<![CDATA[Jalopnik: barrett]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png <![CDATA[Jalopnik: barrett]]> http://jalopnik.com/tag/barrett http://jalopnik.com/tag/barrett <![CDATA[ Monster Garage "Sling Ray" Sold At BJ Auction ]]> Remember Monster Garage? Remember when it was shiny and new and every wrench-head you knew watched it religiously? The air date was July 14th, 2003, the challenge was to turn a '73 Corvette into a rootin' tootin' mud-bogging dragster. We remember it like it was yesterday. Our inner redneck was cheering the team on as they stripped it down, built up the 454, tossed in a roll cage, a junkyard Toyota front axle and tied it all up with baling wire and duct tape (and a $10,000 House of Color paint job). The Sling Ray went to auction during the last Barrett Jackson Auction and even though we couldn't find the final sale price, we'd be shocked it it was more dear to a buyers heart than the flying Esperante. What do you think, more or less awesome than the F350/Corvette mashup on the blocks at the Ebay? Detailed description of the auction lot below, plus a poll.

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If Jesse and his team are going to create a suped-up, mud-spitting off-road dragster, they're going to start it off right: with a 1973 Corvette whose engine is nothing other than a 454 Chevy big block. The cars moving parts include custom front and rear drive shafts. Sprockets for the chain drive were welded to output shaft and front-drive shaft. Additional machine parts included a 5-gallon aluminum fuel cell. Body modifications were done to the wheel wells by slightly enlarging them to accommodate the tires. The team's biggest challenge was creating a 4-wheel drive chassis that is as light as possible, yet strong enough to take a beating. THE TEAM: Jesse James, custom-bike builder/designer, West Coast Choppers, Long Beach, CA, John Best, Corvette mechanic, Brea, CA, Dave Collier, electrician/desert racer, San Marcos, CA, Chuck Courty Jr., national mud-bogging champ, Pittsburgh, PA, Dick Guldstrand, racecar racer/builder/designer and Corvette expert, Guldstrand Engineering, Burbank, CA, Bobby McCurdy, fabricator, Henderson, NV, Mike Stapleton, head mechanic, Wilson Motor Sports, Bellflower, CA, and Don Vierstra, freelance artist, Buena Park, CA. VEHICLE SPECS: Engine: 454 Chevy big block; Pistons: Chevy stock (eight); Camshaft: Edelbrock Performer from Jeg's; Induction: Edelbrock Performer carburetor/intake manifold from Jeg's; Ignition: HEI; Exhaust: Hooker flanges, zoomie headers by Jesse (chromed); Transmission: 400 Turbo; Converter: 2,200 rpm stall; Drive Shaft: custom fabricated with chain drive and jack shaft to front axle (4-wheel drive); Rear Axle: Ford 9"; Front Axle: 1984 Toyota 4Runner front end purchased from junkyard. Steering: original Corvette steering box turned 90 degrees to link up with Toyota front end. Front Suspension: racing air shocks from King Shocks, custom-fabricated linkage. Rear Suspension: racing air shocks from King Shocks, custom-fabricated four-link with panhard bar. Front Tires: Mickey Thompson Baja Claw 33x13.50-15LT; Rear Tires: Mickey Thompson Baja Claw 35x15.50-15LT; Wheels: Mickey Thompson Challenger 15x29. Interior: The bulk of the original interior was removed. A custom-fabricated roll cage was installed. Stock seats were replaced with Cobra racing seats from Subé Sports. A nitrous tank from Nitrous Express was mounted in the storage space. Electronics: Nitrous was wired to the horn; a nitrous purge was mounted on a Maltese-cross template under the dash. Body: The original Corvette fiberglass body was only slightly modified; the hood was removed. Paint: House of Kolor white-sealer base coat, then a blend of 12 different colors created with true-blue pearl, magic-blue pearl and snow-white pearl. Height: 52"; Width: 69"; Length: 185"; Ground Clearance: 8"; Weight: 3,000 pounds. **SOLD ON A BILL OF SALE ONLY. SPECIAL CONDITIONS APPLY**
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Jalopnik-349751 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:45:00 EST Ben Wojdyla http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=349751&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Barrett-Jackson: First 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Off the Line Sells at Auction for $400,000 ]]> Dodge decided to "hit it" on big money day here at the big BJ auction by dropping the very first 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 on to the auction block to watch as it sold for $400,000 with the proceeds going to charity. But strangely enough, despite now running the new Challenger without cover on the highways and byways of Metro Detroit, the PR folks with Chrysler decided to only bring the concept version here to Barrett-Jackson. Does that make sense? Not to us. So, it seems that Ford won this round with the new GT500KR going at a price of $550,000 but we'll have to see what happens when numbers that really count start to tally up. You know, sales numbers? Anyway — full description from the BJ folks below the jump.

Own the first production Limited Edition 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 to come off the assembly line. Proceeds of the sale to benefit notMYkid Charity. Dodge Challenger is back after nearly 35 years and you could own the first vehicle before it's even produced. Bid for Dodge Challenger #1,the first production Challenger to come off the assembly line for direct sale to the U.S. Dodge dealer network. The #1 Challenger includes all production options including a 6.1 Liter V8 engine with a 5-speed automatic transmission with AutoStick, sunroof, navigation and performance tires. The vehicle will be identified by a dash plaque indicating #1 of the Limited Edition production. You have seen the concept and rest assured the production model is true not only to the Challenger concept but also Challenger's heritage. Five "teaser" photos of the production car have been released showcasing the notable styling elements that are sure to please. The all-new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 - the ultimate modern American muscle coupe will make its worldwide debut at the Chicago Auto Show on February 6, 2008. In addition to receiving the rights to the first production Challenger, the winning bidder also receives: Two VIP passes to the May 2008 Dodge Challenger 500 NASCAR race at Darlington Raceway complete with airfare and lodging, a meet and greet with Kyle Petty at the Dodge Challenger 500 in Darlington, May, 2008 and a Dodge Motorsports prize pack with vehicle delivery. The vehicle will be delivered to the Dodge Dealer of choice in the United States no later than May 31, 2008. All Proceeds from Dodge Challenger No. 1 will benefit notMYkid - an organization dedicated to facilitating improved understanding about youth behavioral health issues including suicide, drug abuse, eating disorders and depression. notMYkid was founded in 2000, and is designed to educate parents about youth and adolescent substance abuse, eating disorders, suicide, ADHD, depression, and more. Information is available on the website www.notMYkid.org to educate parents about the warning signs and symptoms and to empower them to implement effective prevention and intervention strategies. In 2006, notMYkid reached 80,000 parents and students nationwide. The organization offers several programs for parent education as well as peer-to-peer youth programs.
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Jalopnik-346946 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:01:00 EST Ray Wert http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346946&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Barrett-Jackson: First 2009 Corvette ZR1 Sells at Auction for $1,000,000 ]]> The first 2009 Corvette ZR1 just sold here on big money day at the big BJ auction for $1,000,000 with a little help from GM's best bud, Jay Leno to Dave Ressler. Although the money's all going to the United Way, we're wondering what this'll mean for the mark-up on the sticker price we'll see for this already $99,000 two-seat supercar. And keep in mind we still don't know what the final number will end up being on horsepower and torque. But — what we do know now is that the sticker price will be $99,000 — thanks to the need to provide the above-and-beyond price for IRS purposes and the charitable deduction. But hey, maybe you'll still get that 100,000 mile guarantee on the powertrain — even if you're buying #1 off the assembly line. Full description from the folks at Barrett-Jackson plus more on winning bidder Dave Ressler, main man at Ressler Chevrolet, below the jump.

From Rumor to Instant Legend in the Blink of an Eye. Chevrolet presents the very "First Retailable Unit Built" Corvette ZR-1 for auction at Barrett-Jackson on Saturday, January 19, 2008 with all proceeds from the auction will benefit The United Way. GM AND BARRETT-JACKSON MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, CONCERNING THE VEHICLE (INCLUDING NO WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE).
About Dave Ressler:
Dave Ressler of Ressler Chevrolet of Mandan, North Dakota was destined to be in the automotive sales business.

"You can say I was inspired because of my dad who was a car salesman for 25 years," said Ressler of his dad, Chris, who died in 1977 and worked at Bob Chase Chevrolet. "From the day that my dad passed away, Bob kept calling and wanting to hire me."

He eventually did.

In 1972, Chase moved into the facility Ressler now occupies. It was Mandan's only Chevrolet dealership at that time - a distinction it still holds today and is home to 21 employees. In 1980, Chase sold to Ivan Gandrud, who held the store until 1988. Thirty people were working for Chase when the business changed hands. And in 1988, Ressler bought the dealership and hasn't looked back.

Ivan started with 30 employees and took it up to roughly 55 when he sold.

With Ressler it went from 55 to over 130 employees.

Ressler is pretty proud of the growth of his business. He's proud, and justifiably so, of a lot of things.

"I'm probably the youngest car dealer in the two towns," he said. "I started when I was 32. I work hard at what I do. I'm a workaholic. I really don't know how I got that way. Maybe I got it from my dad."

The hard work has paid off.

Ressler said his dealership has received eight Customer Choice Awards over the lasts 6 years. He said this is an accomplishment achieved by no other Chevrolet Dealership anywhere.

"The awards are based on customer satisfaction," he said. "We do not get any extra money for this. It's a 'wow' effect, I guess. It tells us we're all doing a good job."

Ressler said he expects a lot of himself and the same from his employees.

"We have a mission statement that we all work by," he said. "There are five critical areas that we focus on everyday."

They are:

Customer Satisfaction
Employee Enthusiasm
Market Leadership
Ongoing Improvement
Financial Performance
"If we work hard at these five things everyday, we know that we're doing a good job," he said. "It's important to have our employees focused on the right things."

Ressler said he's a hands-on employer - he can't help himself being the workaholic that he is - and enjoys being involved in the daily activities. But there certainly must be a point when he has to slow down, take a break and say "enough already."

But, that's not going to happen anytime soon. In March of 1999, Ressler moved to Bozeman, MT. and acquired a Chevrolet-Oldsmobile-Cadillac-Toyota dealership. "I'm back in the day-to-day," says Ressler, spending about half his time in Bozeman, and the other half in Mandan.

The Bozeman store, which employs 85 people, believes in the same values as the Mandan store. Because of this, it enjoys being the leader in the Gallatin Valley with more new/used car sales, service, parts sales and body shop service than any other dealer in the valley.

"Selling BEST PRICE has been well accepted, along with Saturday service and parts sales," says Ressler. "I'm having a blast and business is great at both stores. Enough isn't enough, I guess. I'm not going to stop. I'm chasing to be the best of the best!"

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Jalopnik-346943 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:19:54 EST Ray Wert http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346943&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Barrett-Jackson: Robosaurus, Sells For $575,000, Promises Not To Eat Your Collector Cars ]]> Robosaurus just sold in all of it's car-crunching amazingness, for a sale price of just $575,000 here at the Barrett-Jackson classic car auction and told the world he'd promise "not to eat any of your car collection." We remember seeing monster trucks at the Pontiac Silverdome in the 80's — but like most kids, the highlight of our day was seeing Robosaurus munching on cars and turning them into automotive-flambe. So seeing him sold off on big money BJ day at Barrett-Jackson is kind of — we dunno. We actually don't know what to think about it yet — even though we've known it'd be up for sale since October. but we're a little disappointed bidding didn't break the $5.5 million from last year's sale of the Shelby. Don't people understand how amazing this thing is? Full description from the Big BJ after the jump and we'll have video up shortly for ya.

You are now embarking on the purchase of a life time, the opportunity to own and operate "The World's Largest Robot", Robosaurus, the ICON of robotics worldwide. This 40' tall, 31 ton mechanical dinosaur has thrilled crowds throughout the World since his birth in 1990 after two years of construction. Robosaurus would cost over 5 million dollars to develop and build today. Robosaurus in action is every child at heart's dream. The crowd feels the heat of 20' flames shooting from the giant nostrils and hears the sound of crunching metal as the foot high stainless steel teeth rip into a car with 20,000lbs of crushing force. Robo laughs and roars as the car easily rips apart. You, as the operator, feel the thrill of tearing a car in half, incinerating it and throwing it to the ground in flaming pieces. Buy this for your kids, your grand kids and best of all, the child in you. All this and you own a one-of-a-kind that has not even come close to being duplicated in the last 17 years of Robo's existence. Check out the amazing technology of Robosaurus and you will be enthralled by this state-of-the-art "Mechanical Wonder of the World". In addition to Robosaurus, you will receive the full show equipment including three racing radios, remote control special effects board, Telex transmitter and receiver system, HAM-band TV Station for live broadcast to pilot, Hi-8 video camera, programming console for on-board animation computer system, tool kit for loading and unloading, service, maintenance and operation manuals, touch-up paint and numerous transport cases. Other spare parts, shop equipment, materials, and the Semi-tractor for towing are available by separate treaty. Full maintenance and driver training available. Robo transforms into a 48ft semi trailer that is street legal in North America. Comes with current California trailer title. **This Lot is sold on a Bill of Sale. Special conditions will apply.**
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Jalopnik-346929 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:12:44 EST Ray Wert http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346929&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ A one-of-a-kind Pininfarina-designed 1963 ... ]]> Chevy_Corvette_Rondine_1963.jpgA one-of-a-kind Pininfarina-designed 1963 Chevy Corvette named "Rondine" built for the Paris Auto Show just went for $1.6 million. Also going with it was any sense of reality in the classic car marketplace.

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Jalopnik-346930 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:51:54 EST Ray Wert http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346930&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Barrett-Jackson: First 2008 Shelby GT500KR Goes For $550,000 ]]> The one-off glass-roofed 2008 Shelby GT500KR that's the first off the we showed you this past week, just went for a final sale price of $550,000 after bidding started at a mere $100,000. This despite a custom Fender Stratocaster with a pretty matte black case and all the money going to Edsel Ford's juvenile diabetes charity. We're a wee bit underwhelmed — despite Dr. McDreamy driving it up to the auction block. OK, we're kidding — nowe we're wondering what this bodes for the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 #01 that'll be hitting the auction block shortly as the Muscle Car Wars continue to heat up. Maybe if they'd offered it up with Will Arnett it might've made a bigger difference. Nah, probably not. Full BJ from BJ after the jump. Oh, and you want to know who bought it? That's right — Ron Pratte. That man loves Carroll Shelby.

For the first time in the nearly 40 years, Ford Motor Company and Shelby Automobiles are partnering to build the Shelby GT500 KR in 2008. This new model of the popular Ford Mustang represents a new chapter in the history of the Ford Mustang and the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction. When unveiled at the New York Autoshow in 2007, the car became an instant classic. On January 19th, the first GT500 KR offered for sale to the public will roll across the auction block. This 540hp limited edition Mustang will be one of approximately 1,000 built and the first and only car offered with a new "segment exclusive" feature that will be unveiled during the auction. All proceeds from the sale of this car will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Over the last three years Ford and Barrett-Jackson have raised over $1.8 million dollars for charity through the auction of Ford Motor Company Products. This new model will give the winning bidder an opportunity to contribute to a worthy cause while making automotive history.
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Jalopnik-346914 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:13:54 EST Ray Wert http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346914&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Barrett-Jackson: Caroll Shelby's 1969 Shelby GT500 Convertible ]]> It's Caroll Shelby's personal '69 GT500 convertible and it just went up for sale here at the big BJ. That's right — a '69 at a BJ. It's been parked in the Mustang main man's garage since 1969. One owner — and one buyer today's getting it. Bidding started in the $100,000 range and quickly skyrocketed up into the half a million range, and then finally settled in for a final winning bid of $675,000 to collector Ron Pratte — who appears to be buying up absolutely everything with Shelby's name on it that he can get his hands on. Full Barrett-Jackson description after the jump.

"Mustang Monthly" July 2001 issue listed this car as the number one car on top of their "Top 10 Dream Cars" to own. A 1960's Shelby Cobra Mustang that has been owned by Carroll Shelby since new. A 5-year concours rotisserie restoration by nationally known Shelby restorer Jim Cowles completed in September 2007. Carroll Shelby only owns one other Shelby from the 1960's since new and that is the first Shelby AC Cobra, CSX2000.
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Jalopnik-346921 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:15:02 EST Ray Wert http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346921&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ A Shelby Cobra 427 frame-up, concours quality ... ]]> Shelby_427_Pricey.jpgA Shelby Cobra 427 frame-up, concours quality restoration with a sideoiler 427 engine. 11,000 original miles. Never raced. Has the Sunburst wheels with original Blue Dot tires and a spare set of wheels and tires — and it just sold for $625,000 at the Barrett-Jackson to some guy on the interwebs. No, it wasn't us.

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Jalopnik-346916 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:51:56 EST Ray Wert http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346916&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Barrett-Jackson: Panoz Esperante Flying Car Takes Off for Only $45,000 ]]> Jalopnik still loves flying cars — it may still be part of our masthead, we can't remember — but here's a perfect example. It's the $100,000 Panoz Esperante converted by Jesse James of Monster Garage into an airborne vehicle whose first flight matched the success of the Wright Brothers. Seriously — they took it to Kitty Hawk where it actually flew in a straight line and then hit the ground just as hard as the Wright plane did. Here's the full description of the "Flying Car" from Barrett-Jackson, which just sold for a steal of a price at $45,000 (just under $55,000 with the auction fees):

Ever since "Monster Garage" premiered on Discovery Channel in June 2002, Jesse James led teams to build vehicles that make beer, do wheelies, shake trees, even transport gorillas. But all the while, Jesse was turning his thoughts and his dreams to the sky. Everyone said he couldn't do it, and the lawyers begged him not to do it, but Jesse James and his 9 man team managed to take a $100,000 Panoz Esperante sports car and create an airborne vehicle whose first flight matched the success of the Wright Brothers'. After the team tore out the Panoz's plush interior to make room for a roll cage, installed a used propeller engine in the trunk, mounted 36' handmade wings to the car's exact center and secured a rear tail with a 15" fuselage, the flying car was taken to Kitty Hawk, NC, home of the Wright Brothers' first flight. Under the power of the original Panoz engine, Jesse taxied the flying car onto the runway, started the propeller engine and, after hitting 80mph, guided the automobile off the ground for 280 feet, landing safely without even a scratch to the Red Baron paint job. THE DESIGNERS: Jesse James, custom-bike builder/designer, West Coast Choppers, Long Beach, CA, Fireball Tim, artist and car designer, Malibu, CA, Dan Panoz, founder and owner, Panoz Auto Development Company, Braselton, GA, Ed Sweeney, aircraft mechanic, Black Forest, CO, and Neal Willford, engineer, new product development, Cessna Aviation, Andover, KS. THE BUILDERS: Jesse James, custom-bike builder/designer, West Coast Choppers, Long Beach, CA, Jason Barnes, vehicle engineer, Panoz Auto Development Company, Flowery Branch, GA, Niclas Jancic, Panoz Auto expert, GA, Mark Palmer, aircraft-design engineer, Peru, KS, Ronnie Powers, airplane builder and owner, Atlanta Air Salvage, Griffith, GA, Johan Ragnarsson, custom-car builder, Beuford, GA, Chris Rusch, fabricator, Two Rivers, WI, Andre Stowe, welder and metal-shop owner, San Diego, CA, Ed Sweeney, aircraft mechanic, Black Forest, CO, JD Terry, avionics/electrical engineer, Cessna Aviation, Wichita, KS, and Neal Willford, aircraft engineer, Cessna Aviation, Andover, KS. VEHICLE SPECS: Height: 80"; Width: 38'; Length With Parts Extended: 26'; Ground Clearance: 2.5". **SOLD ON A BILL OF SALE ONLY. SPECIAL CONDITIONS APPLY**
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Jalopnik-346909 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:15:00 EST Ray Wert http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346909&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Barrett-Jackson: People Spend a Lot at the BJ ]]> So far today the big B-J auction's brought in a total of $9,010,000. Not too shabby if you ask us. Not for enthusiasts looking to buy on the cheap, but certainly for the Barrett-Jackson people and the folks looking to sell. With about half of the lots already sold, we've got the top five money-makers so far below the jump. We'll have more from the auction shortly — including some pretty amazing one-off stuff that'll blow your mind — live from our couches Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale.

5.) 1970 Chevy Chevelle LS6 SS - $177,500 4.) 1953 Buick Skylark - $155,000 3.) 1970 Hemi Cuda - $245,000 2.) 1956 Chevy Bel Air - $255.000 1.) 1932 Ford Custom Competition "Rollin Stone" - $320,000
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Jalopnik-346902 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:08:31 EST Ray Wert http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346902&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Barrett-Jackson: Live Coverage of Hot BJ Action in Scottsdale! ]]> Yup, it's true — we'll have some live coverage of the Big BJ auction out in Scottsdale throughout the rest of the afternoon and into the morning. So if you're looking for the best in hot BJ action, look to Jalopnik as your place to turn. Or, you know, 7 Mile Rd and Woodward. But we digress — we'll be covering the auction action with the help of our friends at SPEED TV and the kind folks from Barrett-Jackson themselves, so strap yourselves in for a hot all-access auto auction afternoon of alliteration. We'll see the next salvo fired in the Muscle Car Wars with the first 2008 Dodge Challenger off the line going heads-up against a very special Shelby GT500KR (no, not KITT — it's not that special). We'll also be seeing the first "retailable" 2009 Corvette ZR1 gaveled off as well as some other noted notables. Oh, and did we mention Robosaurus? Follow all the 2008 Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson action live from our tag page at the link above — or just keep refreshing here for all the action.

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Jalopnik-346877 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:17:10 EST Ray Wert http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346877&view=rss&microfeed=true