Page 8 - Experience Magazine Spring 2022

Steve Davis’
BEHIND THE SHADES

THE ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD Carroll Shelby’s first race car, a
Las Vegas has always been a 1949 MG TC (opposite page, top
special place for Barrett-Jackson. left). I went to Shelby American
It’s one of my favorite events with the vehicle before the auction
simply because of being in Vegas. and interviewed Carroll himself
It’s such a great town and really (opposite page, top center). My
mirrors the excitement of a memories revolve around that
Barrett-Jackson auction. I love the STEVE DAVIS’ DARK GLASSES PROTECT HIS EYES FROM A car as much as the event due to
24/7 energy, and I love the world- LIGHT SENSITIVITY CONDITION – BUT THAT DOESN’T HINDER the historic nature of the MG and
class entertainment, dining, and HIS VISION OF THE COLLECTOR CAR MARKET. Carroll being around to tell me the
shopping options. story. And just last year I celebrated
my 25th anniversary with the Barrett-Jackson Auction
Of course, Las Vegas is a city you have to take on its Company on the Vegas stage (opposite page, top right).
own terms. The stakes are high and nobody knows
exactly what is going to happen until you pull the Some personal moments are bittersweet. In 2011 I sold
handle. Everybody is hoping for that big jackpot. my custom 1964 Ford Fairlane there for the Armed
Barrett-Jackson has had gratifying success in Las Vegas, Forces Foundation (opposite page, center right),
but it didn’t necessarily come easy. and I sold my Shelby GT500 Super Snake (opposite
page, lower left) to benefit the local first responders
Take our first Las Vegas auction in 2008. We worked a
long time to get to Vegas initially. Many auctions have following the terrible mass shooting in 2017. We were
the first public event after that shooting that took
come and gone in Las Vegas — none ever reaching the
level of success of a Barrett-Jackson event. So there place at Mandalay Bay. I think we played an important
role in helping the healing process begin within the
were a lot of expectations there and we put plenty of
effort into making that happen. community. It really solidified our place as being part
of the community, not just a business that comes in
And as fate would have it, as we rolled into the there and takes place and leaves.
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for the
inaugural event, it happened to coincide, literally to Of course, it wouldn’t be Las Vegas without celebrities,
and we’ve hosted so many great ones over the years.
the day, with the 2008 financial meltdown. So we had
the anxiety of a new event in a new venue in a new We’ve had Siegfried & Roy on the stage. One of the
most touching and validating sales of a collection
location and on a new stage, and lo and behold, as we
were setting up and getting ready for the auction, the that I’ve experienced was when we sold Danny Gans’
collection for his family (opposite page, center
financial crisis began. I remember walking by the big
screens that are everywhere in Las Vegas, and everyone left) after he passed away. Danny Gans was voted
Entertainer of the Year and headlined at The Mirage
was fixated on how low the Dow was dropping.
on The Strip for many years. Selling his incredible
But the dice rolled in our favor, and when the smoke collection with his family in attendance was a
cleared, to this day, it was one of the best Las Vegas milestone moment.
Auctions we’ve ever had.
That celebrity spotlight will of course be shining at
I’ll admit that my connection with the Las Vegas this year’s auction. Paul Stanley of KISS is selling
Auction is deeply personal. For me it’s like a his factory-customized VIN 001 Chevrolet Corvette
homecoming. At that first auction in 2008 we sold convertible, along with an autographed Ibanez Paul

8 BARRETT-JACKSON EXPERIENCE SUMMER 2022