Tag Archives: Phoenix

NASCAR Caps

March 21, 2023 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

NASCAR caps are a standard uniform for fans and crew. Team members often wear NASCAR caps during the day and fans wear them to connect with their driver’s sponsors. But the most important display of the baseball NASCAR caps occurs in Victory Lane after a race. Here in a highly orchestrated set of moves, crew members and the winning driver don a series of caps to honor the sponsors that helped get them into Victory Lane.

William Byron’s NASCAR Caps

This month William Byron won his second race of the short season and was excited to drive up onto Victory Lane surrounded by fans, photographers, news media, and public relations folk. The PR folk tote along plastic bags carrying the caps in sequential order that the team members will soon be wearing. Can you imagine the work involved each week lining up and organizing the caps, only to then see your driver not win the race?

Crew Members Need NASCAR Caps Too

Byron started out with a big cap from Valvoline as a cute gimmick and then swapped to a regular sized Valvoline cap along with his crew members. And there is a lot of crew that show up in Victory Lane beside the pit crew. Jeff Gordon even showed up to lead on the celebration and so he needed caps too. So yes, one more thing the PR folks need to account for- making sure they have enough sets of hats.

After that, the excited crew swapped to a United Rentals 500 cap to honor the race sponsorship.

Then they swapped to a NASCAR 75th anniversary cap.

Followed by a Valvoline cap again!

Yes Even More NASCAR Caps on Display

Axalta is a major sponsor for Byron, so of course the paint company had their chance in the limelight with their own hat.

Liberty University has been a long-term sponsor for William Byron so those caps were worn as well

Can’t forget your car manufacturer so the Chevrolet bow tie showed up on a cap as well.

Hendrick Motor Sports had to have their cap on display as well

Cincinnati Tools were the final caps to be worn and then the crew really got to celebrate. William Byron had a chance to thank others and mingle, obviously happy with his second win of the season at Phoenix Raceway. Wonder how many more times he will slide into Victory Lane with a bevy of NASCAR caps to wear?

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Auctions, Uncategorized

Wayne’s World 1976 AMC Pacer at Barrett-Jackson

January 22, 2022 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

Wayne’s World’s AMC Pacer proves you can buy anything at the Arizona Auctions this week. Barrett Jackson is offering up TWO AMC Pacer’s but the clear crowd favorite is the movie car from Wayne’s World.

Wayne’s World 1976 Pacer

In Wayne’s World, Garth owned the Mirthmobile -a light blue 1976 Pacer. He drove the gang, including Wayne, around in the car for their adventures. Now a new owner can start his own adventures in the very same Pacer.

The Wayne’s World Pacer was sold six years ago by Barrett-Jackson, selling for $37,400. It was previously restored to the movie car’s original condition with camera supports and mismatched wheel covers. Who could forget (if they wanted to) the flame decals poking out from the front wheels? The car was re-painted and the shiny stuff re-chromed. The Pacer is powered by the original 258 CID 6-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. In the movie car, the speakers were not functional, with no amp in the Pacer. Now the sound system is functional, dude.

Wayne’s World

Wayne’s World debuted in 1992 and starred Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, along with the late Meat Loaf. It also featured Alice Cooper and Rob Lowe. It grossed over $180 million in worldwide box office sales.

AMC Pacer

As a comparison, the folks at Barrett-Jackson are also selling another 1976 AMC Pacer from the same seller, but red. For 1976 the Pacer was AMC’s best seller. Go figure. The PACER was also produced in Mexico where it was marketed as a luxury car. It was produced for only six years, although popular at first during the gas crisis, other automakers caught up for the need for smaller cars and the Pacer never regained its lead. Often called a “fishbowl” due to all its glass, it had relatively little cargo space if four passengers were in the car.

Should be interesting to see what the difference in selling price will be for these two Pacers.

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Arizona Auction Week 2022

January 15, 2022 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

Arizona Auction Week is coming at ya. From January 22-30 the auction sites will be on fire as thousands of cars cross the auction blocks. Six auction houses will be hosting auctions here in Arizona with a variety of formats. Arizona Auction Week is coming out strong after COVID-19 restrictions in 2021, but there will be fewer cars offered for sale and the total will probably still be low, but the excitement will be high

Arizona Auction Week

Arizona Auction Week has always been known for setting the bar for what auctions during the balance of the year might look like. This year will be no exception. From the auction scene, we see a few houses that aren’t going to host any event, most notably Russo-Steele. They opted to bow out this year.

Arizona Auction Week Houses

Of course, Barrett-Jackson will be holding court in Scottsdale with preview days and then full bore auctions with mostly no-reserve vehicles crossing the block. Saturday the 29th will of course be reserved for their high dollar offerings but there will be plenty of cars to check out all week for Barrett-Jackson. They are also holding their Builders Cup competition that week as well.

Gooding and Company is offering an on-site viewing of the cars but will be only having an online auction. They will be displaying their offerings at an airport hanger not far from Barrett-Jackson’s site at Westworld in Scottsdale, Arizona. That gives buyers to see things in person or with a representative and then bid away from the crowds.

Bonhams will be at the Westin Kierland lawn for their sale while in central Phoenix the RM-Sothebys will host their auction at the Biltmore Hotel. Both have select offerings for a shorter auction duration. Probably the highest offering will be a 1955 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing at RM-Sothebys. Sure Gullwings are already expensive but this is an aluminum alloy body made for racing. So we have even more exclusive and rarity rolling on this Mercedes. We figure it won’t sell unless it reaches an eight million bid and even that might not be enough to hammer the deal done.

MAG auctions will continue a lower-priced auction on the far east side of the Phoenix valley. They originally were the Silver Auction until Mitch Silver sold off the opportunity to MAG.

Worldwide Auctioneers is having a one-day sale that is always an interesting event. It has an eclectic mix of vehicles and ranges from exotics to Packard’s.

All in, the Arizona Auction Week will be a huge extravaganza for classic car fans. Plenty of cars to marvel at and prices to ponder. See you there?

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Photos courtesy of RM Sothebys

Auctions, Uncategorized

Hula Girl Waltzes to a New Owner

May 9, 2021 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

This 1933 custom Ford roadster debuted at the 1952 Oakland Roadster Show. Named the “Hula Girl” it was built by Bill Montero Sr. and his son, Bill Jr., of San Jose, California, in the early 1950s. It shows what a customizer could do back in the ’50s when customization was all the rage. Who wouldn’t love this orange pearl paint job with the wind in your face?

Hula Girl Changes

After the 1952 show, the roadster was channeled, allowing the body to sit even lower as it appears today. To add to the chops of this roadster it was then converted to an alcohol-burning drag car and campaigned across Northern California and then parked. As presented it easily broke 100 MPH in the quarter-mile strips.

Hula Girl Build

It was restored in the late 1990s and eventually bought in 2006 by Craig Jackson of Barrett-Jackson Auctions. It is powered by a 1953 Ford flathead V8 with Ardun heads. A supercharger with three Stromberg carburetors complete the look. A manual transmission was utilized and the rear end is from a 1948 Ford. The stunning wire wheels came from a 1953 Buick Skylark.

Craig Jackson, the Chairman do the Barrett-Jackson Auction, stated he was selling it as he rarely got the chance to drive it and felt it should be driven. Jackson promulgates that people are only the “caretakers” of these cars and he always admired the “piece of eye candy”.

Hula Girl Sells

The paint is an orange pearl and sizzled under the lights of the March 2021 Barrett-Jackson Auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona. It sold for $126,500 (including buyer’s premium) and Hula Girl is now off to new adventures.

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Super Snake Shelby Cobra at Barrett-Jackson

March 14, 2021 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

This car has all the fundamentals for a legendary ride. It is a Shelby. It is a Cobra. Plus, it has a wicked name – Super Snake. And this month it rolls across the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Super Snake

An original 1966 Cobra is desirable enough but Carroll Shelby crafted two high powered Cobras to beat all contenders. Unfortunately one crashed and killed its owner so this is the only remaining high octane Cobra; CSX 3015, powered by a side-oiler 427, to which Shelby added two Paxton superchargers.

It started as a 427 Competition Cobra, a barely street-legal race car that Shelby built to qualify Cobras for FIA competition. By adding the superchargers, each feeding 6 psi of air into one of the 427’s two Holley 4V carburetors, Shelby claimed 800 horsepower. A C-6 three-speed automatic sent power through a limited-slip diff to a 3.31:1 rear end. Underneath the car sat two electric fuel pumps to supplement the standard mechanical unit.

Super Snake Sales History

The sole remaining Super Snake was bought by musician Jimmy Webb. The car then passed to a distinguished collector before appearing at Barrett-Jackson’s auction in 2007 where it sold for $5.5 million and in 2015 where it sold for a lower price of $5.1 million. Given recent interest in Cobras and Carroll Shelby prompted by the Ford V Ferrari movie, it will be interesting to see what it fetches this time.

The car is clearly one of a kind and the price it brings will be a good indicator of the strength of the collector car market. The seller wisely put a reserve on it. What would you expect it to sell for?

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Car show, Uncategorized

High Street Cars and Coffee – Phoenix , AZ

March 11, 2021 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

Plenty of places offer a Cars and Coffee format in the Phoenix, AZ region. Show up in a vacant parking lot, check out some cars that you aren’t likely to see on too many roads, sip some lukewarm coffee and head back out with most of the day still available to you. You could even watch the departing cars and hope to see a dimwit crash his new car when he punches it on the drive out. See how it is done at High Street for March 2021.

Like I say there are plenty of places to check out the cars – until COVID-19 struck. Crowds and social distancing don’t mix. Some meets have had trouble getting city permits or landowner’s permission. But as things loosen up, the shows go on.

High Street Cars and Coffee

Highline Auto magazine has sponsored a show for a while, most recently at the Scottsdale Fashion Center, but for March 2021 they moved to the High Street complex. This setup involves a long tree-lined boulevard with plenty of street-side parking for the show cars. Some adjacent restaurants are open for business as well.

This month’s show had a nice collection of cars, some music from a DJ, some free Bang energy drinks and a vendor was selling donuts too. Nice vibe but even with security in the area, probably less than 50% were wearing masks.

Cars at High Street Cars and Coffee

Cars varied from a Koenissegg to Corvettes, McLarens to Porsche’s. There were even some classics and some down-low land yachts. Not to mention an older Bronco along with a Bronco Sport for an interesting comparison.

Not sure if this was a one-time location change or a permanent move. Spectator parking filled up fast along the east side of the area and many folks had to park in a dirt lot, just FYI.

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Do you have a favorite Cars and Coffee event?

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Cars at Casa – Monthly Car Show

March 1, 2021 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

The Cars at Casa is a once a month local car show held in Chandler, Arizona at the Shoppes at Casa Paloma Shopping Center. This car event is sponsored by the center’s Coffin & Trout Fine Jewelers and always has a friendly vibe to it.

Cars at Casa

Since it is held in Arizona it will typically shut down during the summer heat, but the balance of the year it draws a steady crowd. The cars will range from some British relics to traditional muscle cars to current exotics.

Thanks to COVID-19 masks are required while you sip the coffee and enjoy the cars.

It is held on the second Saturday of the month from 8-10 AM so if you are in the area check it out. In the meantime check out the gallery for a sampling of the rides that roll into Cars at Casa.

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Auctions, Car show, Uncategorized

River City Rods’ 1972 Chevrolet C30 Franklin Camper

October 9, 2020 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

River City Rods and Fabrication have been making waves with their custom builds at the SEMA Shows for the past few years. Every Chevy gear head loved “Brown Sugar” that rolled out for the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada and was recently up for sale on eBay. But they also built a 1972 Chevrolet C30 RV Truck for the 2017 SEMA Show that had some interesting post-SEMA experiences.

River City Rods 1972 Chevrolet C30

The 1972 Chevrolet C30 was based on an original Franklin Coach camper that was treated to a custom suspension and new internals. The crew at River City threw in a LS3 GM Performance engine and a Bowler five speed automatic transmission. Arizona based GSI did the chassis work and used an AccuAir air ride system.

Of course the interior had to be eye popping and that included a 50 inch television and barn wood motif. There was a bar in the back as well. The blue paint was eye-catching and plenty of lookers enjoyed the retro look at the SEMA Show.

After the SEMA Show

Well sometimes the show cars from SEMA disappear after the show and you wonder what happened to them. In this case it didn’t take long to see the Chevrolet C30 back in the public’s eye.

Barrett-Jackson had it offered at their Scottsdale, Arizona show in January of 2019. It drew plenty of interest and was hammered sold for $126,500. But not so fast partner.

In September of this year it was offered up by a dealer through Bring A Trailer. The seller claimed that the buyer at Barrett-Jackson backed out of the deal and while Barrett-Jackson offered to make the deal stand, the dealer took the truck back.

So it ran on the Bring A Trailer auction but only was bid up to $56,555. Quite a drop from a heady Barrett-Jackson hammered price. So the dealer took it off the auction site and went to eBay.

River city Rods -1972 Chevrolet C30 on eBay

On eBay the dealer had it listed with a buy It Now price of $89,900. The seller claimed over $200,000 was invested in the build. After being on the site for a few days it was ended by the seller. Many car sellers on eBay will often state they are offering the car for sale elsewhere, like on their own website, and might remove the vehicle from the auction early. My guess is the dealer received an offer outside of eBay and hence ended the auction without an official sale from that auction site.

So if the dealer was able to get it sold this time, maybe it will surface soon again for the public to view?

Would you use this ride for an RV in the post-COVID 19 days?

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Worldwide Auctioneers Auburn Auction Absolutely Awesome

September 14, 2020 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

Even under “normal” situations a car auction company would be ecstatic with a 90% sell through rate. Worldwide Auctioneers must be over the moon to reach that level at their recent Auburn auction.

Yes folks, Worldwide Auctioneers concluded their 13th annual Auburn Auction in Indiana during the 2020 Labor Day Weekend, with 90% of consignments finding new homes. Given the complexity of arranging bids and the fiscal times we are in, that is phenomenal!

Worldwide Sold a 1935 Auburn

As expected at an Auburn auction, an Auburn Speedster set the bar. High sale went to a meticulously restored and multiple award winning 1935 Auburn 851 SC Boattail Speedster with body design by Gordon Buehig and a supercharged engine with a top speed of 100 mph. It sold for $1,072,500. (Like always all prices include the buyer’s premium)

Rick Dore’s Shangri-La

But we fell in love with the sweeping majestic custom that famed customizer Rick Dore built. This beauty was a one-off 1936 Cadillac “Shangri-La” Custom Roadster. It featured a hand-formed aluminum body fabricated by the famous Marcel Custom Metal workers on a short 116 wheelbase. The roof comes off to allow for a roadster look to this lady in Indian Inkwell Blue. It sold for a sweet $550,000.

Another car that we loved was a 1966 Chevelle Pro Street. The paintwork was on point and the attention to detail was as expected, top notch. The Chevy was badged as an SS with a 496 engine and came with a two speed Powerglide. It was strip ready with a roll cage and sold for $41,800.

A fantastic Model A 1932 Ford was not the typical “Auburn auction” but sure caught our eye. So did the 400 cubic inch engine matched to a 700R4 automatic transmission. Suicide doors and a striking paintjob with pinstriping helped collect $49,500 from the winning bidder.

Worldwide Auctioneers Outcome

The Auburn Auction finalized at nearly $8 million in total sales. Presented as both a live and online event, the Auburn Auction offered options for every controlled health level, with onsite bidding, online bidding available via three different online partner platforms, and absentee and telephone bidding available to pre-registered, qualified buyers.

We enjoyed their January, 2020 auction in Tempe, AZ during all the Phoenix area auctions. Here’s hoping that “regular” auctions return to the scene soon with Worldwide Auctioneers leading the way.

Photos courtesy of Worldwide Auctioneers.

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Car show, Uncategorized

Got Flames – NHRA’s Arizona Nationals

February 25, 2020 Route 66 Pub Co Leave a comment

The action was red hot at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, near Phoenix, AZ when the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) showed up on Friday February 21 through Sunday, February 23, 2020. The Wild Horse Pass Motorsport Park is south of Phoenix and a short hop down the freeway from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Technically it is on the Gila River Indian Community. Despite rain on Saturday, it did not dampen the spirits of racers or fans and NHRA squeezed in a round of pro qualifications for the Arizona Nationals between the rain storms.

Rain Shortened Qualification

So with two rounds of qualifications on Friday to lead the race ladder, the full field was set for a sold out crew of race fans on Sunday. By now you probably know that Erica Enders, Tommy Johnson Junior and Steve Torrance won in the pro ranks. Plus there were plenty of winners in the sportsmen classes as well.

Flames

One of my favorite times at a drag strip is when the skies get dark and the exhaust flames shooting out from the headers are more visible. While the Arizona Nationals are generally run in the day light, the lighting gets dark enough to see some flames. We always enjoy hanging around taking some shots as sunset approaches and checking out the flames. Hope you do too!

Jet cars

Plus of course if you are a race track promoter you have to have jet cars! At the end of the day’s races, what better way to close out the night but to have not just one or two jet cars but THREE jet cars zoom down the track? The heat these engines throw off is actually felt in the stands as the jet cars belch white smoke and streak down the track.