Sometimes people do bad things and sometime those people have large collections of cars. When they are eventually caught, all those cars need to go somewhere in order to pay the money they most likely owe somebody. I won’t go into what the owner of this collection did, but I do think it deserves a look because there are some real gems here. The US Marshals have ordered an auction that will take place this Friday in Lodi, New Jersey. Find more information here on A. J. Willner Auctions. Thanks for the tip Helena S!
The obvious headliner is the Superbird, but I would want the trio of Yenkos! There a Nova, a Camaro, and a Chevelle; all with 427s and 4-speeds! They all include documentation and I’m sure they will all go for big money. If you didn’t already know, Yenko was a popular tuner in the sixties and seventies. They started out by hopping up Corvairs, but are best known for their 427 transplants. The YSC (Yenko Super Cars) monogram on the hood and headrests struck fear into the hearts of stoplight drag racers for a reason!
Besides the Chevrolets, there is a Shelby, a BOSS, and a couple of Mopars on offer. The Superbird is ready to go, but the ‘Cuda is in the middle of a restoration. The auction site says that they are still trying to recover it though so it might not be available on auction day. It’s nice to think that there might be some bargains to be had here, but I’m sure there will be plenty of collectors watching this one. The owner had money and the cars appear to have been well cared for. It should be interesting to see what they all go for.
What, no Corvettes????
I only see one Shelby Mustang, the other Mustang is a Boss 429. And I like the 427 cars. Whoever it was had good taste in muscle cars.
Thanks for catching that one Rick. Our error has been corrected.
I have two Yenkos packed away, hehe..
We would love to see them Tom!
The green Mustang is really purdy..
A “Yenko” is rare but a Nova Yenko is the crème-of-the-crop!
Very nice collection of muscle. I guess even crooks can have good taste.
That Hemi ‘Cuda will be interesting to follow. One of 107 made, but in mid-restoration and maybe not even present at the auction because of that. The recently added photos show that the body and engine are far along, but it’s still in lots of pieces so there will probably only be the photos to go on.
Providing the cars check out as genuine when you get the VINs from the Marshals, there likely won’t be the “I’m-on-TV !” element and circus atmosphere of a Barrett-Jackson auction, so it will be pretty serious and there could be some real bargains to be had. And no buyer’s premium—another big plus.
Just be sure to bring your $10K cash money deposit for each car you win and make darn sure you have the rest available fast. These are the US Marshals you’ll be dealing with.
If I was seriously in the market for a musclecar I’d make sure I was there.
what a nice collection for a crook to have. i wish i was still able to collect cars because this auction is right in my back yard. i would have to have one of each mopar, ford, and one chevy.
Just think of the insane money that’s going to be spent at this sale! It should polish off at least 20 minutes worth of interest on the national debt very nicely!
Of course, the term “bargain” is a relative, but I doubt there will be any at this sale. I’m sure that worldwide big money will be well represented and I would not be surprised if it sets new records for high sales.
great find. very interesting collection of cars with documents to support the cars as long as VINs match. before bidding you would want to know how long current owner has to reclaim the car/cars. i too pick the nova.
Great collection. The ’69 Chevelle is my pick of the bunch. I often think that to gather a collection like this one has to be either in the entertainment business, oil business, or something illicit.
the 69 would be my choice also
A Yenko Camaro just sold in Dallas Mecum Auction for $300,000. See today’s Hemmings Blog. http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/09/09/first-camaro-delivered-to-yenko-chevrolet-sells-for-300000-in-dallas/#comments
The cars are also listed on Hemmings Auction showroom: http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/?auction_id=118
Talk about STUPID money! Auctions are the place where folks with wallets larger than their common sense reign supreme.
ts NOT a Yenko Camaro, as is commonly meant by that term and it doesnt have the drivetrain it was delivered to Yenko Chevrolet.which in fact was a smaller bloc and an auto transmission.
It is a Frankenstein. A pretty Frankenstein
What’s also amusing about this is that a Yenko Super Camaro was also sold in that lot, and for cheaper too only $285,000.
There was no sillier looking car on the street, back in The Day, than a Plymouth Superbird. The absurd wing and clumsy afterthought nose suggested a custom job gone very wrong. In spite of its success on the racetrack, I cannot fathom the interest in this car today.
Tom……..I could not agree more. When these were new and I would see one, I would think “my gawd….that has to be the ugliest car ever made” Not only was it ugly, it is stinkin’ huge. Fast forward a few years……….I’m still bewildered………..maybe it’s me
Whatever, guys. I still think the Superbird is really cool. My cousin had two of them in the mid seventies and when we cruised around town, every, EVERY look and comment wreaked of “Wow, that’s bitchin!”
Tom,
The Superbird’s extended nose and wing were developed to improve the car’s aerodynamics at the big speeds that cars were reaching on the superspeedways during NASCAR races. But if Plymouth wanted to actually use the nose and wing in NASCAR competition they had to homologate the aero Superbird by selling a certain number of them to the public. Here’s a quote from the Wikipedia entry on the Superbird that sums it up:
“NASCAR’s homologation requirement demanded that vehicles to be raced must be available to the general public and sold through dealerships in specific minimum numbers. For 1970, NASCAR raised the production requirement from 500 examples to one for every two manufacturer’s dealers in the United States; in the case of Plymouth, that meant having to build 1,920 Superbirds.”
Outrageous homologation versions of American cars for racing haven’t been very common. Although I don’t intend to become a ‘Bird owner, I’ve always been impressed by American carmakers like Plymouth that take up the challenge and actually build and sell cars like this.
For anyone who wants to know the story behind the collection and why it was seized
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/07/28/blood-muscle-highlights-seized-vehicle-sale/
thanks for the link.
Dolphin, thanks for the input. I remember homologation being the reason for the add-ons, but remain incredulous that people would actually buy the street version. The car was successful in NASCAR but even there it looked like an oddity. I had a similar reaction when I saw Jackie Stewart’s 6-wheel F1 Tyrell at Watkins Glen: “That just isn’t right!”
Tom, I can’t disagree with anything you said, but I think the 6-wheel Tyrell F1 car actually won one race, and maybe the Superbird won some too.
I guess you don’t have to be beautiful to have some success….or to excite some gearheads with $$$ burning a hole in their pocket.
Literally, the boy from next door whom I used to play with as a child was one of the major players indicted in this case. You never know how people are going to grow up…or not.
A friend of my co-worker ended up in similar circumstances. As boys they chummed around in school, stayed at each other’s places and did what most boys did. Then the boy grew up, eventually became a bank manager who saw all that money and eventually got seduced by it. He’s up for 15-20 plus make full restitution. I might add that he had a couple of nice muscle cars too. He even bought some for his lady friends. I’ll just stick with being broke and wishing for some luck.
The results are in, and some $$$ was spent.
“Experts” think there were a few bargains…
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/35671246/usms%209-12-14%20bid%20results.pdf
No bargains as far as I’m concerned. Way beyond my means. For years I’ve told my wife (who is a banker) to do some creative accounting so we can be high and wild. She always says, ‘no!’