FOR THE LOVE OF CARS

Broadcaster and auto enthusiast April Rose gears up for the annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

As an on-air contributor for BarrettJackson, April Rose is one of the faces of The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions. Over the course of her career as a sports broadcaster, actor and model, Rose has worn many different hats, but one thing that’s stayed consistent is her love of all things automotive. “A lot of people grew up working on cars with their dad, but that’s not me – I’ve just always been passionate about cars,” Rose says. “My older brother had a 1995 Camaro, and I just looked up to him so much. I thought it was the coolest rocket ship-looking piece of equipment.” Rose was thrilled to be given her brother’s car as a hand-me-down when she turned 16, but receiving the object of her fascination was both a blessing and a curse. “The Camaro looked so fast, and it had really dark tinted windows – I got pulled over all the time. Years later, when I got my EMT license, I had so many speeding tickets that I couldn’t get a job on an ambulance. The insurance company wouldn’t cover me!” But what seemed like a roadblock at first led Rose to a fulfilling career in crisis counseling, where she worked directly with survivors of sexual assault in over a dozen emergency rooms across Chicago. And while her Camaro served her well as her

first car, it was later overtaken by another love – a 1967 El Camino that she affectionately named Mullet. The car brought her endless joy, and not just because it epitomized the phrase “business in the front, party in the back.” “It was never a headache to sit in traffic in Mullet,” Rose says. “The great thing about classic cars is that when you leave work at 5 p.m., if you’re in a car that you love, sitting in traffic becomes enjoyable. You’re connected to the road in a different way.” Today, Rose appreciates freedom in all its forms – from the freedom of the open road to the freedom afforded to her by her career. After her first foray into modeling with Maxim, she hosted MTV’s Guy Code and Girl Code, acted in Grown Ups 2, and was given her own series on Comcast SportsNet Network featuring players from the Chicago Blackhawks. Though she’d proved her talent time and time again, Rose says she was surprised that she kept getting hired to work in media, which felt like entering a completely different world. “It was so much fun, and I was able to support myself 100%. I bought my first house when I was 25. To be able to do that completely on my own was liberating,” Rose says. “I want to empower girls to know that they don’t need anyone else, not a man, not family money. You can do it yourself. It’s right at your fingertips – if you put the hard work in, you can really accomplish anything.”

START YOUR ENGINES

Since joining the Barrett-Jackson team as an on-air contributor over 10 years ago, Rose’s passion for cars has increased tenfold. She’ll be on the grounds this month during the 52nd annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, taking place Jan. 21 to 29 at WestWorld of Scottsdale. VIP and general admission tickets are available for advance purchase online. In addition to crowd favorite food vendors, live music and luxury shopping opportunities, this year will see the first Future Car Collector Show (FCCS) on Sunday, Jan. 22. The concours-style event will round up hundreds of showstopping cars from recent decades – the collector cars of tomorrow – to inspire discussion among the next generation of auto enthusiasts. Rose is especially excited to try and predict which modern cars will increase in value over the years – though Best in Show winners from the years before Barrett-Jackson added FCCS to its roster include a 1993 Mazda RX-7 and a 1998 Toyota Supra, Rose has recently had her eye on the 1987 Buick Grand National. Following Barrett-Jackson’s most successful year to date, this year’s event is expected to break even more world auction records. Over 1,800 cars will cross the auction block, including standouts like a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, one of only 644 sold in the U.S. during its production run, and the 1966 Shelby Group II Mustang originally built for famed British racecar driver Ken Miles. In 2022, the Scottsdale Auction raised over $8.8 million for charity – with recipients including The Barrow Neurological Foundation, Operation Homefront and many more – and this month’s event hopes to add even more to the organization’s lifetime total of over $149 million raised for charity.

BETTER TOGETHER

After more than a decade with BarrettJackson, Rose looks forward to another record-breaking year of the Valley’s signature

automotive lifestyle event. While she’s proud to represent women in the classic car world, Rose says she feels there’s a fine line between acceptance and drawing too much attention to the matter at hand. “I don’t talk about it a lot because I want it to be normal,” she says. “It’s fantastic to celebrate women and cars, but I also don’t want to make it a big deal – we’ve been here, we’ve always been here, and we’re going to continue to be here.” For Rose, one of the best parts of the job is being surrounded by a community of people from different backgrounds who share the same love of cars. One highlight from her career – which happened to be her first experience working with BarrettJackson – was meeting Bob Varsha, the commentator often dubbed the “voice of Barrett-Jackson” at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca during a promotion for Maxim. It was at that event, riding in an Indy twoseater with renowned racecar driver Mario Andretti, that Rose knew it was time to bring her career into the automotive world, and she hasn’t regretted it for a second. “It was always a hobby and a passion and it just fit naturally into my life,” Rose says. “It’s going to sound cheesy, but I love the people I work with. There’s a connection with other live broadcasters. To be on live TV you have to have a certain kind of nerve and wit, and an obsession with what you’re doing. We all have that, and it’s a commonality you don’t often find with a lot of people.” Rose and her coworkers are certainly not alone in their obsession with cars – Barrett-Jackson provides the perfect opportunity for gearheads to gather from across the state and beyond to discuss the ins and outs of the one thing they all have in common. “Barrett-Jackson is like this mini city – when you walk through the door, you’re joining a club of car aficionados, and you’re welcomed with open arms. Whether you’re new to motorsports or you’ve been there your whole life, you’re part of the club.” Learn more and buy tickets for the upcoming auction at www.barrett-jackson. com.