PEBBLE BEACH — Rick Barnett’s daily driver is a Bentley Arnage, a full-size luxury sedan introduced by Bentley Motors in Crewe, England and marketed between 1998 and 2009. It’s a far cry from his first car, the 1963 four-door Pontiac Catalina his parents bought him for $300. But the excitement and appreciation welling in that rising 16-year-old kid are the same feelings Barnett experiences when he gets behind the wheel of his Bentley.
Or his 1953 Chevy Bel Aire convertible. Or his 1970 MGB, designed by Pininfarina. Or his Porsche Spyder. Or any other automobile in the collection of a car guy who has enjoyed nearly 200 cars in his life.
“The enthusiasm of the car culture goes beyond collecting,” said Barnett, “to the excitement of ownership. That’s what’s fun about this community, which has far more automobile enthusiasts than people realize. It’s what makes the upcoming Classic Car Week so fun, exciting, and remarkable.”
What makes the legendary week of “all things automotive” most remarkable for Barnett dates back to 1979 and his invitation to the 29th annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Barnett was interested in sharing the experience with a date, someone, admittedly, with whom he could enjoy a nice day on the show field and hug goodbye at the end of the afternoon.
Barnett chose someone he’d met through a client, a “non-car girl,” who drove a 1970 two-door green Toyota Corolla. Mostly because she was pretty.
Once the 1931 CG Imperial LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaeton had been crowned Best of Show, the champagne spray had simmered down, and the confetti had fallen to the lawn, Barnett saw his date safely to her home and returned to his. Later that evening, he gave her a call, and they chatted for more than two hours. At the end of the conversation, he asked her to marry him.
“I could hear that the things she wanted in life matched my dreams,” he said. “Besides, she was beautiful. By the end of the conversation, I was totally smitten.”
To his proposal, she said, “Can I call you back?” Half an hour later, she called to accept, and six months later, the couple was married. Rick and Lori Barnett, now married 42 years, are looking forward to next month’s Classic Car Week (Aug. 10-15) and the 70th Concours d’Elegance (Aug. 15), which marks the anniversary of their first date and their engagement.
Evolution of a Car Guy
Barnett sits behind a corporate desk in Ryan Ranch, from which he sleuths out collectible automobiles and memorabilia through his company, Monterey MotorSports. He also manages Monterey MotorSport Park, “garage condos” for collector cars, where he keeps his office. The complex houses 46 units, two of which he bought to harbor his own collection of nearly a dozen classic cars. As he considers his collection, he thinks about the drive, determination and passion for cars that led him to this point in his career.
Barnett was born and raised in a log cabin in Fox Lake, Illinois, which his mother and grandmother built after immigrating from Germany. When he was 6 years old, his mother married the man who raised him, and the family moved to a suburb of Chicago, where he lived until he was 18.
After high school, Barnett moved to Sacramento, where he attended Sacramento City College and sold Kirby vacuum cleaners, door to door. He got good at it.
“Eventually,” he said, “I opened an office, from which I provided vacuum sales and service. Once I became a national sales manager, I moved to Cleveland and then back to California, where I settled in Placerville.”
It was at a Bible study in Placerville that Barnett met the “Painter of Light,” the late Thomas Kinkade. The artist wanted to open an art gallery in Carmel, and Barnett made it happen. By 2004, the success of the Kinkade brand prompted Barnett to write a book, “The Thomas Kinkade Story” which, he says, went into seven subsequent printings.
Barnett’s work led him to accompany Kinkade to the renowned Artexpo New York. Produced by Redwood Art Group, the annual event represents the world’s largest international gathering of artists, galleries and publishers.
“After Thomas died, in 2012,” said Barnett, “Redwood Art Group invited me to be an educator at one of their forums in New York. Following my seminar, they asked me to join their company. In 10 years, I became one of the owners of the company. I retired three years ago.”
While Barnett continues to represent art via private collections, he also collects and promotes an appreciation for classic cars, primarily by chairing The Concours at Pasadera, where he and Lori now make their home.
“We live in such a great car-collector community,” he said. “It’s such a spectacular treasure hunt and always fascinating to see the diversity of cars collected and learn the stories behind the pursuit.”
Not everyone’s car story is quite as romantic or enduring as the Barnetts’, for whom the Peninsula seems to throw a spectacular, weeklong anniversary celebration every August.
