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An auction featuring over 500 vintage Chevrolet vehicles will take place in Pierce, a small town in northeastern Nebraska from the 28 through the 29 of September. The cars and pick-ups to be auctioned were collected over a period of 50 years by former dealership owner Ray Lambert, who claims he kept the vehicles assuming the cars would appreciate over time.
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About 50 of the cars have fewer than 20 miles on the odometer. Some are so rare that no price has been established yet. The vehicles haven't been touched in decades and some of them still have the manufacturers' plastic on the seats.
The most valuable car is a rare Chevy Cameo pickup that is expected to receive a six-figure bid.
Ray, 95, and his wife, Mildred, 92, retired in 1996 but still live in town. They reportedly decided to sell the collection so others could enjoy the vehicles.
Auctioneer Yvette VanDerBrink says she has received calls about the auction from all over the world, including Iceland, Singapore and Brazil.
"To find this many new, old vehicles is unheard of," she said. "It's like a white buffalo."
The most valuable vehicles were reportedly stored at a nearby warehouse until a until a heavy snow collapsed the roof. Many of the cars were saved, however, and moved to a different location. The rest sat under trees at a nearby farm the Lambrechts owned.
The cars will be sold as they are for collectors who view them as works of art to display or as restoration projects.
"This kind of stuff is absolutely the rarest of the rare," said Mark Gessler, president of the Historic Vehicle Association.
"You can see plenty of cars that have been restored. We want to ensure that we're celebrating the original craftsmanship, the original technique," he said. "It's a touchstone of our past."
