Page 10 - Experience Magazine Winter 2023

THE EXCITEMENT THAT THE European sports cars, classics, Resto-Mods, the latest and
SCOTTSDALE AUCTION BRINGS greatest supercars, Electro-Mods … so many things to look
Can you feel the excitement? I sure can. I get forward to as a car person.
this way every year during the countdown to That “something for everyone” focus extends beyond the
Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale. Our flagship auction auction block. We build the most exclusive, incredible
has become the barometer for the collector shopping pavilion for the auction. Every year it’s a little
car industry going into each new year, for good
reasons. After 50-plus years, the anticipation bit different than the year before. There’s furniture, high-
surrounding this event in our home state of end fashion, jewelry, automobilia - even jet planes and
Arizona feels like the buildup to the Daytona helicopters. You name it, we have it. You can window
500, the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby or the shop, you can celebrity-watch, you can just sit at a table,
Academy Awards, and everybody wants to be have great food and people-watch. You have the dining,
seen on the red carpet. the shopping, all these incredible
interactive displays, something
There are many reasons Scottsdale for the kids, something for the
is so special. First, think about Steve Davis multiple generations of family that
the time of the year. You have BEHIND THE SHADES come together.
the holidays — Thanksgiving,
Christmas, New Year’s. And right The evolution of Barrett-Jackson
in that same general timespan is Scottsdale has taken the auction
Scottsdale. Holiday time is Barrett- into rarefied territory, and we’re
Jackson time. grateful to everyone who has
come along for the ride. We attract
The other thing about Scottsdale the Who’s Who of the world; the
is it’s this annual, almost family titans of business, entertainers and
reunion-type feeling. You look athletes. We host everyone from
forward to it every year because you the father-and-son teams building
know you’re going to see friends cars in their garages to NASCAR
and people you consider extended team members and owners - and
family. Everybody shows up, we all everything in between. Then there’s
have our stories about the past year the Barrett-Jackson Cup, where
and we look forward to memories STEVE DAVIS’ DARK GLASSES PROTECT HIS EYES FROM some of the finest custom cars on
A LIGHT SENSITIVITY CONDITION – BUT THAT DOESN’T
we’ll take forward through the HINDER HIS VISION OF THE COLLECTOR CAR MARKET. the planet do battle on the show
coming year. The reunion-like field. Each year the quality of the
feeling, together with the diversity cars continues to get better.
of the cars and people that come to
Scottsdale – there’s nothing like it. It didn’t happen overnight, of
course. Back in the day when I started coming to Barrett-
And then you think about what’s going on in and around Jackson, it was an incredible event, but it was for hard-
Scottsdale besides Barrett-Jackson. It’s not a bad place to core car guys. You came, you did car stuff, you watched
be in January. It’s a destination location with a similar cars sell, and you loaded up and went home.
evolution to Las Vegas. We have the restaurants, the
spas, world-class shopping, beautiful weather - nearby But even then, there was something special in the air.
Glendale is even hosting the NFL’s Super Bowl in When I was a consignor, I would look forward so much
February. Scottsdale has everything enjoyable, particularly to Scottsdale. It was the number one thing my whole
if you are part of the car culture. year was built around. When we were still at Phoenix
Municipal Stadium, long before WestWorld, I would
I think people come to Scottsdale anticipating an amazing earmark cars for Scottsdale and get them ready all year
experience, and we give them just that every single year. long for that annual trek to Arizona from my home in
The something-for-everyone mentality is what drives us, California. It became part of not just my business life,
and me in particular while building the docket - we have
but my family life. Pretty much all my life plans revolved

10 BARRETT-JACKSON EXPERIENCE WINTER 2023