Barrett-Jackson and Russo & Steele storm damage

[dcdoug]

I heard the following from a friend this AM who is at Barrett-Jackson:

"This whole place is a disaster. They got more rain last night then they got in all of 2009. We had tornado warnings all night - the rain was blowing side-ways!! I have never seen anything like this.

Russo Steele's tents all blew onto interstate 101. Barrett evacuated all but the main area tent because of safety concerns and the Governor has declared an all-counties state of emergency. The loses for the auction companies and car owners will be in the tens of millions.

More of the same is expected today. You better post all this on club cobra so people know it's really really bad. I would hate for someone to show up and find this place in the condition it's in now!!"

[RedBarchetta]

Damn. I set my Tivo timer this morning so that I could catch today's action. Makes me wonder if there will be much.

[computerworks]

RUSSO AND STEELE SCOTTSDALE 2010 UPDATE-

Due to the storm the fire department has taken control of the auction site. Once they allow us the ability to enter the site, the Russo and Steele crew will go in and assess the situation. We are grateful that there were no major injuries and will inform you of any status updates as soon as possible.

................

[FUNFER2]

Just think of all the poor cars that have "never seen rain".
I would imagine the parking condition's are terrible.

Seriously,... my heart and prayers are out to Barrett-Jackson, staff, volunteers and all car owners.

[RedBarchetta]

Here's a video link taken this morning around 4:30am from the Russo-Steele location.

http://www.azfamily.com/home/related...-82360617.html

I don't even have a car there and I'm feeling like crying.

-Dean

[RedBarchetta]

Grundy and Haggerty are going to be busy over the weekend.

Think about that for a moment. These insurers built their business issuing policies for low mileage, rarely driven, totally babied enthusiasts cars. So their risk is spread out across the country and claims are usually isolated incidents. Not this one...You had a HUGE CONCENTRATION of collector cars all in one spot.

I'm not suggesting that the claims will sink these insurers. But I wouldn't be surprised if premiums were to be increased to deal with the cash drain.

And does anyone know if BJ and Russo "take ownership" of the car once you sign over the pink for consignment? If that is the case, they just took it in the shin for the cars that were not sold (at least BJ does...Russo may be different because of their reserve auction process).

-Dean

[Got the Bug]

What a mess!

Was there any damage at the Barrett Jackson auction? I was watching the auction last night, and they told people that if they were in the main tent they had to stay there until the winds passed.

[RedBarchetta]

Doug, I'm not aware of any direct damage. But I do know that they were still having owners line-up their cars in the heavy wind and rain in the staging areas. Many open top cars were getting bucket fulls. It's just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I"m real curious how the CSX cars faired at Russo? They had a good crop of them this year, including the flip-top car.

[Gunner]

And this is why I hate TV news... they had three murky shots of the situation and keep looping them like it conveys some information the second time you see it.

This is pretty horrifying, though... I expect there are some real heartbreakers under all that flapping cloth.

[Crazierblonde]

OMG my Daddy's Baby is under those tents! I want to cry. I hope it is ok! We are not even going to attempt to go over there this morning because there are so many people trying to get in. The car was supposed to go through the auction this weekend. Keepin my fingers crossed.

[computerworks]

RUSSO AND STEELE SCOTTSDALE 2010 Scottsdale Update Friday, January 22 8:30 a.m.

You may have heard that an intense winter storm roared through Arizona, causing damage at the Russo and Steele auction site in Scottsdale last night. Two large canopies covering many of the cars were blown down during severe wind gusts. Thankfully no one sustained any major injuries. Our team spent the night on site waiting for the City of Scottsdale Fire Department to allow us back in. We are still waiting for that access. Safety is the priority. Once the site is secured and safe, the car owners will be given access. We are being told that the earliest that may be will be this afternoon. We are optimistic about continuing the auction this weekend. We thank you for your continued support during these difficult times.

.......................

[A-Snake]

Originally Posted by RedBarchetta

I"m real curious how the CSX cars faired at Russo? They had a good crop of them this year, including the flip-top car.

The "Flip-Top" CSX2196 is at RM Auctions. There are no original Cobras at Russo & Steele this year.

[RedBarchetta]

Thanks for the correction, A-Snake.

[computerworks]

You can see results, as they come in, posted for some of the select Cobras on the SAAC site

http://saacforum.com/index.php?board=57.0

[FUNFER2]

Dean- according to what I heard last night at the Barret-Jackson auction, BJ takes over the ownership. They handle it as a "Dealership". So, I would assume,... that B-J has big time insurance. Will the claims be paid by their insurance,... I don't know. ?

Either way, the original owners and/or Barret-Jackson and insurance company's, are in for a long,.......process, litigation and heart break. I hope and pray, that most of the very high dollar and very rare cars were and are protected.

Very sad.

[computerworks]

http://www.azfamily.com/video/featur...-82364787.html

SCOTTSDALE -- Owners of collector cars worth millions haven't been able to assess the damage after vicious winds shredded two tents at the Russo-Steele Auto Auction in Scottsdale. Those cars, several of them convertibles with the tops down, have been exposed to the rain all night and morning.

Crews will be on site later this morning to clean up the tents and make sure the area is safe before the owners are allowed back in.

[RedBarchetta]

Forecast for Scottsdale: "Rain developing, with thunderstorms also possible by early afternoon. Cloudy with temperatures steady near the mid 50s. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%."

Ouch.

[Got the Bug]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Dean- according to what I heard last night at the Barret-Jackson auction, BJ takes over the ownership. They handle it as a "Dealership". So, I would assume,... that B-J has big time insurance. Will the claims be paid by their insurance,... I don't know. ?

Either way, the original owners and/or Barret-Jackson and insurance company's, are in for a long,.......process, litigation and heart break. I hope and pray, that most of the very high dollar and very rare cars were and are protected.

Very sad.

The only reports (so far) of damage have been at the RS auction. That last video was tough to watch, with the Cobra and Bug convertible sitting out in the rain.

[jwd]

So much for calling it "The Valley of the Sun".

[Slither]

So, how do they keep this from happening again in the future? Was this just a freak thing? No, not really out here in Scottsdale this time of the year. The high winds may have been a fluke, but not the rain. Maybe move this event to an indoor facility like Cardinal Stadium perhaps?