Now this is my kind of classic-car auction! Mecum is putting 295 cars — and other types of vehicles — under the hammer on September 20-21. The lots belong to the Klairmont Kollections Automotive Museum (second “K” is not a typo, it’s just klever) in Chicago, which is sadly shutting down. That’s bad news for Windy City residents, but good news for fans of 1960s-vintage Vespas, assorted Citroëns, Jeeps from the 1940s, and some choice 1950s-era Cadillacs.
The Drive reports that the collection belonged to Larry Klairmont, a Chicago property magnate who died in 2021. The museum presented an opportunity for the public to check out some pretty fantastic sheet metal, including replicas of the Batmobile from the ’89 film and a “Back to the Future” DeLorean, complete with a “fog machine.” Personally, I’d like to bid on a 1969 Karmann Ghia convertible, boasting a groovy three-speed “autostick” (no clutch!) transmission and a 1.5-liter air-cooled flat-four that according to my research cranked out a whopping 53 horsepower.
Get yourself a nice old Vespa
The “Larry’s Legacy” auction includes five Vespas from the 1960s, as well as a gaggle from the single year of 1984, apparently a favorite for Klairmont. And he didn’t just dig two-wheeled Vespas; the auction has a 1957 Vespa 400 Coupe, which was actually made in France and, believe it or not, imported to the U.S. in the late 1950s.
There are 11 Cadillacs, with the showpiece being a 1959 Eldorado Biarritz sporting a Desert Rose paint job and all the chrome, tail fins, and whitewalls that legendary designer Harley Earl could muster. Sticking with General Motors, we also have a stonking 1966 Pontiac GTO Coupe with its original Starlight Black exterior and a very slick blue interior.
The oldest vehicle in the no-reserve auction is an 1899 Mobile Steamer Roadster that did indeed run on steam and was acquired by the museum in 2024 (a horse-drawn hearse dates to 1844). There’s also a 1903 Oldsmobile Runabout and a 1910 Buick Model 10. The newest ride is a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, with just over 11,500 miles on the odometer.
What a fun guy Larry Klairmont must have been!
It’s too bad that Larry’s museum is liquidating. This is the kind of place than any kid or self-respecting adult who refuses to grow up would find utterly delightful. For that full-size Hot Wheels/Matchbox vibe, I give you a 1963 VW Bus, a 1971 Super Beetle, a 1973 VW Thing, and even a 1960 Dune Buggy in acid green that is a Hot Wheels special edition.
More serious gearheads might be drawn to the 1961 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback, an unrestored example, or a 1954 Corvette that was restored to the tune of $100,000. If you just want something awesome and used, there’s a Bright Aqua 1992 convertible Vette that might end up being something of a steal. And if the truly obscure is your bag, then the auction has eight American Bantams, from the plucky little company that existed only from 1938 to 1941. You can also bid on a single homemade prop plane. Mecum says that the 1926 Rickenbacker Eight Super Sport is the only one that exists.
If you want to review the full range of vehicles in the auction or register to bid, Mecum has posted everything here. They add that more than 1,000 pieces of signage and other types of road art will be on the block, and that the museum will host a preview, open to the public, the weekend of September 13-14.
