Anyone who has ever been to the average auto auction knows the drill: The buyers line up in a nondescript garage filled with fumes and heat, a day laborer drives the car in, a fast talking auctioneer takes the bids, the day laborer peels out, then another car comes in. Repeat this on a loop for eight hours, and you do not exactly have the description of a party. But that is not at all what you get with Barret Jackson.
Barret Jackson does car auctions a bit differently than the rest. It is better described as a car show really, or even a car festival, where automotive enthusiasts get together for a weekend, catch some rallies and seminars, look at some of the coolest and most unique collector cars on the planet, and then hopefully walk away with one or a few. The only thing that screams auction is the fact that you get to buy the art.
“The unique thing about Barret Jackson is that it is more than just a car event, it is a lifestyle event,” says Gary Sherwin, president and CEO of Visit Newport Beach Inc. “Its absolutely fascinating, even if you don’t have the means to buy a classic car.”
The event takes place between June 22-24 at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, right next to Newport Beach(a town with a reputation for good times, and worth making the trip in itself).
For those Phoenix Valley car lovers who cant make it out to Orange County this weekend, Barret Jackson host the same style auto event each January in the Phoenix Valley area.
Phoenix Valley auto enthusiast and classic car collectors can reach beautiful Orange County, California in roughly six hours from the Phoenix Valley area. Phoenix Valley residents can either take the I-10, which passes through Riverside and Los Angeles, or the I-8, which passes through San Diego, the Cleveland National Forest, and up the Pacific Coast Highway. I recommend taking the I-8.
