To mark Barrett-Jackson’s half-century in business, in this special series we’re taking a look back at some of our favorite moments from the past 50 years – as well as some little-known facts about The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions.

The city of Scottsdale, Arizona, has been Barrett-Jackson’s home right from the early days in the 1960s when Tom Barrett and Russ Jackson staged a car show known as the Fiesta de los Autos Elegantes to raise funds for various city projects. When the car show concept evolved into the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, “The West’s Most Western Town” played host to the collector car auctions through 1977 when the event moved to Phoenix Municipal Stadium for a time.

Tom Barrett (left) and Russ Jackson (right) with Scottsdale Mayor Herb Drinkwater (center) who first declared “Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction Week.

It was Scottsdale Mayor Herb Drinkwater who lured Barrett-Jackson back to its original home after seeing immense potential in the northern portion of the city, where the 356-acre Horseman’s Park had been opened in 1982. Drinkwater took the Barrett and Jackson families to the area to explain his vision of making this beautiful part of the city at the foot of the McDowell Mountains the epicenter of world-class Scottsdale-based events.

Drinkwater’s persuasiveness worked. The first Barrett-Jackson Auction held in its new location at WestWorld of Scottsdale drew a record 50,000 people and realized a sales volume of nearly $30 million. The company has never looked back, holding its flagship Scottsdale Auction there every year, attracting bidders from all 50 states and dozens of countries around the world – and bringing welcome revenue to the city from the thousands of fans who flock here each year. The results of the most recently completed economic and fiscal impact analysis demonstrated that in 2016, Barrett-Jackson produced a total economic impact of $167.8 million. The study also found that the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company created 1,437 direct and indirect jobs in a variety of fields, such as construction, operations and associated tourism activities.

Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson with current Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega at the March 2021 Auction at Westworld.

Drinkwater was so grateful to Barrett-Jackson’s contribution to the community that he issued a proclamation in 1989 recognizing that special week in January was to be known as “Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction Week” – and thus began a tradition that every Scottsdale mayor since has honored. Now known as “Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction Week,” the proclamation recognizes the auction as an important tradition for the residents of Scottsdale, a premier event of its kind and applauds Barrett-Jackson for “creating a positive economic impact upon Scottsdale, the Valley of the Sun and the State of Arizona.”

“We have received tremendous support over the years from the City of Scottsdale, and that support has been instrumental in creating the ultimate automotive lifestyle event right here at our home,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “We are honored to have consistently received the Scottsdale mayor’s recognition for our contribution to the community and honored to bring the national and international spotlight on Scottsdale year after year for another exciting Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction Week at WestWorld.”

Barrett-Jackson is proud to call the city of Scottsdale its home and is excited to celebrate 50 years of the world’s greatest collector cars there in January 2022.