The Virgil Exner-designed 1956 Chrysler Diablo sold with a winning bid of $1.25 million. (Photo: Tom Jensen)

[Saturday 7:56 pm ET]

LEADING MAN: The former Clark Gable 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gull Wing is the first of the Salon Cars sold with a reserve, or minimum price. Initially, it did not hit its minimum price and was a no-sale, but Barrett-Jackson officials brokered a deal between consignor Don Williams and the top bidder, with the car changing hands at $1.85 million.



[Saturday 7:28 pm ET]

RAINBOW WARRIORS: Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon drove his 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo on stage to auction this car off to benefit AARP Drive To End Hunger. Philanthropist Ron Pratte bought this car for $500,000 at a prior auction and re-donated it to be sold tonight. It sells as a pair with this 2000 Jeff Gordon Edition street Monte Carlo .

“What an amazing experience,” said Gordon, a winner of this year’s Heisman Humanitarian Award for all his charitable works. His cars sell for $350,000.

Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson announces that the Orange County auction will be replaced by one in Reno, Nev., as part of the “Hot August Nights” car show.



[Saturday 6:24 pm ET]

442 FEVER: The family owned http://www.thorntonclassics.com/ of Telford, Pa. specializes in Oldsmobile 442 restorations and has been in business since 1950. Their cars almost always fetch top dollars, but this 1970 442 W30 convertible went through the roof Saturday, setting what likely was a world-record price of $325,000, plus 10 percent buyer’s premium. An astounding sale for a great car.



[Saturday 4:04 pm ET]

HIGH ROLLER: There’s a new high seller at the 42nd Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event, a 2012 Chevrolet COPO (Central Office Production Order) Camaro convertible that goes for $400,000, with all proceeds to the American Heart Association. The 69 COPO Camaros in the 2012 run were all built for drag racing. This one, the 69th and final car built, is one of only two COPO convertibles made, the only one for sale to the public and the only one in Inferno Orange.

Interestingly, COPO customers could fly to Michigan and build their own engines with a GM technician assisting them. I went there last year when Rick Hendrick built his own COPO motor. Hendrick was the runner-up in the bidding on this car.



[Saturday 3:06 pm ET]

SUPER SHELBY: Carroll Shelby’s grandson, Aaron, and Henry Ford III were onstage to auction this 2012 Shelby GT500 Cobra for the benefit of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The crowd went nuts as it sold for $200,000.



[Saturday 2:11 pm ET]

SPEED is aware that there have been technical problems with the Fantasy Bid Contest systems. While more than 100,000 entries were tabulated Friday without issue, our team continues to work around the clock to resolve these technical issues to ensure improved participation levels. We appreciate your growing interest in the Fantasy Bid Contest and your continued patience. Please understand that our long-time partners and sponsors of the contest, Barrett-Jackson, Hagerty Insurance and Ford Motor Company, while not involved in technical aspects of the game, share our concerns.”

The former Clark Gable 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gull Wing ended with Barrett-Jackson officials brokering a deal between the consignor and the top bidder. (Image: SPEED)

[Saturday 2:08 pm ET]

SUPER SATURDAY: Super Saturday is here at the 42nd Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event. After four spectacular auction days so far, the only real question is how high will sales rise today? We could be in for a record day, with cars like the original Batmobile, the Green Hornet Shelby prototype and Clark Gable’s Mercedes-Benz 300SL on the docket today. Look for records to fall as the night goes on.

We’ll be here live until midnight ET, broadcasting on SPEED and streaming on SPEED.com the whole time. Check back here for frequent updates and stay tuned for a night of drama, excitement and a stellar selection of cars.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK: Join the Barrett-Jackson conversation through the SPEED Social Garage or via Twitter by using the #BJA2013 hash tag and @BarrettOnSPEED handle.
Here are the Twitter handles for SPEED’s on-air team: Bob Varsha (@bobvarsha), Matt Stone (@MattStoneCars), Mike Joy (@mikejoy500), Rick DeBruhl (@rickdebruhl), Justin Bell (@justinbelltv), Ralph Sheheen (@ralphsheheen) and April Rose (@tweetAprilRose). You can also chat with SPEED.com Editor-In-Chief Tom Jensen (@tomjensen100) and SPEED.com Automotive Editor Bob Golfen (@BobGolfen).
Additional information, videos and photos can be seen by ‘Liking’ the Barrett-Jackson on SPEED Facebook page.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.