The classic car world is full of characters, and Iowa’s Coyote Johnson is one such person. Since the age of 16, he has been collecting the muscle cars of his youth, and today his collection numbers around 100 of America’s most desirable cars. What do you do when you start to accumulate such a collection? You put a group of them together and then build a shed around them. When you accumulate some more, you just repeat the process. Now the time has come for him to downsize his collection, and for anyone who looks at these cars and spies their heart’s desire, there are two pieces of good news. The first is that the vehicles, and a substantial collection of desirable parts and panels, won’t go under the hammer until September. That gives you a bit of time to raise the necessary funds, and to convince your husband/wife/significant other (and your bank manager) that you need to own one (or more) of these classics. The second piece of good news is that every lot will be sold in a No Reserve auction. Yep, highest bidder walks away with the car. If you want a piece of this action, the auction is scheduled to take place at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Red Oak, Iowa, on the 14th September. It is also worth having a look here at VanDerBrink Auctions, as a full catalog will soon be going up on that site.
It’s hard to know where to start with this collection. Fancy a Barracuda? Take your pick, because there are at least five to choose from in the collection. I can also pick out a Chevelle SS, a Camaro SS, a ’57 Chevy, and a ’78 Trans Am. In addition to cars, there is an incredible selection of parts and panels. I was able to pick out a complete interior for an early Mustang, a huge pile of engines, from bare blocks through to complete units, along with transmissions, rear ends, and just about any other part that you’d care to name.
If you’d like to get your hands on a GTO, once again, you’re spoiled for choice, with at least four examples in the collection. They range from a ’64 2-Door Hardtop, through to a ’69 model. For someone looking for something a bit newer, there’s even a ’99 Trans Am.
The list continues with Chargers, Challengers, Camaros, and Impalas. It really is a mouth-watering collection. The photos aren’t the greatest, but I’m sure that there will be more available on the auction website once the cars are all out of their various sheds, and have been cataloged. One thing that I have noticed is that all of the cars appear to be either complete, or only missing some very minor parts. I also don’t see anything much in the way of rust in any of the cars that we can see. Of course, it will be interesting to see what the paint is like under the accumulated debris. The other thing to consider is that it isn’t clear how long some of these cars have been sitting for, so the new owners will need to be prepared to do some work to get them up and running.
This is an amazing collection, and for the purists and enthusiasts, it is great to see that someone has seen fit to sell their collection rather than let it go to complete rack and ruin. The video below also provides a bit of an overview of what is on offer, and I’ll be very interested to know whether any of our Barn Finds readers decide to bid on any of the cars. If you do, please let us know how you go. With the level of enthusiasm among our readers, it would be good to know that someone first spotted the car of their dreams in this article.
I always enjoy the debate on this site that usually erupts when cars of this number come up for sale. Hoard vs Collection. Did the guy prevent about 100 people from owning all these during his tenure,thus depriving them of their opportunity to do the same? Or did he preserve a lot of desirable models from all sorts of sad endings thus doing all of us who so love these cars a huge favor? Two very different opinions,let the fun begin.
Doesn’t matter if he was hoarding or collecting. He picked these vehicle up when no one else was interested. He used his money, time, effort and his property to assemble a collection of vehicles that no one else wanted. Nuff Said ! ! !
I.Want.Them.All.
1964 GTO 2 door hard top. Picked a lot of corn, hops and apples not to mention all the hay I bucked to buy mine in 1968. Oh how I miss that car.
I got excited for a millisecond when I saw “Montgomery County Fairgrounds”. I thought, locally advertised rural auction of a collector’s estate- what an opportunity! Then I saw “VanDerBrink” and realized , due to their excellent promotion and advertising, every muscle car guy in the country worth their salt will do what it takes to be there, wallets bulging and trailers in tow. Along with the Motor Trend Channel and Discovery. Look for some serious overpaying to happen!
That’s what I said Fred. VanDerBrink has covered some car collections in the past, and I think they were the ones that did the Chevy dealer’s collection here in Nebraska a couple year’s back. The lines of trucks/trailers will be 2 miles long, and bidding will get ludicrous almost instantly. No thanks. I prefer the ‘right place at the right time’ technique, with one solid car in mind….I’ll never “fight” bidding-wise with 3-4 hounds after the same car; no way. But good luck to all who bid here; I’m sure VanDerBrink will be cutting a fat hog governing this auction.
No thanks I’ll stay home. I can’t deal with the big money crowd.
The best deals at these auctions are often the first few lots, before people have had their coffee, and the final lots, when the bidders have already depleted their savings or 401K’s. Best of luck to anyone who goes!
Absolutely true- I’ve been to many estate auctions where the auctioneer starts with a bang and gives away the first item or two ON PURPOSE so that distracted buyers wake up and pay attention! Once or twice, I was one of those successful bidders.
ahhhhh, … I can almost smell the must and mouse pee – Its a great collection and he will make a fortune on them ,but its too bad he didn’t have a better storage area .
Besides having a cool moniker, Coyote Johnson, had great taste when he put this amazing collection together. I just want the ’69 Roadrunner. I missed my opportunity to own a 383/4 speed one because of a wife.
Are you still married? The car you describe was the second car I owned. I’ve owned much nicer, faster, better-handling cars over the years, but every time I see a 69 RR, I get the urge to buy/bid on it. Someday I will. Then I’ll see if I’m still married. :)
Hey TinCan. While not married now, I’m currently fiscally challenged.
All great Comment especially h5minds and Ben.I have found out like ben said, takes a while for the crowd to get warmed up. And as the Lamprecht auction has demonstrated, These guys with too much money get caught up in the Hype. I do know that there was a lot of buyers remorse after the Lamprecht auction, as Yvette had to have another auction later and smaller, for the slugs that wouldn’t pay. Auctions are for big money people these days, but as a Bottom feeder I usually find something I can use or make money on. Unless one guy buys everything and has an endless supply of $$$.
Auctions aren’t necessarily for “big money people”. Have you ever watched a live stream of an auction? There are plenty of cars that aren’t bid very high during off peak hours. A friend that builds cars went with his father in law to the auctions in Arizona last January, he said there were plenty of deals to be had, especially on the more generic muscle cars.
There are and always will be deals on cars, it’s up to the buyer to widen their search list and put in the work. You won’t find a restored, matching numbers Hemi for cheap, but you can find decent drivers of nearly every make or model at a price that won’t break the bank.
Steve R
Very good point. I’ve been to a few Mecum auctions, and while no one is going to walk out of there with a showcase car for a few grand, there are always a bunch of interesting cars that sell for reasonable prices…especially outside of the auction’s “prime time”.
Amazing that he created floors and roofs over them – so, the cars were somewhat safe from mother nature.
Already too rich for my blood, I will have to watch
1) Please quit whining over Lamprecht,which was a total anomaly.The best lowest mile Chevys ever offered ,that will ever be offered !
Folks paid a lot for the best surviving examples of Cameos,bubble tops and many more.I was one who signed in for online bidding ,and realized very quickly ,that there were people willing to spend much more than I ,good for them .
2)Yvette is cute as hell,little ole country gal ,breaking ground in a mans hobby.Bravo !
3)Collecter or hoarder is a fine line ; we start as one and become the other,but these cars seem to be very well stored.I too ,wish he would have driven them all.
4)Coyoteeey Johnson sounds way cooler than Coyot Johnson
And finally ,I will be registered online .Count me in on the “Bandit,purple 71 Charger ,and totally in on the black 68 Charger R/T.
I have 4 months to find some eyes and hands to check them out in person .
Great Feature !!!
No whining here. Mighty– just opinions. Yvette is a cool gal with a cool name. She is doing some amazing work and bringing the stuff to market. Let the one with the most scratch win. What cant understand is why someone would pay 20 grand for a truck with zero miles and needing a complete restor after all those years outside. Hey its your money!! Yep- opinions are like @$$holes–everybody has one. Good commentary by all!
Cheers
GPC
I simply wouldn’t attend but love watching.
I would not dare attend this auction. I couldnt deside.
What a great collection! Can wait to see what kind of prices some of these bring, since there isn’t a lot of detail at present other than year and make/model.
Once with a Hershey online auction I learned the hard way that with my daughter’s laptop, if you hover the mouse over the “Buy” button, sometimes it will click for you…two weeks later this was at my door. I learned to love it. At least it was the least expensive car in the entire auction, and not the million dollar Gullwing!
An amazing collection ! Of the pictures that I saw, the ’71/’72 Charger Plum Crazy RT/SE really caught my eye. Performance & comfort all in one package !
Unfortunately, like my Grandpa used to say, “poor people have poor ways”. It certainly would be nice to acquire one of these fantastic muscle cars, and have the financial means to do a full restoration. Like most of us, it was nice just to see them on a video.
Sorry GPC,my comment was more properly directed at previous posts on other features whenever big “hoards “come up for auction.
For what it’s worth ,I also think the prices were a little nuts.
We will need an update when the catalog is available.
Dude doesn’t like Fords by the looks of it, so count me out.
Yvette, In the future, I suggest you shoot video in landscape mode rather than portrait mode. I had a lot of wide black bars with this one, maybe 1/6 of the screen had picture. Just turn your camera phone 90 degrees from what you did and you will show much more information of value instead of dirt and rafters!
You guys always crack me up! Nothing better than a bunch of car guys kibbitziing over the internet potbellied stove about the value and intent of people who have managed to collect more cars in one place than many of us will own in a lifetime…though I’m close. :)
Since I am predisposed to not have too much stuff…says the guy with 4 cars, a truck and a workshop, owning this many cars would make sleep almost impossible day to day. Hell I worry about my one woodie going up in flames and my workshop spontaneously combusting!
For my part I’m glad the seller had the wherewithal to collect these though I personally wouldn’t derive much pleasure from having them just sit. I only have one body to drive one car at a time.
I just wish Ms. VanDerBrink would turn her iphone sideways and put it on some sort of stabilizing rig…..that way she could ‘shimmy’ around and look in the cars…which is always fun for us voyeurs.
Finally, come on guys, kudos to the seller for putting them in metal building which more or less have kept them safe. When they’re cleaned up I’m betting the collection will look tremendous……I can’t wait to watch and say to myself : ” Oh I wouldn’t pay that for THAT!” No Way! :)
Then, I’ll feel much better,
I think that these auctions are like barret-Jackson type auctions but for vehicles that need work, not the B.J. newly restored or near-perfect original condition cars. The guys with the money will likely just bid them up out of a regular guy’s reach. Well, it is what it is, reality can be kind or not… hope that somebody here buys one so we can all voice our opinions, deserved or wanted or not!
I think the best way maybe to buy a classic car is possibly right here off of this site, with member ads and not advertised anywhere else. Ebay is risky and a pain, Craigslist has too many tire kickers, cranksters, dreamers, etc. who will talk or message you all day, try to point out every defect and get you to reduce the price, and in the end offer you a fraction of what the car is worth… as if they had the money to buy it in the first place and you wanted them within 100 miles of your place.
Coincidently, I have a 1971 Cutlass listing coming up here on only this site at any time… imagine that!
Having just come out of a ten-day auction with one of my MGs, I agree that eBay has become a pain and is risky. I had two bidders competing for my car. Second highest bidder (and loser of the auction) communicated with me the whole time in the proper way about what came with the car, shipping, etc. High bidder, God bless him, sniped in at the last minute and bid a really nice number to me. Then, a few minutes later said he didn’t realize my car was so far away. He was in California and my MG was in Tennessee. Doofus. Guess who got the car in the end? Vanderbrink needs to bring out a better film crew if she wants to really document the “as found” condition of these cars. Cell phones are for amateurs.
Speaking of auctions. I have my eye on a 60’s COE, but can’t find where to nail down a value on it before I go. Anybody, know where any have sold lately?
P.S. Thanks Coyote for keeping them safe.
“GTO” with non factory sunroof is in fact a 67 or 68 Firebird 400. You correct though, none of those came with a factory sunroof.
With this type of auction, don’t be surprised if one man steps up an out bids everyone else, just a prediction with this time capsule of muscle cars !
I went to a Mecum auction in Dallas with a friend who was looking for a classic car for his daughter. He already has two baby birds and a 66 Thunderbird convertible in immaculate condition. Anyway we looked at all the cars there and he chose a couple to bid on predetermining a price. We saw several cars go through at very low prices and a few at very high prices. My point being if you predetermine what you want and affix a price you’ll get what you want if you persevere.
God bless America
Bill, good observation. This happens a lot. He who dies with the most toys wins. Makes it tough for Joe Sixpack though.
Cheers
GPC
There’s always Maple Motors.
I checked out Maple Motors. Some decent cars at a decent price. Nothing too rare, but looks like a fun site to check out
What a collection, there are definitely of few of the way more desirable makes and models with the correct options to make them worth some pretty serious money. Its kind of impressive when a guy collects mostly really cool cars for the better part of his life and when it comes time to retire he just decides to sell his company, in THIS case his company is CARS! Some call it collecting and some may call it hoarding I could care a less this guy acquired, bought, traded what ever again I could care less he has a very impressive batch of really nice cars. I wish him the absolute best as his auction goes down!
Lots of cool old iron here, hey if you’ve got the room and finances to collect this many cars that’s just fine and dandy. People have been doing it for years and years, whether it be cars, boats, motorcycles, firearms, pocket knives, whatever, even fishing tackle. I don’t consider collectors as hoarders, not really. It’s one thing to have a nice stash of certain items, quite another to have a house full of garbage…stuffed to the ceiling.
As my only real interest in these factory street machines will always be about how they ran, sounded, looked, not to mention the colorful history these characters in motion have, I really don’t pay attention to the money part of it. Just not interested.
I’m not complaining though, my way of looking at it is maybe too simple. Most of these cars would be long gone, never restored or saved from the crusher, chopped up into some sort of pro street contraption or worse, had it not been for the strong interest in the late eighties. The whole big money thing actually kept these muscle cars from becoming recycled goods. That’s a good thing, right?
Well, there’s been a good share of combination “hoarder” and “collector” shown online in Hagerty Barn Finder segments. One in particular just happened to be in an old Buick dealership in Iowa. When I saw how much attention was given to the preserved Chrysler Imperial with stacks of crap all around, boxes strewn about and the ceiling tiles falling in, I thought there may even be a little mental illness to be found in the owner/character that the host was interviewing.
Troy S . makes a good point. It takes a lot of $$ to amass and house a collection like this. the cars have been preserved, And Yvette VanDerbrink is bringing them to market. Its gonna cost money for all of this. My hope is that these cars get into the hands of the folks who want them. In the Lamprecht auction, one older gent who was a shop owner who bought a Low mileage 65 chevy wagon, bone stock, stovebolt with 3 on the tree, His plans were to leave exactly as was cosmetically, and use it for a shop vehicle. Paid the price and got what he wanted. Ahhh I can hear the sound of the stovebolt in first gear……righteous..
cheers
GPC
Don’t base your price on what somebody else have somewhere else. Set your OWN price, pay what you are willing. I have seen/heard people whine about others paying way more than what something is worth while watching same item bring same money at several different places. Market fluctuates to much to set an exact value ANYWHERE. I myself have bought many things at auctions, and paid what I was willing, didn’t worry what the current market was on item.
Sweet! this is my home town, never thought I would see the day when it would be featured here. Have heard that Bill has a ’69 Hemi Roadrunner in his living room.
He has a gold mine there!
I can understand why the sale isn’t till September, they will need all that time to transfer all those cars and parts to the fairgrounds! Holy Mackrel!
Rats Rats and Rats If they don’t stink they have to have had all the wiring eat-in and plan on replacing the fuel system
This is great to see a herd of early muscle ,what a lucky guy! But on the other hand it’s sad to see them have to go and wish I could take a few home,especially the Barracudas!
I don’t like seeing desirable vintage cars cosmetically & electrically damaged to the point where it will require thousands/dollars and hundreds/hours to restore them to driveable condition . No kudos to “collecters” who build shelters for these cars AFTER considerable damage has occured. IMO,if you truly love these cars, don’t own more of them than you can properly maintain in a driveable, presentable condition. If you disagree with me, fine—but these cars will cost way more to make functional than it should due to lack of “pride of ownership” -type of maintenance. Good luck to the buyers. .
Jesse I could not agree with you more, like I said before I could care less what label you feel you need to put on this fellow but bottom line is these cars are his and he can do whatever in the world he wants to, I also would bet he could care less what anybody feels they need to label him!
One of the Luckiest men in the World.
Period, new paragraph !
I don’t know about Yvette. It’s hard for me to listen to her because she gets so many things wrong about cars she’s promoting for her auctions. Even during the auctions, she’s spouting all kinds of incorrect names, facts, descriptions. I wonder if she has any idea how unknowledgeable she sounds. Breaking ground in a “man’s” hobby as someone put it above? Ya, with a plastic shovel. I’d like to see a real hobbyist who happens to be a woman, who actually knows what she’s talking about get into the classic car auction game.
Christy Lee seems to do a good job at car descriptions!
She holds her own in the garage and at the auctions IMO
I want the Roadrunner… not any of the cars, the actual Roadrunner standee. I ‘spose it will go for a ridiculous price, too.
She cried an auction in my area a # of yrs ago thought she did ok, but then I do not much about classic car auctions, most auction sales around here are farm-related and/or hsd.
One car I noticed; the Cuda with the AAR stripes
Appears to have a metal hood and 4 b carb rather then the 6pk and fiber hood. Wondering about the pedigree of this one?
Wouldnt it be a blast if coyote allowed camping
ahead of time, imagine the ” campfire” stories lol.
Just dreaming, grin grin
Here are the results of the auction:
https://www.vanderbrinkauctions.com/app/uploads/Coyote-Johnson-Official-Results.pdf