A few days ago, the Tampa Bay Times ran an article about a local man who had passed away, leaving a collection of muscle cars to his heirs. The story was one of the few seemingly positive accountings in a newspaper these days, with the author noting that the individual who owned these cars grew up poor and aspired to have the things he coveted when he was young. The owner’s children have elected to put the 23-car collection up for sale, which has been listed here on Harris Auctions LLC website. The collection includes mostly drivers with a few projects mixed in, and this gorgeous 1958 Chevrolet Corvette is likely one of the better vehicles up for grabs.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mike S. for the find. While most of the cars appear to be road-worthy, the seller does have a few interesting project cars for sale. He actually has two Lincoln Continental Mark IIs that are parked in (very) dark barns, one being this car in maroon and the other being an ivory-white example. These are stunning luxury coupes when restored, but both cars appear to have been sitting in a dark Florida barn for many years. Worthy of restoration? Most likely, but the smart buy may be to buy both cars and make one solid runner out of the pair. There are a few other barn find cars in the collection, as well as some in the middle of a restoration, like a 1936 Ford pickup.
There’s something for everyone in terms of value, with some cars likely to sell for reasonable money and others to command a higher price tag – like this desirable split-window 1963 Corvette Stingray. The listing notes that it was previously restored between 1991 and 1995 and that the odometer currently reads under 50,000 miles. No way to tell if it’s a valid odometer reading (at least in the confines of this listing) but the restoration was not entirely a factory-correct refresh as the interior shows some deviations from stock condition. Regardless, it looks very close to being a correct car with some work – provided the bodywork is in good order.
Now, here’s the vehicle I’d be gunning for if I was in the market. This is a Dodge Ram SRT-10, which has a Dodge Viper drivetrain shoehorned into a short-bed Ram body. Curiously, this Dodge has been left outside and looks extremely neglected. Given the owner was an enthusiast, one has to wonder if his health began to fail before he had a chance to get his collection organized the way he wanted, as I can’t see a die-hard collector leaving a desirable truck like this outside to rot in the Florida sun. The listing notes it has under 15,000 original miles, and one would assume it will fire back up without too much encouragement. Which classic would you take home from this Florida collection?
Oh, I’d stay clear of this one, some pictures must be pre-Ian, and the truck and Continental were surely under water. Tampa was inundated by Ian, and read, reverse storm surge did most the damage. The Gulf is one big toilet,,,more so. “Owners children elected to sell” ( by unanimous vote, I bet) , yeah, there you have it, folks, THIS, is what’s happening, and natural disasters will do that. Insurance, if any, doesn’t cover everything, and clearly trying to recoup their losses. Florida is, or was home to a lot of classic cars, not all in an airtight bubble, and bound to be a couple classics ruined.
More misinformation from ol tall tales howard
Howard, I live just 1.5 miles north of Tampa Bay, and there was no storm surge from hurricane Ian here in Tampa.
Exactly. And how does the water being sucked OUT of the bay cause flooding inland? LOL!
Thanks, I can attest to there being zero flooding in Tampa as well, having just returned from two weeks there.
Most of these vehicles look to be in great condition.
Also it appears that there are 3 Continental Mark ll’s
Dodge srt is for me…
This would be a very cool auction to attend. It amazes me that there is no family that has any interest in any of the cars.
48 Lincoln is a beauty.
The 58 Vette was one of my favorites. The dude listed at the top (Howard) must be a liberal newspaper guy, just makes up the news as he goes along. We have some friends in just outside the Tampa area, and they were so thankful they were spared most of the misery felt by other parts of the state. However, that said, this old man prefers to live several hundred miles inland anyway.
We were in the eye of Ian. Storm surge hit south of us…Ft Myers, Naples, not north of us. Tampa area not even close to flooding
I own an SRT10 Truck, which I drive everyday. Mine has 217,000 on it now. This white one would require pretty close inspection. Plus, I always tell anyone who wants to restore or Sell anything like these Cars to Clean and Detail every one.
I’d take the ‘ 58 Vette & the SRT Dodge ,,,,,,,,, but I always like those Mk II ‘s .
Oh to be rich enough to buy and restore anything you wanted!!!
Sweet,sweet rides. I will take the two vettes please!
srt for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I saw the original article, contacted the site using the info provided and clicked on the 58, my favorite for years and then clicked on the video. The interior of the video was entirely different, not the same at all, black interior, many other differences, radio, gear shift, etc.not red and very complete as in the stills. My email as to this great difference was not answered.