You have probably heard of the LeMay Car Museum, but you may not know about Lucky Collector Cars. The auction company was formed by the son of Harlod LeMay, Doug LeMay and Evan McMullen from Cosmopolitan Motors. Originally they handled the sale of surplus cars from the museum, but have now grown large enough to hold two auctions per year. One in the spring and one in the fall. Well, the Spring Classic is coming up next week and they have some interesting lots up for grabs and many will be sold with no reserve! Find a full list here on their site, or continue reading for our tops picks.
This sale includes quite an assortment of cars. Everything from a 1948 Packard Convertible to a 2006 Mazda 3S will be crossing the block. There are plenty we would like to have, but this 1964 Facel Vega Facel III really caught our eye! It has supposedly been in storage for 40 years in California and is being sold to settle an estate. While the Facel II had a big American V8 under the hood, the smaller and lighter II was fitted with Volvo’s B18 four-cylinder. So, the engine shouldn’t be a problem. Good luck finding interior and trim parts though because very few of these were produced. It’s rare and unique and we love that roof line!
Next, we have this 1967 Maserati Mistral 4000. Just the fact that it’s a Maserati makes it interesting, but this particular one is claimed to have been parked since 1978 in Washington. It too is an estate settlement deal, but from the looks of it, it may be a good buy for a Maser guy. The auction house doesn’t mention if it is an aluminum or steel bodied car so that could also affect the final price. Luckily this Mistral is fitted with the top engine option available at the time. The fact that the car will be offered without reserve at a smaller venue might mean it will go for a decent price. As with any high end Italian though, the inexperienced and underfunded need not apply.
And finally, with something a little less exotic, a 1953 DeSoto Station Wagon. Well, it may not be exotic, but we doubt you will see many around. The listing doesn’t give any specifics, but from what we can see in the photos we are going to assume that it is either very original or an older restoration. The exterior looks nice and shiny, but the interior surfaces show some wear.
When we said wear, we meant that in a good way though. The big leather bench seats look nicely broken in and very comfy. The Firedome Hemi V8 was available in ’53, but this one has the more humble inline-six under the hood. We wouldn’t mind though because it would make the perfect game bird hunting rig just the way it is. Throw your shotgun in the leather holster behind the front seat and your Golden Retriever in the back and your ready to go shoot some pheasants in old world style!
After looking through the other lots, did you find anything else worth a mention?
A special thanks goes to Evan for sponsoring the site this week! We hope the event is a success for all the buyers and sellers alike!
Have been acquainted with Evan for many years, really glad to see he’s in the auction biz now (think it’s a natural progression for him) anyhow, I know for sure that everyone will be treated fairly.
The LeMay museum is on my must-see list next time I’m in the vicinity, so I expected some very interesting cars in this auction. But many are pretty low-end and probably do no collector car auction much good. That said, here goes:
Lot 18, 1941 Indian 841. Yesterday I spoke to my 85-yr old uncle and we were reminiscing about my first-ever ride on a motorcycle, his giant Indian similar to this one. I was a little kid and it scared and excited me at the same time because I couldn’t understand why it didn’t just fall over. I had to keep my bare legs out stiff to avoid getting burned on the hot cylinder heads.
Lot 105, 1977 M-B 450SL. Surprised to see this here, especially with no pic of the car itself.
Lot 108, 1999 Honda Accord. A good DD but should be wholesaled at a low-end outlet.
Lot 121, 2006 Mazda 3S. Same as lot 108
Lot 122, Porsche 356 Speedster recreation. Fun to visit the Dairy Queen without too much fear of door dings, but not good to have in this auction.
Lot 128, 1951 Pontiac wagon. Really cool and appealing.
Lot 130, 1963 Corvette FI conv with HT. Would love to own it.
Lot 148, 1965 Bristol double decker bus. Makes me want to start my own business giving tourists tours around town.
Lot 153, 1967 Maserati Mistral. Not my favourite 1960s Maser, but very close. Wonderful lines.
Lot 163, 1949 Fiat Topolino Giardiniera. Cute as a bug’s ear.
Lot 180, custom party boat. I get party boat, but here???
Lot 182, Jay Dogs Hotdog Trailer. Why isn’t this at the busiest intersection in town?
Lot 190, 1971 Porsche 911/992 Slantnose. Ex-Boy-Racer. Would probably bring twice the bid if it was stock.
Lot 194, 1991 Cadillac Allante. Is there a market for these anymore?
Lot 195, 1957 Dodge D-100 pickup. Very, very cool in an upstanding way. Wish it could replace the Ram 2500 I sold.
Lot 197, 1956 Lincoln Continental Mk II. Understated American elegance. Would love to own, but the 2007 photos raise questions.
Lot 199, Kia Rondo. A Kia what?
Lot #133, the Cadillac V16 Landaulette Deluxe, caught my eye. What magnificent, solid-gold-and-diamond-encrusted classics these are. But this has to be the most boring, dull body I’ve ever seen on one. How felonious would it be to carefully remove and store it, and put a replica roadster or dual-cowl phaeton body in its place?
I’m actually very curious to see what this car gets bid up to. It’s a mechanical masterpiece hidden in an ugly suit. What will that do to the market value?
I’ve been looking for a decent 4 door econobox like the Accord or the 3S, but it would be nice to know more about them. Is there verbage that I’m missing??
i will take the midget. nice auction. thanks
That DeSoto reminds me of the one driven by the Sheriff in Sheriff of Cochise, a TV shoes from the 50’s. When he drove up in the opening scene, ins his Desoto wagon, there was a rifle scabbard on his front door: I think it was a newer car, though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriff_of_Cochise
Too bad the 56 Continental has been mildly kustomized, though there’s nothing that could not be changed back to stock.
The ’48 Packard Convertible has incorrect top of the line cloisonné hubcaps which belong on the top of the line model.
The ’31 Packard Standard eight is very nice but also has some owner customization, the most annoying of which is the Packard script on the grille. In it’s day, people didn’t need a label, they knew they were looking at a Packard!
The ’37 Packard 120 Straight Eight is my favorite car, needing work but very honest looking and needing nothing but cosmetic restoration.
Finally, that 1930 Cadillac V16, ooh-la-la! What’s not to like. This and the Ghibli would be on my fantasy list if I won the lottery! Quite an eclectic collection of cars though with everything from pre-war full classics to vehicles that should be donated to a local charity for deductions. (No offense to the Kia Rondo enthusiasts out there)
They don’t waste too much time on descriptions and pics, do they. The Mistral has only pics of the outside, nothing of the engine or the interior. Where did the info that it has the top engine? The “43” Hudson–are the trim pieces with it? Are the original engine and tranny around somewhere? I would love to have the Toppolino, if for no other reason than to keep it from being bought by some hotrodder.
I don’t think there was ONE engine photo (except the Jag, ok) , and I can’t recall one dashboard photo in the group. Let alone any underbody photos. Very lame presentation on this auction site. I shant be bidding on any of these cars.