Kruse Auction License Revoked

Kruse International collector-car auctions is officially out of business as the Indiana Auctioneer Commission today permanently revoked its license, according to news reports.

The personal auction license of Dean Kruse, founder and owner of the Indianapolis auction business was suspended for at last two years, the commission decided after a three-hour hearing.

The session focused on complaints by at least 70 consigners that they have not been paid for their vehicles sold in Kruse’s nationwide auctions. Dean Kruse claims that most have been paid, although late. Kruse said he owes only about $320,000 to the consigners.

Read the whole story here - http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-kruse-auction-license-revoked/

37th Annual Seattle Swap Meet

The Seattle Swap Meet has been offering great opportunities for auto enthusiasts to view, sell, and purchase collector and classic cars for over 30+ years. This year, the event is in its 37th year, and it will take place at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, WA. from May 15 to 16. Throughout the 2 day event, visitors will get to attend a classic car swap meet and a car corral for the sale of vehicles at least 25 years old.

The Seattle Swap Meet is known as one of the biggest automobile car swap meets in the Pacific Northwest, and it will feature thousands of car and truck parts. Always in attendance is a variety of vendors at the event, selling automotive-related items such as auto parts, accessories, and auto memorabilia. If you are planning to buy a classic car or classic car parts, it is highly recommended that you attend this great swap meet!

For more information on the 37th Annual Seattle Swap Meet on vendor application, registration, setup hours, rv spaces, car corral, etc. visit Puget Sound Regional Group 18 of the Early Ford V8 Club of America.

Classic Car Barn Finds

I love to reminisce about some of the great barn/garage/storage facility finds that we have been fortunate to hear about in our lifetime. Until the day when such a lucky circumstance will fall upon us, enjoy these stories.

One of my personal favorites, the Portugal Barn Find. While legend is, an American citizen happened to purchase this property in Portugal and stumbled upon an old locked up building that, when finally, opened revealed 100+ cars stored away. This site offers some great photos as well as a link to a more credible story that this really wasn’t a barn find at all. I know, I know, I know, it kind-of ruins the whole story, but the truth must be revealed.



Another great story is one about the 1968 GTO RamAir II – 4 speed Convertible. This guy was actually asked if wanted to buy this car. Um….YEAH!! The owner had no idea of its value and the rarity of a 1968 GTO RamAir II Convertible. He had simply come into possession of the car because the original owner of the house told him to keep it because he didn’t want to have to pay the storage fees. So the car sat, totally unmolested for 30 years, beneath a car cover, inside a two-car garage behind a home fronting a rural highway in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. You can read the full story on Hemmings Motor News.

This is what I like to call “that lucky devil” find: For sale on ebay, 1963 Pontiac Tempest Le Mans – starting bid $500.00…ending bid, $226,521.63! At first glance most wouldn’t even give it a second thought, because your first thought would be “What a hunk of junk,” or something of the likes. Why it doesn’t even have a motor or transmission. However, if you are a Pontiac nut, you quickly might wonder to yourself, “Could this be the 1 of 6 Pontiac Tempest Le Mans ever made?” The seller of the Pontiac had no idea as to the value of the vehicle and apparently was selling it for a friend or relative who owned a storage facility and had obtained the vehicle after the original owner had passed away. Thank goodness they decided not to scrap it!

How about the “That’s what friends are for” find. Donald Schlag had a passion for all things Chevrolet and started collecting stuff while working at his dads Wisconsin John Deere dealership in the 1960s. Between the parts he bought, or traded plus annual trips to California, he started to store stuff in semi trailers. However, after attempts by others to steal Schlag’s collection, he decided to seal up all the 21 or so containers and place them end to end, allowing no one to view or get at his prized collections which included: Yenko Camaro, a pair of 1970 LS-6 Chevelles, 1972 Camaro Z/28, 2 -1957 Corvettes, numerous high performance engines, and much, much more. After Schlag died, the containers were left to his sister who eventually sold them to Larry Fissette – a man chosen out of 5 prospective buyers to acquire the containers. You can read the whole story along with pictures on Old Cars Weekly.

Aussie Man Hoards 297 Classic Cars! I don’t think the next one can be truly classified as a Barn Find, because the gentleman who owns these are well aware that they are there but this is pretty cool nonetheless.

Then, the ever favorite site I never get tired of telling people to go visit. Rusty Rides Gallery’s host an unbelievable amount of pictures displaying an incredible collection of vehicles (including some very rare ones) found abandoned in barns and garages across the world. If you are a classic car enthusiast or collector you will spend days on this site.


In addition, here are a couple of more stories to tickle your taste buds.

20 rare and desirable vehicles laid to rest in a Maryland barn

Brittan’s biggest Barn Find

Vintage and Classic Car Discoveries

California Corvette Barn Find

Classic Car Raffle - 1965 Ford Mustang

Recently, I ran across an event which I saw posted on Oldride.com. It is the Function 4 Junction car show in Junction City, Oregon. The fact that the show 'n shine and cruise will feature over 600 classic cars, trucks and hot rods kind-of struck my interest. As I looked into the event more, I found that they event coincides with a raffle give away. My interest peaked a little more when I realized that Raffle Tickets were ONLY $1.00 and the prize is a 1965 Ford Mustang! Sign me up!!

If you are interested in more details, visit the event listing on Oldride.com or Function 4 Junction website.

Attention Classic Car Collectors!

Attention! Attention! A great collector car auction is set to take place this coming fall (September 2010) with a vast amount of project cars for sale. It is virtually an automotive Garden of Eden for the Collector Car or Street Rod enthusiast. The Harry Michlitsch Collection derives from over 35 years of collection vehicles. Lucky for us, Mr. Michlitsch has a love affair with cars and fondness for Chevrolet and 348 and 409 motors. His collection contains over 450 collector cars, pickups and hundreds of parts. While there are some drivers, most are project vehicles - yippee! A variety of makes and models are for sale including Ford, Plymouth, Mercury and Chevrolet. His entire inventory of cars, pickups and parts will be sold at auction to the highest bidder.

VanDerBrink Auctions will be hosting the auction on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 10AM and also on Sunday, September 19, 2010 at 10AM. Bidders will also be able to buy the car and strip the parts that they need and leave the hulks. Here is your chance to find those parts and vehicles that you have been looking for. If you are looking for a project or old iron, don't miss this auction!


Here are a few of the vehicles that will be up for auction.

1952 GMC Pickup

1963 Chevrolet Impala SS 2 door Hardtop

1960 Pontiac Catalina

1948 Chrysler New Yorker

More picture of The Michlitsch Collection can be found at WWW.RESTORABLECARS.COM

Oldest Known Flying Car Up for Auction

By Jason Paur of Autopia

It doesn’t look like a car, and it doesn’t look like it would fly, but what is believed to be the world’s oldest “roadable aircraft” is for sale.

The antique was built in 1934 by Frank Skroback and at the very minimum provides proof that people have long dreamed of cars that can be flown like airplanes. Or are they airplanes that can be driven like cars? No matter, because whatever you call it, it’s being auctioned this weekend in Atlanta.

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A Great Idea for Your Classic Car Club

While many Classic Car Clubs host events to raise money for charity another great idea to help the community is to encourage learning amongst our youngsters that hopefully sparks an interest in them to take up the collector car hobby.

Visiting a school or after-school program and allowing the kids to take a look around classic cars help students grasp a better understand of the vehicles many of us old fogeys cherish.

I'm not sure what child, young or old, wouldn't enjoy taking a look at the vintage motors, driven in by members of a Classic Car Club. Opportunities could range from displaying members cars to getting into the nitty gritty of restoring an engine or vehicle back to its luster by some of the older students. All the while giving Club members a chance to teach these students interesting facts and features of their vehicle.

I encourage you to bring up this topic at your next Club meeting. If you're not a member of a Classic Car Club and you would like to find out more about joining a Classic Car Club, visit the Club Directory at Oldride.com