Pop crooner Justin Bieber gets ready to sell off his 2011 Ferrari 488 Italia.

It’s been called his “bad luck car,” and certainly, singer Justin Bieber had good reason to put his Ferrari 458 on the Barrett-Jackson Auction block over the weekend. But the car that was slammed by a paparazzi driving on an L.A. freeway and then involved in another incident in which a photographer was killed, ultimately delivered him some good luck, commanding a winning bid of $434,500.

The Canadian celebrity was just one of many sellers celebrating the end of the annual Barrett-Jackson event, the first big classic car auction of the new year. About 1,700 cars went across the block during the week-long annual event in Scottsdale, the tony suburb of Phoenix, only a handful failing to sell.

And the Barrett-Jackson, the original event, wasn’t the only one delivering solid numbers. In recent years, a number of other auctions have set up tents nearby. By Saturday evening, the various Arizona events had already generated $251 million in sales, surpassing the full week’s results from 2016, according to tracking by Hagerty Insurance, a specialist in classic cars. Another 100 cars auctioned off on Sunday, closed the event with a solid record.

Burt Reynolds was one of the many celebs on hand for this year's auction.

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Saturday was a day dominated by celebrities at the Barrett-Jackson. Pop star Bieber’s Frozen Blue 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia was expected to draw crowds, as well as some strong bidding, and it didn’t disappoint on either count. The controversial pop star helped build the frenzy when he came onstage, adding concert tickets and a backstage pass as part of the deal – and drawing a record $434,500 bid in the process.

Actor Burt Reynolds set another record when a $275,000 bid was gaveled for his 1978 Pontiac Firebird Custom Coupe. NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. was also on hand, helping sell two cars: a 1970 Chevy Chevelle Resto-Mod he helped design, as well as his #88 race car, the two going as a pair for $400,000 – all of which went to benefit Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

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The top bid at the Barrett, however, was the $1.485 million paid for a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, just ahead of the $1.320 million bid for a 1960 Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle, one of a series of “CERV” custom cars built by General Motors more than a half-century ago.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. raised $400,000 for charity auctioning off two of his own cars.

“This was one for the record books,” said Barrett-Jackson Chairman and CEO Craig Jackson, after tallying up the Saturday numbers.

The frenzy was obvious, even automotive memorabilia garnering strong, five-figure bids. A rare 1950 Esso Aviation airport hangar sign went for $86,250.

Not everyone came away happy, however. Boxer Floyd Mayweather turned down a $1.9 million bid for his white 2011 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. He’d been hoping for $3.5 million, though Mayweather had set a reserve – or minimum – of $2 million for the car.

“The top of the market (was) sluggish,” reported Hagerty’s Jonathan Klinger, noting that the Barrett “fell short of its goal of $1.6 million for a rare 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible.

At the Gooding & Company auction, a 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast went for $2.915 million, but a long-nose alloy Ferrari 275 GTB generated a $2.5 million bid that was short of the minimum and went home with the seller. The nearby Russo and Steele auction also missed when a 2004 Ford GT prototype lagged its reserve with a $600,000 high bid.

Not everything was a celebrity car; the Barrett-Jackson also auctioned off this '71 Baja Beetle.

Cars priced above $250,000 were much slower to sell than more affordable cars—a trend that formed during 2016—and 42% of lots priced above $250,000 that Hagerty inspected earned bids lower than their condition would suggest,” added Klinger.

One possible reason? After years of sitting on the sidelines – or ignoring the collector car market entirely – Millennials seem to finally be catching the bug, according to McKeel Hagerty, CEO of the classic car-focused insurance company. But they’re still young enough that not many are likely ready to go after the top-end collectibles.

The Barrett-Jackson and the rest of the Arizona Auctions are widely followed, as they are seen as a good indicator of where the classic car market will be heading later in the year. They’ve often served as a good indicator for the economy, overall, typically reining in bids when things start to get iffy. If that proves true this time, 2017 is getting off to a very good start.

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