Barrett Jackson Scottsdale – A Few Cars We’re Watching
The Barrett Jackson Scottsdale Collector Car Auction is where the global gearheads go the third weekend in January. Buyers, sellers and scene setters come here from all over. The Scottsdale airport is covered in Gulfstream jets and there isn’t a hotel room available for a 30-square mile radius. The cars, the lifestyle and the culture here at Barrett Jackson is what sets it apart from any other car auction on the planet.
Though we have attended for years, this is the first opportunity we’ve had to get down and dirty covering the action. We will have our Fuel Curve team onsite to bring you the action in our signature style. You can look for that story down the road.
What they will bring at auction is anyone’s guess. Hopefully the action is hot and heavy on these unique machines. We will be watching these machines closely. Have a look:
1955 Ford Thunderbird Custom – This radically customized 1955 Ford Thunderbird won the Ridler Award in 2012 also bagging Goodguys Custom Rod of the Year later that year. Owned by Dwayne Peace of Tyler, Texas, it was designed by his sons Jonathan and Matthew who scratch-made the chassis. The body is also handmade with finish work by Greening Auto Company. Peace’s Thunderbird combines impeccable new-era craftsmanship and materials with a 50’s icon. The motor is a Gale Banks twin-turbocharged small block Chevy pumping out 1100-plus horsepower. It features deep red paint with rich brown leather upholstery in the mold of a Ferrari. Of our previewed cars here in this segment, this will no doubt be the top seller. It’s a masterpiece.
Ridetech’s “48 Hour” 1972 Corvette – What do you do when you win the Goodguys AutoCross championship? Ya sell the car that smoked ‘em all! The famed RideTech 48 Hour Corvette continues the line of RideTech’s 48-hour build series vehicles. This is by far the nastiest of the bunch. It runs like the Tasmanian devil with a 649hp Lingenfelter LS7 and handles like a slot car with RideTech’s complete Track 1 suspension system. It was a dream to build too. The RideTech team started with a 68k original mile Arizona based C3 ‘Vette.
“Tootsie” 1967 C-10 – As pre-’72 C-10 trucks go, you would be hard pressed to find a more bitchin’ ride than Eric Steinbrecher’s orange ’67 Chevy C-10 built as a tribute to his late mother “Tootsie.” The truck was a finalist for Goodguys Truck of the Year-Late in 2014. Powered by a supercharged LS3, Tootsie is a full custom outside, inside and underneath. No expense was spared in this build and it was done by Eric himself in his Sacramento area garage. Riding on a Porterbuilt chassis, it features a Winters quickchange rear end, 15-gallon Moon tank, and one off wheels. Forgeline wheels, Wilwood disc brakes and BFG Rivals give it all the “stick” you’ll need on the street, strip or track. Here’s your chance to buy a champion!
1949 Dodge Powerwagon – Built by Randy Weaver/Weaver Customs this gray Powerwagon named “Full Metal Jacket” is a modern take on an old classic. Riding high on a custom chassis with triangulated 4-link and 30” shocks, it has been smoothed, massaged and tricked out to the fullest extent before being coated in Weaver’s signature gray. Weaver’s other calling card is diesel engines and this ol’ girl is powered by a 3.9-liter 4BT Cummins with an HX35 turbo and backed by a TH350 automatic transmission. It was named the 2017 World’s Ultimate Truck. We would rock that baby all day!
1949 Buick Custom– A fixture on the show circuit, Mike Fennel’s ’49 Buick custom shines like an emerald. Sporting stock trim and that eye-grabbing green pearl hue, it’s way down on the deck on air. Other features include a Fatman front clip, a nailhead V8 mated to an auto trans, polished wheels with wide whites, and a spectacular parchment colored interior with green accents. Check out that quad tip exhaust! We have visions of packing up the familia and hitting the road in this bitchin’ Buick.
1961 Ford F-100 Custom – We are very familiar with Todd Williams’ ’61 Ford Unibody – it was named Goodguys LMC Truck of the Year in 2016. Although Williams is a local Phoenix resident, he relied on Portland, Tennessee’s Jason Graham to build his dream truck. The laser-straight body was completely customized then covered in a custom-mixed PPG Mahogany Pearl. To compliment the color, 22″ Schott Modsport wheels with bronze ceramic painted accents and Yokohama Parada tires were added to complete the design. Under the smoothed hood is a Ford Coyote V8 painted to match. It rides down low on a Porterbuilt chassis with AccuAir ride control. Inside the cab is a delicious leather interior with material from Relicate. It should do well.
1965 VW 21-window Microbus – The value of these buses has skyrocketed in recent years and here is a shining example of a 100-point restoration. It has been verified by the Stiftung AutoMuseum in Wolfsburg Germany as the real McCoy. Adorned in beautiful Sea Blue/Blue White this 60s icon has the Safari Window option, a brand-new canvas top assembly and a bumpin’ sound system. The manually shifted bus runs like a Swiss watch thanks to its 1914cc dual carb engine.
