Classic Car Week in Phoenix has distinctive INDYCAR flavor

By Mark Robinson | Published: Jan 22, 2016

Auction Primer

The car collector world turns its attention to the Phoenix area Jan. 23-31 for its annual Classic Car Week.

INDYCAR will be in the thick of the auction and car show excitement on the brink of a historic 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season that includes the legendary 100thRunning of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race and the return of Indy car racing to Phoenix International Raceway.

The most versatile racing series on the planet will be on display at three key events over the course of the week:

  • Six past Indianapolis 500 winners will conduct a roundtable discussion focused on May’s 100th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” Jan. 23 at the Arizona Concours d’Elegance celebration of vintage automobiles at the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix. In addition, a small fleet of Indy 500 race cars, ranging from a 1914 Duesenberg to the 2014 race-winning Honda/Dallara, will be on display at the Concours that runs Jan. 23-24.
  • That same Dallara, belonging to Andretti Autosport and driven to victory by Ryan Hunter-Reay in the 98th running, will be go to the highest bidder at the Gooding & Company auction Jan. 29-30 in Scottsdale, Ariz., with the stipulation that the buyer won’t take possession until after the car’s racing days are complete, likely following the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season.
  • A special new-generation 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS coupe, the first off the production line with VIN No. 001, will be part of the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale on Jan. 30, with all proceeds benefitting Kettering University to provide opportunities for students in engineering, science, math and business. Team Penske driver Will Power will take part in the charity auction festivities.

Arizona Concours has cars and stars of INDYCAR

The Arizona Concours roundtable features Indianapolis 500 champions Johnny Rutherford (1974, 1976, 1980), Tom Sneva (1983), Arie Luyendyk (1990, 1997), Eddie Cheever (1998), Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010, 2012) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014). It will be hosted by seven-time Indy 500 starter Lyn St. James, running from noon-1:30 p.m. local time Jan. 23.

The Concours show features nearly 100 exceptional and rare cars plus the exhibit of Indy cars from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum and private collectors. Cars on loan from the IMS museum are the 1914 Duesenberg, a 1925 Miller Junior Eight, 1955 SAC Fireboid Special and 1964 Lotus-Ford. In addition, cars on loan from other collectors will be Sneva’s 1978 Penske PC-6, Luyendyk’s backup 1990 Lola-Chevrolet Ilmor when he won his first Indy 500 and Hunter-Reay’s winning Dallara.

Concours ticket holders will be able to attend the roundtable and meet the drivers. More information is available at ArizonaConcours.com. The Verizon IndyCar Series will contest the Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway on April 1-2. For more information on the race, visit PhoenixInternationalRaceway.com.

Auction for Hunter-Reay’s winning car offers unique ownership opportunity

The winning bidder of the No. 28 Honda/Dallara IR-12 that Hunter-Reay drove to a dramatic win at the 2014 Indianapolis 500 will become part of the Andretti Autosport team while the car continues to be used by the team for the foreseeable future.

Andretti Autosport will provide the buyer with two season-long VIP credentials and team hospitality passes granting gate, garage and limited pit access for each Verizon IndyCar Series race event held through the 2018 season, including the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in May. The package will also include four single-event VIP guest credentials and team hospitality passes at each of the series races that Andretti Autosport competes in through 2018, with additional options available for the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Indianapolis 500.

In addition to its Indy 500-winning heritage, the car – which the team hopes to use through 2018 before retiring it, repairing it and restoring it to its 2014 winning condition for the buyer – served as Hunter-Reay’s oval track car during his 2012 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Hunter-Reay has won three other series races with the car.

The car will be on display at the Gooding & Company viewing marquee at Scottsdale Fashion Square beginning Jan. 27. The auction runs Jan. 29-30. For more information, visit http://www.goodingco.com/vehicle/andretti-autosport-no-28-dhl-honda-dallara-dw12/.

Camaro SS coupe auction benefits education

Chevrolet, winner of the manufacturers’ championship the last four years running in the Verizon IndyCar Series, is offering up the first-off-the-production-line 2016 Camaro SS coupe as a charity auction to raise money for Kettering University.

Power, the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion, will be on hand for the Jan. 30 auction and signing autographs from 3:30-4:15 p.m. local time that day.

The 2016 Camaro stays true to its roots but has an all-new lightweight architecture and new modern lighting technologies. The powertrain includes a 455-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 engine with an eight-speed, paddle-shift, automatic transmission. For more information on the car and auction, visit http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/2016-CHEVROLET-CAMARO-SS-191861.