A Future Collectible Collector Weighs in on FCCS at Barrett-Jackson

And a video recap for those who missed it

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Dennis Ray won Best Restored with his 1972 Mazda RX-2. (Image by Diego Rosenberg)

To get a recap of the Future Collector Car Show from another perspective and a list of winners/categories, you can read Diego Rosenberg’s piece here.

The collector-car landscape is always evolving, and the definition of “classic” can vary based on audience, age demographic, genre, and many other factors. Whether any of us like to admit it (it makes us feel old, after all), a vehicle from the late 1990s is now considered classic by most definitions since it has aged about 25 years.

For over five years now, the Collector Car Network has hosted an annual gathering that focuses specifically on recognizing that next generation of collector cars (and of course the next generation of collector car owners). I attended the Future Collector Car Show in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 22 to experience it for myself. Barrett-Jackson partnered with the show and set aside the polo field at WestWorld for the display of over 140 vehicles.

Here’s a quick video recap from Tyson

As the sun crept over the horizon on a frosty (rare for Phoenix-area standards) Sunday morning, the vehicles assembled in organized fashion and set the stage for the event. “Diverse” is a word that comes to mind when describing the attendees and their vehicles. From a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 to a 1989 Honda Prelude, there was a little bit of everything.

Jhae Pfenning and Bogi Lateiner took turns handling the microphone as emcees as the day progressed. Jhae acts as current NSX Club of America Vice President and Bogi is known for her appearance on “All Girls Garage” on the Motor Trend Network. Both provided a dynamic and interactive dialogue to keep things entertaining. Activities included not only the car show but also a runway fashion show at midday.

As with any Barrett-Jackson event, celebrity sightings were plentiful. Tyler Hoover, originally made famous for his YouTube channel called Hoovie’s Garage that has 1.5 million subscribers, brought his Maybach luxury car out to the show. Other noteworthy attendees included renowned photographer Larry Chen and online personalities TJ Hunt, Kayla Rundle, Brendan Long, and many others.

The day capped off with a closing awards ceremony where a handful of vehicle owners were recognized in their respective categories. Nick Brackett of Phoenix took home the award for “Best Preserved” with his exceptionally clean red 1989 Pontiac ASC-McLaren Turbo Grand Prix. Over the last several years, Nick has fine-tuned his Grand Prix with a detail-oriented restoration process while preserving its originality as much as possible. “I definitely did not anticipate winning any awards today with the loads of nice cards that showed up, but I’m stoked to accept it,” Nick reflected.

Event coordinator Rebecca Nguyen summed things up best when she said, “I’m always grateful to bring a quality and innovative experience to the automotive community and industry.” With the success of several FCCS shows under her belt, no doubt the momentum will continue into 2024 and beyond.

If you are ready to join the collector-car movement and find a “future classic” of your own, head over and browse the listings at ClassicCars.com or the auctions at AutoHunter.com.

1 COMMENT

  1. One of the most overlooked cars which are surely getting into the “collector crowd” are the late model Saab 93 Convertibles. These cars are unique in their own “Saab” way and were built only until 2010. The mere fact that they are not only unique, but one of the safest cars built makes them extremely fun to own, drive, and show! You will be seeing
    many of them show up at both car shows & auctions as they are finally being recognized as a fun collectable!

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