Lambrecht Chevrolet auction update: More detail on the cars

In about seven weeks, roughly 500 cars from Lambrecht Chevrolet in Pierce, Neb., will go across the auction block. And pre-bidding has already started on this massive time-capsule collection, accumulated over the course of many decades by Ray and Mildred Lambrecht, a husband and wife team who ran the dealership for more than 50 years. Autoweek will be in Pierce, Neb., to cover the sale in late September and to preserve a sample of the dust on the dealership floor for scientific study.

Normally collections such as Lambrecht's tend to arise when someone stashes cars with the intent to restore them at some point in the future. Inevitably, that point in the future never really arrives, and the collection is liquidated when the owner realizes that they're never going to be able to restore all the cars. The Lambrecht Chevrolet collection is a bit different, as it was accumulated over time with the express purpose of selling the cars at some point in the future.

Ray and Mildred opened the doors of their dealership in 1946 in the small town of Pierce, Neb., a couple hours northwest of Omaha and just an hour and half west of Sioux City, Iowa. Ray and Mildred reportedly operated the facility for 50 years, never taking a vacation, and had only one employee, a mechanic. The couple ran the dealership as a prototypical "mom and pop store" and did all the work themselves, as a family. Ray and his daughter Jeannie removed the protective white wax from the new cars as they were delivered, while Mildred kept the books for the dealership, also serving as a notary public and making almost daily runs to pick up new parts. The couple switched from typewriters to computers back in the 1980s, but continued to use the same cash register that the store started out with back in 1946.

In 1996 Ray was forced to give up his franchise, though he kept all the facilities and all the cars that he had bought for himself. In essence, the dealership exists now in the same state it was in when the door was locked for the last time, in 1996, though many of the cars had been there much longer. Jeannie recounted that the decision to sell all the cars was a difficult one for her parents, who are now in their 90s, but perhaps an inevitable one given the collection's size.

Pre-bidding has already started and there are clearly some favorites out there for which garage spaces are already being readied. We suspect a fair number of these cars will remain not only with the same mileage they have now, but also the same dust on the exterior; a number of rougher examples are sure to be restored and put back on the road. But one thing's for certain: Each one of these time capsule cars will be known in collector circles as a Lambrecht Chevrolet car.

We say "car" because, though they're almost all Chevrolets, a couple other marques like Kaiser and Pontiac have also crept into the collection, likely cars that the dealership worked on before their owner abandoned them. A few really "heavy" model years are especially well represented here, like 1957, 1964 and 1965. The most recent car we spotted so far is from 1986 (a Cavalier sedan, if you're wondering), but this is largely a 1950s and 1960s car cache.

We listed some of the lowest-mileage examples available at the Lambrecht Chevy auction earlier this summer, but here's some additional information on the more interesting lots up for auction:

VanDerBrink Auctions
The 1964 Impala has just 4 miles on the clock, and will clean up nicely after the Lambrecht auction.

First up is 1964 Chevrolet Impala two-door hardtop, with just 4 miles on the odometer. To answer your next question: Yes, this car is very representative of the rest of the lots in the sale. This one sat in the dealership window and years and years, and pre-bidding has already reached $14,250.

VanDerBrink Auctions
A 1958 Chevy Apache truck with 5 miles on the odometer to be auctioned from the Lambrecht Chevrolet collection.

Here's another delivery-mileage vehicle, a 1958 Chevrolet Apache 31 Series 1/2 Ton Pickup. This one is going to require some cleanup, and the wood in the bed will need to be replaced, but other than that, this car hasn't been touched in decades. How many miles? Just 5. Bidding on it has reached $9,000 so far. We're fans of these Apache trucks, but the last one we saw certainly didn't have delivery mileage on the clock.

VanDerBrink Auctions
1958 Chevrolet Cameo with 1.3 miles at Lambrecht Chevrolet auction in Pierce, Nebraska.

One of the most popular lots so far is probably this 1958 Chevrolet Cameo Pickup. This one's got some roof damage from when the ceiling collapsed onto the truck due to a heavy snow load, but the interior escaped unharmed. It shouldn't be too difficult to make this one right, but it's another question of whether it will be -- or should be -- repaired. This truck has just 1.3 miles on it. We have a feeling this one will end up in a collection where not even the "all original" dust will be removed from the body, which seems kind of a shame.

And yes, this is likely the lowest-mileage Cameo pickup in existence.

VanDerBrink Auctions
Just 5 miles on the clock of this 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy Pace car to be auctioned from Lambrecht Chevrolet.

Here's another crowd pleaser, one that's sure to inspire a rabid bidding war: A 1978 Chevrolet Indy Pace Car Corvette, in a two-tone, black-and-silver color scheme with red stripes. A 350 V8 automatic, this 'vette has just 5 miles on the clock. Once again, what are the odds that even another mile will ever be added to this car? We're hoping that this one finds itself in the hands of someone who will at least have it trucked to concours events around the country. Pre-bidding has reached $25,500 so far, which is only a fraction of what it's bound to sell for when the dust settles.

VanDerBrink Auctions
This Lambrecht Chevy Vega needs a period-appropriate political bumper sticker, stat!

We can't pass over some malaise-era goodness in the form of this 1977 Chevrolet Vega hatchback with just 6 miles on the odometer. Yes, it's an automatic, but who cares? If this isn't the lowest-mileage Chevrolet Vega in private hands, then we don't know where the real one is. Start searching eBay for Carter-Mondale bumper stickers right now if you're in the market for this one. Pre-bidding has only reached $1,100, but this lot is sure to get into five figures fast once the bidding starts on auction day.

On Sept. 28-29 roughly 500 "new old" cars from Lambrecht Chevrolet in Pierce, Neb., will go across the auction block. Autoweek will be in Pierce, Neb., to cover the sale and to preserve a sample of the dust on the dealership floor for scientific study. Check out our Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction page for all our past updates and complete coverage from the auction, or follow us on Twitter @autoweekusa or Facebook.

By Jay Ramey