Calling all collector car aficionados! Get ready to start your engines (or at least your car fantasies).
The Barrett-Jackson Auction Company LLC, host of “The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions™”, has announced plans to return to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on June 24-26, 2011.
According to Barrett-Jackson officials, the inaugural edition of the auction drew more than 58,000 visitors and sold 395 cars for a total of more than $15 million when it debuted in Costa Mesa this past June.
Barrett-Jackson also helped raise more than $1 million for charity at the event and local hotels and restaurants reported increased business as a result of the auction coming to town.
“We are delighted to welcome Barrett-Jackson back to Orange County,” said Shaun Robinson, chairman of the Costa Mesa Conference & Visitor Bureau and general manager of the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa. “We are confident that the second year of the auction will be even more successful than the first.”
Robinson said the auction is a natural fit for Southern California and its famed car culture and could represent a financial boost of $25 million or more each year to the county’s tourism industry that has been negatively affected by the economic downturn.
“We again plan to work very closely with the county’s hospitality professionals to build strong partnerships and a united front that we hope will benefit everyone,” said Robinson.
Auction attendees planning to stay overnight when they visit the auction will soon be able to make hotel reservations online.
The Orange County edition of the auction is now the fourth annual event for Barrett-Jackson, joining auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona; Palm Beach, Florida; and Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the Barrett-Jackson tradition, the event will again encompass the OC Fair & Event Center grounds and includes the famous collector car auction, sponsor promotions and displays, vendors, exhibitors, interactive demonstrations and other festivities.
“As we expected, Southern California supported our first Orange County auction with amazing attendance,” said Craig Jackson, chairman/CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “Barrett-Jackson week was a whirlwind of excitement, entertainment and experiences unlike anything held in this area. From collector cars to an inaugural road rally, charity receptions and a local cruise-in, we delivered a fantastic event. We’re absolutely delighted with this year’s results, and look forward to building on this year’s success in 2011.”
“Barrett-Jackson is the gold standard of collector car auctions,” said Steve Beazley, CEO, OC Fair & Event Center. “This event has the potential to forever change the landscape of the fairgrounds and of Orange County.”
Through its relationship with SPEED, Barrett-Jackson auctions are the subject of highly rated television programs that are telecast to a national audience with over 100 hours of live television and hundreds of hours of replays throughout the year.
