250 Cars -- Owned By One Guy -- Hit The Block

250 lots in one classic car auction is impressive, but is not, in and of itself, big news. 250 lots from one single collection? Yes, that would be big news in the collector car atmosphere. And by the by, they are offered at No Reserve, which means each and every one will find a new owner on June 28 and 29.

Who is this guy? He's Art Astor, a well-known SoCal entertainment doyen, primarily radio and broadcast. Why is he selling his flock? The handsome, Xacto knife-sharp Astor has a simple answer: "I'm cutting down. I'm not getting any younger and I still love cars, but have too many. It's gotten to be a lot of work, and now takes a lot of space just to house it all"

"Cutting down" to Astor means he's reducing his approximately 325 car fleet to "just 75. Or so." The sale will be handled by RM Auctions, the folks that, a few weeks ago, shifted the ex-James Coburn Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder for nearly $11,000,000. The offerings are wonderfully varied. There isn't much from the brass era, but some pieces from the 20s, more from the 30s, and a ton of 40s, 50s, and 60s machines.

Astor shows a particular penchant for Fords, but there are some rocking Caddies, Chevys, Lincolns, Packards, and a few celeb pieces. Like sports cars? There are Jags, Mercedes SLs, Morgans, and others from which to choose. Ponies? Several Mustangs and Camaros, plus a Challenger R/T (Plum Crazy, of course...). Celeb cars? Names that pop up in the catalog range from Admiral Nimitz to Richard Carpenter. Want to own the very last Corvair built? Here's your chance. It's all original, with less than 1000 miles on the clock.

Besides the variety and eclectic nature of the offerings, I like the level of quality. There are a few solid concours pieces, many more in strong #2 condition, plus plenty "driver" level #3s, and nothing that qualifies as junk. And not all are high priced, fully optioned, super rare pieces here (although several are). So, some will be jewels in their future owners collections; others will make nice semi-classic drivers. All are driven regularly. Not every car in these photos will be in the sale, by the way. The winnowing was still in process on the day these pix were taken.

This deal is going to be a hootenanny, let me tell you. I'll be there, and if you're near Anaheim, California, that weekend, you should too. Get the details, and review the entire on-line catalog, at www.rmauctions.com