SANTA MONICA, CA – For automotive enthusiasts who are looking to score their potential holy grails, a slew of classic and rare cars from a late collector’s vast estate are being auctioned off to the highest bidder without any reserves being set.
Mark Smith – the owner of Smith Automobile Investments who passed away in 2021 at the game of 69 – will have his personal collection of 87 cars auctioned off by classic car auction house Gooding & Co. in Lynchburg, Virginia this April.
Smith’s collection is comprised of numerous rare and important vehicles, and is large enough that he had actually purchased several buildings in downtown Lynchburg to house them; among these buildings was a former Chrysler dealership that he converted into his own Midland Motors Museum, where the auction this April will be taking place.
David Gooding, president and founder of Gooding & Co., said that Smith’s collection going up for auction is a significant boon to automotive collectors the world over.
A brilliant and refined collector, Mark put together an incredible and varied collection of primarily unrestored prewar American and European treasures, which he often acquired after years of research and persistence,” Gooding said in a statement.
Among the vehicles being offered are a 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Offener Tourenwagen valued between $1.25 million and $1.75 million; a 1932 Chrysler CG Imperial Custom Roadster, worth between $800,000 and $1.2 million; a 1907 Ford Model K Touring, valued between $175,000 and $250,000; and a 1924 Ford Model T Speedster, with an estimate between $60,000 and $80,000.
The live auction will take place on April 7 at Midland Motors Museum, and the vehicles will not have any reserves; in addition to in-person bidding, interested parties can also bid online or by phone as well.
Christopher Boyle is an investigative journalist, videographer, reporter and writer for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® and The Published Reporter® as well as other independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher works on a wide variety of topics and fields, has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, from local to national, and helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening in the automotive world for Auto Buyers Market.