24 replies to this topic

[Magoo]

Here's the story that has the internet all agog: the Lambrecht collection, the Nebraska "barn find" in an old car dealership that includes more than 50 new, unregistered Chevrolet cars and trucks from the '50s on up. Honestly, people. They're just a bunch of dirty old cars.



Video: Mother of all barn finds — the Lambrecht Chevrolet collection | Mac's Motor City Garage.com

[Lee Nicolle]

Here's the story that has the internet all agog: the Lambrecht collection, the Nebraska "barn find" in an old car dealership that includes more than 50 new, unregistered Chevrolet cars and trucks from the '50s on up. Honestly, people. They're just a bunch of dirty old cars.



Video: Mother of all barn finds — the Lambrecht Chevrolet collection | Mac's Motor City Garage.com

I will take all those dirty old cars off their hands. Some of them have done double figure mileage.
Though why these cars were kept defies belief. Most seem to be not even had predelivery, eg get rid of the plastic on the seats, polish, service and routine checks and adjustments as well as fit the hubcaps etc.
Considering the condition of the workshop ceiling I suspect most of these will have minor damage apart from the damage that dust and moisture does to paint and brightwork. Though all these cars seem to be at least interesting and slightly upmarket models, 2 doors, pillarless etc.I bet they will make silly money at auction. Though all will require a lot of work to even drive. Personally I would strip engines, brake systems before I even tried to drive them. 50 years of moisture will have done its damage and there will be rusted valves and bores, probably even crownwheels on the diffs. Very easy resto though! And maybe the parts needed are in the spare parts division.

[Greg Locock]

I hope they get mechanically restored but I think it would be a great pity for them to be over-restored cosmetically. Personally I find the Lindsay Fox style total rebuild to better than showroom approach much less interesting than looking at a worn vehicle in as built condition. So shoot me.

[onelung]

Great camera work - mEyEs ArE sTiLl CoMiNg BaCk To NoRmAl !!!

[Tony Matthews]

Only ONE MILE! One mile! How many miles guys! ONE MILE! Oh, OK, only ONE MILE. Only one mile! I think I dreamed that...

[Lee Nicolle]

Great camera work - mEyEs ArE sTiLl CoMiNg BaCk To NoRmAl !!!

You noticed that too!

[Magoo]

These cars are way over-hyped. They weren't properly mothballed, just parked, and there has obviously been deterioration. The cars would need a lot of work to be show worthy, and really, it would be a shame to do that to them. They should be carefully cleaned as much as possible and then left as is-- among other things, as restoration references.

But really, people can do whatever they want with the cars. None are particularly rare or exceptional. Just not a big deal, sorry. That said, it's incredible the web traffic this story generates. It just seems to capture peopes' imaginations. I'm sure that when auction day comes, the cars will be pulling much more than their book value. It's already turned into a sort of happening.

[Tony Matthews]

I think it's just that 'barn-finds' seem so exciting. In this case I think there is serious over-kill. One, two or three vehicles would have been fun, but 50? It's deep-fried Mars Bars in batter. Too much. When I was in my teens I literally dreamed of finding a particular car in a barn, and to my constant amazement, found one. Fifty would not have been nearly so exciting.

[Dipster]

I just wonder how a "Mom and Pop" (I think they said) garage could afford to have 50 brand new and 500, (wasn't it?) cars sitting around.

In my experience stock is an expensive thing to have lying around. Where did they find the money? Most of us have a hard time buying one car......

[Lee Nicolle]

These cars are way over-hyped. They weren't properly mothballed, just parked, and there has obviously been deterioration. The cars would need a lot of work to be show worthy, and really, it would be a shame to do that to them. They should be carefully cleaned as much as possible and then left as is-- among other things, as restoration references.

But really, people can do whatever they want with the cars. None are particularly rare or exceptional. Just not a big deal, sorry. That said, it's incredible the web traffic this story generates. It just seems to capture peopes' imaginations. I'm sure that when auction day comes, the cars will be pulling much more than their book value. It's already turned into a sort of happening.

A lot of those cars interest me and I would possibly own one or two if the money was right. Though I feel the buyers may go silly. though maybe not too with that big a choice.
But I am in Oz and am not going to the States for an auction.
And I do agree with not being mothballed, very much not. Parked next to the windows in what can be a cold climate covered in dust.

Dipster, I too wondered where the capital came from to keep that much new stock laying around. I am sure these cars were somewhere else at one time. In any dealership you could never have that much 'dead' stock laying around. And you need the workshop to keep earning, as well as the parts counter. More money in that than selling new cars,, though GM would require current stock in the showroom, as well as some outside too. Otherwise they would disenfranchise you.I guess used was in the area next to the workshop. Used usually make more than new too.

[Magoo]

A lot of those cars interest me and I would possibly own one or two if the money was right. Though I feel the buyers may go silly. though maybe not too with that big a choice.
But I am in Oz and am not going to the States for an auction.
And I do agree with not being mothballed, very much not. Parked next to the windows in what can be a cold climate covered in dust.

Dipster, I too wondered where the capital came from to keep that much new stock laying around. I am sure these cars were somewhere else at one time. In any dealership you could never have that much 'dead' stock laying around. And you need the workshop to keep earning, as well as the parts counter. More money in that than selling new cars,, though GM would require current stock in the showroom, as well as some outside too. Otherwise they would disenfranchise you.I guess used was in the area next to the workshop. Used usually make more than new too.

Good eye. From what I can gather, over the years they took over the buildings around the dealership. Then when the dealership closed in 1996, they filled up the main building with the items they chose to keep.

Apparently, there are another ~400 cars they took in on trade over 50 years but did not wish to sell -- they considered them unsafe, unreliable, etc. These were parked on the family farm. The new, untitled cars, reportedly, are year-end inventory they decided to keep instead of marking down for a loss.

I grant you this seems like rather eccentric behavior, but you will find this sort of thing out in the middle of nowhere on the American prairie in a little town of 1700 people.

[Catalina Park]

There is a large Holden dealer in Sydney that kept a swag of almost new cars for quite a while. He would get a new model and register it and drive it for a few weeks and then park it in the garage. He kept doing this with most new models (our models don't change every year) right through the 60's 70's and early 80's.
The dealer made the mistake of selling them all before the internet would have driven the prices through the roof! But they did fetch good prices.
This is of course different to having cars that have never been driven or registered.

[Catalina Park]

I suppose this would be the closest thing to a barn find around here...
http://www.landmarkh...gSales/View/386

[Tony Matthews]

There's some interesting stuff there - I like the big Humber.

[Catalina Park]

There's some interesting stuff there - I like the big Humber.

Quite a bit of interesting stuff, the problem is that it is too far away from anywhere.
I would almost bet that Ray Bell would be the only person on the forum that has ever been within 100 miles of the place.

[Tony Matthews]

Narrabri is the nearest place that Google Earth recognises - it does look a bit barren!

[Catalina Park]

Lots of straight flat roads in that part of the state.

[Magoo]

I suppose this would be the closest thing to a barn find around here...
http://www.landmarkh...gSales/View/386

Looks like a nice, dry environment for machinery to gracefully grow old in.

[gruntguru]

Only ONE MILE! One mile! How many miles guys! ONE MILE! Oh, OK, only ONE MILE. Only one mile! I think I dreamed that...

Whoah guys! stop pushing - now back up, the clock just clicked over to two!!!!

[Lee Nicolle]

There is a large Holden dealer in Sydney that kept a swag of almost new cars for quite a while. He would get a new model and register it and drive it for a few weeks and then park it in the garage. He kept doing this with most new models (our models don't change every year) right through the 60's 70's and early 80's.
The dealer made the mistake of selling them all before the internet would have driven the prices through the roof! But they did fetch good prices.
This is of course different to having cars that have never been driven or registered.

Back in the early 80s the Holden Dealer at Minlaton South Aust, Toop Motors, had a huge auction of his collection of cars, many being tradeins that he liked. Being a wealthy rural area and him also being a Chevrolet and Buick dealer there was a real choice of cars. heaps of Holdens of every model until about 1970, And a lot of prewar American stuff, mostly GM but not all. And 50s 60s 70s American cars by the dozen. But no new ones! A few very low mileage ones though

I had a go at a few that interested me but got beaten every time.
My memory is that of a young lady from Whyalla who was 5 foot tall and size 8 who bought a Buick Electra 225 of late 60s or early 70s vintage. Huge car tiny woman! The whole main street was taken over, the auction was around 400 cars, mostly goers and at least all complete.

In that area they sold Chevs and Buicks well after most city dealerships had given up, and even in the early 70s sold Chevs which were Holden Statesmans export models with different grilles, badging and upmarket trim and appointments. And Chevrolet engines, either the 252 6 or 350. The Holden was sold with a 350 though it was uncommon but the 252 was normally an export only. They must have had some pull with the factory to get those export models as no other dealers got them. Though I have seen a 69 Impala Oz assembled that was powered by a 308 Holden engine with powerglide

And I believe the son of the family has collected another 100 or so since, and the dealership has gone the way of many country dealers. Though he was still selling cars as I used to see him buying at the auctions regularly, I believe primarily as a broker.

Beaufort in Victoria too must have sold a lot of Chevs, as in the late 90s when driving through you would see at least a dozen Chevs being driven or parked. 60s 70s and 80s models. Though in recent times you are now lucky to see one. Though again a rich rural area, probably with a GM dealer with a bit of flair.

Edited by Lee Nicolle, 06 July 2013 - 23:53.

[Lee Nicolle]

Narrabri is the nearest place that Google Earth recognises - it does look a bit barren!

Been there! I came down from Brisbane in January and it is more undulating than you may expect. On that road also is Parkes, the area where the film 'The Dish' was made a few years ago. And it is still there in the middle of a wheatfield about 15k from Parkes.

[Bob Riebe]

I wonder how many nos bias-ply tires they have?

If I could I would take them all.

[Magoo]

I wonder how many nos bias-ply tires they have?

If I could I would take them all.

You and Lee are kindred spirits. The world has not been the same since we fecklessly abandoned the T-head.

[Magoo]

Second Video!! Here's another whole batch of hoarded Chevrolets from the amazing Lambrecht collection in tiny Pierce, Nebraska. Includes two '65 Impala sport coupes with big-block power.



Video: More from the Lambrecht Chevrolet barn find collection | Mac's Motor City Garage.com

[Lee Nicolle]

I googled Lambrecht collection and found quite a lot about the cars. Very sad seeing cars with 2 miles on them rotting in the weather.