that wide-eyed kid to that
moment when they unveiled that GTD. All these
thoughts rushed through my head like a dam breaking
as they pulled the cover off that GTD. Who in the world
would have ever expected something like that?
TODAY’S MUSCLE CARS With today’s muscle cars, we’re reliving the 1960s on
steroids. It’s a fantasy land of incredible cars. The golden
Muscle cars have been on my mind a lot lately. Of era, in my opinion, will always be the 1960s, because
course, muscle cars have been a major part of the Barrett- that’s when it all started. But today’s muscle cars operate
Jackson experience for as long as I’ve been a part of it, on an entirely different level, and we have seen the
but in recent months I’ve had the feeling we’ve come full entire evolution cross the Barrett-Jackson stage, which is
circle in many ways, and the end of an era is at hand. especially reflected in the “first and lasts.”
What kicked off these thoughts was a recent vehicle I’ll never forget when the first-production 2007 Ford
introduction. My wife Janie and I were among a select Shelby GT500, VIN 001 (opposite page, left), crossed
group of people invited to a private, pre-press unveiling our block. Following that we had first editions of several
of the 2025 Ford Mustang GTD (opposite page, top). If other Shelbys and Mustangs, from the first GT500KR
you haven’t seen it yet, the GTD is a road-going version in 2008 (opposite page, top right) all the way to the
of the GT3 competition car that Ford is building for next-generation 2020 GT500, and VIN 001 of the reborn
international FIA GT3 competition. 2021 Mach 1. We had the first-production 2015 Dodge
Top Ford executives and racing drivers were on hand Challenger SRT Hellcat (opposite page, center right)
for the introduction, as was Craig Jackson and his wife with its 707 horsepower – at the time the most powerful
Carolyn. I was surrounded by people with whom I’ve muscle car ever – at the 2014 Las Vegas Auction, and
had long-standing relationships, and to be a part of then witnessed the end of the Challenger era, with a
that group – to be privileged to be a part of that historic “Last Call” 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170
moment – is an experience I’ll always treasure. (opposite page, lower right) selling during the 2023 Las
Vegas Auction. We’ve seen reborn classic nameplates like
This GTD is absolutely spectacular. It’s just the COPO Camaro and ZR1 Corvette sold at Barrett-
unbelievable. They’ve taken the Mustang we know and
love, and they haven’t just raised the bar, they’ve taken Jackson. My thoughts about the Ford GT supercar and
it to the stratosphere. (The car’s color at the intro was how amazing it is that a car like that ever saw the light of
day could fill a book.
reminiscent of Brittany Blue – the same color as the
treasured Fords and Shelbys I own – like it was sending The bittersweet part of this whole thing is we know
me a secret message!) this is the last gasp of fossil-fuel muscle cars. It’s
absolutely certain this is the end of that era. I’m sure
The GTD has a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 with an there will be some more cool stuff coming – there
expected 800 horsepower, rear-mounted 8-speed
always is – but from a fossil-fuel standpoint, that’s

8 BARRETT-JACKSON EXPERIENCE FALL 2023