Collection of vintage cars up for auction

Few people in the area are even aware that Carson City is home to one of the largest collections of Hot August Nights-vintage cars in the nation.

The collection of some 200 vehicles is the result of 37 years of collecting by longtime Carson developer Garth Richards. How and why has his collection remained a relatively well-kept secret?

"I didn't want the publicity for a number of reasons, like vandalism," Richards said.

That will all change this month, though, because Richards plans to auction most of them off over a four-day period starting Aug. 25.

"I'll be 76 years old," he said. "It's time some of these things went somewhere else."

With longtime friend and automotive adviser Mitch Silver, they are planning an event Silver says could draw thousands of car enthusiasts, buyers and visitors to Carson City.

Among the vehicles up for sale is the first collector car he ever purchased: a red 1955 Ford Thunderbird convertible.

Another factor, he said, is that if something happens to him, he doesn't want to leave his wife with the chore of dealing with the cars. He pointed to Bill Harrah, who died with more than 1,000 vehicles in his collection and no instructions to his heirs on what to do next.

"He made no provisions," Richards said, "and look what happened."

He said he has considered handing them over to a museum: "If somebody would buy the land out here (at Silver Oak) and build the building, I'd give them the cars."

He says he'll keep his favorites, including the iconic 1959 red Cadillac convertible with the huge tail fins that has become the symbol of Hot August Nights. But he's planning to sell off more than 40 other Cadillacs, which are the most numerous vehicles in the collection.

Silver, who has run Silver Auctions and conducted the annual Hot August Nights annual auction in Reno for 21 years, said 15,000 full-color catalogs showing off the vehicles on the auction block have been printed and most sent to potential buyers he has dealt with for decades.

"I think we'll fill every (hotel) room in town," he said.

Unlike the old Harrah collection or collections belonging to people like Jay Leno, Richards didn't focus on vehicles from the '20s and '30s.

"Most of mine are from the '50s and '60s," he said. "That's the cars I grew up with."

He said he also focused on the rarest models and those with unusual options.

A large percentage of the cars in the collection are convertibles, which Silver said people regard as special and save from the junkyard.

The vehicles in his two large garages are a trip down memory lane, with many brands and models that have long ceased to exist - names like Rambler, Edsel, Packard, Hudson, DeSoto and Studebaker, among others.

But there are very few foreign cars - just a couple of MGs, an Austin Sprite, a Mercedes, a Volkswagen convertible and one Rolls-Royce.

"I have some very rare cars," he said.

One of the most unusual - even Silver had never seen one before - is the Crosley fuel tanker, designed to fill up private aircraft at small airports. It holds just 200 gallons of fuel and looks about the size of an old VW.

Richards said he's keeping that one because it's unique.

He said he is also auctioning off a large amount of auto memorabilia, including numerous signs.

In addition to Richards' collection, Silver said there will be probably 200 or more other vehicles available at the auction. He said he expects a minimum of 1,000 buyers to show up at Silver Oak Golf Course, Richards' residential and commercial development at the northern end of Carson City.

Day One, he said, will be devoted to inspection by buyers and visitors, followed by three days of auctions.

Richards knows the auction will generate a significant amount of cash, but he says he he's not doing it for the money. Several cars will be auctioned for charity.