LAMBRECHT AUCTION OPENED TREASURE Bow-tie lovers flock to Nebraska for front row seat as historic stash is sold off At $140,000, this 1.3-mile 1958 Chevro- let Cameo with a six was the top seller at the VanDerBrink Auctions sale of the Lambrecht Collection in Pierce, Neb. n By Angelo Van Bogart peered into the emptied dealership on The answers to some visitors’ ques- the corner of Pierce’s Lucas and Main tions had recently been addressed by he hearty Nebraska wind that streets looking for the answers. As Lambrecht’s daughter, Jeannie Lam- blew across the 507 cars collected Lambrecht quietly looked on from his brecht-Stillwell, who told Old Cars Tby Ray Lambrecht of the defunct nearby home, the contents of the brick Weekly in previous interviews that her Lambrecht Chevrolet Co. in Pierce fi- building he built in 1946 to sell Chevys father had the foresight to know some nally carried the cars across the world were emptied on Sept. 26 in prepara- cars would be collectible. He also cut following the auction of the collection tion for the sale. For the first time in de- people such great deals on new Chev- on Sept. 28-29. cades, several dusty vehicles emerged: rolets, and preferred to sell new cars Starting at VanDerBrink Auctions’ a 1.3-mile 1958 Chevrolet Cameo in to families for safety purposes, that he preview on Sept. 27, thousands of peo- turquoise and black; an 11-mile 1963 rarely sold his used-car trade-ins. All of ple — some reports as high as 20,000 — Impala Sport Coupe in red and white the unsold new vehicles had been stored came from as far as Australia and Brazil with a 327 and automatic; a white 1964 inside at one time, but when the roof of to see the USA and Lambrecht’s unsold Impala Sport Coupe with 4 miles on the a storage building collapsed, Lambrecht Chevrolets, and to have their questions 327 and three-speed manual transmis- was forced to park most of the unsold surrounding the “Lambrecht Legend” sion; a 1978 Corvette Pace Car with cars in the farm field with his trade-ins, answered. Why did Lambrecht hold 4 miles; and two 1963 Corvair Monza where he and neighbors worked to keep back more than 40 trade-ins? Why didn’t coupes, each with 17 miles. These and out trespassing thieves. The effort paid he sell his 55 new, leftover Chevrolets a few of Lambrecht’s preferred trade-ins off, and nearly all of the cars remained after the new models came out? What is from inside the dealership were moved complete. Even the 1959 Chevrolets, the condition of an unsold 1959 Chev- to the farm on the outskirts of Pierce which had been targeted by thieves who rolet after it has been sitting outside for where Lambrecht parked the majority were eventually caught, had their miss- decades? What does a 1958 Chevrolet of unsold and unavailable trade-ins and ing trim placed inside the trunk or pas- Cameo or 1963 Impala Sport Coupe still “new” vehicles. Cars and trucks from senger compartment by the auction. on a manufacturer’s statement of origin a second storage building in Fremont, The farm field eventually grew into (MSO) look like after sitting in a dealer- Kan., also were moved to the farm field a forest, but by the September sale of ship for 50 or more years? to finally join the many vehicles Lam- Lambrecht’s collection, VanDerBrink Throughout the weekend, droves brecht refused to part with. Auctions had returned Lambrecht’s 28 Old Cars Weekly News & Marketplace / October 31, 2013 www.oldcarsweekly.com This 1963 Impala with 11 miles was the second-highest- Indoor storage kept this striking 396-cid V-8 1965 Chevro- selling car at the VanDerBrink Auctions sale of the Lam- let Impala in top shape; the 12-mile car fetched $72,500. brecht collection in Pierce, Neb. property into a field again for the abso- a mechanical overhaul to be revived. An a set. Bidding for parts and memora- lute auction. For spectators and bidders, extended period of outdoor storage left bilia from inside Lambrecht Chevrolet the lines of Lambrecht’s unsold and low- some vehicles marked with dings, dents climaxed when the rare 1956 Corvette mileage trade-in vehicles formed a field and even rust. Despite weathering, many Eska pedal car that Chevrolet awarded of dreams. of these vehicles still told the story of to Ray Lambrecht sold for $16,000. “Interest-wise, this is the most in- how Chevrolet built its vehicles. Frames A mob of hundreds or more bidders terest I have had in an auction,” Yvette still showing semi-gloss black paint, and spectators then followed VanDer- VanDerBrink said. “It’s lived up to our floor boards of red-oxide primer with Brink’s trailer to the first vehicle to be expectations.” body-color over spray along the outside offered — an unsold 1958 Cameo Se- VanDerBrink Auctions prepared the edges and exhaust manifolds covered ries 3100 six-cylinder truck with just cars in lines, with the best unsold ve- with orange overspray educated close 1.3 miles. Just 1,405 Cameos were built hicles crossing a blue carpet to welcome observers on how to authentically re- in 1958, making it the rarest from the bidders at the entrance to the field. The store their own Chevrolets. 1955-1958 Cameo run. VanDerBrink best-preserved examples were those that told Old Cars Weekly that she expected whispered the secret of Lambrecht’s col- Bidding begins it to be the top seller, and she was right: lection from their place in the dealership On Sept. 28, the first of two auction the Cameo’s original $2,231 base was window, and they were the first to be days, the field from which Lambrecht far exceeded when bidding hit a record auctioned. Yvette VanDerBrink chose had worked so hard to deter trespass- $140,000 and VanDerBrink declared to leave the decades of eerie dirt and ers was overrun with enthusiasts. From “Sold!” to a cheering crowd. Report- dust on the vehicles, essentially allow- curious locals to hard-core foreign edly, the Cameo went to a trust in New ing the vehicles’ first owners a chance at collectors, all were all welcomed by Hampshire that plans to leave it un- new-car prep. Once in their hands, the VanDerBrink Auctions without an ad- touched. winners would decide whether to install mission fee. From the moment Yvette The momentum continued to the next the hubcaps long hidden in some trunks, VanDerBrink auctioned off the first vehicle in the Saturday sale. A shortbox or how to properly handle the shipping piece of Chevrolet memorabilia from stepside 1958 Chevrolet Apache Series plastic covering the seats of some cars Lambrecht Chevrolet Co.’s inventory — 31 with 5 miles and also still on MSO or the rubber mats behind the seats of a Value Center Chevrolet sign — it was sold for $80,000 just before a ’78 Cor- several trucks. obvious that the “Lambrecht Legend” vette Indy Pace Car L48 with 4 miles It was clear many of the indoor- had left bidders drunk with excitement. sold for an identical $80,000 record bid. stored vehicles simply needed a bath to Crowds piled around VanDerBrink’s “Late Great Chevy” Impalas also look nearly new again. However, the 18 moving trailer and obscured the parts, did exceptionally well: Lambrecht’s unsold 1963-1966 Chevrolet trucks and yet bidding for yard sticks printed with white ’64 Impala two-door hardtop with the five unsold “Slimline Design” 1959 the Lambrecht name sold for more than 4 miles and a 327 V-8, which had long Chevrolets four-doors were certainly $200 each before they were bundled into drawn enthusiasts to peer into the win- going to need more than a cleaning and sets of five, then sold for $400 or more dow of Lambrecht Chevrolet Co., sold There were 18 unsold 1963-’66 Chevrolet pickup trucks still on MSO in the Pierce, Neb., sale; prices at the auction ranged from $10,500 to $39,000. www.oldcarsweekly.com October 31, 2013 / Old Cars Weekly News & Marketplace 29 for $75,000. It was immediately fol- Monza coupe that had been stored in- lowed by the ’63 Impala two-door hard- side Lambrecht Chevrolet with 17 miles top with 11 miles and a 327 V-8 and au- sold first for $42,500. Its white 1963 Buying & Selling tomatic, which sold for a stronger bid of Monza coupe stablemate from inside $97,500. A representative of the buyer the dealership immediately followed, said the owner plans to simply wash the with VanDerBrink declaring it sold from car. her moving platform to a high bid of Two 1965 Impala two-door hardtops $40,000. with 325-hp 396 V-8s and automatic A mix of low-mileage trade-ins long transmissions immediately followed. stored inside the dealership were then As identical models that were similarly bid to far-above-average prices: Jean- ’88 JEEP WAGONEER 4X4 optioned, they illustrated the contrast in nie Lambrecht-Stillwell’s personal 1962 Bright White/Light Tan Leather Interior how storing a car inside and outside af- Corvair Monza coupe with 44,500 miles 54,000 Actual Miles 5.9 Liter, V-8 (360 CID) 2-barrel carburetor fects a vehicle’s condition and value. The sold for $13,000, while a 1962 Impala SUPER CLEAN AND CLASSY… $42,000 Artesian Turquoise example that Lam- two-door hardtop with a 327-cid V-8 brecht had stashed inside for most of its and four-speed and 57,500 miles sold existence still wore its window sticker for $36,000.