The much talked about Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction is over now and the results were pretty impressive.
These cars ranged from used cars with mileage ranging from 50,000 and up, to "pristine" new cars that had never been sold with little miles showing on the odometers. Many were sold on MSO's—Manufacturers Statement of Origin. MSO's generally go from the original dealer to the state motor vehicle department for titling. This meant that the cars with MSO's had never actually been sold before to the public.
The story went that the owners of Lambrecht Chevrolet would tuck away certain new or used cars that they didn't or couldn't sell and were stored in the showroom, warehouses and even wooded fields. Finally, the time was ripe to sell these cars and reap the proceeds. I'm impressed that the defunct dealership had their paperwork so organized with original sales records available.
The auction house, VanDerBrink Auctions, (who advertises in Auto Round-Up), did a great job selling the cars and related parts and dealer memorabilia over two days. Their website showed good pictures of the cars and gave reasonable accurate descriptions; although at times the model names didn't agree with the vehicle identification numbers (VIN's). They had coverage from the History Channel and allowed for internet bidding.
Nearly 500 cars were sold for over $3 million. The star of the auction was the 1958 Chevrolet Cameo pickup with one mile showing on the odometer. It was the highest seller at $147,000 (including commission). Many of the cars had significant rust issues from being stored outside. Even the Cameo had a cracked windshield and a dented roof due to a warehouse roof collapsing. Some of the prices just make you scratch your head while others barely went for over $1,000. At those low prices, I suspect most buyers were looking at the usable parts on the car. In fact, after the auction was over, the auction house was allowing buyers to remove only the parts from the car they wanted and then the auction house would scrap the rest.
In looking at what was offered, I suspect that the owners never had much problem selling the most popular models, either soon after they were traded in or while sitting out in the fields. For the tri-five Chevy's there were lots of four doors and sedans available, but a two door sports coupe was difficult to find.
Already the auction buyers have "flipped" the cars and are selling them on the internet. At last count I saw at least five cars already being re-sold as from the "Lambrecht collection." In my book, any day you save a car from the crusher is a good day, so thanks to all. See ya' on the road.