Las Vegas Weekly

October 7, 2009 · 8:56 AM

Photo Gallery: Road rally on the Strip kicks off Barrett-Jackson Auction

By Robin Leach

Bruce Willis' 1967 Chevrolet Corvette.

Photo: Barrett-Jackson

The star power-fueled excitement at the second Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Collector Car Auction begins today when a 100-car Strip road rally race kicks off the four-day festival at Mandalay Bay. Bruce Willis and Don Johnson will sell vehicles from their private collections, and the “Father of the Mustang,” Lee Iacocca, will provide an exclusive opportunity to own one of only 45 limited-edition Ford Mustangs.

In a special charity auction, Jay Leno will donate proceeds from the sale of his one-of-a kind Yamaha motorcycle to Bailey’s Cafe, an arts education program based in Brooklyn, N.Y. From a Lincoln Limousine used during the filming of Die Hard to a powerful off-road SUV, six vehicles from the celebrities will sell at no reserve from tomorrow through Saturday.

No collector car auction in Las Vegas would be complete without a nod to the King of Rock and Roll, so Elvis Presley fans also will have the chance to own a racecar used in his 1964 film Viva Las Vegas.

“Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, is the perfect city to offer some of the most exciting celebrity vehicles we’ve ever had,” said Barrett-Jackson Chairman and CEO Craig Jackson.

Bruce will sell his 1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible, 1968 Pontiac Firebird 400 and 1988 Lincoln Limousine. Bruce purchased the Corvette in El Paso, Texas, while filming Last Man Standing. Originally used to take Bruce to the set of his TV series Moonlighting, his dark blue 1988 Lincoln Limousine also was used during the filming of Die Hard.

“Bruce Willis has owned some great American iron,” Craig said. “Cars like his 1967 Corvette and ’68 Firebird helped define an era of motoring in this country that was built around power. The Lincoln Limo also tells a story, as it was used during Bruce’s most iconic film.”

Lee presented the Ford Mustang to the world during a press conference at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. During his time as Ford Division president and general manager, Lee made the Mustang a household name. Now, he is selling one of the most anticipated limited-edition versions of this iconic classic, the No. 5 Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang.

“This is a stunning modern-day muscle car from the visionary who started it all,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “It’s hard to imagine where collector car enthusiasts would be if Lee Iacocca hadn’t championed the Ford Mustang project 45 years ago. Now, he has teamed up with some of the top automotive talent in the world to produce the 45th Anniversary model. It’s an instant collectible.”

Check out this Lee Iacocca video on YouTube:

Movie star car and celebrated racer the 1961 Ol’ Yaller VIII is one of only nine Ol’ Yallers built by road racing icon Max Balchowsky from 1956 to 1963 and appeared in Viva Las Vegas with Elvis. Assembled with spare components from fairly humble production automobiles, Ol’ Yallers became famous for their triumphs in the 1950s and early ’60s.

Don will sell his 1994 Land Rover Defender 90, a specialized vehicle for trips off the beaten path. The two-door yellow-on-black SUV features a 4.0 Liter V8 engine with a five-speed manual transmission and comes fully loaded with front winch, headlamps and hardtop and convertible softtop. There are only 14,687 original miles, and the vehicle has been stored in Aspen, Colo., since it was purchased new from the dealer.

Last year’s inaugural Las Vegas auction hosted more than 50,000 and sold more than 500 cars for a total of $29 million. The Speed cable TV network will provide live TV coverage of the four auction days.

“Our return to Las Vegas is a testament to the celebration of the hobby, the resiliency of the collector car market and the quality of bidders and consigners we attract,” Craig said. “Attendance exceeded our expectations last year, and we know this weekend’s action will be even bigger and better. We are back with a bang! ”

Here’s the ROYAL ROBIN RUNDOWN for the next four days:

Today

1:30 p.m.: Some 100 classic and collector vehicles will depart the Las Vegas Convention Center and head south down the Strip to wind up at Mandalay Bay. The Barrett-Jackson car show is from 2 to 5 p.m.

Tomorrow through Saturday

Gates open each day at 8 a.m., with the automobile auction at 9 a.m. The collector car auction begins each morning at 11.

Tomorrow night

The official party is at Blush in the Wynn.

Check back to Vegas DeLuxe over the next few days as we report the daily activities, the celebrities, the extraordinary cars and the amazing sales.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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