An unbelievable gamble hit pay dirt for two men in Colorado. They struck Chevrolet gold! The Commerce City Collection on July 16, in Commerce, Colorado.
VanDerBrink Auctions
Car guys are always dreaming about that unknown car find. Bruce and Tom are car guys that have known each other for about 35 years. They both work in similar industries with trucking and trucks and both of them had driven past this small, run-down office building with a wooden fence for years. Bruce, playing a little detective work, had figured out who owned the property and finally got the chance to see what was lurking behind those dark doors. The guys met with the representative and ventured into the dark and dirty building. It was obvious that nothing had moved for 30 to 50 years. There were piles of parts, mounds of garbage, and inches of dust and grime. But through all the debris and dirt, they could see the tail fins of a 1957 Chevrolet, and another one, and then a 1957 wagon, and who knew what else was in there. The tour didn’t just include the one building, but went to another, and another, and finally a small house with the wooden fence. They peered over the fence and could see that cars were stacked like cord wood. Door to door with trees growing up through them. It was a “Tri-Five hive.” There were 1955 and 1957’s Nomads, convertibles, and more.
Bruce and Tom couldn’t believe what they were looking at and where it was at. They had driven by this property for years and wouldn’t have imagined so many Chevrolets and parts were in there. The owners had mentioned that they were selling the property and needed all the stuff and vehicles to be gone. Not missing a beat, Tom and Bruce made an offer. Sadly, it was declined. About 2 months later, the owner called them back and wanted to know if they were still interested. They got their checks in order and met the lawyer at the property. They traded the checks for a stack of titles and keys. Then started the task of extracting the cars and parts. This was the mystery and gamble of what they were going to actually find in all the darkness and debris.
The guys started the work of cleaning and soon uncovered a 1969 Camaro convertible, a 1968 Camaro convertible, Camaro parts, and 1955 and 1957 Chevy Nomad Wagons and regular wagons. There was a Chevrolet Blazer, some pickups, and motors and parts everywhere. The vehicles were everything from original projects, to parts, and even the families one-owner 1957 Chevrolet Belair 4-dr. wagon that looks like they just parked it and left. They went from one property to another finding more and more parts and cars. Finally, they made their way to the house. The place that was hidden behind the wooden fence. The previous owner had cut off roofs of sedans and placed them over the roofs to protect them and laid down a black tarp on the ground before he placed the cars. Thinking some of them were sedans, when they took off the roofs, they were 1957 Convertibles! Trees had to be cut and a lot of manpower was called for, but the cars were extracted from the property. The guys found 35 doors under the crawl space of the house and more parts in the garage. Tri-Five seats, more motors, and even Nomad tailgates.
Now that the guys had their friends and wives helping, they had spent countless hours hauling everything home. What were they going to do with it all? A few vehicles were kept for all their hard work, but the remainder will be sold at auction on July 16th, 2022 Live onsite with online bidding for the vehicles, and if you want all those parts, you got to be onsite bidding. When they finished, there were approx. 50 vehicles including multiple 1957 and ‘55 Nomad Wagons, 1957 Chevrolet convertibles, Camaros, 1960’s Nova’s and Chevy II’s, a 1956 International Traveall, and more… Hundreds of Chevrolet parts including sheet metal, motors, intakes, seats, and more. They filled 3-53 ft. containers with parts!
VanDerBrink Auctions will sell this Tri-Five and Chevrolet Hoard on July 16th, 2022 just 4 miles from the Denver airport at Bruce’s home in Commerce City, Colorado at 9:30AM. The auction is Live onsite with online bidding for the vehicles, but if you want all those parts, you must be present to buy and bid. Preview will be Friday July 15th, 2022 and you won’t want to miss this auction. For pictures, info, and more auctions check the website www.vanderbrinkauctions.com , See you there!
Yvette VanDerBrink- Auctioneer- The Salvage princess
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