Barrett-Jackson heats up Hot August Nights with world-class auction
In only its second year as part of Hot August Nights, the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company has become an integral part of America’s largest celebration of the custom and hot rod community. With its spectacular Barrett-Jackson Cup competition, live auction and other events, Barrett-Jackson has elevated the attention of the car collecting community to new heights.
Over just three days, Barrett-Jackson delivered its trademark excitement during its 2nd Annual Hot August Nights Auction at Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada, by selling 342 vehicles and more than 300 collectible automobilia pieces for more than $11M in sales (unaudited) at an incredible 99 percent sell through rate. In addition, the Barrett-Jackson Cup competition returned to Reno. It has become one of the most anticipated collector car competitions boasting the hobby’s largest prizes of over $110,000 in cash and prizes.
“The success of our Hot August event demonstrates that Barrett-Jackson continues to be the catalyst for growth in all sectors of the collector car hobby,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “Car collecting is a lifestyle, which was evident by the excitement across Reno for the Barrett-Jackson Cup competition. Never before has one collector car event hosted so many of the nation’s award winning hot rods and customs under one roof. With the largest prizes in history, the Barrett-Jackson Cup has become the most coveted award among custom and hot rod owners.”
Barrett-Jackson’s historic partnership with the world’s premiere classic car and nostalgia festival, Hot August Nights, began in 2013. The Barrett-Jackson Cup was one of the most popular elements of that first year. The 2013 winner was a custom 1969 Ford Torino built by Troy and Jack Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy. It was a highlight moment when Jack Trepanier, a keystone in the collector car community, accepted the award. Sadly, Jack passed away in March of this year. Barrett-Jackson dedicated the 2014 Barrett-Jackson Cup in his honor.
Judges Bobby Alloway, Pete Chapouris and Bob Millard chose 25 cars from the downtown Reno “Show and Shine” car shows. The vehicles were displayed in downtown Reno before five top finalists advanced to a ceremony at the Barrett-Jackson Auction arena.
“The quality of workmanship of the cars in this year’s Barrett-Jackson Cup competition was unbelievable,” said Pete Chapouris, Barrett-Jackson Cup judge and president of SO-CAL Speed Shop. “Selecting the final five cars was immensely difficult. The competition was fierce and I expect it will only become more competitive as the Cup grows in popularity. We’re already hearing about people building cars specifically for this competition. I believe the Barrett-Jackson Cup is on track to be the ‘Pebble Beach’ of the American collector car community.”
This year, entries included many national trophy winners with the “Reno Five” finalists being among the collector car industry’s most coveted customs and hot rods. The grand prize winner was awarded the Barrett-Jackson Cup in front of an unprecedented TV audience of more than 100,000,000 homes during live auction coverage.
•First Runner-up: Built by Hot Rods by JSK, the 1932 Ford Four Door is featured on Street Rodder magazine’s August 2014 cover. It boasts an early 1950s race car theme with Sprint Car steering, modified vintage drum brakes and a bored and stroked Ford Thunderbird Y block V8. A vintage Hilborn intake was converted to EFI and a 5-speed manual transmission feeds into a quick-change rear axle. The body and frame are handmade including suicide doors with eliminated b-pillars. The interior is hand stitched “baseball glove” leather by Paul Atkins. It is the winner of the 2014 Street Rod of the Year and 2014 “Great 8 Car” in Detroit.
1957 Chevrolet Pickup built by Jason Smith at Hot Rod Garage was the Grand Prize Winner.
•Second Runner-up: The ‘34 Chevrolet Phaeton was designed by Chip Foose and built by the winner of the inaugural Barrett-Jackson Cup, Rad Rides by Troy. It features a modified Roadster Shop Chassis with “Heidt’s” independent suspension all around. Under the hood, the GM Performance 383 Ram Jet engine with EFI was modified to look like a vintage 1957 Rochester unit. It is shod with CNC machined wheels by Curtis Speed and includes stitched art-deco red leather upholstery by Rad-Rides.
It was a close battle for the top spot, but this beautiful 1932 Ford Four Door had to settle for first runner-up.
•Third Runner-up: A 1964 Buick Riveria by J.F. Launier was hand-built starting with little more than a $300 “parts car” rusted hulk body. The rear window and deck are grafted from a later “boat tail” Riviera. Under the hood are two rear-mounted turbochargers that feed a 6.2 liter Chevrolet V8 by way of a massive intake tube that runs through the cockpit. A custom-built perimeter chassis gives the car its low, wide stance. It rides on billet wheels and inside its hand-made interior has been converted to a two-seat sports car layout. The theme draws attention to the rear mounted turbos. It was the 2014 Ridler Award Winner at the Detroit Autorama.
The second runner-up had a GM Performance 383 Ram Jet engine with EFI under the hood.
•Fourth Runner-up: Built by Miranda Built, the 1967 Nova features a twin turbo NASCAR small block Chevrolet engine, with RideTech pro-touring suspension controlled by an iPad. It rides on Budnik Gasser D wheels. Its paint job, including the unique orange “metalized” finish, was performed by Charley Hutton. It is a 2014 Goodguys Street Machine of the Year winner and 2014 Detroit Autorama “Great 8” finalist.
The third runner-up was a 1964 Buick Riveria was hand-built by J.F. Launier.
“In only its second year, the Barrett-Jackson Cup competition has become an important part of the collector car culture,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “But we also had an extraordinary selection of customs and street rods lined up for our auction. In addition to the eclectic mix of collector cars, we put a special emphasis on hot rods and customs that crossed our block. We’re excited to be able to shine the spotlight on this uniquely American segment of the collector car hobby through our auction and national television coverage.”
The fourth runner-up featured a RideTech pro-touring suspension that was controlled by an iPad.
Barrett-Jackson continued to cultivate the hobby by attracting an impressive number of bidders to the Hot August Night Reno auction. Barrett-Jackson’s healthy offering of entry-level to mid-range vehicles was one of the keys to the auction’s success.
“The collector car hobby is thriving and Barrett-Jackson is the catalyst,” said Jackson. “While we continue to offer top-tier cars for seasoned, high profile collectors, who were involved in some spirited bidding, our diverse docket attracts enthusiasts of all ages and levels. An overwhelming percentage of vehicles were sold at No Reserve, which means that honest market values were set this weekend in Reno at Barrett-Jackson.”
Barrett-Jackson has a long tradition of raising money for charity. In Reno, Ford Motor Company and the Darrell Gwynn Foundation auctioned a 2014 Ford Transit Connect Titanium that will be modified by MobilityWorks for customers who are restricted to a wheelchair. The sale raised $100,000, which will be used by the Darrell Gwynn Foundation to put more children with disabilities into wheelchairs.
