Barrett-Jackson is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year, so any and all events held are going to be pretty spectacular. We were able to snag a place at the second annual Orange County event and were surprised to see how much it had grown in just one year. The event was moved to the Orange County Fair and Event Center and quickly consumed the entire property. As we entered through the main patron gate on the opening day, it was clear to see this was not your typical car auction. Barrett-Jackson had pulled out the big guns and even brought their renowned Scottsdale Auction Tent.

Big tents may not be the most exciting thing to think about, but this one is special and measures nearly two football fields in length. This became the epicenter of high octane bidding action for the weekend and the primary filming location for the Speed channel. We were able to get on the auction block for a period of time to witness the variety of different cars coming down the line. This auction house has always been known to provide everything from classics, hot rods, and true collector grade automobiles. The auction really heated up on Saturday when the real gem of this year’s event crossed the block.

The 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Berlinetta roared onto the stage with that signature Ferrari sound emitting from the quad exhaust. These Ferraris->ke252 are one of the most desirable models from the Fiat ownership era and there was a buzz about how much money this car could bring in. Bidding quickly rose from $50,000 to $100,000, and then over $200,000. As potential buyers fell out of the running, one gentleman in the sky box was hoping to catch a great deal on this classic Ferrari. Eventually offers stalled around the $330,000 which was not enough to break the reserve limit and this beautiful Ferrari left the stage without a sale.

Hit the jump for more details on the 2011 Barrett-Jackson Orange County Auction

Auction Vehicles

After leaving the main tent, I made my way through the fair grounds and towards the other events. One of the most exciting places to be at an auction is the hangar where the auction vehicles are being held. Before they are brought to the main tent to be sold, potential buyers and spectators alike have the chance to get up close and personal with all the vehicles. Orange County is known as a place filled with avid car collectors and enthusiasts, meaning there was no shortage of knowledge to be had by entering into conversations about these beautiful machines.

One star of this year’s auction was David “Dave” Parker who had consigned 30 cars from his personal collection to this event. I see Dave’s garage as a miniature American timecapsule filled with classic 1930s Ford Coupes, 1950s “shoebox” Chevrolet Bel-Airs, Shelby GT Mustangs->ke1359, and even the mighty Hemi Challenger R/T->ke249. One of my favorite cars that he brought to the auction was a 1968 Shelby GT350 Mustang which became known as Lot #344.5. The best thing about this car is that it is one of the few documented Hertz Company cars that did not act as a rental vehicle. The car had been fully restored with detailed documentation which actually made it stand out in a crowded auction filled with classic Mustangs.

A full list of the vehicles at this year’s auction can be found here.

DuPont Registry Display

As a kid, I would sometimes page through a copy of the DuPont Registry and daydream about having one of the exotic cars displayed for sale on the pages. Their event display was nothing short of stunning with a Bugatti Veyron->ke1112 leading the way. I have only seen one other Bugatti Veyron in my life, but the Barret-Jackson auction was able to draw two of these storied cars to the same event. The second was stationed over near the main tent and featured a “Barrett-Jackson” logo on the passenger doors. This drew attention from the younger attendees who rarely have the chance to see this beautiful piece of machinery in the flesh. Flanking the world’s fastest production vehicle was a Mercedes SLS->ke2504, Rolls Royce Ghost->ke3434, Ford GT->ke411, Ferrari 458 Italia, and a Lotus Evora S. I was more than happy to sit and stare at these exotics all day, but knew that there was too much else to witness.

West Coast Customs Display

Thanks in part to the Discovery Channel, the customizing shop of West Coast Customs has become world famous. With Southern California being their stomping grounds, the company had a large display set up as well as a car up for auction. The giant blue trailer and checkered flooring were hard to miss while walking around and I decided to stop in after noticing some vehicles that I had watched come to life on television. One of them was the equally vibrant blue Bentley Continental->ke3108 developed for the CEO of Monster Cable. On the show the team was able to create an automatic lift in the trunk to house his Segway.

Equally impressive was the matte black Camaro->ke248 complete with Monster Energy Drink branding. This most exciting part of this car is that on the outside it’s a classic Camaro body, but inside breathes the heart of a brand-new SS model. The team completed a full transplant of the classic body in top of the new chassis. The matte black paint accented by neon green is also quite the stirring combination completing the aggressive look of this car.

Through the continued success of the shop and its multiple television series’, the owner has capitalized on multiple branding lines. One of these is the “Wrench” clothing line which was recently launched. As they do for so many other companies, West Coast decided to build a car for themselves to promote the new product. It became known as the Wrench rod, hinting at its hardcore hot rod looks and performance. This car sports a light green paint job that looks worn and abused on purpose. The absence of a hood exposes the large V8 and straight headers letting any passing vehicle know not to mess with this rod.