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11 vehicles from Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas worth watching

This weekend will see the world's collector car crowds descend on Las Vegas, NV for one of the biggest shows on Barrett-Jackson's popular auction circuit. There are hundreds of vehicles up for bidding, ranging from a brand-new Lamborghini Aventador to a spattering of Art Deco classics and a huge swath of classic muscle cars.
While it's virtually impossible to assemble an inarguable list of the best cars coming during the three-day, 700-plus vehicle auction, we've sifted through the listings for this year's show - it was a tough assignment, we promise - and assembled a list of what we think will be some of the most interesting lots. We'll admit, it's a bit heavy on American iron, but if you browse BJ's listings, you'll come to a similar conclusion. Still, scroll down for our list of what we think will be the most interesting vehicles at the upcoming auction.

Dodge vs. Chevy tug-of-war taken to the extreme

They say "idle hands are the devil's playground," but said playgrounds grow to Disney-sized proportions when a pair of jacked-up trucks, two egos, a chain and an empty mall parking lot are involved. Proof of this is the video below, which shows a Cummins-powered Dodge Ram circa 2006 to 2008 chained tail-to-tail with what looks to be a gasoline-powered Chevrolet Silverado from the late 1990s or early 2000s.
We don't necessarily have to tell you who wins this battle, but we'll let you see for yourself the lengths the "winning" driver goes to prove his point. There's plenty of foul language in the video below, so beware that this might be Not Safe For Work, and not that we should have to tell you, but please, do not try this at home.

Junkyard Gem: 1988 Dodge Aries America LE Station Wagon

During the late 1970s, Chrysler appeared doomed as outdated car designs and a second catastrophic oil crisis caused by Middle Eastern conflict hammered sales. Chrysler had some successful economy cars made by Mitsubishi or based on Simca designs, but the need for an efficient, modern front-wheel-drive platform grew desperate. After a government bailout in 1979 bought some time, CEO Lee Iacocca masterminded the creation of the all-new K Platform, which hit showrooms for the 1981 model year. The first two K-Cars, the Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries, were big sales successes, and Chrysler went on building vehicles based on the platform through 1995. Here's an example of the later Aries wagon, found in a Phoenix self-service wrecking yard. The "true" K-Cars were the Aries, the Plymouth Reliant, the Chrysler LeBaron, and the Dodge 400. They have become very rare in wrecking yards today, so I honor their historical significance by documenting the ones I find. During my junkyard expeditions, I have photographed this '81 Aries wagon, this '81 Reliant wagon, this '82 Aries wagon, this '82 400 coupe, this '82 LeBaron convertible, this '83 Aries sedan, this '83 LeBaron Town & Country wagon, this '85 LeBaron woodie convertible, this '86 Aries sedan, this '86 LeBaron Town & Country wagon, this '86 Reliant wagon, and this '89 Reliant coupe. The early K-Cars could be purchased with optional Mitsubishi Astron 2.6-liter four-cylinder (complete with "HEMI 2.6" badging), but in 1988, the choices were down to a 93-horsepower 2.2-liter Chrysler-built four-cylinder or a 2.5-liter version of the same engine rated at 96 horses and 13 extra pound-feet of torque. This car has the 2.2. The "America LE" trim level was the only one available for the 1988 Aries, and it resulted in a fairly Spartan car. Tough, scratchy cloth upholstery and lots of hard plastic were the order of the day. The MSRP on this car started at $7,695, or about $16,770 in 2018 dollars. That's a lot of car for that kind of money. For comparison, the rear-wheel-drive (and much bigger) 1988 Pontiac Safari wagon went for nearly twice that price. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. By 1988, the Aries wagon was looking pretty old, but it was a bargain.