NOVI, Mich. -- The Woodward Dream Cruise is months away, but cars that would be blasts to drive in the big event this summer were among the many changing ownership at the Classic Car Auction of Michigan, staged by RM Auctions in the Rock Financial Showplace.The Woodward Dream Cruise is months away, but cars that would be blasts to drive in the big event this summer were among the many changing ownership at the Classic Car Auction of Michigan, staged by RM Auctions in the Rock Financial Showplace.
The event, which annually kicks off the classic car "season" in the state, was held in the Novi Showplace and provided a showcase for the cars from two large private collections, one compiled by the late Claud M. "Bud" Mick Jr. of Michigan and the other by 87-year-old Ed Oberhaus of Ohio.
While Oberhaus, whose company made hardware for the garage door industry, focused on Cadillacs, Mick's collection ranged the automotive spectrum, from a 1912 Ford Model T Speedster to a big blue 1934 Bugatti and from pickup trucks to muscle cars. Mick's Vinewood Metalcraft Inc. produced sheetmetal prototypes to the automakers.
Nearly 100 vehicles from Mick's collection and more than two dozen Cadillacs from Oberhaus were featured by RM.
Bugattis are rare enough, but one offered at "no reserve" is almost unheard of and the bidding on Mick's 1934 Bugatti Type 57 Galibier sedan drew telephone calls from Europe. The Galibier sedan takes its name from a famous French pass over the Alps. Its custom coachwork includes small rear-seat access doors and also is noteworthy for the use of aluminum in its body panels. With no minimum price set by the vehicle's owner, the French classic sold for $242,000.
Another of Mick's classics was the auction's No. 2 car, a 1938 Packard Twelve Brunn touring cabriolet that sold for $187,000. The car was among only 17 such Brunn-bodied convertibles built around Packard's 12-cylinder engine.
The quality of Mick's automotive tastes shows not only in those cars, but also in other top-sellers from the RM auction, including a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible that drew $154,000, a 1958 Pontiac Bonneville convertible that went for $129,250, a 1968 Plymouth GTX Hemi convertible that was bid to $120,000, and a 1930 Pierce-Arrow Model A convertible coupe that went for $107,250.
The only non-Mick car that sold for more than $100,000 was a 1958 Chevrolet Impala convertible that brought $121,000.
RM returns to Michigan Aug. 2 for its annual Vintage Motor Cars at Meadow Brook Hall auction, staged in conjunction with the annual Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance.
