ˆ Barrett-Jackson 2009: First Retail Production Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

tags : barrett jackson , barrett jackson 2009 , barrett jackson auction , barrett-jackson , barrett-jackson 2009 , barrett-jackson2009 , barrettjackson , barrettjackson2009 , barrettjacksonauction , ford f-150 svt raptor , fordf-150svtraptor , svt raptor , svtraptor

Ford's F-150 SVT Raptor isn't much like a normal truck. One look at the machine, with its copious amounts of front and rear suspension travel, super-wide stance, unique front fascia and bright orange paint quickly proves that point, but the truck on display at Barrett-Jackson last night had a few more tricks up its sleeve in order to grab some extra bids: a truckload of kids. Specifically, the Raptor's bed was full of children that stood to gain from the sale of this machine, which is the first retail production model of its kind, as all proceeds above the Raptor's MSRP will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. After the gavel fell and all associated fees were paid, the truck went for $143,000 -- likely a hefty sum over the Raptor's as-yet unannounced base price.

posted : 2/9/2009 @6:43:38 PM

ˆ Barrett-Jackson 2009: Yenko and COPO Chevrolet collection

tags : barrett jackson , barrett jackson 2009 , barrett jackson auction , barrett-jackson , barrett-jackson 2009 , barrett-jackson2009 , barrettjackson , barrettjackson2009 , barrettjacksonauction , copo , copo camaro , copo chevrolet , copo nova , copocamaro , copochevrolet , coponova , yenko , yenko camaro , yenko chevrolet , yenko nova , yenkocamaro , yenkochevrolet , yenkonova

Way back in the day, things took place a bit differently. Exhibit A: Chevrolet's Central Office Production Order system, which allowed dealerships a back door around GM's officially-sanctioned packages and options. For instance, it was possible to order a Camaro right from the production line that featured an engine that was otherwise reserved for the range-topping Corvette. Perhaps the best-known of these unique products came from Yenko Chevrolet, and bidders at Barrett-Jackson had a very nice group of these rare machines to choose from. First up was a 1981 Camaro Z/28 that sold for $79,200.00, which was followed by an LT-1-powered 1970 Nova "Deuce" that went for $110,000.00. The compact Nova was followed by three 1969 Camaros, the first of which was a COPO 9561 with the L72 427/425hp engine that sold for $132,000, which actually strikes us as a pretty good deal. Next up was a COPO 9560 with the famed aluminum 427 ZL-1 engine, which sold for $319,000. Lastly, another COPO 9561 hit the block, though this one's status as 1 of 3 that was sold specifically for drag racing in the NHRA helped it earn $297,000.

posted : 2/9/2009 @6:42:47 PM

ˆ Barrett-Jackson 2009: 1982 Pontiac Trans Am K.I.T.T. replica

tags : barrett jackson , barrett jackson 2009 , barrett jackson auction , barrett-jackson , barrett-jackson 2009 , barrett-jackson2009 , barrettjackson , barrettjackson2009 , barrettjacksonauction , kitt , kitt replica , kittreplica , knight rider , knight rider kitt , knightrider , knightriderkitt

Well, what do you know? K.I.T.T. was a big hit here at Barrett-Jackson today. We'd never have guessed that there would be enough fans (with money) of the original Knight Rider series here at the auction to drive bidding all the way to $40,000 (add another $4K in fees), but indeed there were. This isn't actually one of the original cars that was used by the Hoff in the '80s, but bits and pieces of it were in fact used in the craptastic new version that our own Mr. Núñez so lovingly mocks each and every week in his hilarious live blog. Not all is lost, though, for fans of the real K.I.T.T., as this is a fully functioning replica, complete with the trademark flashing front strobe lights and two working monitors inside. Plus, how many of your friends have talking cars that are signed by George Barris? None. Perhaps it was worth the dough after all.

posted : 2/2/2009 @8:06:47 PM

ˆ GM Performance manager to advise Barrett-Jackson bidders

tags : barrett jackson , barrett jackson 2009 , barrett-jackson , barrettjackson , barrettjackson2009 , gm heritage center , gm heritage collection , gmheritagecenter , gmheritagecollection , heritage collection , heritagecollection

GM will be "thinning the herd" of its Heritage Collection at this year's Barrett-Jackson auction, beginning January 13th in Scottsdale, AZ. As many as 250 historically significant cars, trucks and concepts are slated to go under the gavel, a few are bound to be sold well under their true value, and wise bidders are planning ahead for just such an occasion. It seems that the auction house will not be providing specific information on many of the models ahead of time, even if they may differ from the production cars they're based on in significant but unseen ways. This being the case, a few savvy shoppers have retained the services of Mark McPhail, the recently retired manager of GM Performance Engineering. Perhaps we should keep him on speed dial ourselves, ya know... just in case.

posted : 1/1/2009 @8:34:03 PM