Until now, the Barrett-Jackson folks have had a virtual monopoly on video coverage of Scottsdale auction week, with many hours live on Speed Channel followed by endless repeats throughout the year. It's fun to watch but the circus atmosphere and machine-gun rattle of the auctioneers becomes a bit tiresome. Now, however, the other auction companies are getting in the game via the Internet, a very wise move as they can run their own show without having to negotiate with disinterested TV networks. On Saturday I watched Gooding's much classier coverage from the comfort of my home office and it was almost as fascinating as being there.
This being the first time I've missed the Scottsdale events in four years I really appreciated the opportunity. The quality was almost up to TV standards (though not if one punched up the "full screen" option) and the close-up shots of cars and auctioneer were better than being in the audience. While I watched, in minutes the amazing 1932 Daimler Double-Six 2006 Pebble Beach winner went from a starting bid of $1.0 million to a selling price of $2.7 million! The gorgeous Ferrari Lusso seen here sold for $640,000, almost twice the initial bid of $345,000. Once again the Internet proves it is the way of the future and I suspect that we'll be seeing much more of this. The only thing I missed was the delicious free breakfast that Gooding serves the media. Maybe they do take-out.