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VINTAGE: Barrett-Jackson Auction Roars
The gigantic 42nd annual Scottsdale event hit the heights, but the stupendous sale of the Batmobile stole the show.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted January 21, 2013   Scottsdale, AZ
The 1947 Talbot Lago T-26 Grand Sport with a cool Franay body was one of the top sellers in Scottsdale, hitting $1.035 million, including bidder fee. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
Sales were up, attendance was up and the final results were strong, but the 2013 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction will be forever remembered for the remarkably wild sale of the original Batmobile, which hit $4.2 million on the block before a packed house of shrieking fans.

“I would say that of all the auctions, this is one of the funnest events by far,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson, of the 42nd annual collector-car event.

The original Batmobile was the constant center of attention. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
By the numbers, there were 1,343 cars sold during the auction for a total of $108,766,069 in gross sales, a 17 percent increase over a year ago, according to Barrett-Jackson figures released Monday. That makes it the second-highest Barrett-Jackson auction ever, behind the 2007 Scottsdale auction that reached $112 million.

The attendance figures hit a total of 310,000 between Jan. 13 and Jan. 20 during the sweeping event at WestWorld, an 11 percent increase over last year. SPEED provided 40 hours of live coverage, with an extra hour added on Saturday night.

The craziness of the Saturday evening sale of the Batmobile will go down in the annals, with a total wall-to-wall mob scene surging in the gigantic auction tent as the Batmobile rolled up to the raucous strains of the Batman! theme song, and legendary car customizer George Barris stepping out of his greatest creation.

Famed motorsports model Linda Vaughn danced on stage dressed as Batgirl. The enthusiastic crowd pressed forward despite security’s efforts to hold them back.

NASCAR champ Jeff Gordon speaks to the crowd during the charity sale of his #24 Monte Carlo race car, along with (from left) auction chairman Craig Jackson, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick and auction president Steve Davis. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
Jackson said he had never seen such an uproar during an auction sale, with only the surprisingly vibrant 2006 multi-million sale of the 1950 General Motors Futurliner bus coming anywhere close.

“Was that not electric in that room?” Jackson said the next day. “That was just a surreal moment. There were people all the way back. We couldn’t even see who was bidding.”

The Batmobile was bought by longtime Barrett-Jackson participant Rick Champagne, a businessman from nearby Awatukee, who flipped a coin with an equally determined bidding rival to win the auction.

The Batmobile replaces the Futurliner as the second-highest sale ever at a Barrett-Jackson auction, with Carroll Shelby’s own Cobra Super Snake holding the No. 1 spot at $5.5 million.

On Saturday, nine cars from the high-end Salon Collection and one charity sale roared into seven figures, the top 10 sellers of the auction. They are (including 10 percent bidder fees):

(1) The 1966 Batmobile, the original creation built by George Barris for the 1960s TV show from the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, $4.62 million.

Late screen star Clark Gable's 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing was another huge hit at Barrett-Jackson, reaching $2.035 million including bidder fee in a post-sale negotiation. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
(2) The 1957 Talbot Lago T-26 Grand Sport with a sweeping custom body by Franay, $2.035 million.

(3) The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing coupe that was owned and driven by film idol Clark Gable, also $2.035 million.

(4) The beautiful gold 1934 Duesenberg J Custom Beverly sedan with a Murphy body, $1.43 million.

(5) The 1956 Chrysler Diablo concept convertible by Virgil Exner, $1.375 million.

(6) The rare 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible, a top dog of American muscle cars, $1.32 million.

(7) The 1929 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS roadster with a luscious Castagna body, $1.32 million.

(8) The evocative 1949 Delahaye Type 175 Saoutchik Coupe de Ville, $1.21 million.

A magnificent classic, the 1934 Duesenberg J Custom Beverly sedan with a Murphy body, was a top seller at $1.43 million. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
(9) The rights to the first 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, the sports car’s new seventh generation, purchased by NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick in a charity sale to benefit the College for Creative Studies, $1.1 million. There are no fees for Barrett-Jackson charity sales.

(10) The 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L-88 Owens/Corning race car, famously known as history’s “winningest Corvette,” $1.1 million.

Two world records were set in the top sales: The Talbot Lago was the highest result for the classic T-26 model, and the Chrysler Diablo sale was the highest ever for a Chrysler concept car. Overall, the 53 cars in the Salon Collection sold for more than $30 million.

The 21 vehicles sold for charity during the auction raised more than $5 million. The Automobilia auction had sales exceeding $100,000.

Jackson said that the more than 3,400 bidders at the auction comprised a record $900 million lines of credit, and three of the Salon Collection cars sold to phone buyers in Russia. The auction advertised heavily overseas for the Scottsdale event, he said, and bidders were on the phone from such emerging markets as Russian, China and South America.

“There’s wealth everywhere nowadays,” he said.
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