The auctioneer stutter raps the microphone at a million beats per minute. Around him guys in black jackets and red ties survey their identically dressed colleagues in the bidding pit and grandstands beyond, the beer bars and VIP platforms, looking for a signal. In a dark, distant corner there must have been a nod. Activity ripples outwards from that spot. A Mexican wave crossed with a Chinese whisper communicated via the medium of racecourse bookies' arms radiates outwards as the red ties go into overdrive and semaphore the bid to the stage. The auctioneer, somehow, goes up a gear.
We know car auctions. They're either grotty places populated with car-dealing tyre kickers looking for stock amongst unloved ex-rental repmobiles, or they're ultra exclusive, sip champagne on immaculate lawn events where exotic specimens (both cars and people) preen glossily and desire to be admired for their good taste and breeding.
Barrett-Jackson is what happens when the two are combined and tossed in a blender with a good helping of American showmanship, pizzazz, noise, energy, dodgy artwork, hype, scale, speedboats, dust, liquor, excitement and people. Oh, and the Blue Origin space capsule. It's effervescent and weirdly, oddly captivating.
Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Top Gear.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Top Gear.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
HEAD TO HEAD VANTAGE vs 911 TURBO
For as long as we can remember the Porsche 911 has been the default best sports car money can buy. Does the new Aston Vantage represent a changing of the guard?
BOSS LEVEL:PART TWO
In a world exclusive, three makers of the world's most powerful hypercars are cordially invited... to drive each other's creations
THE THEORY 0F EVOLUTION
Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar's future, or gone mad?
Koenigsegg Jesko Attack
The Jesko Attack drives like a conventional supercar. Brakes like one, turns like one, grips like one. But it doesn't accelerate like one.
STIC LAPS are back!
It's a 1.75-mile figure of eight on an old Canadian Air Force base just south of Guildford. Hardly Monza, or the Mulsanne straight, and never in a million years - you'd think a place that would become one of the most sought after performance benchmarks in the motoring world.
URBAN OUTWITTERS
Does the solution to city motoring lie in designs from the past with powertrains from the future? TopGear goes in search of answers... at rush hour
FUTURE FERRARIS
If you thought Ferrar's past was colourful, wait until you see what it's cooking up next. The future's bright, the future's rosso
DIRTY DOZEN
Ferrari's new super GT makes no secrets about what's under the bonnet, but can it swallow five countries in just a few hours? Better get on with it...
MYTH BUSTER
\"ADAPTIVE DAMPERS ALWAYS NEED TO ADAPT\"
The S2000 from a parallel universe
Meet Evasive Motorsports’ Honda S2000R, the car the Japanese firm should have built itself
