While Gooding, RM and Bonhams racked up the records at Scottsdale, the undisputed champion of Arizona is the sale that kicked the whole thing off – Barrett-Jackson.
And in 2014 it didn't disappoint, its 43rd annual auction being the most successful in the company's history and generating some mind-boggling statistics.
Raising a whopping $113million over the course of six days' frenzied selling to an audience of 300,000 people, B-J sold 1399 classic cars and set a raft of records of its own.
Among the highlights were Sir Stirling Moss riding across the block in the third highest selling car, the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupé ($2million) and monster bids on 14 vehicles sold for charity and, along with other charitable efforts, raising more than $5million.
Other celebs who put in appearances included actor Billy Baldwin, Kiss singer Gene Simmons, actress Linda Vaughn, Frankie Muniz, racer Jeff Gordon, plus Rusty Wallace, golfer Bubba Watson, Shannon Tweed, Don Prudhomme and Reggie Jackson.
But at the end of the day, it was all about the cars and increasingly the high-value exotica consigned to the special Salon sale.
Two B-J Chevrolet Corvettes made it into the Scottsdale top 10 (RM had two and Gooding and Bonhams three apiece), a 1967 L88 coupe ($3.85million, a world record auction price for a Corvette, main image) and a 1969 Rebel L88 convertible (above, $2.86m) contributing to the $22million raised by the 16 cars in the Salon Collection. Scroll to the bottom for the top 10 prices.
