DRIVEN HEARTS

“We’ve lost a number of beloved members of the collector car community to heart issues,”

says Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson. “We still feel the loss of Greg Mauzy, and we just recently lost Dave Ressler. Both of these men exemplified the philanthropic spirit of car collectors and contributed much to Barrett-Jackson’s charitable efforts on the auction block.”

Dave Ressler was definitely an original.

The son of a man who spent 25 years selling cars at Chase Chevrolet in Mandan, North Dakota, Dave joined the dealership in 1980 as a salesman and finance manager. He bought the place seven years later.

Other dealerships followed, as a did a collection of classic cars. Corvettes, mostly. He owned the world’s oldest Corvette (VIN number 003) and the first 2009 ZR1.

Dave became a regular at Barrett-Jackson auctions; he was the guy wearing flashy jackets that matched the color of the car he was buying. His showmanship was rooted in a joy of life, a feeling he loved spreading.

“When he entered an arena, everyone knew that he was on the scene,” Carolyn said. “He always made a statement.”

Dave became close friends of auction co-founder Nellie Jackson and her son Craig, Carolyn’s husband. When the auction house was celebrating its 35th anniversary, Dave gave the Jacksons his 35th Anniversary Edition Corvette.

This past November, Dave died of heart disease. He was 61. Carolyn started Driven Hearts a month later.

Looking to honor his memory, she thought about what kind of grand gesture Dave might make. That’s how she came up with auctioning off his old car.

There was a catch, though: The gift had come with the promise that Nellie and Craig never sell it. So Craig and Carolyn asked Dave’s family for permission, explaining that all proceeds would support the AHA.

“It was a very emotional phone call,” Carolyn said.