Auburn, Indiana – Labor Day weekend in Auburn, Indiana, is a long-standing tradition in the collector car world and Worldwide Auctioneers is counting down to its largest ever event at the end of August. 400 cars are slated for the 54th Annual Auburn Auction and Show, with well over half offered at no reserve, including four exciting, no-reserve private collections. With something to suit everyone, enthusiasts can look forward to a dynamic three-day sale with a curated offering of outstanding sports, supercars and hypercars, celebrity owned vehicles, custom motorcycles, pioneering race cars, exceptional pre-war automobiles, state-of-the-art cybertrucks, muscle cars, classics and vintage trucks, as well as an extensive selection of the best memorabilia to be found. The auction kicks off at 11am on Thursday, August 29, culminating in Saturday evening’s boutique catalogue sale, The Main Event on Saturday, August 31, and is open to the general public as well as to collectors. Auction catalogues and the full inventory can now be enjoyed online at worldwideauctioneers.com.
Worldwide Auctioneers
This year’s sale offers enthusiasts an unprecedented opportunity to acquire the only two 1937 Miller-Gulf Race Cars in existence, with two-of-two of the historic racing cars commissioned by Indianapolis 500 veteran Ira Vail slated for the auction. Each is among the last of the major racing car projects completed in partnership with Gulf Oil by the legendary Harry Miller, the most successful and creative racing engineer and constructor of the pre-WWII era, and each is a tour de force of advanced engineering and construction. Recognized as the most original survivor by Miller aficionados, Chassis Number 1 will cross the block alongside Chassis Number 2, the only other 1937 Miller-Gulf Race Car ever built, another pioneering example that was formerly exhibited at both The Amelia and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Worldwide Auctioneers
Auburn has welcomed more than its fair share of celebrity vehicles cars over the decades and the event will showcase a true piece of rock and roll history when The Grateful Dead’s personal equipment truck crosses the block, an infamous psychedelically painted 1949 Studebaker M5, known as “The Dred”, formerly owned by the ‘Acid King’ Owsley Stanley himself. No less wild is the 1998 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster used in the hit movie ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio, notably in the infamous Benihana arrest scene, 1 of just 132 U.S. production examples built between 1995 and 1999. Offered from the Lone Star Estate Collection is an iconic 1952 Harley-Davidson Captain America Motorcycle, one of two choppers used in the iconic 1969 film ‘Easy Rider’, comprehensively repaired and restored after the famous crash scene by actor Dan Haggerty, and offered at no reserve. Bike enthusiasts can also look forward to a very rare offering of two wildly psychedelic custom choppers owned and built by famed custom builder and Strokers Dallas owner, Rick Fairless. Also slated for the sale is a well-documented 1962 Lincoln Continental Convertible, with the historical distinction of having carried President John F. Kennedy during his trip in a parade celebrating the ‘Niagara Frontier’ in 1962, with only three owners from new.
Worldwide Auctioneers
The line-up also presents enthusiasts with an eye-watering selection of modern sportscars, supercars and hypercars, including one of the fastest production Ferraris ever produced, an ultra-exclusive 2024 Ferrari SF90 Spider Assetto Fiorano, offered without reserve from the Lone Star Estate Collection, with a staggering $ 252,000 in factory options. Again selling without reserve is Ferrari’s highest performing 488 series car, a very well-optioned 2020 Ferrari 488 Pista Spider, a one-owner supercar ordered new by the Lone Star Estate Collection. Among the other ultra-desirable sports and supercars going under the hammer are a stunning 2019 Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series, 1 of a mere 200 cabriolets produced, with just 225 break-in miles from new, and a well-documented U.S.-spec 1987 Lamborghini Countach 5000QV, the poster car of the ’80s and ’90s. Striking 60’s European sportscars include a highly equipped, numbers-matching 1969 Ferrari ‘Sunroof’ 365 GT 2+2, custom ordered new by casino magnate Bill Harrah, offered at no reserve, and a very rare 1967 Iso Grifo Series I, 1 of just 200 Series 1 examples built, judged best unrestored car at the 2015 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Invitational. There is no shortage of iconic American sportscars in the sale, including a singular 1965 Shelby GT350, 1 of only 562 examples produced, verified and listed in the SAAC Shelby Registry.
Worldwide Auctioneers
Significant pre-war automobiles consigned include a recently restored ACD certified 1932 Auburn 12-160A Boattail Speedster, the epitome of art deco elegance and exceptional power. Exhibited at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2023 and offered from long-term ownership, it is one of two significant Auburn Speedsters to be auctioned in this year’s sale. Also on offer is a sensational 1937 Delage D8-120 Cabriolet, comprehensively restored by Carrosserie Lecoq in France, the resident of multiple prolific collections including Louis Vuitton dynasty heir, Herve Ogliastro.
Worldwide Auctioneers
Much more far out there and offered with a mere 166 delivery miles is a 2024 Tesla 2024 Tesla Cyberbeast Truck. Equipped with the most desirable Cyberbeast package and delivering a mind boggling 2.6-second 0 to 60, it is one of the most futuristic and technologically advanced vehicles ever produced.
Car enthusiasts can also enjoy an on-site marketplace of hand-picked automotive lifestyle vendors, car corral and swap meet, as well as experience the host of outstanding participant and spectator events staged as part of the celebrated long-running Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival. The 54th Annual Auburn Auction and Show is scheduled to run over Labor Day weekend from Thursday, August 29 to Saturday, August 31 at Kruse Plaza in Auburn, Indiana, from 11am – 8pm daily, with auction preview, car corral and swap meet on Wednesday, August 28, from 9am-6pm.
Full details on consignments, schedules, bidder registration, general admission and vendor, swap meet and car corral registration are available at worldwideauctioneers.com, with additional information on the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, museums and related events available online here at Destination Auburn. Consignments can be discussed with a Worldwide specialist at +1.260.925.6789 or sales@worldwideauctioneers.com
If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.
Want a taste of Old Cars magazine first? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter and get a FREE complimentary digital issue download of our print magazine.
