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ask the Opie look-alike kid (if you’re
under 30, look it up) where I can get a
diet soda, he tells me in an out-
landishly honest voice, “
Well, sir, we
have ‘em for sale right over there, but
if you go into the casino, they’re
cheaper and bigger.
” All righty now,
his daddy raised him right!
I begin my aimless wandering
around the good-sized preview area to
find what one could best call a “mixed
bag” of cars, ranging from a couple of
real nice ‘63-‘67 Corvettes, a Mondial
Ferrari, a Jaguar XKE, a few really
good-looking Mustangs, and, I kid you
not, a huge red, western style wagon
for promotional or parade use. This is
the kind of auction where anyone who
wants an entry level collectible classic,
exotic, or muscle car can definitely
find what they’re looking for at a rea-
sonable price. Almost all of the cars up
for bid are great-looking drivers, not
trailer trolley show cars, so what’s cool
about them is that you can buy one to
cruise around in over the weekend,
and still have the fun of doing some
personal upgrade “wrenchin’ on the
weekdays.
Saturday, January 30th
– Sports & Classic Motorcars
My next, and absolutely, positively,
last stop is Scottsdale Sport & Classic
Motorcars, because I am in the middle
of my fourth straight day of pretty
much sun-up-to-sun-down walking
miles per day looking at cars, photo-
graphing cars, taking notes on cars,
and doing meet ‘n’ greets with wonder-
ful people. So, even though I have had
way too much “fun in the sun,” my
Converse clad dogs are barkin’!
I have three reasons for making a
little sojourn to this comfortably up-
scale collector car dealer – a ‘65 Shelby
CSX 427 Cobra Continuation and two
Superformance MKIII 427 Cobra
replicas. Pulling into their parking lot,
I immediately see a sparkling dark sil-
ver Cobra catchin’ some rays under-
neath the bright Arizona sun, just
waiting to have its curvaceous body
made famous in the next NorCal
Shelby
DRIVEN
magazine.
Walking into their large show-
room, I walk by a knowledgeable gen-
tleman talking to a couple of serious
prospective buyers, who obviously
have come to cut a check, not just take
a picture. He gives me a quick look as
I make my way toward two Cobras
parked side-by-side. I take a couple of
quick pictures and I get the same
quick look, this time with a smile,
when walking past him to make a
hasty exit. This guy is a smart cookie,
because he knows not to waste his
time on a for-sure “looky-loo.” Or
maybe he sees my noticeable limp
from my “barkin’ dogs.”
Back at my cousin’s house I am
kickin’ back, drinkin’ a nice tall, ice
cold, adult beverage, complete with my
tired butt on the couch and sore feet
on the hassock, watchin’ the Barrett-
Jackson Saturday auction. My wife,
hands on hips, leaning forward, says,
“
You’re watching auctions on TV after
watching auctions in person?
” Eyes
still glued to the tube, I respond, “
Of
course, what else would I be doing. It’s
Barrett-Jackson!
” I swear, out of the
corner of my eye, I could actually see
her eyeballs rolling across the ceiling,
and her jaw hitting the floor. Not a
pretty sight. Truth be known, this is
probably the “best seat in the house”
for watching bidders outbid each other
to become the next owner of a classic,
exotic, or muscle car of their choice.
Feeling a tad drowsy, I begin to
doze off, which is easy to do, because
the wife, who can’t stand the continual
“Hubbita-Hubbita, Habita-Habita” of
the auctioneer, insists I watch TV auc-
tions with the sound “OFF.” If you’re
married, you are definitely a master in
the art of compromise and negotiation.
It’s better known as survival.
“
Wait a minute, that SMILING
face is PETER KLUTT! What the…ya’
gotta’ be kiddin’ me! He just bought a
Shelby 289 Cobra, CSX2495, beauti-
fully restored with Webers, Hali-
brands, and owned by the same family
for fifteen years
” Even though she’s
behind me, I can see the much better
half shaking her head as she walks
out of the room. God, I love her!
The SHELBY AMERICAN
Spring 2016 51