Barrett-Jackson history

The two-day event was conducted in January 1972 in a dirt lot next to the Safari Resort, attracting some 3,000 people and achieving a sales volume of nearly $600,000.

Barrett-Jackson moved the annual auction to Phoenix Municipal Stadium in 1979 and a year later expanded from a two-day to a four-day event.

In 1987 Barrett-Jackson sold its first $1 million car, a Duesenberg Derham Tourister.

Scottsdale Mayor Herb Drinkwater first proclaimed “Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction Week” in 1989, beginning a tradition that every Scottsdale mayor since has honored.

The company continued to change through the 1990’s and grew bigger and bigger each year.

To make matters worse, Russ Jackson died from colon cancer soon after the 1993 auction and a year later Barrett retired.

Russ Jackson's son, Craig Jackson, who had worked actively on a daily basis throughout the years and on-site at the event, took over running the company in 1995, the same year the auction began airing live on the Speed television channel.

In 1997 Craig Jackson took the company to a new level as he had been involved very early in the game and had all the necessary talents to take this company to new heights.

The 1998 auction brought 65% increase in sales, a 17 million dollar sale, and over 100,000 spectators came to the auction from all over the world.

The Barretts sued the Jacksons in August 1999 claiming that they had been deceived by Craig Jackson, who they maintained had withheld information about the auction’s value.

The company also branched out beyond Arizona in 2000, teaming up with Coy’s of Kensington, a United Kingdom-based car dealer and auctioneer, to hold a classic car auction during the Monaco Historic Grand Prix.

Attendance at the annual Scottsdale event grew to 150,000 in 2001.

I’ve worked hard at this.” Nothing came of the suit, the Jacksons retained control of the business, and in 2004 Thomas Barrett died of a heart attack.

A 2005 Auto Week profile revealed how the auctioning system grew to include a team of 22 people who worked in shifts.

Giblin, Paul, “Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction,” Tribune (Mesa, Arizona), January 19, 2006.

The 2007 Palm Beach auction, which was also covered on the Speed Channel, continued to show strong growth, attracting 65,000 spectators and generating more than $32 million in sales.

Beginning in 2008, a Barrett-Jackson auction was produced in Las Vegas.

In 2009, the company announced its Barrett-Jackson Endorsed Collector Car Insurance, offering cost-effective, comprehensive insurance coverage designed especially for collectors.

In 2011 the Barrett-Jackson Signature Car Care line was launched, responding to customers’ requests for a Barrett-Jackson product offering the same protection and shine auction cars receive.

However, on January 19, 2013, Barrett-Jackson announced it would move from Orange County to Reno, Nevada as part of the city's Hot August Nights event in August 2013.

In October 2014, the company launched the new Barrett-Jackson Collection Showroom, located in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The inaugural auction took place June 23–25, 2016, with the auction block being located inside the Mohegan Sun Arena.

During the 2018 Scottsdale Auction, where 10 charity vehicles were sold, Barrett-Jackson surpassed $100 million in total funds raised for charity through its platform, reaching just over $102 million.

In 2021 Barrett-Jackson marked its 25th year of being on the airwaves, bringing its always-exciting auctions into millions of homes and businesses around the globe.