GM Big Block Collection Stashed Away for Years Hides Gems
Muscle car collection was eventually auctioned off.
Some of us might be considered hoarders by non-car friends and family members. They simply don’t understand why we hold on to a project car or a particular part. Or in the case of Tom Brown, about 70 cars and an entire property filled with everything GM big block. HotRod picked up the story that assuredly many of us can relate to, and even aspire to.
After years of collection, Brown’s roundup of GM rides finally hit a breaking point, and the collection was liquidated. Based on the breakdown of cars and parts, some really incredible examples were in Brown’s collection, and some people got incredible deals on big block cars.
Two of the biggest sellers were actually from Cadillac. Both, in fact, were 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Barritz convertibles, but one was a bit more complete than the other. Still, 3/4ths of a Barritz sold for $66,000, and the blue one which hadn’t been picked apart was sold for $91,300.
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For those of us more interested in muscle cars, there was plenty on offer there, too. Brown’s favorite must have been the Chevelle, because there’s over a dozen of them, mostly SS models, too. The Camaro was a close second, with 13 of those on offer, in every trim package available, and even a COPO Camaro 427 engine block was available, too.
Mother Nature played her part on many of these cars, however, and a good majority were sold as a rolling chassis for parts, or for a very ambitious restoration project. More impressive are the amount of cars that look solid, and managed to escape the curse of rust that comes from the collection’s Midwest location in Michigan.
Considering there’s so many cars on offer here, we’re wondering what would be your kind of car to pick from this collection. Would you pick a ready-to-drive ride like a gorgeous maroon 427/435 Corvette? Would you prefer a rolling chassis 1970 GTO with a solid body to build up? Or would you be one of the parts seekers, and snatch up a COPO 427 big block for a period correct special?
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