Barrett-Jackson Westworld: Auto Auction Extravaganza

May 1

May 2020 • By Nestor Cabrera

Picture this, you’re sitting in a huge amphitheater with hundreds of people listening to what sounds like yodeling. You can only make out a few words, one thousand, fifteen hundred, two thousand. There is no music to accompany the lyrics, then after what seems like an eternity, you hear a loud thump and somebody screams, SOLD, SOLD, SOLD! What you have just experienced is an auctioneer selling a car.

Barrett-Jackson (B-J) is one of the best-known car auctions in the world but it is nothing like a typical used car auction. In fact, not many auctions compare to B-J since founder Craig Jackson turned the mundane used car auction into a lifestyle automotive extravaganza. People from all corners of the world congregate at one of the four events B-J hosts each year at West Palm Beach, FL, Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT, and Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. However, the granddaddy of them all is Westworld in Scottsdale, AZ.

Westworld is a 386 acre purpose built, multi-use facility featuring a 120,460 sq-ft tent, the largest in North America, and a 300,000 sq-ft climate-controlled building. In the brisk month of January Westworld is transformed into the Super Bowl of automotive auctions with more than 1,000 collector cars sold at no reserve.

If you follow the auction scene, and believe me it’s a scene, reserves are set so the owner does not lose the farm when the car is sold. The problem with a reserve is that people get an idea of what the asking price is for the car and that can reduce the number of bidders. If the reserve is not met then the car is not sold. It’s the auctioneer’s job to motivate bidders and get the owner the best possible price. Barrett-Jackson’s no reserve policy means that the seller is taking a risk but in many instances the risk is worth it.

Barrett-Jackson Westworld is more than just an auction; it’s a world-class automotive experience. It has become such a high-profile event that most of the major car makers not only display there but also use the event to launch vehicles which they then auction. Many of these first editions are sold for a charity like “Make a Wish” and can fetch many times what the car would cost at a dealership, for example, the 2020 Toyota Supra reached an astonishing $2million.

The B-J experience begins as you enter the show and become immersed in the experience surrounded by the who’s who in the automotive world. If you are a ‘blue oval’ fan you can get up close with cars from Ford SVT, Shelby America, Roush and Saleen. If Mopar is more to your liking, get behind the wheel of the Demon in a drag race simulator or, if you’re a ‘bow tie’ fan the Bumblebee is waiting for you alongside the new mid-engine Corvette. As you walk around these exhibits like a kid in a candy shop you realize there is a lot to see. Like I said, this is a multi-day show and one day isn’t enough to take in the entire experience.