A Barrett-Jackson Primer

Lincoln V-12 Hot Rod, The P-32

Probably the most interesting Hod Rod this

year at the Barrett-Jackson is this Chip

Foose rod with a '42 Zephyr V-12.

Very retro.

P-32 Interior

Primer Chrome Oxide Green is a nice

touch to a rod that looks intentionally

unfinished.

P-32 Profile

What's missing? The tail lights at the rear

and look like bombs, a tasteless addition

that I left out to spare Mr. Foose the agony

of doing it for himself.

GT 40 No. 1

Through the Ford's back light the hall

leads through the many small vendors

to the auction arena itself.

The Ride Guys

These two fellas began their successful kiddy

ride business by maintaining kiddy rides

back in the '60's. One of them is Gary Sullivan,

take your pick. They hail from near my home

area of Graham Washington famous for rain,

trees, auto wrecking yards, red necks and TT

races. They do excellent restoration work and

by the second day of the Barret-Jackson had

sold every piece they brought with them except

one horse behind them. Check them out at

www.rideguys.com.

Tim Thompson, of Smith Miller Toy Trucks

Tim is a great guy who bought the tooling

from the heirs of Smitty Toys, probably the

premier metal toy truck manufacturer in

business through the 1950's. As a kid I had

a collection of 1950's Tonkas, but MIllers are

better.He's almost a local with a business with

his son in Lake Havasu AZ. Check out his

outstanding creations at www.smith-miller.com

Ron Horvath CEO of Gasoline Alley

Mr. Horvath is all business and lunch. He

does nice work that brings him around $9000

a pump. He was too busy to talk with me but

maybe he'll talk to you if you have money.

www.gasalley.com

Pump Collection No.1

There were no vandals with rocks

back in the day. These are all made

of glass, remember?

Pump Collection No.2

Mr. Horvath seems to have only one

color of yellow. Nice dial, I thought.

Pump Collection No. 3

Nice Graphics. Probably a reproduction

globe.

Pump Collection No. 4

Another yellow Polly Gas. The Polly

logo is a parrot.

Donna Wayman

Ms. Wayman is self taught and one of

the better artists at the Barrett-Jackson

this year. We had a nice conversation

and I think she appreciates jazz artists

more than cars but I'm sure she will paint a

car portrait for you. Donna can be reached

at wdhelper@earthlink.com

Barrett-Jackson Artist

I talked with a number of artists

this year. This fellow represents most

of what a visitor will come across, lots

of nostalgia, even more color, and not

a lot of training. Beware of artists with

teeny tiny brushes!

Elvis The Cadillac

Elvis means 'All Wise'.

I don't see a lot of wisdom in what was

done with this Cadillac. This car was part

of the special auction catagory.

Woody Bus

I don't remember the make or model,

probably a late's 30's Packard. Fun but

tasteless. LCD TVs go with leaded glass

like clocks in the bellies of bronze nudes.

Part of the special auction area.

Speed Channel News Guys

Were everywhere. They're at the head

of the line of cars to be sold next.

More News Guys

Somehow they seemed to find all the

odd ball non-representative cars. I

guess muscle cars get to be pretty

boring. How true. Five years of muscle

car production trumps 90 years of

building cars.

News Guys Redux

He's saying, 'Wouldn't you just love to

see this sled with flames?' Really, he is!

Torpedo-Back No.1

I think this model of Cadillac Torpedo-Backs

were made in 1949 and '50. Other fast-backs

have been called torpedo, but this is the real

deal with the OHV V-8.

Torpedo-Back No. 2

This Buick shared the same body with

the Cadillac and Olds. This Buick looks

like a ZZ Top custom (maybe it is). It's

been chopped, slammed, and another

foot added to behind the rear wheels

to make it even longer (!)

Pair of 48's

I did a frame up restoration of a 1948

Ford pick up myself. Mine looked just

like the red one. Scary.

Messerschmitt

I had a neighbor who owned one

of these when I was a kid. Cool.

Draws a crowd just like a muscle car.

That's me in there too, sorry.

Prospective Lady Buyer

Yes, there are some lady car buyers at the

Barrett-Jackson and not all are arm pieces.

Buyer

The last chance for bidders to check

out the cars is the line to the podium.

Even boring Porsches like this one

are auctioned off.

Curiosities Abound

This '57 Merc will probably go home

with someone as weird as it is.

Just look at the weirdos!

Gangreen Smoking the Tires

Trying to get a rise out of the sellers in the

cue for a picture I would shout, 'Owner, owner!?'

Mr. Gangreen was too obsessed to even notice

me. This auctioning stuff is Serious Business

to some.

Viper in the Cue

I popped off five shots trying to get this tall

owner to peer over the top of his Viper's

hood.

Barrett-Jackson Seller No. 1

A proud Ford owner soon to become

a glad Ford seller.

Barrett-Jackson Seller No. 2

A Buick to go to a new home. Buick

made a muscle car? Please!!!

Lady Seller

Probably by marriage contract.

She was helpful with questions about the

old Corvette, but I don't share her

husband's taste in rims. Period Halibrands

would have looked much better. I guess

I'm getting old.

Two Successful Sellers

Lots of cigar smokers at the Barrett-Jackson.

I think it's some kind of tradition. I thought

only boat sellers had occasions happy

enough to buy a cigar, but no!

Barrett-Jackson Bouncer

This guy means no fun. Tickets are

priced according to bidder and visitor

status, no exceptions.

Barrett-Jackson Placard Girl

Some seller put a lot of work in

this poster. I liked looking at the pretty

girl more. She was very robot like, kind

of like in slow motion; great for a 1/4

second shot.

The Last is Best Seen Elsewhere

I never sit in the Auction. That's

best seen on TV. I can't afford the

good seats, half the view is balding

gray heads, and there aren't enough

pretty girls.