Looking at this 1964 Chevy C-10 Pickup, you might think it is just another restored truck, but in reality this has only seen 5 miles since brand new. How could that be possible you might ask? You see this truck is one of the low mileage survivors to be pulled out of the Lambrecht Chevrolet dealership that went to auction last year. It was one of the biggest stories of the year, but if you just happened to miss it you can read the original story here. I knew it was only a matter of time before we started to see some of these vehicles hitting the market. The question with this truck is whether the seller will get a return on their investment or if the initial excitement has already worn off and they are going to be take a beating. With less than a day to go, it doesn’t look like the seller is going to get their money back out of it, but perhaps someone is saving their bids for the last minute. You can watch the auction unfold here on eBay with bidding currently just over $10k.
Of all the vehicles to sell at Lambrecht, the low-mileage never-sold cars were the most desirable. They all got top dollar bids, with most selling for silly money. Sure they are like new and have never officially had owners, but does that really justify a significant premium over a similar vehicle in similar condition? I guess we will get to see as more and more of these cars and trucks come back to market. I have a feeling that most buyers will struggle to justify the premium, but you never know!
The seller’s listing is rather confusing, as they call this a survivor, but admit that it has had a frame off refurbishment. Given the mileage, it is surprising that this truck would need any kind of rebuild, but then again it did sit for several decades without being run, touched, or serviced. I believe there were a few of you guys that even expressed concerns about the condition of these vehicles prior to the auction. If this truck is any representation of the other Lambrecht cars, it would seem they weren’t in such great shape after all. Sure they looked like new on the outside, but time isn’t always kind to motors, transmissions, or any other mechanical systems. While they had the body off, they sadly decided to strip it to bare metal and repaint it. Which could also explain the lack of bids or excitement.
It will be interesting to see what the final bid is for this C-10; although I have a feeling the reserve will go unmet. I’m sure a few of the other Lambrecht Chevys have already traded hands, but this is the first one I’ve seen, so I’m curious to see how the results of this auction impacts the value of the rest of its former stable mates. If it gets a lot of last minute bids and meets reserve, I expect to see more Lambrecht cars on the market. I can’t help but wonder how many of the other cars have also been restored already. So do you think this truck will turn a profit or has all the excitement and hype already worn off?
I think the restoration (whoever heard of a “frame off refurbishment”?) changes its status from a 5 original mile survivor to a frame off restored 64 Chevy 1/2 ton. I would ignore the history of this truck and set my top bid accordingly. The provenance adds very little.
such a shame that they painted it!!! I was on the edge of my seat until I heard that. I understand “rebuilding” the mechanical parts due to sitting, but to paint an all original truck that sat inside for that long? Sad.
They could have painted a for worse truck instead…..
The satisfaction I get out of those occasions when people do something that blatantly stupid, is, that they usually end up paying for that mistake.
A good friend of mine once said, you start a restoration with the right car/truck…..
and this wasn’t it.
And you can see the bids got stuck @ $18k.
Anybody remember what it went for @ Lambrecht’s ?
That amount + $5000 paint + ‘refurbishment’….+ + + = upside down, wonderful.
depending on which one it was here is the list of what some of the trucks sold for:
25l 1964 Chevrolet C10 q/ ton Pickup 14000
26l 1964 Chevrolet C10 1/2 ton Pickup 10500
271 1964 Chevrolet 1/2 ton Pickup 20000
28l 1964 Chevrolet C10 1/2 ton Pickup 24000
30l 1964 Chevrolet 1/2 ton Pickup 39000
31l 1964 Chevrolet 1/2 ton Pickup 20000
32l 1964 Chevrolet 1/2 ton Pickup 19000
33l 1964 Chevrolet 1/2 ton Pickup 18000
I got this info off of the auction site
I think the seller shot themselves in the foot when they took it apart and repainted it. They should have just cleaned it up and gotten it running, but nothing else. The value here was in the fact that no one had messed with it yet. Hopefully we can educate more people through this site so that this kind of stuff doesn’t keep happening. You wouldn’t repaint an original Picasso if you found one, would you?
they deserve to get beaten up on this one.
a vehicle is only original ONCE and they squandered that value.
it’s GONE.
this truck should have been cleaned up and made safe to drive,
with emphasis on doing as little as possible.
If you wanted one of these trucks,This would be the truck to buy, Low mileage, redone.A 230 with a 4 speed…….
very usable truck, Better than a new truck
If I remember correctly the roof was dented pretty bad on this truck, so they probably needed to paint it after repairs were made. I agree nothing really special about it anymore.
Art: The damaged roof was on the 58 Cameo Carrier that went for $140,000. That truck remains untouched in a collection in New England.
$140,000??? wow!!!!
then paint the roof only ????
Hi! I found this on eBay and thought you might like it! Check it out now! Chevrolet : Bel Air/150/210 210
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Patina? Schmatina……Another five years and this Chevy will be nothing more than swiss cheese with wheels…………..
The whole Lambrecht frenzy was fun to watch but the deteriorated condition of most all of them made the point……..keeping unused original classic American iron original……….not practical.
Case in point.
what’s r-bay ??, looks like spam and phishing expedition…….
now it is too nice to be a work truck or daily driver. the owner should have left it the way they found it. nice find
Frame up refurbishment is a shame. I did that for someone with a ’54 Corvette with 14k on it and original tires after unsuccessfully talking him out of it. It seems a shame, but if it makes this ones price reasonable it won’t be a shame to put some miles on it!
A 59 Bel Air 4-door hardtop from the Lambrecht auction, with 2.8 miles on it, is on display at the Classic Car Collection in Kearney. It is owned by an AACA member in Lincoln, Nebraska, who bought it and washed it and put new tires on it. Great to see it left untouched. It was the popular brown/beige color combo.
Someone is always trying to make a profit. Some just go about itthe wrong way. He will probably be n the losing end unless someone goes nuts.
I see a lot of automobiles on the auction block that have very shinny frames. They get a lot of money for them. So maybe this was the way they were going. Besides it was his/her car not yours. Give them a break it doesn’t seam as bad as the guy that guts a car and leaves it in the elements and expects to get Lots of $$$ for it. Sorry but for my rant but I stand by it.
I’m a big fan of the Eyebrow Chevies, the ’60-’61 models. I wanted to buy the ’60 (new) truck that Lambrecht was selling but online, it was so quickly beyond my means that I didn’t bother. I think it sold for $80K. If I could’ve picked it up, it would’ve been stripped to the frame and refinished in the original color. Too much water under the bridge (and on the roof) to make original mean anything. If I had the cash to buy that Cameo, it would’ve been restored to Showroom condition, and DRIVEN. I disagree with the owner parking it (dirt and all) in his collection. But fortunately we still live in a country that allows us to do what we want with our vehicles. I hope whoever buys this truck drives it and enjoys it. No matter what happens, it’s still a Lambrecht truck.
Why are you adamant that these survivors with 5 miles on the clock be driven? There are thousands of other examples with miles on them that can be restored and driven, but only one in the world existing with 5 miles, and your idea is to rape it and drive it so that there are no original surviving examples left. That’s destroying history and should be illegal. It’s a shame the GM factory museum didn’t save these vehicles from folks like you. They should all have been preserved for history and reference. Just wow.
Hi Tim. Here’s the way I look at it. If it had been kept inside and not allowed to be ravaged by the elements then preserving it might have been the way to go; clean it up and polish it so it looks showroom condition. Trouble is, if you had that opportunity, it would still need to be started, warmed up and kept operational. I’ve seen lots of museum pieces that had completely ruined batteries, skunky gas and needed a couple of weeks work before they could be started. And that’s not the way to keep them in showroom condition. For this example, I saw what it had been allowed to deteriorate to, and it was far from preservable; there was no choice at all but to strip it down and build it back up. Now for the Cameo, there are an equal number of opinions on both sides. I feel that it should be put into Showroom Condition, not concourse. It didn’t have a smashed roof when it was driven off the carrier back in ’58 so it shouldn’t have a smashed roof when it’s on display now; it should be in Showroom Condition. Now that’s MY opinion. I might add that I respect yours.
Tim,
I think it has already been raped. Frame off repaint, might as well drive it now.
Their buy it now was 60k, even 80k at first, and the truck did not sell a few prior ebay auctions ago.
Cross referencing the VIN from the eBay listing to the VanDerBrink Inventory I found the following description:
“4C154J161283. 4 miles on the odometer. This truck is blue in color. 6 cylinder and 4 speed manual transmission. Does not run. there is some rust in the body and the interior needs work. It was inside and then went outside. No radiator. rust in lower doors. There is a tan vinyl bench seat and wear to the interior. NO radio.” Condition Code is 4-, which loosely translates to “restorable.”
The auction results show the truck sold for $22,500.00. Regardless of whether the current owner should or should not have restored it, I don’t think anyone is going to make a profit on this one. We’ll know for sure tomorrow morning.
That’s right it was the Cameo with the roof damage. Thank for clearing that up. It’s a shame that a truck with less than five miles has already undergone a restoratation or “refurbishment”. I would have preferred it as a survivor.
…Perhaps along with buyers remorse they incurred some shipping damage.
I too agree with maintaining it more as a survivor.
But, it was bought wrong.
$22,500.00 for what it was, doesn’t work.
N.H.
Bought stupid, treated stupid, ?
iT CAN ONLY GET BETTER FROM HERE, NO ?
Just realized too, long box, in the pictures no rear bumper and they painted the tailgate latches.
I saw the ’63 Impala SS in red at the Cleveland Autorama back in March. All they did was clean it up and go through the internals. Looked great there on the show floor and should have been on the turnstiles, knowing its history.
For crying out loud some of you guys need to get a grip. None of the Lambrecht cars were stored properly (Nebraska summers can be very humid some years) and many had been pillaged for parts after relocation outside. Some “new unsold” cars had literally sunk into
the ground and had rusted out floors yet displayed less than 20 miles in some cases. These were not the same as an original car that had accumulated miles very slowly but had been serviced from time to time. No these cars had “lot rot” in the extreme. The cars stored inside were few and many of them still had some issues. I have no problem with the refurbishment of this truck. Most of the Lambrecht cars went for crazy money.
I dont get it,the truck had rust in the body,rust in the doors,needed paint,shabby interior,didnt run,no radiator,condition 4-,it was stored outside,and its 50 years old,and it should have been left like that??????
The speedometer looks broken to me,Im not even positive this truck really only has 5 miles
Speedo reads 25mph when sitting still who knows what’s up even though the auction listing shows 4 miles it has obviously been run and driven since then or they just repainted it and didn’t test the brakes, drivetrain etc. since the refurbishment? Don’t really care either way I would drive it.
I think this is a good example of why people need to step back and think before bidding on a truck like this was at an auction like Lambecht. If you have the disposable income, it’s easy to get caught up in the opportunity of the situation. You arrive at the auction and before you sits hundreds of old cars, with no mileage, still owned by the dealer, and you think – wow – this is my chance to be a part of history by buying a “new” 50 year old car from the original dealer. Sure it’s been in the woods for 49 years, but if I bid and win, I will have seized the opportunity that may never come again, and appear on the History Channel to boot! So, you go wild bidding until you win. You load up you freshly (6-7 digit) bought brand new, zero miles junkyard queen and head home. Then with the hype gone, reality sets in – what to do with a zero miles truck that was, essentially, taken from the showroom straight to the junkyard for a 50 year camping trip? No matter how much you clean on it, it still looks like a junkyard truck! Couple that with a heavy dose of buyer’s remorse that gives you that sick feeling every time you walk into the garage and get reminded of how much you overpaid. So, in the end, do you restore it or do you just sell it? If you sell, your gonna take a beating; if you restore, your gonna take a beating, too, but at least it now looks like a truck with 5 miles on it? Now that it’s restored, it’s no more useable than it was unrestored (you can’t drive a truck with 5 miles on it!) … so … up for sale it goes. So all these “new” Lambrecht Chevs turned out to be were extremely large and grossly expensive conversation pieces for privite collections. That’s perfectly fine for the Jay Leno caliber collector, but for the little guy, it’s just not practical on every level. Maybe it would have been smarter to not have restored it and just rolled it into cool, dry storage for another 25 years, then try to sell it then – if your lucky enough to still be living then! Naah, it would have been smarter to have skipped Lambrechts and to have picked the nicest 64 c-10 for sale in Hemmings, bought that, and enjoy driving it on sunny days!
LOL. So true!
Perfectly said!
very well put. im sure the seller had fun buying it and probably enjoyed the restoration,. I know people who spend $20k on vacations, so what if someone dropped 20k on an old truck. it was fun, and an experience. recover what cost you can and move on.
i guess it depends what you are looking for , if you just want vechicle to take to the local show and shine this would be perfect , everythings been done .. in my opinion this truck would never be a high dollar purchase no matter what you did to it , just my humble opinion
Did anyone here see 60 minutes last sunday night? A segment on Stradivarius violins and other creations stated that they have to be played from time to time or they will just crumble. Same here.
I agree with Brian. The “collection” was nothing more than a bunch of junkers that Lambecht left to rot. Low mileage – Yeah.. but take into fact that most of them were left outdoors with no protection. They were in poor condition, missing parts, etc.. The only choice is to restore them if you are going to save them. Otherwise, why pay for it in the first place? The prices payed for these vehicles was stupid. P.T. Barnum said it ” There’s a sucker born every minute”. This Chevy truck was put back to original condition. Now, it’s drivable, and has value as a working vehicle. If left as is, it was just an overpriced junker.
It sold for 17.9 K. Anyone know what it sold for at the Neb auction?
I N C O R R E C T..
NOT SOLD, high bid, RESERVE NOT MET.
Last bidder @$17.9 had three bids, but nobody bidding as high …
I don’t think it sold. Ebay just says “auction ended”. Anyway, the only way it makes sense to pay top dollar just because of the 5 original miles is if you have no plans on driving it at all. The 5 original is the only unique thing about this truck. As soon as you start using it the value goes away. If you want a real nice old Chevy P-Up to actually use, just go out and find one that has been taken care of and rebuilt. You’ll pay a lot less and get to use it. Likely make some profit when you eventually sell it. I think this guy paid well over 20K for it. This web site shows something more reasonable. http://cars.oodle.com/detail/1964-chevrolet-step-side-classic-truck-in-fontana-ca/3762116526-fontana-ca/?cm_mmc=OODLE_PREVIEW-_-www-_-NA-_-NA
$22.5….plus a buyers premium,body work,paint,tires radiator,brakes,transportation,etc.etc.etc.Id say he lost at least $10,000
And, when you are done, what do you have? A plain pickup with much less carrying capacity than the bed would indicate. I almost rolled a friend’s ’61 short bed, full of manure, taking a curve too fast (and it was not too fast by any other measure than a ’61 short bed full of manure). It rode well empty, and with a light load, but was not much of a worker. I bet they sprung them too soft since at that point pickups were “cool” as daily transport to assembly line or office jobs, and not as workhorses as the earlier ones were and current pickups are.
all the numbers would be different if this was a 1965,with a 283, red and white two tone, big back window, shortbed with the custom-cab sidetrim
Wow guys! So many great thoughts and opinions. There are so many sides one can take on this one. In my opinion, if there was serious rust it probably did need to be addressed, but if preservation was possible I would have rather seen it persevered. Now I wouldn’t always say a vehicle like this needs to be kept original, it is a truck after all and was built to work, but if your going to say your vehicle is worth considerably more than any other one on the market because it was a 5 mile survivor when you got it, it probably needs to be kept the way you found it. I think that was why the seller was so careful to call it a frame off “refurbishment” rather than a restoration. The moment the word restoration is thrown out there, people looking to buy a genuine survivor aren’t going to be too interested, but a refurbishment sounds less intensive and more appealing. I imagine the seller is in a tough spot. They own a truck which has an incredible story, which happens to make it impossible to drive without ruining what gives it its value. And that’s the problem with these low mileage survivors. If you can’t drive them, then you can’t recoup any of your investment in the form of enjoyment.
I guess the best thing to hope for, at this point, is that the truck does find a loving home in a large privite collection, or perhaps someone with a large Chevy truck resto parts business who would want it for an attention-grabbing showroom display … or a museum, that hopefully doesn’t fold and auction off it’s inventory… so it can be preserved with its 5 miles intact.
For plain ole’ me, this truck offers 0 fun to own. I like my old truck solid, with a few battle scars, that can be used to haul some light loads home from Lowe’s. Just like a race horse or a hunting dog, old trucks were made to work and their true beauty is watching them do just that – anything less is life in captivity – so sad!
@Scott-It was actually David Hannum and not P.T. Barum who said that, but nonetheless history has inaccurately credited P. T Barnum with saying it. It all revolved around a lawsuit Hannum filed against Barnum involving a Cardiff Giant.
If you’re interested: http://www.historybuff.com/library/refbarnum.html
I think as others have stated the frenzy of bidding got the best of some individuals. That is why I would never go to an auction like B-J or even Mecum. Well it would be hard to bid because my wife would have me handcuffed. The only low mileage vehicle I purchased was a ’69 Nova in 1989 that was owned by a little old lady who bought it new. It had 40K on it and as soon as I started driving it daily the car began to fall apart. Never again.
What is a 20 foot truck ?
A truck that looks good from 20 feet away.
Does this apply here ?
(look at the headline)
I had no idea they painted this truck. I thought every last one of these cars was destined for gentle preservation, without even a whisper of a repaint. Sort of begs the question why they bought it in the first place, when you could have found a plain-jane, identical truck without all the eyeballs on it that pushed bidding so high in the first place.
Original paint is such a treasure. I’m trying to keep the “middle” of my E30 preserved since the rear needed rust repair and the front bears the scars of 27 years of road rash.
Hi Jeff. If you had seen this truck before the auction you would realize why there was no other place to go but a full restoration. I love original paint too. My ’49 Chev car, a barn find itself, still wears its original paint. It’s getting harder to get a shine out of it but it’s going to remain original as long as I’ve got it.
Love it. Looks very proper, and the way the factory intended!
Looks great!
Well since it didn’t make his reserve, he’s relisted it again. Now with a Buy It Now of $53k.
Yet another Bucket list car for me, I don’t know where they’re coming from but keep them coming.
53,000$. YIKES!! Good luck! Could only get I think 15-17,000$ in auction mode.
If it only was bid to 17.9 what makes him think it will sell for 53k?
Wishful thinking
I was VERY excited about the discovery of the collection, when I first saw it on Yahoo ! News. But I have to agree, that even though a vehicle has 5 original miles on it, it’s still a very old car, and will need several thousands of bucks spent on it to make it road worthy. To keep the paint original would have been nice, and I don’t think that a frame off would have been necessary, nonetheless, a very nice truck that any of us would be proud to drive.
Polarisky is a scammer/fisher trying to get your information. BEWARE