Speed™ Launches Barrett-Jackson’s 40th Anniversary With 40 Hours Of Live Coverage From 2011 Scottsdale Collector Car Auction
BARRETT-JACKSON & SPEED to HIGHLIGHT YEAR-LONG CELEBRATION BY TOURING FOUR ICONIC COLLECTOR CARS FROM 1971
COVERAGE & FANTASY BIDDING STARTS JAN. 18 at 7 P.M. ET/4 P.M. PT
SPEED kicks off a year-long celebration of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company’s 40th anniversary with 40 hours of live coverage from Scottsdale, Ariz., starting Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. In addition to six-consecutive days of collector cars crossing the auction block at no reserve, the popular Hagerty Fantasy Bid game is back for another year.
Leading this year’s broadcast is the venerable Bob Varsha, voice of Formula One on SPEED, with color commentary from Matt Stone, Senior Editor of Motor Trend & Editor of Motor Trend Classics magazines. Meanwhile, car collector and enthusiast, Mike Joy, voice of NASCAR on SPEED & FOX, and American muscle car expert, Steve Magnante, provide detailed insight on cars crossing the auction block. Rick DeBruhl and Justin Bell, car lovers in their own right, are set to peruse the display tents and add perspective while previewing the upcoming fantasy bid vehicles.
“We are looking forward to kicking off Barrett-Jackson’s 40th anniversary of collector car events with 40 hours of live coverage from the Scottsdale,” said Rick Miner, SPEED Senior VP of Production & Network Operations. “There’s a phenomenal lineup of cars the Barrett-Jackson team has consigned for Scottsdale this year, eight of which to receive extra attention throughout the six-consecutive days of our broadcast.”
In recognition of the 40th anniversary, SPEED also has teamed with the auction company to highlight four iconic vehicles from 1971. Tabbed as the ‘Barrett-Jackson Collection,’ the cars are set to travel in a themed trailer, making appearances at grassroots and motor sports events throughout the country. At each of the four Barrett-Jackson auctions, one of the aforementioned cars are to be sold at no reserve, and later presented to the new owners during a special anniversary wrap up party in Las Vegas next October.
“In addition, we are planning on spotlighting iconic cars from 1971 throughout the year-long celebration,” Miner added. “Just like a collector car, Barrett-Jackson is only getting better with age.”
Barrett-Jackson held its first auction in 1971, when Russ Jackson and Tom Barrett organized an event featuring a Barrett-owned 1933 Cadillac V16 Town Car. In 1996, SPEED started its coverage from Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, continually increasing its presence as the auction’s popularity grew. Now, with 40 hours of live coverage from Scottsdale, and additional broadcasts from Palm Beach (Fla.) (starting in 2005), Las Vegas (2008) and Orange County (Calif.) (2010), SPEED’s on-air live coverage has become synonymous with a Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction weekend.
Throughout the years, there have been many stories that best describe the Barrett-Jackson experience, which makes it hard to come up with only one that stands out.
“The problem with picking a favorite memory of Barrett-Jackson is that the auctions provide a new one every few minutes,” Varsha said. “I recall the fabulous Lincoln Zephyr V12 that became the first street rod to top the auction in 2004, followed a year later by the Olds F-88 concept car that blew the roof off the room in Scottsdale at $3.3 million. That was topped two years later by frenzied bidding on the one surviving 427 Cobra ‘Super Snake’ that topped out at $5.5 million.
“But my favorite memory is still the elderly Midwestern couple who had a tearful parting on the block with the pretty ’55 Chevy they had owned since new, courted in and lovingly restored,” Varsha continued. “To me, they symbolize the emotional investment we have in our cars, and that’s what Barrett-Jackson has celebrated for four decades.”
This year’s auction has a diverse group of cars set to cross the block. None more spectacular however, than a couple of high-profile, resto-mod (highly customized older collector cars with modern-day amenities and power train) consignments set for prime time. Lot 1286, a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda known as ‘Frankencuda,’ is a wild black-and-green 2010 SEMA, Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour show car replete with a 626 Hemi engine. This machine is featured in the upcoming Fast Five movie (the fifth installment of The Fast and The Furious franchise).
Another equally impressive vehicle is Lot 1306, a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette resto-mod that houses a unique mid-engine, twin-turbo V7 configuration that outputs at more than 1,000 horsepower. This all-black show stopper was a GM Design Award winner, and one of the most detailed entries of the entire auction.
SPEED and SPEED.com is set for another edition of the network’s popular Hagerty Fantasy Bid Game. Starting alongside this year’s live auction coverage, viewers have the opportunity to guess how much a selected car sells for once the gavel falls, and by logging on to www.speedfantasybid.com, they can register to bid.
The Hagerty Fantasy Bid Game recorded almost 1,000,000 fantasy bids for the four-game franchise in 2010, marking the second-straight year the franchise yielded record numbers. In addition, SPEED.com is offering live streaming & on-demand video, trivia, at-event photography and interactive auction chats as the week-long festivities unfold.
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction
2011 Scottsdale (Ariz.) Coverage Schedule
(All Times Eastern; Schedule Subject To Change)
Tuesday, Jan. 18
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event 7 – Midnight (Live)
Hagerty Fantasy Bid Game 7 – Midnight (Live)
Barrett-Jackson Feature Car 9 p.m. (Live)
Wednesday, Jan. 19
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event 7 – Midnight (Live)
Hagerty Fantasy Bid Game 7 – Midnight (Live)
Barrett-Jackson Feature Car 9 p.m. (Live)
Thursday, Jan. 20
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event 7 – Midnight (Live)
Hagerty Fantasy Bid Game 7 – Midnight (Live)
Barrett-Jackson Feature Car 9 p.m. (Live)
Friday, Jan. 21
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event 2 p.m. – Midnight (Live)
Hagerty Fantasy Bid Game 2 p.m. – Midnight (Live)
Barrett-Jackson Feature Car 5 & 9 p.m. (Live)
Saturday, Jan. 22
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event 2 p.m. – 1 a.m. (Live)
Hagerty Fantasy Bid Game 2 p.m. – 1 a.m. (Live)
Barrett-Jackson Feature Car 5 & 9 p.m. (Live)
Sunday, Jan. 23
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event 2– 6 p.m. (Live)
Hagerty Fantasy Bid Game 2– 6 p.m. (Live)
Barrett-Jackson Feature Car 5 p.m. (Live)
About SPEED™
SPEED, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in more than 82 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.
About FOX Sports Media Group
FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching over 20 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.
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