Hee Haw! Here’s your chance to own one of Roy Clark’s cars
If you’re looking for a classic vehicle with country music provenance, seven cars at the upcoming Leake Auction in Tulsa, Oklahoma, are sure to leave you a-pickin’ and a-grinnin’. The Roy Clark Collection, a handful of automobiles owned by the late Country Music Hall of Famer and Hee Haw star, will cross the block June 6–8.
Highlights of the collection are a 1964 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III limousine (Lot 8171) and a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville Safari Station Wagon (Lot 815), although none of Clark’s cars are in particularly great condition. They are being sold without reserve.
“The Rolls is a left-hand drive, and it has a relatively rare body style, which along with the Cloud III platform [more power features, V-8 engine] makes for a pretty good combination,” says Hagerty valuation editor Andrew Newton. “The Pontiac Bonneville wagon also has some nice options. It’s really rare to see a wagon in any kind of good condition these days, so it arguably stands out, even among more collectible GTOs, Catalinas, and the like.”
Clark, who died in November 2018 at age 85, won numerous country music awards, but his claim to fame was as co-host of the comedy-variety TV show Hee Haw, which ran from 1969–93. Clark, often playing banjo, and Buck Owens, on guitar, were the show’s jovial court jesters, specializing in corny jokes and comedy bits.
In addition to Hee Haw, Clark also had a recurring role on The Beverly Hillbillies, and he was the first country music artist to guest-host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show.
In 1969, Clark’s Yesterday, When I Was Young became a hit song on both the pop and country music charts. He also scored hits with Come Live with Me and Somewhere Between Love and Tomorrow.
Clark told NPR in a 2016 interview that Hee Haw was something many Americans could relate to, regardless of local culture. He recalled a time when he was in New York City and the show’s wide reach became crystal clear. “I was walking down the street and a guy yells across and says, ‘Hey, Roy, I’m a-picking!’ Well, I’m obligated to say, ‘Well, I’m a-grinning!’”
Other vehicles in the Roy Clark Collection are a 1957 Ford Thunderbird (Lot 8161), 1954 Ford Crestline Sunliner (Lot 816), 1972 Jeep CJ5 (Lot 814), 1961 Plymouth Fury (Lot 8141), and 1977 Lincoln Continental (Lot 8151).
Gary Bennett, general manager for Ritchie Bros., which acquired Leake in January 2018, said in a statement: “Roy Clark was an incredibly talented and influential entertainer with a passion for collecting cars… These vehicles were very near and dear to Roy, his wife, and his family. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase a car owned by an entertainment legend.”
Editor’s note: The seven vehicles in the Roy Clark Collection sold for a combined $161,500—1964 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III, $55,000; 1963 Bonneville Safari Station Wagon, $26,000; 1957 Ford Thunderbird, $26,000; 1954 Ford Crestline Sunliner, $20,000; 1961 Plymouth Fury, $14,500; 1972 Jeep CJ5, $13,000; and 1977 Lincoln Continental, $7000.
