Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon did what most husbands would do when it's time to buy a new family car: He talked with his wife, talked with his kids, talked with his buddies, set a reasonable budget and then went shopping.
And the family car he bought was exceptionally cool: a jet-black over maroon 1952 Oldsmobile Super 88 convertible with a see-through Plexiglas hood. Gordon purchased the car for a hammer price of $70,000 Friday at the 43rd annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction.
Afterwards, Gordon was thrilled with his purchase.
"I'm so excited because I've known I was coming to Barrett-Jackson for a couple of weeks," Gordon said in an exclusive interview with FOXSports.com. "And I got the books (auction catalogs) at home and was asking some of Rick's (team owner Rick Hendrick) folks, and my friend, Ron Pratte, about cars and things. I really didn't come here with any intentions of buying anything specific. I thought if something caught my eye, I'd bid on it and see what happens."
Of course, a consultation with wife Ingrid Vandebosch preceded the purchase.
"Ingrid and I talked about some things that she thought were cool in the book," said Gordon. "I got here and I was talking to Jim Perkins from Hendrick and was telling him I wanted to get an old classic that the kids would like to ride in the back and think, this is fun, this is cool.
"And he said, 'I've got just the car for you,'" said Gordon. "He turned the book to the '52 Olds. I was here, literally, like 10 minutes and that was the car. And I ended up getting it and think I got it at a pretty good price."
Gordon said he thought the car good go for as much as $100,000.
"When the owner of the car comes over and says, 'You stole that,' from what I understand, you did good when they say that," said Gordon.
