LEHI — Vintage car collector Ardell Brown lives and breathes old cars.
As the Salt Lake City representative for car auction company Kruse International, he is in charge of putting on the third annual event at Thanksgiving Point on April 27, 28.
He has several cars going in the auction, including a 1936 Pierce Arrow.
"That's about as classic and vintage as they get," he said.
Brown's chief interests, however, are cars of the 1940s through 1960s.
Some 125 to 200 cars are expected to go on the auction block. Most of them will register this week, he said. So far the oldest are pre-1920 models.
Some of the cars consigned for the auction include 1967 and 1969 Camaros, a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air, 1962, 1966 and 1979 Corvettes, a 1924 Ford Bucket-T roadster and a 1981 Pontiac Trans Am, made famous in Burt Reynolds' "Smokey and the Bandit" movies.
Kruse attracts car buyers from all over the country with its 40,000-piece mailing list targeting auto aficionados, Brown said.
The auction at Thanksgiving Point's Electric Park may have a larger turnout than last year, a Kruse spokesman said. More collector, classic and muscle cars are expected.
The auction allows car owners to set their own prices. Kruse markets the auction to an international audience.
The company provides financing for car buyers through Bank of America and several sources for vehicle transportation. The company owns a 480-acre auction park in Auburn, Ind. Its largest auctions are held in the spring and fall.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, 12 and under. For more information, contact Kruse International at 800-968-4444 for a color brochure. Photos of the cars are on the company Web site, www.kruse.com.
Other Western states' vintage car auctions this year are scheduled for July 20, 21 in Denver and Nov. 24, 25 in Las Vegas. Both are 34th annual events, which makes the Lehi auction a relative newcomer. The Las Vegas auction is scheduled for the South Point Hotel and Casino.
Kruse International auctions more than 13,000 cars in more than 30 events and dozens of real estate properties each year, according to the company's Web site. The Kruse family claims more than 250 world record prices, including the first car to sell for $1 million, a 1934 Duesenberg SJ La Grande, which went to Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza and then owner of the Detroit Tigers, the company said. Kruse also sold 30 muscle cars for $1 million to baseball player Reggie Jackson.
It conducted the $41 million sellout of the 1,000-car William F. Harrah automotive collection in three sessions.
The company began selling consignment collector cars in 1971. The business was established in1952 when founder Russell Kruse teamed with his father-in-law, Lester Boger, who had been working auctions since 1929.
E-mail: rodger@desnews.com