1940s Chevy Dealer re-opens to Auction off 500 Time Capsule Cars

[teedubya]

http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/0...-capsule-cars/

Car collectors dream about finding a forgotten “new” classic car, discovered in a barn or warehouse somewhere, covered in dust. This is that dream, only 500 times better….



A small-town Midwestern dealership in Pierce, Nebraska sold Chevrolets to local families and first-time buyers for 50 years until it’s husband and wife team finally closed their doors seventeen years ago. Since then, a staggering inventory of 500 surviving cars, new & used, have been stored away, undriven for decades. Some 50 cars “brand new” Chevrolets from the 1950s and 60s have less than 10 miles on the odometer.



Ray and Mildred Lambrecht are now in their 90s and have made what is described by their daughter Jeannie, as a “a difficult and painful” decision, to liquidate the dealership’s massive inventory of ‘survivor vehicles’. On September 28th and 29th, 2013, VanDerBrink Auctions will have the honor of selling this incredible, once in a lifetime collection of American automotive history.

[displacedinMN]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Only 18 years.

I had a '70 Monte Carlo and a '76 Cutlass both of which I drove well after most of their peers and hit the junk yard. I guess I've burnt myself out on driving out of date cars.

I love my 2012 Mazda3 every day I drive it. It's nothing special in terms of luxury or performance, but is such a pleasure to drive compared to everything else i've ever driven.

I still have a 76 cutlass. After the death of my father, I decided that I did not have the time or money to restore it. It is going on the equipment auction.
Wish I could keep it. Just does not make sense.

When I was a kid-there was an auto auction in my town. This guy had collected over 100 old cars-loved them.
The auction took at least a day. Had them lined up on main street.

that Nebraska auction will take days!!!! There is a lot of money out there for that kind of thing.

[Dayze]

Originally Posted by kepp

1 Citation, and 2 Chevettes

ballin'

[COchief]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

So he saved back all of these cars and the only Corvette he put back was a 1978? He should be shot. He saved back 1970s era Caprices and Monzas and Vegas and all manner of pickups, and he didn't put back a 1950s-era Corvette or two? Did he assume that the Monza would be worth more in the long run than a 1955 Corvette?

Exactly god damn this ^, I mean it's a cool story but I sifted through the list of cars and the dealership guy was a colossal moron when it came to what he kept. He apparently thought the v6 base models were going to go through the roof and the high end models were going to sink, " dat's sum mighty fine car collecting there Lou!"

On a side note, I always forget Rainman is a borderline legit car guy cleverly hidden in an Apricot BMW.

[ChiefsCountry]

Call me crazy but I don't think he held those cars back as collectors items that they would be worth more later. I would venture to say they are just left over new inventory that he took out to the farm when the new ones came in and they got left there.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Call me crazy but I don't think he held those cars back as collectors items that they would be worth more later. I would venture to say they are just left over new inventory that he took out to the farm when the new ones came in and they got left there.

Yeah, I'd agree. Seems like they just kind of stopped selling rather than decided to hold on to 500 cars because of the collector value. Despite all of the brand new ones in the list, there are a ton of unexciting cars with fairly high mileage in there too.

[COchief]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Call me crazy but I don't think he held those cars back as collectors items that they would be worth more later. I would venture to say they are just left over new inventory that he took out to the farm when the new ones came in and they got left there.

I thought this too, as a car guy this would be the only reasonable explanation in my book. However, he would have had to pay for those I'd imagine, unless GM just said "ah, nobody wants that crap, just keep em".

Also good point by the other guy, you mostly hear about the low mileage models but the inventory is mostly vehicles with some miles. Maybe the guy took local trades "for the team" and just wasn't able to resell them.

Overall confused by his group of vehicles and curious about the back story.

[Keystone]

Those are some rare classics in those pictures

[ptlyon]

Originally Posted by COchief

I thought this too, as a car guy this would be the only reasonable explanation in my book. However, he would have had to pay for those I'd imagine, unless GM just said "ah, nobody wants that crap, just keep em".

Didn't work for the burnt umber Sierra, wit DA trucoat

[DaFace]

A little more backstory here:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...et-collection/

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by COchief

I thought this too, as a car guy this would be the only reasonable explanation in my book. However, he would have had to pay for those I'd imagine, unless GM just said "ah, nobody wants that crap, just keep em".

Also good point by the other guy, you mostly hear about the low mileage models but the inventory is mostly vehicles with some miles. Maybe the guy took local trades "for the team" and just wasn't able to resell them.

Overall confused by his group of vehicles and curious about the back story.

I'm sure he sold 100 plus cars a year, subtract the 10 couldn't get rid of that ended up on the farm. Not that big of a deal if you really think about it. Tax write off and move on.

[Frazod]

There are actually Vegas and Monzas on the inventory list. They may well be the last functional models of those cars on earth.

[COchief]

Originally Posted by frazod

There are actually Vegas and Monzas on the inventory list. They may well be the last functional models of those cars on earth.

I don't know Fraz, he seems to be an awful lot like you. "what? no, I don't want the V8 or the manual, give me the V6 auto baby! And keep an eye out for any pristine 2006 Malibu's, them puppies are sweet."

Potshot for nostalgic purposes in honor of the good old days.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Auto restoration guys are going to lose their minds over this stuff.

These are going to be all original, numbers matching vehicles with straight frames and no wear and tear. A restorer can get in there, blast out some rust, polish the paint, tighten up screws/suspension, etc... and have themselves an amazingly rare vehicle.

Those cars will go for a lot and the people that buy them are going to be guys willing to put even more money into them to get them back to showroom new.

Doesn't appear to be much rust. All the low mileage cars were stored inside supposedly.

Used cars with miles on then were mostly stored at the farm, inside and out.

It would be a shame to do anything to some of those cars except what out takes to make them driveable
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[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Take it to Mecum. Or to every car show you can find.

No, they'll almost certainly never drive it. In fact, I'd say maybe 10% of the new cars in this auction will ever truly see the road again, apart from maybe a poker run or other charity event.

A guy in Phoenix bus a ton of cars like this.

He let the staff of hot rod drive a couple quite a ways to and from a car show.

I think he paid 5 million for one of them...



Those cars should be driven
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[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I have a 2011 Sonata; great little car. It has the 275 HP turbo and the sport package so it will run like a MFer and turn on rails. All the nav and leather and crap, so it's comfy as well.

That said, all three days this week I brought the '67 Camaro in. Why? It's just an entirely different feeling. No radio, just the exhaust note through the flowmasters. It dances on the road a little and there's harmonic where the exhaust sits in the hangers when you idle, but who cares? You have 400+ HP of road-torching fury at your disposal and even if you don't use it (and I rarely have), it's still just fun to run around town in that thing with the windows down and the sun shining on it.

It's no different than motorcycle days. Sure, the car's easier, safer and cleaner, but some days I just want to be on the bike because it's an entirely different feeling being on the road.

They're not the same creature at all.

if you have to herd it down the road have someone change the caster to newer specs.


Your car will drive so much better. Pm for details if you want. I fix them quite often for hot rod guys with this complaint, you just can't go by the original specs but it will drive like a dream and not wear the tires either
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