Quest for the Best

January 16, 2012
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

“I’m just an old car guy who loves the hobby. I enjoy collecting.”

That’s North Carolina entrepreneur Jimmy Richardson’s introduction to the over two dozen cars he’s bringing from his Big Pop’s Garage museum to Barrett-Jackson’s 41st Annual Scottsdale Auction January 15-22, 2012. All of them will be offered at No Reserve and sold to the highest bidder.

“I’ve been buying cars at Barrett-Jackson for ten years, and each time I’ve bought I’ve been pleased by the quality. My experiences with Barrett-Jackson have been outstanding. Their business practices and attention to detail are second-to-none and far exceed even my own high expectations.”

With a collection that has burgeoned to over thirty cars, the Big Pop’s Garage museum that sits on the other side of his office’s glass wall is full to overflowing. Bringing some of the cars to Barrett-Jackson will give Richardson the opportunity to continue acquiring and restoring cars.

“I’m keeping a few and I will keep buying,” Richardson added, sounding like the enthusiastic collector he is.

“Every car that I’ve ever restored was done to meet one standard: to be good enough to go across the block at Barrett-Jackson prime time,” Richardson stated. All the cars he’s bringing to Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale more than meet that standard.

But even among select cars there are favorites. Asked to name the ones closest to his heart, Richardson said, “That’s easy. It’s the 1969 Camaro called ‘The Intimidator.’ It’s an RCR Series 3 Camaro Resto-Mod built by Richard Childress Racing. I was a sponsor of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. for years with Western Steer Mom ‘n’ Pop’s restaurants — we had 120 square inches of the rear quarter panels on Dale’s #3 Childress Chevys — and I have a long history with Richard Childress and the Earnhardt family including Dale, Jr., Kelley and Kerry, so this is a very special car to me.

“It’s the only RCR Camaro that has a real Dale Earnhardt race-driven engine, a 603hp SB2 that he drove in the Bud Shootout at Daytona and at Talladega. It’s authorized by RCR to carry the number ‘3’ and to wear the ‘The Intimidator’ name on the side, as well as being the number 3 car in the Series 3 RCR Camaros.”

“The Intimidator” also has a 600hp Keith Craft-built aluminum block engine for touring and a full complement of race-proven components including Baer brakes, coilover suspension, True Trac 3.55 rear axle, 4-link rear suspension, composite/carbon fiber fascia, hood, rocker panels, spoiler and rear roll pan, Tremec 5-speed transmission, ProCar seats and even Vintage Air heat.

Built to the high standards of Richard Childress Racing,
“The Intimidator” is – of course – liveried in classic black
and silver with black leather upholstery.

Like other generous Barrett-Jackson consignors, Richardson has donated “The Intimidator” 1969 RCR Series III Camaro to charity, in this case the Camp Debbie Lou Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit that operates Camp Debbie Lou, a low country ranch in South Carolina for children with cancer
and their families. All proceeds from the sale go directly to the foundation, and Barrett-Jackson takes no commissions on its sale.

Richardson’s other favorite is his 1967 Mustang styled after “Eleanor” the co-star of Nicholas Cage’s movie “Gone in Sixty Seconds.” He chuckled when he recounted its history.

“My sons gave me the Mustang as a restoration project for my 58th birthday. They said, ‘Send us the restoration bills’ and I took advantage of them.

“This custom Mustang is all steel and aluminum; no fiberglass flares or sills or scoops. Everything’s handmade steel and aluminum. It has a 763hp Keith Craft-built engine and I named it ‘Bad Ass,’ because it is. Down on the side stripes where it usually says ‘GT500,’ this car has ‘Bad Ass.’ On the rear fascia we had machined metal lettering made to spell out the name … and remind people what it is as we left them in the dust.”

“Bad Ass” took three years to build and is arguably the prettiest “Eleanor” on the street. It is without question the most elaborately constructed and detailed.

“The Intimidator” RCR Camaro and the “Bad Ass” Mustang are typical of the high quality workmanship and devotion to details that characterize all the cars in Richardson’s Big Pop’s Garage collection being offered at No Reserve at Barrett-Jackson’s 41st annual Scottsdale Auction in January 2012.

Jimmy Richardson knows the very best cars cross Barrett-Jackson auction blocks. He brought a few to Las Vegas and now more to Scottsdale. But he’ll probably find and take home a new one or a few more. He’s a real Barrett-Jackson collector who delights in the quest for the best.

— By Rick Carey