800+ trucks, tractors, and mid-century cars up for auction in NE
A huge collection of work trucks, tractors, and cars from the 1910s through the 1990s is set to be sold on October 26 and 27 by Kraupie’s Real Estate and Auctioneers. The auction, which we learned about thanks to Barnfinds.com, will be held at Scrapco, in Sidney, Nebraska, just north of Interstate 80 in the southern Nebraska panhandle. The bulk of the collection seems to be light- and medium-duty trucks from the ’30s,’40s, ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, with mid-century tractors from Massey-Harris, Ford, International Farmall, and John Deere to match. Even if trucks aren’t your thing, with more than 800 vehicles set for sale, there’s something to suit your tastes.
The 1946 Ford and 1967 Chevy shown above are a good representation of the bulk of the vehicles up for grabs, and while there might not be a lot of collectors that need a big flatbed, we hope that some of these workhorses can return to at least some kind of use, even if they’re kept with all of their patina. Among the hundreds of flatbed trucks, we spotted some rather unique and noteworthy models that are worthy of restoration.
One of the coolest cars that we found is the 1969 Cadillac wagon that you no doubt spotted above. Cadillac didn’t make wagons like this in the ’60s; they were built by upfitters. We’ve seen a couple of different variations of the roof and tailgate on these models; this combination seems to be lifted from a 1969 GM B-body and seamlessly grafted onto the Cadillac sedan. The pillarless four-door already had great lines, and the long roof only accentuates them. We’re already visualizing this thing restomodded with a 4L80 overdrive behind the big Cadillac V-8 and maybe some bull horns up front. You know, to keep it classy.
Besides our rare Cadillac, we found a rusty but seemingly complete Lincoln Continental, a six-pack of Fiat Spiders, and a fastback 1964 Barracuda missing its rear glass that got our imaginations going. Some collectors have taken notice of the Barracuda, but plenty of restorable classics have nary a bid.
While the collection seems to have a little bit of almost everything, there are a few other models that stand out. One that is definitely overrepresented is Studebaker’s Grand Turismo Hawk, with seven listed for sale. The unique roofline of this particular variant is stunning and is one of our favorite Brooks Stevens designs, which is saying something. In just that one photo, you can see four of them lined up together.
We also spotted three Olds Toronados, which has got to be the highest concentration of those uniquely beautiful personal luxury coupes we’ve seen in a long time.
Dig through the listings and you’ll find mid-century sedans and wagons from the Big Three as well as several Corvairs, including a few sedans, a couple of coupes, and a pair of vans.
If long-distance road trips are your calling, the auction has a couple of vintage RVs and some big sport utility vehicles that would make for excellent projects. Think of the boxy Chevy and Ford shown above as the grandfathers of the conversion van or mini RV. These short-wheelbase vans would require some innovative packaging inside to make for a comfortable mini RV, but we’d love to see some resourceful craftsperson give it a shot.
This GMC bus and International Harvester Travelall would both make excellent overlanders given the proper underpinnings. The Travelall has the same wheelbase as the second- and third-generation Ford Expedition, if you’re up for a chassis swap that doesn’t involve any shortening or stretching. Ford used Navistar diesel engines for a while, so you could justify the swap for all but the most hardcore of IH fans.
There’s not much time to make plans to see this auction if it wasn’t already on your radar, but if any of our readers do wind up with one of these classics we talked about, or any of the hundreds of others, please let us know about your plans and any progress. We’d love to see some of these projects make it back on the road.
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Look at all of that glorious patina…
Kentucy chrome
Ran when parked
Looks like a lot of non collectable junk based on what is posted.
But they’re “classics.” Calling them that makes them worth more. Somehow. All 800 of them—every last one– meets Webster’s “standard of enduring excellence….”
Just don’t dare call them old cars and trucks, or interesting old cars and trucks. No. “Classics.” Gold star for everyone, an A just for showing up. EZ4U No effort required. Every last one the equal of a Pegaso, Pierce-Arrow, ’56 Chrysler 300B, Alfa 8C 2900B. Easy money. No hurt feelings, no bruised egos.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder… I’d love to get my hands on one of those Toronados
I was going to say the exact same thing.,..
The Connie looks workable (assuming the rocker assemblies aren’t trash.) The Caddy Wagon has possibilities. SUVs/Vans are hot right now.
I mean it’s not a Mustang or Corvette, but I owned and own (respectively) those. what makes these interesting is that they’re *not* the same stuff.
Rivs/Toronados have been growing on me. It may be time to snag something (not here, closer to home.)
You mean “Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder!” Then that Tornado looks impressive. That’s how I found my first wife, needless to say I traded here in for a new model.
It will be interesting to see how many are sold… and how many ”take the ride”……
Having looked at several videos of these auctions, almost all will be sold and many of those sold will “take the ride.” No way to tell what hits the crusher.
Nope.
Tim,
Correct response IMHO
Open the link and view the auction…. there is a satellite map of the location. Enlarge the map and look around a bit… the site is among a large ”storage area” of domed bunkers….. that look like they were designed by the Gov’t in the 50’s…. wonder what is in them….
Having worked in that area of the military, they are, indeed, weapons/explosives storage facilities. It would be more interesting to see what once was inside of them.
Part of the former Sioux Ordinance Depot – closed in 1967. Interesting history; https://www.visitsidneyne.com/sioux-army-depot/
Funny how my brain works. I saw Hemi Under Glass and Hurst Hairy Olds…
Most of that will buff out. New battery and fresh gas and…….. nope. Take lots of paper money to make these into “something” and the aftermarket hasn’t been to kind to most of them. Maybe they will be donor cars for better ones still out there?
Sidney is a hell of a town, and one of my favorite places to visit. If you’re within a day’s drive — and on I-80 that is quite a distance — I can’t recommend it highly enough. Eat at Dude’s. Even if you don’t buy a car, you will have a good time.
“I will take Olds Tornados for $1000.00 please Alex”. Super cool cars, but very expensive restoration costs.
That Caddy is a 1970, not 69
Correct!
The Toronados caught my eye.
Why, why is hagerty so late on their story that their readers can’t make plans to attend. Why didn’t you just tell us this story next week after it happened. I’m So disappointed.
It’s been talked about for weeks….
I would love to be in Sidney, NB on this fine Fall Day, just to witness all of the hoopla. Maybe I could find “Christine”. It looks like a neat little town, and the menu at “Dude’s” looks fantastic! Too bad it happened on such short notice.
I believe that is more correctly described as an “accumulation” (or maybe a hoardarium) rather than a collection.