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For the past thirty years, Kruse
International, the world’s leading collector car auction
firm based in Auburn, Indiana, has conducted the Auburn
Collector Car Show and Auction over Labor Day weekend. The
following is a brief look at each year leading up to
Auburn 2006.
1971 FIRST
AUBURN AUCTION - This was the first year for
the Auburn Labor Day Auction. The one-day event consisted
of about eighty consignments. It was held in an empty
field near interstate I-69. A 1932 Duesenberg dual cowl
phaeton made world headlines when it was bid to $61,000,
but the owner did not sell. NBC News noted,
"A man turned
down $61,000 for a used car in Auburn, Indiana."
1972 SECOND
AUBURN AUCTION - The second annual Auburn sale
grew to about 150 cars and moved to DeKalb High School,
just north of Auburn, for a one-day event.
Greta Garbo’s
1933 Duesenberg Victoria sold for an astonishing world
record $90,000 to Charles Wood of Lake George, New York.
1973 FIRST
$100,000 CAR - The auction attracted about two
hundred and fifty cars and reached $2 million in sales.
Howard "Dutch" Darrin
was Grand Marshall of the
Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Festival Parade. Highlighted
Auction Sales were a 1936 Lincoln limousine for $36,000
and a new world record of $100,000 for a
1932 Duesenberg
purchase by Norm Weise of Indiana. "It’s easy with Weise."
1974 AUCTION
REACHED $4.5 MILLION IN BIDS - Nearly
sixty-three percent of the 450 cars consigned were sold.
Highlighted sales included $141,000 for a
1929 Duesenberg
Model J. With a V-windshield, a world record of $160,000
for a 1931 Duesenberg sedan convertible and $80,000 for a
bulletproof 1944 Mercedes-Benz 770K used by
Nazi General
Hermann Goering.
1975 AUCTION
BIDS HIT $7 MILLION - Kruse International sold
fifty-eight percent during its fourth annual event. Four
hundred and thirty cars were entered as bids hit $7
million. The entire event attracted almost 100,000
people. Highlighted cars included a
1931 Cadillac
Convertible Coupe with a 23.75-carat gold leaf exterior
selling for $100,000.
1976 1,000
CARS ON SITE - This was the first of the
three-day sales. More than 2,000 cars were on site to be
sold. Crowds were the largest ever with bidders filling
the High School football stadium. A
Model J Duesenberg
sold for $160,000. The entry fee was $50.
1977 ABOUT
SIXTY-SIX PERCENT SOLD - About sixty-six
percent of the eight hundred cars offered at auction were
sold. Highlighted sales included a
1930 Cord L29 for
$65,000, a 1957 Ford Thunderbird for $24,000, and a
1931
Cadillac for $54,000. Because of the tremendous number of
cars, Kruse was forced to raise the entry fee to $100
before the auction.
1978 -
About six hundred and fifty cars were
consigned. Highlighted car sales included a
1932
Duesenberg supercharged LaGrande dual cowl phaeton for a
world record of $235,000, a 1934 Duesenberg Murphy
Convertible Sedan for $157,000,
Rudolph Valentino’s
1927 Isotta-Fraschini for $90,000, and a
1933 Duesenberg
roadster for $200,000. The entry fee was increased to
$200.
1979 AUCTION
ATTENDANCE NEARS 100,000 - About fifty-three
percent of the seven hundred and fifty-four cars changed
hands. Attendance was about 100,000 people. Highlighted
sales were Lucy Luciano’s 1936 Lincoln for $147,500, a
1936 Auburn speedster for $66,000, a
1934 Duesenberg for
$170,000, and a 1932 Packard bid to $145,000.
1980 -
Sixty-five percent of eight hundred and fifty
cars consigned went home with new owners. Highlights
included a 1930 “Madame X” Cadillac V-16 sedan for
$61,000, a 1937 Cord Sportsman for $77,000, and a
1931
Cadillac V-12 phaeton for $110,000.
1981 100,000
PEOPLE ATTEND - Forty-eight percent of the
eight hundred and sixty cars offered during the auction
found new owners. Weekend crowds reached 130,000 people.
Headlines for the event featured the sale of
John Lennon’s
1956 Bentley which sold for $325,000.
1982 -
Nearly sixty percent of the eight hundred and
eighty cars that crossed the auction block sold. A
1932
Auburn sold for $100,000 and
Andy
and Vince Granatelli’s
turbine race car bid to $230,000.
1983 -
Approximately fifty-four percent of the eight
hundred and eighty-five cars were sold. Highlighted sales
included a 1930 Packard for $147,500 and a
1931 Packard
dual cowl phaeton for $100,000.
1984 -
Consignments stayed at eight hundred and eighty-five with
sixty-three percent selling. Highlights included a
1933
Duesenberg Willoughby sedan for $160,000, a
1931 Cadillac
V-16 for $110,000 and a 1934 Packard V-12 for $148,000.
1985
SEVENTY-EIGHT PERCENT SOLD - About
seventy-eight percent of the nine hundred and twenty-eight
cars consigned changed hands. Top sales included a
1929 Isotta-Fraschini for $150,000, a
1957 Jaguar SS100 LeMans
racer for $150,000, and a 1961 Ferrari V-12 for $120,000.
1986 NINE
HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE SOLD - Seventy-five
percent of the nine hundred and twenty-five vehicles left
with new owners. Notable sales included John Lennon’s
1956 Bentley for $79,000 and
twenty hand-painted
Rolls-Royces owned by the Guru Bhagwhan Shree Rajneesh for
$1.2 million. A 1929 Duesenberg Model J Victoria bodied
by Rollston attracted a high bid of $900,000
1987 OVER
1,000 CARS AUCTIONED - Nearly eighty percent of
the record 1,500 vehicles auctioned found new owners. A
1934 Duesenberg SJ 526 torpedo phaeton received a world
record bid of $3.25 million. Highlighted sales included a
1954 Ferrari 250 for $650,000, a
1933 Packard Custom
Dietrich Dual Cowl Phaeton for $605,000, and Jim and Tammy Bakker’s
1953 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn for $91,000.
1988 1,600
CARS CONSIGNED - Approximately seventy percent
of the 1,600 cars consigned were sold in Auburn, with
eight of fifteen Duesenbergs crossing the auction block
finding new owners. The top bid was $1 million for a
1929
Cord L29 Murphy town car previously owned by John
Barrymore. Highlighted sales included a
1930 Duesenberg J
Walker LaGrande torpedo Phaeton for $950,000, a
1931
Duesenberg Model J 581 convertible for $600,000 and a
1973
Jaguar XKE V-12 roadster for $64,500. Other Duesenberg
prices included a 1923 Model A Rubay touring for $80,000,
a 1930 J 237 dual cowl phaeton for $316,000, a
1930 LaGrande dual cowl phaeton for $300,000, and a
1931 J 518
Dietrich convertible for $600,000.
1989 KRUSE
AUCTION PARK OPENS - This marked the first year
at the new Kruse Auction Park. Nearly 1,500 vehicles were
offered as sixty percent sold. In addition, twelve
Duesenbergs crossed the auction block. Highlighted bids
were $1.8 million for a 1933 Duesenberg J 386, $1.4
million for a 1932 Duesenberg Murphy Coupe, and $1.25
million for a 1929 Duesenberg Berline Convertible.
Financial News Network aired the auction live nationally
for three hours while nearly forty celebrity-owned
vehicles crossed the block, including
"Herbie the Luvbug,"
and Al Capone’s 1932 Cadillac Imperial limousine which
sold for $100,000.
1990 THE
20TH ANNIVERSARY - This year marked the 20th
Anniversary of Kruse International’s Auburn Collector Car
Show and Auction. In addition, it was the first year Kruse
included a separate collectibles auction. Notable cars
for sale included a 1935 Duesenberg J-561 six-fender
limousine by Rollston, a 1931 Duesenberg J Torpedo
Phaeton, and a 1934 Cadillac Fleetwood 8-cylinder roadster
(1 of 2 built). Oliver North was in attendance and
received a long-standing ovation. The car corral numbers
reached 3,000 vintage automobiles.
1991
ATTENDANCE APPROACHES 150,000 - Attendance
reached nearly 150,000 with over 5,000 cars offered for
sale. Greta Garbo’s 1933 Duesenberg Model J
was bid to a
record $2,800,000 and later sold. A
1947 Cadillac coupe
sold for a record $80,000. The event was held in
conjunction with three other auctions: the Fitterling
Collection & Farm, the Wayne Sawyer Collection, and the
world’s largest Marhanka Antique Truck & Tractor
Collection.
1992 AUCTION
BROADCAST LIVE - About fifty-three percent,
roughly 1,500 cars were sold at this year’s auction. The
Shop-At-Home Network broadcast live from the site,
allowing buyers to purchase vehicles from their own
homes. A 1948 Buick Saoutchick Drophead Coupe sold for a
record $275,000. Celebrities in attendance included
Larry
Gatlin, Andy and Vince Granatelli, and Dr. Ferdie Pacheco.
1993 A
RECORD NUMBER OF CLASSICS SOLD - Once again,
Kruse sold over fifty-three percent of nearly 1,500
automobiles that crossed the auction block. Some of the
highlights included the sale of a 1932 Marmon V-16
convertible for $216,000. Lauren Hutton sold her
Mercedes-Benz 380 SL, and a
1934 Auburn V-12 Saloon sold
for $155,000. A record number of classics were sold over
the weekend.
1994 "BEST
COLLECTOR CAR EVENT IN THE WORLD" - The Auburn
`94 auction was the best collector car event in the
world. With no rain during the entire six-day event,
1,631 automobiles crossed the auction block. Nearly sixty
percent sold for a total of $25 million dollars.
Highlights were thirteen Duesenbergs offered, a
500K
Mercedes Roadster bid to $2 million, and a Japanese buyer
purchasing a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet C for
$530,000. Post auction figures marked the auction as the
best event since 1989,
A-C-D Festival officials estimated
more than 250,000 car enthusiasts participated in Auburn
`94
1995
SEVENTEEN DUESENBERGS UP FOR AUCTION - Roughly
sixty-six percent or 1,435 cars sold at this event.
Highlights included eleven of seventeen Duesenbergs
selling to the highest bidder, a 1948 Cadillac Saoutchick
Convertible Coupe for $472,500 and a
1963 Volkswagen "Herbie
the Luvbug" sold. Twenty-seven million dollars worth of
antique, vintage, classic, celebrity, and high performance
cars rolled across the auction block at Kruse
International’s silver anniversary collector car show and
auction. Some of the Duesenbergs to sell included a
1932
Duesenberg J Victoria Murphy for $1.26 million, a
1931
Duesenberg J 385 Rollston for $666,750, a
1936 Duesenberg
Convertible Sedan for $547,050, and a
1933 Duesenberg J Kirchoff Town Car for $525,000. Nearly 150,000 people
attended this gala auction.
1996 NEARLY
300,000 ATTEND - The Indiana State Police
estimated that nearly 300,000 people attended the Kruse
Auction and the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival in 1996.
More than sixty percent of the 1,625 cars offered at the
auction sold, making this the best year to date. Sales
exceeded $30 million as the crowd saw some of the most
desirable collections sold at auction. Two of these
collections were the Warshawsky Collection and the
Granatelli Collection, which sold for more than $3.5
million and $2 million respectively.
Chrysler Corporation
became the title sponsor of the Kruse Auction Series and
excited fans with a concept car and new car display. The
top sale of the weekend was a 1932 Duesenberg J 448 Derham
Tourister for $813,750. This car was part of the
Granatelli Collection.
1997 LIVE ON
INTERNET & TV - Kruse International set the
tone for the most successful year in the collector car
industry during the 1997 Auburn Auction. Some of the
highlights included the sale of a Rolls Royce used by
Princess Dianna, one of the
original Batmobiles, and the
first Prowler offered to the public sold for $141,000.
Jay Leno and
Wayne Newton were among the distinguished
guests at the auction podium. Auburn `97 was also the
first year for The Chrysler Corporation’s MOPAR show. The
top sale was a 1934 Packard Lebaron Coupe, which sold for
$650,000. Classics stole the spotlight for the week as
nearly every one offered found a new owner.
1998 NEARLY
70% OF THE 2,150 CARS SOLD - Nearly 70%
of the 2,150 cars sold to the highest bidder as $30
million changed hands. A 1932 Duesenberg J Murphy
Convertible Coupe sold for $650,000 and a
1932 Duesenberg
Le Baron Convertible sold for $435,000. The "Batman
Forever" Batmobile brought in $330,000 as a record crowd
watched in amazement.
1999 EBAY
TAKES LEADERSHIP ROLE - Under the first
year of eBay’s leadership, Kruse International continued
to break records and sell the world’s top vehicles. Auburn
Fall 1999 had many great automobiles up for grabs.
Highlights included the
1995 Batmobile Exhibition Vehicle
from "Batman Forever" selling for $342,500, a
1938 Packard
1608 Convertible Sedan bringing $168,000 and a
1931 Auburn Boattail Speedster fetching a cool $116,000. |
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