People, gather round the television, for it is one of my favorite times of the year. That’s right, it is time for the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in the heart of Scottsdale, Arizona. I love sitting around the tv with friends and family watching some of the rarest cars in the world get grabbed up. However, there are some things I am not too pleased about when it comes to the grand-daddy of all car auctions.

Nothing beats say…a 1970 Chevelle LS6 that has been restored fully going up for sale to whoever can afford it (that car sold for a hair over $80,000). Anyone who actually appreciates older cars enjoys watching the best of the best get sold and at the same time learn a little history. I, for instance, was reminded that the only way to tell a Chevy 409 from a 348 was the fact that the oil dipstick was located on the passenger’s side on the big block and on the driver’s side on the smaller displacement 348. You don’t have to be a big spender to get a quality car either, I myself have seen plenty of great cars go home at fair and even below-market prices. So you see, there are deals to be had even if you aren’t looking for an original and un-restored Bugatti of some sort.

Now for the things that bother me. Men like Ron Pratte, who buy up nearly every rare car only to store them away without truly enjoying them fall victim to my frustration. I did a little checking on this man that is constantly taking cars such as the first Shelby GT500 and even shelled out $5 million big ones for Carroll Shelby’s personal Super Snake Cobra. When I see men like that buying up rare cars a little part of me dies inside because I know the cars are going to be put in some warehouse and toweled down every week with few miles actually rolled over on them. For me, true enjoyment of such monstrous cars comes from smashing the pedal through the floorboards and roasting some good old fashioned rubber. Now, some people may say: “How can you justify taking an original 2,000 mile Hemi Cuda out and trashing it?!?!”. In reality, with a car that rare, I probably wouldn’t. BUT, with some other cars, you bet your biscuits I would beat the hell out of them. Bottom line: these cars were made to be driven, if they were made to be looked at we would be able to hang them up on a wall.

Please do watch the auction as now that we are past mid-week, as  some of the real rare cars are coming up for sale and there is sure be some big action on the block. Also take a gander at the next installment of Muscle Car of the Week that will be following this post. Big_Blocker out.