Video: inside the world's craziest car auction

We know car auctions. They’re either grotty places populated with car-dealing tyre-kickers looking for stock amongst unloved ex-rental repmobiles, or they’re ultra-exclusive, sip-champagne-on-immaculate-lawn events where exotic specimens (both cars and people) preen glossily and desire to be admired for their good taste and breeding.

Barrett-Jackson is what happens when the two are combined and tossed in a blender with a good helping of American showmanship, pizzazz, noise, energy, dodgy artwork, hype, scale, speedboats, dust, liquor, excitement and people. Oh, and the Blue Origin space capsule. It’s effervescent and weirdly, oddly captivating.

Special thanks to Barrett-Jackson for supplying auction footage.