Everyone knows Scottsdale is Barrett-Jackson's biggest auction. But if we had to choose a favorite, Palm Beach is fueled by our friends & clients in South Florida. The results are in, and this year's event saw $39.4 Million in sales and charity roll across the block. The press release on their homepage says 692 cars found new homes, and a record 700 new bidders joined in on the fun. If you know anything about classic car collectors, you have probably heard of John Staluppi. He and his wife Jeanette own the Cars of Dreams Museum in North Palm Beach. They like to keep the collection ever-changing, so they decided to divest of 145 cars, a fraction of their private collection.  They were lined up in a parade to kick off the bidding on Thursday, and their primetime sales totaled $13.96 Million. [soliloquy id="130174"] “Our guests have made the Palm Beach Auction such an electrifying event year after year,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “We were especially honored to be trusted to auction three incredible collections, including the ‘Cars of Dreams’ owned by our good friends Jeanette and John Staluppi. Their 145 vehicles, which all sold at No Reserve, represented some of the finest examples of ’50s-, ’60s- and ’70s-era American cars. It was a pleasure working alongside John and Jeanette to find new homes for the vehicles in his remarkable collection, and we so appreciate their philanthropic support of our charity efforts over the years.”

Top 10 Sales:

  1. 2012 Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition (Lot 724) – $770,000
  2. 1959 DeSoto Adventurer Convertible* (Lot #718.1) – $330,000
  3. 1970 Plymouth Superbird (Lot #708)* – $286,000
  4. 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Convertible (Lot #719)* – $275,000
  5. 2006 Ford GT (Lot #726.1) – $244,200
  6. 1959 Cadillac El Dorado Convertible (Lot #719.1)* – $231,000
  7. 1957 DeSoto Adventurer Convertible (Lot #720)* – $231,000
  8. 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Convertible (Lot #717.1)* – $225,500
  9. 1959 Dodge Custom Royal Super D-500 Convertible (Lot #718)* – $220,000
  10. 1960 Chevrolet Corvette 283/290 Fuelie Convertible (Lot #712.1)* – $209,000
*indicates Cars of Dreams Collection The Bandit himself, Burt Reynolds helped three classic Trans-Ams bring big money, and other celebrities included the Zac Brown Band and ourselves. Our duPont REGISTRY Live experience was located between the salon cars and the auditorium, so attendees were happy to see our clients' latest offerings. During the event, the crew was clad in the latest pieces of fashion from Robert Graham. First in was Airstream with their latest edition of the Interstate RV. These luxury rides feature all the amenities of a posh hotel, along with 22 mpg from a Mercedes-Benz V6 turbo diesel. Our buddies at Bruiser Conversions never disappoint, so they brought the latest in Wrangler-based trucks. The Honcho is stretched by over 2 feet and the entire frame is gusseted and reinforced to handle 42" tires and LS3 power.

Excel Auto Group arrived in a stunning McLaren 720S, and these rare supercars took the crowd by surprise. Vanderhall Motor Works builds the latest in American 3-wheelers using GM turbo-four cylinder engines and automatic transmissions for an efficient cruise. Hummer1.com restores the Hummer H1 Alpha to better-than-new condition, and they brought a tan example with serious upgrades. Front and center was Ronald McDonald House, who are selling raffle tickets for their December drawing. Choose from a resto-mod '67 Camaro, numbers-matching 62 Corvette, or a new Corvette Carbon 65, all proceeds go to fund their facilities. Thank you to all our fans and dealers who helped make this event possible, and stay with Autofluence for a preview of Barrett-Jackson's next events.