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Automotive Lifestyle
AUTOS: Muscle And More At Barrett-Jackson
Camaro IROC Z at auction was autographed by more than 100 of the greatest rock stars who performed at the Live Aid benefit concert in 1985.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted September 23, 2010   Las Vegas, NV
This early muscle-car classic, a 1964 Plymouth Belvedere powered by a 413-cubic-inch Max Wedge V8, will be sold Friday at Barrett-Jackson. (Photo: Bob Golfen
At every Barrett-Jackson collector-car auction, there’s always something that takes you totally by surprise. At this week’s Las Vegas auction, it’s a certain 1985 Chevy Camaro IROC Z that stands out.

Sure, it’s a nice muscle car, desirable even. Very low miles. Check. Perfect original condition. Also check.

But dig this: All over its white body, the Camaro was autographed 25 years ago by more than 100 of the greatest names in rock n’ roll, nearly all the stars who performed for the global Live Aid benefit concert to raise money to fight world hunger.

Bo Diddly's double signature is among more than 100 rock-star autographs on the body of the 1985 Camaro IROC Z that served as a show car for the Live Aid benefit. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
How about Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Run DMC, Tom Petty, The Four Tops, Bette Midler, Ozzy Osbourne, Carlos Santana and Robert Plant. Bo Diddly signed it twice, one on top of the other. Plus film stars such as Don Johnson and Jeff Bridges.

It’s wild, and it’s an absolutely unique piece of history. And it only has 746 miles on its odometer, not that’d you’d ever want to drive it.

“You have some pretty spectacular people on this car,” said Marc Schiliro, part of the group that’s selling the car along with some other very nice but not-quite-as-unique muscle cars.

The Camaro IROC Z is among a strong collection of high-performance muscle cars that will be auctioned during the next three days, including some late model exotics. Such famous names as Yenko and, of course, Shelby are sprinkled through the classic muscle.

The Live Aid Camaro was created as part of a partnership between General Motors, MTV and Radio City Music Hall to further publicize the charitable event, as well as a new generation of Camaro. After it was used as a show car, the IROC Z was put away for 25 years. It wasn’t even registered until 2009.

The car is fully documented, said Shiliro as he thumbed through a book of period newspaper and magazine clippings.

So how much is such a thing worth? No one knows until Friday afternoon when the car goes over the auction stage and the bidders step forward.

A gleaming pink 1959 Cadillac enjoys the attention during the cruise-in that followed the Barrett-Jackson Road Rally down Las Vegas Boulevard. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
The Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction gets under way Thursday morning on the main stage at the Mandalay Bay convention center with its customary automobilia sale starting at 9 a.m. After that, the grand array of collector cars, trucks and what-have-you parades over the auction stage.

The auction cars – plus some John Deere tractors and horse-drawn wagons that will be up for sale – are mostly parked for inspection in the cavernous convention hall before they come up for bidding during the next three days. About 500 vehicles will be sold at no reserve, a hallmark of Barrett-Jackson auctions, with 21.5 hours of live programming broadcast by SPEED.

On Wednesday, the Barrett-Jackson Road Rally started up the excitement when a parade of cool cars and trucks from the auction and from local hobbyists cruised up the Las Vegas Strip under a police escort. The rally culminated in a parking lot adjacent to Mandalay Bay, where a crowd swarmed among the collector vehicles while others sampled the goods at a nearby General Motors ride n’ drive, which featured tire-screeching hot laps in Corvettes. .

Vendors were busily setting up their displays inside and outside Mandalay Bay, many of them looking like they’d be up all night getting ready for the Thursday crowds. Like all Barrett-Jackson events, the Vegas auction will be highlighted by a party atmosphere and many crowd-pleasing attractions that go along with the collector-car auction itself.

For more information, see Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas.

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