Craig Jackson’s View From The Block

March 16, 2022
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 VIN 001 that sold for $3.7 million including an additional donation for Operation Homefront.

With Craig Jackson at the helm, the company is celebrating over 50 successful years in the collector car hobby. Craig is also an avid car collector, award-winning restorer and racing enthusiast.

What an incredible way to celebrate 50 years!

After two years of social distancing and smaller gatherings, Barrett-Jackson is back and better than ever. I’d like to extend my sincerest thanks to the bidders, consignors, sponsors and guests who made the 2022 Scottsdale Auction the most successful auction in Barrett-Jackson’s history, and for their support and friendship throughout the years.

Barrett-Jackson is renowned to having the best cars in the industry, and much more than that — we’re about meeting fellow enthusiasts, sharing ideas and advancing our love for the collector car hobby. From the minutes our gates opened at WestWorld, guests of all ages were treated to incredible cars, new activities — and some unforgettable surprises.

Our Opening Night Gala set the tone for the entire week. Bidders, consignors, sponsors and special guests could not contain their enthusiasm as they danced and dined the night away under the bright lights of the auction arena, which was transformed into a dazzling backdrop for music and mingling. You never know what will happen at a Barrett-Jackson event, and guests were overjoyed when actor Neal McDonough took to the stage unannounced for a surprise harmonica performance.

Steve Davis and I with our Pinewood Derby Ford GTs.

One of the things I love most about this industry is introducing new generations to the collector car hobby. Hopefully their experiences at Barrett-Jackson will spark a lifelong love of cars. On QT Family Day, we welcomed more than 100 members of the Boy Scouts of America’s Grand Canyon Council. What better place for these young enthusiasts to earn their Automotive merit badges than a Barrett-Jackson auction, where so many automotive experts are on hand to help. Steve Davis and I even got in on the fun, joining the Scouts for a Pinewood Derby. We had a blast racing our miniature pinewood Ford GTs down the track. It made me feel like a kid again!

Our daily auctions proved that the collector car and automobilia markets are thriving. There were more first-time and seasoned bidders than ever before — thousands registered from every state and across the globe — and almost 16 million viewers watched the action on TV. Bidding was intense as modern supercars, movie vehicles and classic sports cars, along with some rare signage and automotive memorabilia crossed the auction block. The complete event recap is available on Page 14.

Grammy Award-winning artist and renowned philanthropist Pitbull on the block during the sale of his charity car.

Our “Super Saturday” certainly lived up to its name. Grammy Award-winning recording star Pitbull rocked the block with a high-energy appearance to help auction off a custom Karma GS-6 EV to benefit two children’s charities. And during one exceptional hour, 10 spectacular vehicles sold for more than $1 million each. Auction records were shattered all week long, with the average sale price of a vehicle exceeded $105,000, and many happy bidders walked away with the cars of their dreams. At the end of the week, $203 million worth of collector cars and automobilia had been sold.

Music icon and philanthropist Bret Michaels with the team from Barrow Neurological Foundation to support a charity car sale.

It’s moments like these that create memories that last a lifetime and make Barrett-Jackson the leader in automotive lifestyle events. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to kick off celebrating 50 years of The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions!

The Barrett-Jackson team all together for a group photo on the Scottsdale Auction block.

After such a successful Scottsdale Auction, we’re in the fast lane for our return to Florida. We’ll be bringing the same enthusiasm and spirit to our 2022 Palm Beach Auction. It’s been three years since our last visit to the Sunshine State, and we plan on making our return one for the books.

The docket is filling up with another incredibly diverse offering. We’re excited to showcase vehicles from three world-class collections: John Staluppi’s Cars of Dreams, the American Muscle Car Museum and the George Shinn Collection. These beauties range from 1930s customs and high-performance muscle cars to Resto-Mods and modern-day supercars. And as always, we’ll start each day with an astonishing array of automobilia, including the entire collection from the Cars of Dreams museum.

We’re always thankful for the support of the collector car community. It is because of you that we’re able to celebrate 50 years of The Greatest Collector Car Auctions. We look forward to the future — and I look forward to seeing all of you in Palm Beach in April!