Interesting week for the car market


GTdrummer

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Mar 13, 2010
2,134
Richmond Virginia
Barrett Jackson shows just how miserable the market is this past weekend (there must be some Vette guys looking for a rope who tied up $$ in restos and got burned).

Thursday marks the 18 year end of Viper (at least for now) when the Connor Ave plant shuts down for good. There are many, many 09 ACR Vipers and ZR1s for still for sale--languishing.

Meanwhile, GTs seem to be almost healthier than ever. SCM gives it a 1 collectabilty rating and folks like Leno put it in his top 10.

I wonder if anyone will step up (in the US) with a new beast. It will be hard with this market and govt restrictions. Best hold onto your GT.
 
I got a surprise call with an offer for an all access sponsor badge for the Sunday event - it was a last minute thing. I took my two sons and went for a father/sons day. It was my first time at BJ ever and really did not know what to expect, but we had fun nevertheless. Cars wise, I was shocked at the poor quality of cars that magically transformed to glorious vehicles on stage under diffused lighting and in the capable hands of story tellers/auctioneers. Yes there were some great deals, but not on truly great collectibles and in the words of Kingman; "OC is the home to the nicest cars on the planet and not many locals wanted to buy sub-par cars". As an example, the Silver T-Bird/with the double bubble had a horrible finish but looked nice on stage and the cover of some magazine, just can't remember which.

The highlight of the day came when I took my two sons up on stage when the Black Cougar Eliminator was running and their Mom (my wife) got to see the three of us on TV live. Sadly, even Amy looked better on TV than in real life. I will be very surprised if BJ came back.

BTW - Don Goldman had his Hennessey GT1000 on his HM display and that car still stopped traffic - 5 years later. Go Ford GT!!!
 
ISadly, even Amy looked better on TV than in real life.


:eek Yeeeeeeeeewd better hope she duzzunt EVER read that post!!!!!!! :eek
 
Sadly, even Amy looked better on TV than in real life.

Go Ford GT!!!

Don't they all?:eek
 
Don't they all?:eek


No! 'Not so with Marie Osmund anyway, I can tell ya that. As cute as she is on T.V. - she's even cuter when you're standing beside her. TRUST ME on that one... :willy:willy:willy
 
No! 'Not so with Marie Osmund anyway, I can tell ya that. As cute as she is on T.V. - she's even cuter when you're standing beside her. TRUST ME on that one... :willy:willy:willy

Well, she never really tripped my trigger even on TV. A bit Pillsbury doughgirlish. But hey, I prefer blondes and redheads so who am I to say lol.
I will just have to take your word for it Larry.
 
Well, she never really tripped my trigger even on TV. A bit Pillsbury doughgirlish.

:eek Yeeeeeeew clearly need a new oculist, my good man! :lol



I will just have to take your word for it Larry.

...my word is golden, sir. :biggrin
 
Sam, I was wondering if the selection was weak because it was their first year there. Usually, there are more than 2 tents worth of cars, and although there are usually a large group that don't bring much and run on the weekdays and early mornings, typically there are some very high dollar ones that I look forward to watching on Saturday afternoon/evening (displayed in the Expo tent). I admit this year was a bit disappointing compared to past auctions, but I still had a great time as I really enjoy looking at the selection of cars.

Reading about you taking your boys up on the stage brings back a fond memory of going to my first BJ auction in '06. Wearing a GT jacket, Haggerty cap, and a big grin, I can vividly remember how exciting it was to be up on the stage (thanks to Daniel for letting me go as his guest). :banana I have no doubt your kids had a blast!! :thumbsup Was the Cougar Eliminator their favorite car or did that just happen to be the car running across the block when you were up there?

BTW, did you see the 1949 John Deere tractor? :biggrin That was a first!!
 
The John Deere was a hoot. The Eliminator was just there @ the same time. I almost bought the 47 truck though.
 
Who's Marie Osmond Pockets? B4 my time I guess!
 
Who's Marie Osmond Pockets? B4 my time I guess!

I suppose you also would "guess" that Tiger Woods is a stand of trees someplace & the O.J. trial was a Minute Maid taste test, right? :tongue:tongue:tongue :slap
 
Never in my wildest dreams when I started this post did I think Tiger Woods, Marie Osmond and OJ would become part of it. Interesting, nonetheless. IMO, Marie had a few hot years but the whole package would have been a challenge.
 
Never in my wildest dreams when I started this post did I think Tiger Woods, Marie Osmond and OJ would become part of it. Interesting, nonetheless. IMO, Marie had a few hot years but the whole package would have been a challenge.

How about Al Gore the Sex Crazed Bunny?
 
BJ Costa Mesa far short of Scottsdale...given first year and a sour economy maybe it will improve if Arnold doesn't sell the fairgrounds. You can view superior quality rides on any given weekend @ C&C compared to the buyer beware stuff I saw last weekend.
 
Never in my wildest dreams when I started this post did I think Tiger Woods, Marie Osmond and OJ would become part of it. Interesting, nonetheless. IMO, Marie had a few hot years but the whole package would have been a challenge.

To borrow from Forest Gump: "Threads are like a box of chocolates. You never know what yur gunna get." :wink :cheers


(Regarding Ms. Osmond - she IS a fox. And a nicer person you'll never meet. Nuff said.)
 
The week prior RM had an auction here in San Diego and sold $6m in GTO's, Vettes, Firebirds, and 1 red GT with 137 miles that sold for $165k. Too many cars in too short amount of time in Socal...
 
a couple of thoughts on Barrett Jackson OC:

1). the first year in OC is nothing like any year in Scottsdale. If I were trying to sell a high end car, i would not have brought it to a no-reserve auction in its first year in OC. i would wait 6 months and sell it in Scottsdale where all the limelight of the car auction is shining.

2). i don't think people realize how bad the economy is in OC. lots of people are hurting and don't have disposable income to buy high dollar cars.

3). there were tons of "drivers" and not too many real gems. the drivers were being sold (in most cases) much closer to what they are actually worth than in recent memory (i have been going to BJ Scottsdale for 10 years).

4). i believe a lot of OC folks showed up thinking you can buy a $25 ticket and buy a car not realizing that there is a bidder registration process that takes a few days (cashier's check route) or a couple of weeks (bank guarantee letter route) to get organized. i spoke to several people while in food lines asking how to register.

5). there were lots of people in the auction hall between 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM Saturday, then the crowd dwindled significantly. i noticed there was no wait at the bidder's bar -- in Scottsdale, you'll wait 5 - 10 minutes for a free drink even late into the evening.

i still had fun -- but the truth is that the Barrett Jackson auction is not my favorite Scottsdale event. RM Auctions is where i like to hang out because they have a more diverse group of cars than Barrett.

just my humble opinions......
 
(Regarding Ms. Osmond - she IS a fox. And a nicer person you'll never meet. Nuff said.)[/QUOTE]

I am sure she is. I met Donny at the Mandalay Bay once while at a Viper event and he could not have been nicer. Ok, now we have worked Donny into the thread(:
 
(Regarding Ms. Osmond - she IS a fox. And a nicer person you'll never meet. Nuff said.)

I am sure she is. I met Donny at the Mandalay Bay once while at a Viper event and he could not have been nicer. Ok, now we have worked Donny into the thread(:[/QUOTE]


:rofl And a deserving addition he is, sir! :lol

Now, I'll "see" your Donny Osmond and raise you a Wayne Newton! :rofl

Okay, okay - I'll stop! :lol :cheers
 
Originally Posted by HHGT
ISadly, even Amy looked better on TV than in real life.

Yeeeeeeeeewd better hope she duzzunt EVER read that post!!!!!!!

Confucious say "when in hole, stop digging.":lol