By George Kennedy | Boldride
There are few things as exciting for classic car aficionados than the “barn find.” A coveted car is placed in storage or forgotten for decades, and when the property changes hands or the car’s hiding place is disturbed- these long-lost vehicles return to the classic car world. It is a special occasion to find one of these lost classics- but nearly 500? That’s a vintage car gold mine.
According to the New York Times, and as previously reported on Yahoo Autos in June, the collection belongs to Ray Lambrecht of Pierce, Nebraska. He was a Chevy dealer for five decades, and retired in 1996. His dealership didn’t sell any trade-ins and bought its inventory outright. He kept any unsold inventory and stored it, along with any cars he thought would have long-term value. The collection started to grow, and became his retirement plan.
On September 28 and 29, he plans to auction off the collection, and already over 700 bidders from across the country have registered to take part. In the online portion of the auction, 800 participants have already bid more than $500,000.
The collection includes a 1958 Chevy Pickup with 1.3 miles, a ’64 Impala with 4 miles, and a ’78 Corvette Indy Pace Car Edition with only 4 miles on the odometer. As the years went on the collection grew out of the confines of parking lots and warehouses where they were previously stored. These cars are being auctioned off now that the land they were stored on is being developed.
Image source: New York Times
