GROWING PARTNERSHIPS: Barrett-Jackson events get even better with innovative sponsor involvement
June 21, 2017
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Craig Jackson on the Shell Pennzoil Pioneering Performance Stage at the 2017 Palm Beach Auction with commentator Alan Taylor and a troop of Boy Scouts who benefited from 100 percent of the hammer price of Lot #3000, a 1969 International Travelall.
Corporate partnerships have long played an important role at Barrett-Jackson auctions as the company sets the industry standard in creating innovative collaborations and enhancing the customer experience. Visitors to Barrett-Jackson auctions this year may have noticed some new features: the Shell Pennzoil Pioneering Performance Stage and the DIY Pavilion presented by Tub O’Towels.
The Shell Pennzoil Pioneering Performance Stage debuted at the 2017 Scottsdale Auction.
The stage provides auction-goers with what has been called a “second-screen experience” – a place where you can get in-depth information on a number of vehicles as they roll off the block from automotive experts, celebrities and other special guests. The stage and its surrounding have the look and feel of an open-air television set, including a live studio audience.
Barrett-Jackson’s relationship with Shell Pennzoil began back in 2015. In the first notable collaboration, stunt and race driver Rhys Millen drifted a renowned yellow 707hp 2015 Dodge Hellcat sponsored by Pennzoil through downtown Reno, Nevada, in spectacular fashion with the celebrated Barrett-Jackson Cup in tow. Shell officially came on board as a sponsor of the auction Staging Lanes in 2016.
Shell stepped up in an even bigger way in 2017, partnering with Barrett-Jackson for another exciting drifting stunt prior to the Scottsdale Auction (see “No Reserve Drifting” sidebar below), debuting the new Shell Pennzoil Pioneering Performance Stage at the same auction.
The company is beginning to become involved in charity cars at the auctions as well, through another Shell brand, Quaker State. At the 2017 Palm Beach Auction, a 1996 Ford Mustang restored and customized by members of the automotive program team at the Georgia-based Jordan Vocational High School ‒ winner of Quaker State’s “Best in Class Challenge,” in which high school auto shop students competed to restore a vehicle. The sale raised $50,000 for the school. At the 2016 Palm Beach Auction, Shell Pennzoil brought a bright yellow 2014 Hennessey VelociRaptor that was auctioned for the Paralyzed Veterans of America. This truck was featured on “Top Gear” and brought $100,000 for this great charity. Another charity vehicle from the Shell family is slated for the 2017 Las Vegas Auction.
Another new feature at Barrett-Jackson events is the DIY Pavilion, sponsored by Tub O’Towels.
After their initial participation as a sponsor in 2016, Tub O’Towels increased their partnership by sponsoring the new DIY Pavilion, which also debuted at the 2017 Scottsdale Auction. Here, visitors picked up samples of Tub O’Towels products, watched car care demonstrations and observed two vehicles undergoing a full build throughout the week, right before their eyes – one of which went across the auction block on the final day of the auction. At the 2017 Northeast Auction, Barrett-Jackson guests can again take a look under the hood as two more builds take place in the DIY Pavilion: Factory Five will be busy on a Cobra and Dennis Collins (of Gas Monkey Garage fame) and his team will be working on a 2017 Jeep Wrangler Black Mountain Conversion, which will be sold on the final day of the auction.
Prestone and Factory Five are two more great brands that increased their visibility at Barrett-Jackson through sponsorship. Longtime partner Meguiar’s has recently grown their participation as well; they are now sponsoring the Staging Lanes, where they wipe down the cars before they go onto the auction block. Cabinets by Hayley joined the lineup in 2016, and their contributions have also grown, with larger and more inviting displays at each auction.
Coca-Cola and Indian Motorcycles took on prominent new roles at the 2017 Scottsdale Auction; the former sponsoring the Garage and Family Value Day, while Indian offered motorcycle demo rides for the first time. American Car Collector became the sponsor of the popular Behind The Hobby Collector Car Symposiums. Adam’s Polishes came on board as the new on-site detailer for all the auctions. RideTech, Swiss America, Scoggin-Dickey, BFGoodrich, McLaren, Gateway Bronco and Edelbrock are also among the new or expanded Barrett-Jackson partners.
Barrett-Jackson is excited to see what the future holds as new sponsors continue to join the family and others increase their involvement – be on the lookout for some exciting new partnerships and projects down the road!
No Reserve Drifting Blasts Off The 2017 Scottsdale Auction
The reaction to the Shell Pennzoil drifting stunt in Reno back in 2015 got Barrett-Jackson and Shell thinking: What if we could do something like that again, but on a more impressive scale?
The enormity of the Barrett-Jackson site at WestWorld was the obvious playground. The build of the site starts around Thanksgiving, so first it had to be determined if the build could be paused to shoot a video of the magnitude desired. It could.
Discussions began. From concept to the car arriving on-site – the 2017 Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR – was only two weeks. Rhys Millen, who had done the drifting stunt in Reno, was the obvious choice for a driver, but he wasn’t available. World champion driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. stepped up. At ease and professional – a self-professed professional “fun-haver” – Gittin Jr. got to work. The direction he was given was simple: have fun and make the 74-acre site his playground. He happily obliged.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE EXCITING “NO RESERVE DRIFTING” VIDEO.
Gittin piloted his Mustang RTR through harrowing hairpin turns and calculated donuts that demonstrated his natural dexterity behind the wheel. A total of eight cameras, including a drone shooting aerial footage, captured what Pennzoil Synthetics and 450 powerfully agile horses can accomplish when shod with Nitto NT555 G2 tires.
Barrett-Jackson Chairman and CEO Craig Jackson even got in on the action, driving his Bugatti Veyron into the auction arena at one point, which Gittin Jr. used as an obstacle before getting Jackson to ride shotgun in the Mustang RTR.
“It was an absolute blast filming ‘No Reserve Drifting’ together with Pennzoil and Vaughn,” said Jackson. “Vaughn’s driving skills are incredibly impressive. It was a real show to watch him navigate, drift and spin through our massive auction site.”
There was no better way to drive excitement about the collector car world than with the high-performance stunt driving from a World Champion drifter – all of which came about through the fantastic partnership between Shell and Barrett-Jackson.