What is the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction
Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale is the flagship collector car auction in America, and it happens every January at WestWorld of Scottsdale. It has run for more than fifty years. Collectors and spectators fly in from around the world for a week-plus of live bidding, and the whole north end of town takes on the feel of one long car show.
A USA Today readers' poll once named it America's number one attraction for car lovers. That sounds like marketing until you stand on the floor and watch the hammer fall on a car you had a poster of as a kid. The energy is real. We have hosted Barrett-Jackson groups at our estates for years, and the conversation at breakfast is always about what sold the night before.
What to expect on the auction block
The lineup runs from pre-war classics to modern high-performance machines, with plenty of oddities in between. Past years have put a Batmobile on the block. A restored 1940s fire truck. A vintage orchard tractor in flawless red paint. A 1950s Chevrolet pickup once owned by a movie star. Custom motorcycles from well-known builders sit a few rows over from the muscle cars, and there is usually at least one vintage camper that makes everyone stop and stare.
You do not need to be bidding to enjoy it. General admission gets you onto the floor and into the vendor tents. If you want to watch from above, hospitality boxes and owner's suites are sold for the full run. Tickets are cheaper bought online in advance than at the gate.
The auction runs for more than a week, so you do not have to see all of it. Pick two or three days. Spend one of them just walking the preview rows, and save an evening for the live bidding when the big lots cross the block.
Good Guys Spring Nationals at WestWorld
If January does not work, March gives you a second shot at car season. The Good Guys Spring Nationals bring hundreds of classics and hot rods to WestWorld for a weekend, with a heavy showing of American muscle. It is a show rather than an auction, so the mood is looser. Owners sit in lawn chairs next to their cars and will happily talk you through the build.
There is live entertainment and food on the grounds. The weekend lands in the middle of Spring Training, so a car-and-baseball trip is easy to put together if your group has both kinds of fan in it.
Bring a hat and a folding chair. The show is outdoors, and the desert sun in March is stronger than it looks from inside the house.
Classic cars on Scottsdale streets in winter
One of the quiet pleasures of a Scottsdale winter is the traffic. Once the seasonal residents arrive, the muscle comes out of the garages. You will see mid-fifties Chevy trucks in the grocery store lot and seventies Stingrays idling at the light on Scottsdale Road. The street is a rolling car show from December through March, and Barrett-Jackson is simply the week it all gathers at one address.
It also explains why a January trip works so well for people who are not serious collectors. The spouse who came along for the weather ends up pointing out Corvettes at every intersection, and by the third day the whole group is talking about paint codes.
Where to stay near WestWorld of Scottsdale
WestWorld sits in North Scottsdale, so the closer you stay to the north end, the shorter the morning drive. Parsons Hospitality has four estates in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, and two of them are especially good fits for car week.
Troon Ranch Casitas is three private casitas in North Scottsdale, five minutes from Troon North. For a small group of collectors who want to bid in the morning and play golf in the afternoon, it is the easiest choice we have.
Casa Palacio sleeps twenty across eight bedrooms with a grotto pool and a tennis court. Dealerships and brands that bring clients to Barrett-Jackson use it as a private hospitality house. Dinner for the whole party happens at home, and nobody is fighting for a reservation in a town that is sold out.
Wild West Estate handles sixteen and sits close to Old Town for the evenings. Valley Vista Estate in Paradise Valley sleeps thirty for the group that has outgrown everything else.
Planning your Barrett-Jackson week
January is the front end of Scottsdale's high season, and the auction is the reason the town fills up that week. Our estates carry event-week minimum stays for Barrett-Jackson and the dates go early. Book the house before you book the flights.
Arrive a day before you plan to be on the floor. Let the group settle in, stock the kitchen and get the pool heated. If you expect to be shipping a car home, ask us before you arrive. We know who to call, because it has happened more than once.
Give yourself a day at the end with nothing scheduled. Barrett-Jackson week is loud and long, and the best part of staying in a private estate is that the last morning can be quiet. Coffee by the pool, one more look at the photos, and a slow drive to the airport.
Questions we get asked
When is Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale?
Every January at WestWorld of Scottsdale. It runs for more than a week and exact dates change each year, so check the auction calendar before you book.
Where is WestWorld of Scottsdale?
In North Scottsdale, off North Pima. It also hosts the Good Guys Spring Nationals in March, Arizona Bike Week in April and the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in February.
Do I need to be a bidder to attend Barrett-Jackson?
No. Spectator tickets get you onto the auction floor and into the vendor areas. Buy them online in advance to save money.
Which estate is closest to WestWorld?
Troon Ranch Casitas in North Scottsdale. Casa Palacio and Wild West Estate are a longer drive but easy for a group with cars.
