This Week on Hagerty Marketplace: 4 Fun Rides from the SugarCreek Collection

Welcome to This Week on Hagerty Marketplace, a recurring recap of the week’s most noteworthy cars from the Hagerty Marketplace online auctions.

This week we highlight four of the 16 cars (you can see the rest here) that Hagerty Marketplace is offering from the SugarCreek Collection, part of the remarkable assemblage of vehicles gathered by collector John Richardson, located in southeastern Ohio. Cared for by an in-house group of craftspeople, the SugarCreek vehicles have either been restored to stock condition like the mint 1969 Mercury Cougar and 1978 Clénet Series 1 offered here, or mild-to-moderately modified, like this 1946 Dodge pickup and 1965 Cadillac De Ville convertible. The bidding window on the Mercury and the Dodge closes on Monday, December 23, and on the Cadillac, Thursday, December 26, while the Clénet is up for a no-reserve auction through Friday, December 27. We don’t have to tell you what a splendid Christmas present any of these vehicles would make…

1969 Mercury Cougar XR-7 428CJ Ram Air Hardtop Coupe

In the interest of maximizing its platforms, most every car Ford built in the late 1960s had a Mercury counterpart. So yes, the Mercury Cougar shared some parts with the Ford Mustang, but seldom have platform-mates looked so different. The Cougar was typically considered more luxurious and civilized than the Mustang, except when it wasn’t—and this 1969 Mercury Cougar XR-7 was one of those cars, with the factory 428-cubic-inch V-8 with the ultra-rare CJ Ram Air, which also came with Whisper-Aire air conditioning.

Restored by SugarCreek and part of the collection since 2009, the Cougar’s 335-horsepower, four-barrel engine is mated to a floor-shifted C6 automatic transmission with a Traction-Loc differential. The interior has been restored but retains its stock appearance, though inside the glove compartment is an auxiliary set of Sunpro gauges. The exterior is finished in the original Medium Emerald Metallic with a black vinyl roof, while the interior is black leather. The Cougar is ready to show, or serve as an invigorating weekend cruiser.

1946 Dodge Custom W-Series pickup

Marketed as Dodge’s “Job Rated” trucks, the vehicles that rolled off the assembly line at the Warren, Michigan plant in the 1940s were largely destined for military service during World War II. The “W” distinction began in 1941, and was used through 1947. Commercial sales resumed in 1946, and that’s when this Custom W-Series pickup hit the market. The engine was the Chrysler flathead straight-six, but this truck rides with a 318-cubic-inch V-8, connected to an A904 three-speed automatic transmission with an authentic-appearing floor shifter.

Air conditioning has been added, along with power windows and a ceiling-mounted Sony Bluetooth stereo. It has power brakes, including discs up front; electric windshield wipers, shaved door handles, a custom wood steering wheel, and a security system. Part of the SugarCreek collection since 2021, this Dodge W-Series is prepared for work or play.

1965 Cadillac De Ville convertible

If “style” is more your style, it doesn’t get much more stylish than a 1960s Cadillac, especially a rare convertible. With an overall length of 224 inches, this De Ville is powered by a 429-cubic-inch V-8 with 340 horsepower, with a dual exhaust exiting through Flowmaster mufflers. The transmission is a three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic. The car joined the SugarCreek collection in 2009, and was the subject of a full restoration. It has since lived in a climate-controlled showroom.

Ideal for a Saturday night showcase or a Sunday afternoon cruise, this loaded De Ville (yes, two words), a true representative of Cadillac’s “Standard of the World” slogan coined in 1908, has a black power convertible top, and paint is Metallic Silver, over a black leather interior.

1978 Clénet Series I Roadster

Slide behind the Nardi steering wheel and imagine you’re in the company of Farrah Fawcett, Sylvester Stallone, Rod Stewart, former boxing champion Ken Norton, NFL quarterback Jim McMahon, and King Hassan II of Morocco—all, according to Wikipedia, owners of a Clénet. This 1978 Clénet Series 1 roadster was number 115 of 250 built by Clénet Coachworks, formed by Alain Clénet, formerly an American Motors designer, and investors in 1975 in California.

The idea behind the Clénet was to mix the opulent styling of 1930s high-end models, with modern technology that would allow the Clénet to be your daily driver. The engine was a 351-cubic inch Ford V-8, with a Ford C6 three-speed automatic transmission. The chassis was adapted from a Lincoln Continental Mark IV. The swoopy styling and the eight faux exhaust pipes created a memorable look, and beneath the folding top, the leather- and wood-trimmed interior, complete with a Waterford crystal ashtray, signaled a very distinctive bit of opulence.

This particular car arrived at the SugarCreek Collection in 2013 and underwent a cosmetic restoration that included refreshed cream and brown paint and reupholstered brown plush leather upholstery. The odometer shows 26,729 miles, believed to be accurate, and has been driven only 280 miles since it joined the Collection.

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