Norwalk vintage car auction brings in $2 million

7/17/2017
BY MARK REITER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
  • CTY-auction16p-15

    Cars in the Ron Hackenberger Collection Auction are on hand during the auction at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

    THE BLADE/LORI KING
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    • NORWALK, Ohio — The collection of antique cars, trucks, tractors, and more belonging to Ron Hackenberger were auctioned off to the tune of an estimated $2 million, according to final bid results posted on the auctioneer's website.

    The weekend sale of more than 700 vehicles, including more than 250 Studebaker cars, trucks, ambulances, and a school bus, were held at the Summit Motorsports Park and the former Wolohan Lumber near the Ohio Turnpike.

    Yvette VanDerBrink, a Minnesota auctioneer who partnered with JF Marketing Ltd. of Westlake, Ohio, in the auction, said more than 700 on-site bidders were on hand for the two days and an additional 600 bidders signed up for online proxy bidding.

    “We had a lot of people out there. There was standing-room only for the auctions,” she said.

    Day 1 of the auction, Saturday, saw the big-ticket vehicles hit the block with about 400 selling for an estimated nearly $1.6 million, according to Ms. VanDerBrink's website.

    Highlights of the first day included a restored 1947 Indian Chief motorcycle with sidecar selling for $36,000. A 1965 convertible Amphicar with 900 miles sold for $30,000, and a rare 1949 model Tatraplan imported by a serviceman from Europe went for $22,000.

    Mr. Hackenberger, a retired trucking company owner and former cattle rancher, started collecting the vehicles about 40 years ago. He developed a taste for just about everything but had a soft spot for the orphan cars of the post World War II independent auto manufacturers.

    Mr. Hackenberger, 81, said he will not know the final results of the auction for several weeks, but he felt the sale met his expectations.

    “Everything went pretty well I thought. The cars sold for what I thought they would sell for in general,” he said.

    Other vehicles that went for high amounts included:

    ● A 1967 Porsche 912 Coupe sold for $25,000.

    ● A 1969 Jaguar XKE roadster sold for $30,000.

    ● A 1963 Jeep Forward Control 150 sold for $10,000.

    ● A 1938 Studebaker J5 Coupe Express pickup sold for $30,000.

    ● A 1958 Packard Supercharged Hawk sold for $19,000.

    Contact Mark Reiter at markreiter@theblade.com or 419-724-6199.