Rag Tops Auto Museum Collection to cross auction block

AUBURN, Ind. - Auctions America by RM will lift the gavel on 68 vehicles and a selection of vintage motorcycles from Indiana’s well-known Rag Tops Auto Museum Collection when its second annual Auburn Fall Collector Car Weekend gets under way Sept. 1-4, 2011.

Located in Michigan City, Ind., the Rag Tops Auto Museum - in operation from 2003 until 2011 - was regarded as Northwest Indiana’s largest antique auto and memorabilia museum, well-known by automotive enthusiasts. Following the museum’s closure earlier this year, 68 vehicles from the collection along with a selection of vintage motorcycles will be offered "without reserve" at Auction America by RM’s upcoming Auburn Fall sale.

Donnie Gould, president, Auctions America by RM, notes, “The offering is a great celebration of America’s rich automotive history, encompassing a wide range of marques and eras, and we expect it will attract strong interest from collectors across the continent.”

Spanning from the early 1900s through to 2000, the Rag Tops Auto Museum Collection caters to a diverse range of automotive tastes, with a particular emphasis on American classics from the 1950s through 1970s.

Among a long list of notable highlights set for the auction block: an ultra-rare 1957 DeSoto Firedome Convertible (Est. $140,000 - $180,000); a rare, fully-restored 1958 Dodge Coronet Convertible (Est. $70,000 - $95,000); and a superbly restored 1970 Plymouth Superbird, showing just 56,000 miles (Est. $100,000 - $125,000). More recent automotive design is represented by a nearly-new 1999 Shelby Series I Roadster, boasting just 498 miles (Est. $90,000 - $120,000), and a 2001 Darryl Gwynn / Mike Dunn Top-Fuel Dragster ($50,000 - $100,000), as formerly sponsored by the New York Yankees and autographed by various Yankees players including Mariano Rivera, David Wells, Scott Brosius, as well as former Manager, Joe Torre.

The motorcycle offering is headlined by a 1958 Harley-Davidson FLH Panhead (Est. $15,000 - $25,000).

The Rag Tops Auto Museum Collection will be joined at Auctions America by RM’s Auburn Fall sale by a select group of 39 vehicles from a private Pennsylvania collection, in addition to 17 vehicles from a private Michigan collection, all to be offered "without reserve."

Highlights from the Pennsylvania collection include: a 1948 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet (Est. $40,000 - $60,000); a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster (Est. $35,000 - $40,000); and a 1982 Excalibur Boattail (Est. $35,000 - $45,000). The Michigan-based collection is equally diverse; notable entries include a 1966 Plymouth Hemi Satellite (Est. $50,000 – $70,000); a 1970 Dodge T/A Challenger (Est. $55,000 – $65,000); and a 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo (Est. $80,000 – $100,000).

The 2011 Auburn Fall Collector Car Weekend will be held at the Auburn Auction Park, Auburn, Indiana. For complete event, consignment and bidding information, call 260-927-9797 or visit www.auctionsamerica.com.

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