That resounding sale capped the bidding so far at the 41st annual Scottsdale auction, with a Thursday sale that was rich with celebrities and charity cars. Charity offerings have become a signature feature for Barrett-Jackson, which has raised well over $40 million for worthy causes during the past five years.
Rock star Bret Michaels threw in his comboy hat to sweeten the bidding for his Bentley Continental GT. (Photo: Lisa Horne) With a cadre of wheelchair-bound veterans lining the stage, the sale of Keselowski?s Penske Racing car ? in which the young driver dominated the Nationwide Series in 2010 ? was an emotion-charged event with Keselowski and the famed Roger Penske up on the podium with the auctioneers.
?I thought it was going to go for $100,000, so I?m blown away,? Keselowski said after the money was counted.
The bidding raced up through $200,000 before settling and declared sold at $250,000 to bidder Sean Jordan of La Habra, Calif. After that came the announcement that another donor, Bruce Halle, CEO of Scottsdale-based Discount Tire, would add another $250,000 for the charity. Halle was standing up on stage during the sale and passed the word back to the auctioneers.
Then, Barrett-Jackson regular George Deigh added yet another $100,000 to the total. Keselowski and Penske looked thrilled from the result of the race-car sale.
"I just didn't know what to expect,? Keselowski said. ?It's like the fair meets the Daytona 500. A great time with some great people. And I love cars, so this is really cool."
That exciting charity sale highlighted Barrett-Jackson?s strong auction results as the evening progressed. With the day starting with more than $11.6 million total sales for Tuesday and Wednesday, the Thursday auction was a crowd-pleaser with an electric atmosphere as the bidding climbed for the charity cars and the celebrities shined on stage.
Just after the sale of the Keselowski race car, one of the most acclaimed race drivers of all time, Mario Andretti, stood at the podium to announce the sale of the MagnaFlow Mario Andretti Edition 2011 Camaro SS, with all proceeds benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project Inc.
A celebrity of another sort was the official Yellow Submarine of Beatles fame that sold with a guitar signed by Paul McCartney for $58,300, including bidder fee. (Photo: Lisa Horne) The Andretti Camaro raised $75,000 for the cause, with winner bidder David Clark of Onaiaska, Wis., re-donating the car to be sold again for the veteran?s charity at a future Barrett-Jackson auction.
Veteran race driver and performance-driving-school owner Bob Bondurant and performance-car pro Steve Saleen of SMS Supercars introduced another top charity-car sale benefitting Cox Charities and the Make A Wish Foundation. The 620-horsepower 2011 Camaro SMS Bondurant created by Saleen raised $100,000 for the charitable causes.
Rock star and TV personality Bret Michaels was on stage to rile up the bidding for four of his personal cars ? a 2004 Bentley Continental GT, two SUVs and a custom motorcycle.
Michaels called the gorgeous silver Bentley a ?baby-making machine,? bringing on a chorus of laughs and bidding that hit $117,000, the highest seller of his collection. To juice the bidding, Michaels threw in a custom-made guitar and the cowboy hat that he was wearing, as well as free admission to an upcoming concert of his band, Poison.
The Scottsdale auction attracted about 120,000 attendance over the first four days, with a record 39,000 people coming through the gates during Sunday?s Family Fun Day before the bidding started Tuesday. More than 50 percent of the bidders are first-timers at Barrett-Jackson, and about 30 percent of the collector cars sold on Tuesday went to first-time bidders.
The auction continues through Sunday, with the top offerings coming up during ?prime time? Friday and Saturday, with SPEED broadcasting live coverage from 2 p.m. to midnight ET both days and 2 to 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at
Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-charities-celebrities-shine-at-b-j/
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