DPC is back on the road to present the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction. Part two of his odyssey from Phoenix to WestWorld of Scottsdale is available here
The cars yesterday afternoon, trucks and anything else that could be considered a road vehicle began to cross the stage and the auction began. I consider the first two days of the auction to be somewhat of a soft opening, where the staff, the exhibitors and all of us work, we have the opportunity to get used to it and prepare everything for the big show. To use my usual convoluted analogies, it’s akin to an NFL preseason game.
According to the inexact science of the eyeball test, more people attended yesterday’s auction than that day last year. The same method of inexact science gives me the impression that Monday’s crowd had significantly more energy than last year’s, but there’s no way to quantify that theory. Monday was cold by Arizona standards (35 degrees in the morning, 47 degrees in the afternoon), but WestWorld was busy out in the morning with people checking out all the cars on the docks that hadn’t yet crossed the stage. It’s good to see bigger crowds attending the auction and I think there will be even more people showing up on Friday and Saturday than last year.
I was yesterday afternoon Watching the auction next to the performing bands, I find it’s a great place to watch the cars on stage being auctioned off, while also getting a chance to see the cars being prepared for the stage. I’d like to say I was laser-focused on the auction, but crippling ADD gives me the attention span of a rabbit and my mind tends to drift or I zone out. That number explains why it took me about eight years to get my bachelor’s degree.
In one of my zoning moments, a woman behind me thought out loud and asked no one, “I had no idea there were regular cars here?” as a 2000 Cadillac Eldorado rolled onto the stage for the bat turn.
My answer was that there are a lot of high-end collector cars available, but ultimately there is something for everyone, and the first few days of the auction show the diversity of the inventory. He seemed okay with my answer, but said nothing more and finally left. My charm and people skills are second to none.
Within a few minutes I was gone too. No one noticed the empty space I left as more and more people made their way to my favorite perch to watch the auction. It’s great to see our passion for classic cars and all things automotive continue to grow. Even if I tend to zone out from time to time, I’m cognitive enough to realize that our hobby is in the right place.
