As auctions of family collections go, the Sutter family auction here on orbitbid.com may have the shiniest and most hopeful-looking set of vehicles ever. The 50-year collection includes a number of one-owner and all-original cars including some sub-100 mile examples. Thanks to reader Jonathan P. for suggesting we highlight this auction. Bid online or in person at the Wayland, Michigan location.
You might overlook this Camaro IROC-Z with so many other interesting cars present, but it’s actually an incredible find. It’s showing just 116 original miles and is in amazing shape. This one will definitely be interesting to watch.
Ready for a retro night on the town? This 1963 Ford Thunderbird in Raven Black looks like the perfect compliment for your tuxedo or little black dress.
The 1969 Ford Bronco Pickup ranks high on the list of Most Compromised Vehicle Configurations Ever, yet these ’60s all-terrain vehicles still (or perhaps, therefore) inspire a cult-like following.
Described simply as a “Street Rod,” this 1937 Chevy Master Deluxe boasts an interesting color and promises to attract a crowd at the local show ‘n’ shine.
The shiny “V” trim identifies this 1955 Ford Crown Victoria from a mile away. Resplendent in two-tone paint and brightwork, this be-skirted beauty awaits a new owner with an appreciation of simpler, happier days.
A Chevy-powered, bumper and fender-free five-window Ford spars for a fight. If things get serious you can uncork the exhaust dumps on this 1930 Ford “high-boy” and rattle the windows.
Though this one appears to have lived a life of relative leisure, these Ford tractors run forever. You can own and use one lightly for decades and sell it for about what you paid.
With an imposing grille, spear-shaped side trim, and giant fins, this 1959 Plymouth Sport Fury Hardtop showcases the best of the Virgil Exner fin cars.
My Grandfather had two of these! For my Grandmother’s convenience, he had a local shop weld a step onto the frame on the passenger’s side. That’s right; he didn’t need one, so why waste the money on a matching pair? This 1974 International Harvester Scout II looks sharp and sporty with the white block stripes. Add a lift kit and bigger rolling gear and you’re ready for adventure! With every vehicle looking well kept, what’s not to like? Which one is your favorite?
What I find more interesting than the individual cars, is the mix of cars. What one person collects vs what another person finds interesting enough to collect. Why is the collection being sold?
Why does the reason for the collection being sold matter?
Steve R
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but I’m still curious and breathing. No, a valid question. If it is an estate, is it because not one of the family members want them, what does that say about the state of our hobby? Is it greed, as everyone wants cash and not one person is able to buy others out, or if that is the case, why isn’t the collection being divided between people in the will? Again, suggests a weakening hobby. For tax reasons? If that is so, then MR X had a darned big estate to say the least.
Fred
Maybe the heirs kept the cars they wanted and are auctioning off the rest. Maybe it’s it’s to pay off state taxes or to settle the estate. It’s not greed if someone wants cash for their share of the inheritance and assets need to be liquidated to raise the money. It’s the family’s private business, all a potential buyer needs to know is the condition of the car they are interested in, nothing more.
@SteveR, I am interested in the human condition. Do I have the right to know personal information not car related? No, but I am still curious. The back storys of all the cars here are potentially interesting and maybe even helpful. Never hurts to ask.
Nice collection. I hope they do well at auction.
Steve R
Maybe I am getting old, but that 1937 Chevy Master Deluxe hot rod has the
correct stance, paint colour and wheels.
To me perfection.
I do hope it has a 4 speed.
Nope ! its an automatic
Except for the wheels and the front license plate it looks just like mine that I sold about fifty miles south of Wayland, Michigan about fifteen years ago color and all. 350 cu. 350 auto and a Ford 9″. I wonder if it is?
Old I guess I’m it! I like the tractor, put a cold beer between my legs & check out the neighborhood
I’m really liking the copper 64 Fury convert ; the only thing wrong with it is those horrid wide whites , but thats an easy change !
I learned something not too long ago. A friend of mine had a friend in CT that had a nice Corvette collection, mix of older nice documented cars and the owner had some health issues. He decided to sell them through Mecum. The twist is that Mecum came out to inspect the cars and do their end and they bought the whole collection in one lot from this man. They flew him to the auction and he was on the podium to “represent” his collection however Mecum owned the collection by the time they got to auction.
Just an interesting factoid that might lend some clarity to cars maybe being on the block a bit longer in some cases than you normally see. Something I did not know but was interesting.
I don’t doubt it one bit. At the end of the day Dana Mecum is a used car salesman, and what do we know about used car salesmen? Ya can’t insult em. The only thing lower is a used car salesman with a law degree. True pond scum.
WOW!!! What an ignorant statement. Although i have never met Dana Mecum, he appears to be an legitimate business man who has discovered an avenue to sell a bunch of classic cars and make himself a whole lot of money. What do you do for a living? Do you and the company you work for make a profit? Is profit a four letter word? I am a twenty year veteran of the automotive industry. Why is that when a jeweler sells you a diamond ring with a 300% mark up, he/she is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but when a car dealer sells you a car and makes a 10% profit, he/she is a no good rotten sack of pooh? I have never held a gun to someones head. I have never forced anyone to sign a contract and i have never NOT allowed someone to have a vehicle inspected by a third party. People like yourself that make a blanket statement with nothing to back it up really make me mad.
@Steve, I think he is suggesting that used car salesmen lie or at least do not tell the whole truth. Profit is okay, but what is a fair profit? The reality of this economy for most people is starting to leave a bad taste in everyones mouth so they have little respect for people who pander to and profit from the type of people who have hurt most peoples economic reality.
Poor Steve, he must b a used car salesman w-degree
Hey Steve, If you’re a 20 year veteran in the car sales business and you are making a 10% profit on your sales, you are an absolute Dream salesman for the owner of the dealership. Cuz he is raping You! What a joke. There wouldn’t be any dealers in business if they were making 10% on their deals, Slick. I am retired since you asked, and I made a very good living as a CFP, and since I doubt that you know what that is (and you will definitely never need one if you’re making 10% commission selling cars) it means Certified Financial Planner. And I was paid by the company(‘s) that I was representing for my services. And that was generally between 5%-12%, depending on the product and other variables. And I don’t have a problem with the jewelers who are marking up their diamonds (as long as they are not’ blood diamonds’, but since this is a site about cars I prefer to reference cars on it. Good luck with your future as a salesman making a 10% profit. You’re going to need all the help you can get.
That Riviera is one beautiful car! If I owned it, I would definitely put some miles on it.
Love the Plymouth!
I want the Wrecker and the Scout. Heck, gimme the Bronco too.
@CapNemo, My picks exactly.
I should have been born rich cause there isn’t a car there I wouldn’t want to own!!!
So you are saying that the owner of this collection was born rich? Perhaps he was what many who own such collections like to repeat, he was a “self made” man. I suspect that many here feel that without a financial head start, so to speak, owning such a collection is not possible. Of course that is not true, even if it is most often the case.
If you haven’t checked out the site do do!! Lots of other cool cars and pictures!!
There are several cars here I’d love to have. Whether the Fury Convertible, either of the T-Birds, the 55 Crown Vic, several of the older fords, the Grand Fury, the list goes on and on.
Wish I could afford to be there with cash in hand.
The Mustang is killin’ me, what a color!
Most people here want to know who the great people were who collected these cars. Short of Jay Leno and John Staluppi, almost nobody has a large, well maintained collection of Fords, GM’s, Mopars, 1930’s street rods, at least one 1920’s restored car, and a bunch of trucks.
I’m pretty sure that the people who collected this stuff aren’t around. The 64 Fury says the motor “might be a 318 or 361.” If the owner was around, the auctioneer wouldn’t be guessing at it. Those motors are not close to the same.
I found another site that lists it as an “Estate sale” so I think we know what happened. Too bad, they must have been some really good car people. When I first read it I hoped they took their 5 favorite cars, auctioned the rest, and are sitting on a beach in Florida. Apparently that didn’t happen.
What makes a person who can afford such a large collection “great”? Leno seems like an okay guy, and if someone should be allowed to have that much of a collection, at least he properly cares for them and truly seems to understand them, not just collect them to be boastful. Rich people come in many varieties, some good, some bad. How most of them stack up is up to all of us to individually decide.
Very nice collection of cars. Well kept up ,according to the pics, but will probably need some TLC when they are brought to the buyers garage. I would love to know what the 55 Ford will bring.
The Sutter’s lived in Reed City, Michigan and their garage and collection is/was about a half of a mile from my home. The senior Sutter passed away quite a while back and Harold, the son, I knew for years passed away recently. The last time I talked to him was at a car show and he was showing his beautiful all steel 32 Ford roadster with a flathead. Reed City is about a hundred miles from the sale site which made me do some research if it was another Sutter but their wrecker is also in the sale.
Interesting, how did the family get the means for such a collection? Was it a multi generational fortune? Not saying that is bad, just curious. Did they corner the market in toilet bowl scrubbers or something?
I am seventy one and and as long I can remember the senior Sutter bought and sold cars and had a wrecker service. He son, Harold worked with his Dad until his father’s death and continued the business. I believe this was their investments for retirement as their garage and home were modest as their lifestyle.
@Tort, Wrecker huh? Not very fond of those people, they take advantage of someone at some of the worst parts of their lives. I recall years back my elderly parents were in a bad crash.. They were both in the hospital so the police called a wrecker service who hauled it into his shop. I was called by the police to settle the bill. I was handed a bill for $700 (and that was 20 years ago) to haul the wreck from a ditch to his shop five miles away and then he demanded my Father sign over the car to him to “pay in full”. That car was totaled but it was a low mile Dodge, had a great still running engine, 3 pristine new wheels and tires, plus a flawless interior. It was worth a lot more then what he insisted he was due for “lot storage fee”. That left me with a bad taste in my mouth for all tow truck owners. A friend of mine was late in a dentist chair (root canal!) and he was maybe 15 minutes over what the city said he could be parked and they had him towed! Not only did the smiling wrecker service guy make out like a bandit, the city wrote a ticket too. I know wreckers are needed, but just how much is it fair to profit, esp from people suffering when the job is needed? Kind of like undertakers, both the same in my opinion. It is a sin to profit from another when they are in need.
As a retired lawyer, who knew more than a few honest used car salesmen, and auctioneers, maybe because it was a small New England town and reputations got around, I settled many estates with interesting “family heirlooms” that no one in the family wanted, or sometimes, would have liked to keep but could afford to insure (think a Monet painting, for example), or afford to keep – (cars and trucks need to be garaged, if they are really in good shape and repaired if not – think of a #3 Corvair convertible, or a #2 ’56 Crown Victoria, or a ’35 Chevy Standard 2 door sedan with some rotten wood in the structure but otherwise intact – even if the cost to fix them was available, it might not be a very good investment of money or time), or resented (one client said, “All my father wanted to do was play with his cars – we never went to a ball game, he never went to my high school basketball games – I hate those f.. ing cars, get rid of them”). Lots of stories – and yes, there are lawyers who are as crooked as some used car salesmen – but most are on the up and up.
And if cars are not easy to get rid of, think of pianos. Even baby grands are hard to sell, and you can’t give away uprights.
Sounds to me that the auctioning company are the crooks with a 13% buyer’s fee. As for used car salesmen, I find that a lot of them are not very knowledgeable and are there to just sell a car. That’s why many buyers get a mouthful of lies from them. I like the 1968 fastback but the lack of photos makes me wonder about the condition of the underneath and driveline.
I put up my post but it was not meant to morph in to an analysis if the car market or the integrity of car dealers/sales people. Every field has people with a range of ethics but the truth is that when you are buying or selling a car, you agree to the terms that you land on regardless of “margin”. If you don’t want an auction company taking 10-15%, then don’t put your cars in the auction. People do it for different reasons but if you have a collection and want to spend months or years getting top dollar then that is within your ability. If you want to pay someone that does this for a living, it will cost you. I have bought more than a few and I get the deal I can get but understand that dealers will nickel and dime a customer to death, it is their nature and how they make money. If you really knew what goods and services really cost, you would never buy anything. Dunkin Donuts gets $2+ for a medium coffee, all in it costs them about .17cents to make/including the cup, who is the crook now….?
Do you stop drinking coffee or you accept it because it is easier and more convenient. How much do you think a Dewalt Drill costs to make….$25 bucks maybe, Home Depot sells it for $99…..see what I mean. Understand that any industry has “crooks”, those that try to make as much as they can for their respective company but if you have feet, you can walk away, it is a personal decision.
Amen Brother. PREACH!
I’ll take the Crown Vic; ya’ll can fight over the rest. 😎
That Mustang has bar none, the muthagliest paint job I have ever seen. Sorry, but who in their right mind wants to drive something that resembles a French’s Mustard container? Gack…………..Cool collection though…………..