Barrett-Jackson Returns To Las Vegas With 19 Total Hours Of Live, Multi-platform Coverage On Speed™ And Speedtv.com
‘NO RESERVE’ AUCTION & COLLECTOR CAR EVENT INCLUDES THE SALE of SIGNIFICANT MOTORSPORTS OFFERINGS
FANTASY BID GAME & TWO HOURS of LIVE SPEEDTV.COM COVERAGE SET HIGHLIGHT EXPANDED ONLINE COVERAGE
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 – SPEED will once again be on hand in Las Vegas as the second annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event and ‘no reserve’ auction takes center stage at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Starting Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. ET, SPEED and SPEEDtv.com will provide 19 combined hours of live, multi-platform, high-definition coverage from Sin City, where pristine offerings drew large crowds and brought strong bidder interest during last year’s inaugural event.
Long-time SPEED play-by-play announcer Bob Varsha will head the broadcast booth as Matt Stone, Executive Editor of Motor Trend magazine, will add color. The auction block will once again be handled by avid car enthusiast Mike Joy, the ‘Voice of NASCAR on FOX,’ and former Hot Rod magazine technical editor Steve Magnante. Arizona’s Rick DeBruhl will be touring the auction tents and providing pre-block commentary, including Fantasy Bid game previews.
“For year two of Vegas, we’ve expanded our coverage to 19 hours and two platforms, with 17 hours being on the linear network,” said Rick Miner, SPEED SVP of Production & Network Operations. “And new for this presentation, while the linear network breaks away for two hours with live NASCAR coverage on that Friday, we will be complementing our Barrett-Jackson coverage with a full production and live broadcast on SPEEDtv.com.”
Even with the recession well under way last year; the inaugural Las Vegas Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event and ‘no reserve’ auction still produced big numbers as many desirable collector cars and significant bits of automotive lineage crossed the block.
One of those cars crossing the block will be the historic Max Balchowsky constructed 1961 ‘Ol’ Yaller, VIII,’ a sleekly styled machine that appeared in the 1964 hit Elvis Pressley movie, Viva Las Vegas. But Balchowsky, a legendary figure in road racing circles, wasn’t satisfied in looking the part; reveling in his underdog role by driving past the more established sports car racing manufacturers like Ferrari, Maserati and Aston Martin to multiple victory lane appearances. The car will be sold at ‘no reserve’ with complete documentation, including old race logs.
Another significant car with a motor sports connection will be the sale of the original Prudhomme Special Edition Ford Mustang Shelby GT-500 Concept Car, a racer assembled at automotive legend Carroll Shelby’s Las Vegas manufacturing facility. The car, in a joint venture with NHRA legend Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme, is drag race ready, complete with a 5.4-liter, 800 horsepower Ford V8, front and rear adjustable BMR racing suspension and drag tires.
“We have an impressive https://healthsavy.com docket lined up for our second annual Las Vegas auction,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “From classics like an original 1965 289 Shelby Cobra to modern collectibles like the Iacocca 45th Anniversary Mustang, we will once again have something for everyone. And with SPEED cameras capturing the action from every angle in high-definition, enthusiasts worldwide will have a front row seat as these spectacular cars cross the block.”
In addition, SPEEDtv.com will also offer many interactive elements during this Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event, featuring trivia games, viewer chats, storylines, photo galleries, three exclusive camera angles and the Fantasy Bid game, which has become increasingly popular, recording a 115-percent increase in activity during January’s Scottsdale (Ariz.) broadcast with almost 600,000 total bids and a per car average of more than 20,000 fantasy bids.
The Fantasy Bid games will give viewers the opportunity to compete against each other in guessing the final ‘hammer’ prices prior to cars crossing the auction block, including two-hours of live and exclusive SPEEDtv.com coverage – and online Fantasy Bid competition – starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 9.
The grand prize for the Fantasy Bid game will be 52-inch wide screen 1080p LCD high-definition television along with a DVD home entertainment system for the player earning the most points throughout the entire bidding period. Additional prizes will also be awarded, as the first runner up will receive a Sony PlayStation 3 and the second runner up takes home a portable GPS navigation system. Additionally, 19 players will receive per car prizes, a 32-gigabyte iPod Touch, while three daily prizes – a 32-inch LCD High Definition television – will be up for grabs as well.
No purchase necessary to enter to win. The Game is subject to complete Official Rules, which are available at www.SPEEDtv.com. For more information on the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event and ‘no reserve’ auction, log onto www.Barrett-Jackson.com.
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Live Event Coverage
2009 – Las Vegas, Nev.
(All Times Eastern)
Thursday, Oct. 8
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event – 6-11 p.m. – SPEED
Friday, Oct. 9
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event – 4-6:30 p.m. – SPEED
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event – 6:30-8:30 p.m. – SPEEDtv.com
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event – 8:30-11 p.m. – SPEED
Saturday, Oct. 10
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event – 4-11 p.m. – SPEED
SPEED is the nation’s first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 79 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country and, the home to NASCAR on SPEED and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEEDtv.com, the online motor sports authority.
Media Contact
Contact: David Harris – SPEED
david.harris@speedtv.com
Office – 704.501.5796
Mobile -704.756.9301