Parting ways with a classic
June 29th, 2008 by ShaunaParting ways can be hard, even when you’re only downsizing. I had a huge collection of stuffed animals that I eventually donated or gave away over the years. It got too hard to clean (yes, those fuzzy creatures are just a magnet for dust bunnies) and too humbug to properly put “in order.”
Remember those hammocks that you could string across your room? Problem with those were that if some tall person didn’t duck, the whole hammock would swing and all the animals would fall to the ground…
Interestingly, I downsized the bulk of my collection only to receive more cute critters. And nowadays, bigger seems to be the trend as I now have stuffed animals that literally are half the size of me! Since they can’t fit on a shelf, they now sit on chairs around the room. Okay now…
Well this next story is not about donating some stuffed bear, but classic cars — and we’re not just talking about one or two either!
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Entrepreneur auctions off 200 classic cars
By JOHN ROGERS
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — As he prepares to watch his treasured 1940 Howard Hughes Cadillac and hundreds of other meticulously maintained automobiles be driven right out the door, broadcasting pioneer Art Astor is realizing a piece of his heart will be leaving with them.
A Southern California native who grew up with a passion for automobiles, Astor began collecting classic cars 30 years ago when he began buying radio stations and making the kind of money that would allow him to own something like the 1927 Rolls-Royce roadster that once belonged to movie cowboy Tom Mix.
Now 83 and unable to find anyone willing or financially able to take on his collection after he’s gone, Astor has decided to part with about 200 of his approximately 270 cars.
Those he’s selling went on the block yesterday at the Astor Events Center in Anaheim, where much of Astor’s large collection of antique radios and telephones also began being sold Friday. The sale of all items concludes today and is expected to raise $20 million to $25 million.
From Cadillacs to Rolls-Royces, 200 of radio veteran Art Astor’s cars are going up for auction. (AP Photo/RM Auctions)
It is parting with the cars, however, that is breaking the heart of Astor, who owns radio station KSPA, which broadcasts in Southern California’s inland region, and stations KFSD and KCEO in the San Diego area.
“I don’t have any car that I ever bought that I didn’t like,” the normally effusive entrepreneur says quietly during a recent phone interview from his museum. He’s just gotten back, he says, from taking his 1955 Cadillac Coup de Ville out for a spin.
“When you part with an automobile that I purchased myself and test drove it and looked at it and fell in love with it,” he adds with a sigh. “It almost borders on trauma.”
That’s why he won’t part with the 1947 Ford Woody that once belonged to actor Steve McQueen. He tried and failed to acquire it when McQueen sold his own car collection shortly before his death in 1980 and had to wait 15 years for it to come back on the auction block.
“That’s one of my favorites,” he says, even if it’s not the collection’s priciest. But then Astor, who says he moved on from hosting a local TV show early in his career to running radio stations because it was the guys who did that who seemed to drive the really nice cars, didn’t buy any of his vehicles with strictly dollar signs in mind.
“I prefer to have maybe a 1950 Oldsmobile holiday coup that’s worth maybe $50,000 instead of a Deusenberg worth a million-and-a-half,” he says. “I don’t like to drive a Deusenberg. I’d rather drive an Oldsmobile.”
Or the 1939 Plymouth with only 9,000 miles on it. It’s probably worth no more than $25,000.
“But it gives me joy because it’s an example of a prewar automobile,” Astor says. “It’s still got the ‘Elect Roosevelt’ sticker on it.”
Unlike most cars found in automotive museums, Astor could take that Plymouth or one of his Rolls-Royces or Packards or Jaguars or Buick Roadmasters out on the road right now. He keeps every car in his Astor Automotive Museum polished and ready to drive.
A 1948 Packard Custom Convertible Coupe that is part of the Astor Collection. (AP Photo/RM Auctions)
“It’s the only museum in the world that I’m aware of that everything here works — including its curator,” Astor says, laughing heartily.
And that’s part of the reason he’s cleaning it out. Maintaining a staff of a half-dozen or more people to keep his cars, radios and phones working costs him a fortune, he says, adding: “I’m not wealthy enough or have the deep pockets to throw a couple million dollars away every year.”
So when the auction is complete there will still be an Astor Events Center, albeit with a scaled-down museum.
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What memories do you have of your first or favorite car?
Can you see yourself holding onto a prized car for a long time just to show to your kids or grandkids? I know some guys who kept their “hot little sports car” despite it missing a door handle or other functional feature (that most girls gravitate toward) when they got a new set of wheels.
Tags: Art Astor, cars, collection, memories, stuffed animals
June 29th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Gotta admit, if I had money to burn I would probably be buying a classic or two along with the latest and hottest ride like the one Angelina Jolie has in her new movie. Oops, did I bring her up again?
June 29th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I don’t know much about cars. I’m not a car person.
The hardest possessions for me to part with are my clothes. I’m so hesitant to clean out my closet. I usually donate most of my “old” clothes or my sister takes it. Actually, the first thing she does when she comes over is look at my closet. That girl even asks if she can borrow or have clothes that I haven’t even worn!
June 29th, 2008 at 10:42 am
That’s too bad about having to auction off your lifelong memories. I wish I was able to keep some of the cars that I’ve owned over the years..’69, ‘79, ‘02 Z-28s… ‘76, ‘82, ‘87, ,94 Corvettes. You can only drive one at a time
. I drive an ‘00 currently, my daily driver. It gets 20 mpg city and 33 hwy..no econobox for me. Looks like Astor has several classic Corvettes in his collection. The best auction that I’ve been to is Barette Jacksons held here annually. Most are rediculously over-bid.
June 29th, 2008 at 10:56 am
anklebiters: Isn’t Barette Jacksons the big auction house on the mainland with the awesome classics? I think I saw on TV a show with classic American 50’s and 60’s rides going for six figures.
Kelli: Why do you have clothes hanging in your closet without being worn? Guys buy underwear and no even wash them before putting them on.
June 29th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Teejay:
Yes it is, held in Scottsdale annually. There is one in Vegas this year at the Mandalay Bay, Oct 16-18.
June 29th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Teejay: I have this weird thing about clothes. I buy clothes and leave them hanging in the closet with the tags still on. Sometimes I decide later on that I don’t need them or I save them to wear for a special occasion. My sister just called me frugal for the first time last night because I always watch my spending. She’s more of the “I-like-it-gotta-have-it” type. I tend to think my purchases through more thoroughly - sometimes that’s a good thing and sometimes it’s not. I’m famous in my family for returning things. Take today for example… I returned something to a store that I bought from their Web site. Somehow I never learn that I shouldn’t buy things online unless I know EXACTLY what I’m getting. What a shame…
June 29th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Kelli: Can I come over and “borrow” from your closet?
I used to do that from my sister a lot, especially when she used to work at AX. They needed to have the latest styles so often that I got to use all the “old stuff!” I used to “save” certain clothes in my closet also. The junk thing is when you see that same item get marked down and you haven’t even worn it yet! Plus, don’t they always say that every day should be a special day? 
Teejay: Yeah, what car did Fox have in the movie? That was definitely one hot car!!
June 29th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
I wish i kept my old cars also, but…you cant drive them all right?I still have my 94 Supra Turbo and it just sits in a garage while i drive my new car. I think its a guy thing about keeping a old favorite sports car even though its breaking down. Shauna, maybe ill take you for a ride sometime? =)
June 29th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Teejay/Shauna:
It was a Viper.
Kelli:
You’re not alone is the ‘return’ dept. Whenever my friend tells me that she is going shopping at Kohls/Target/Nordtroms/Forever 21/etc…I always ask her, ‘returning things again are we?’ . Half of everything she buys is always being returned. If they ever have cash backs on returns, she would be Queen.
June 29th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
RuSs:
I think Shauna might want to do this
http://youtube.com/watch?v=beLbamNrnyM
Silver State Classic - authorized Open Road Event - 90 miles of high speed driving in Northern Nevada. Pick a speed range and try to average that after 90 miles. Try it, it’s fun and white knuckles…..and it’s legal.
June 29th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Shauna: Her (the goddess) car is a Dodge Viper Coup like anklebiters said. It’s a V10 torque monster that would be gold in anklebiter’s video. 140mph average is sweet!
Kelli: Remind me to keep you in mind for my clothes shopping. I hate it but you seem to take to it like a fish to water.
June 29th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
i still miss my old civic even if i “upgraded” to the newer one. i still feel “natsukashii” when i see the older one on the road. yeah, yeah, i know a bunch of you are rolling your eyes at the thought of a “civic” but hey, it was a good car and i could make it my own
besides, poor college student can’t afford the ferrari 355 berlinetta! 
shauna, not only the “old clothes” from a/x….i recall even taking the brand new dress from her when i didn’t even get to see it! ahhhh, that reminds me, gotta clean out my closet since that yellow flyer came in the mail asking for donations. gotta make room for all the new clothes! doing my part to help our hurting economy!
June 29th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Yeah, L8-10, the Civic rocks!
I have no recollection of taking someone’s brand-new dress… Maybe you’re talking about another girl. Hah! 
Teejay: Goddess? Snort, snort! Hee hee.
anklebiters: Thanks for that link! Ooh, my heart is beating faster already. Can RuSs’ car go that fast?
June 29th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Oh, and this just in from the wires regarding the auction of the cars:
The highest bid was for a restored 1938 Cadillac V16 Convertible Coupe. One of only 10 built, it sold for $616,000. All 200 cars up for auction were sold, along with 800 lots of memorabilia, bringing in $15.4 million.
June 29th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
$15.4 million? that’s a little less than what my civic is worth
toss in a dinner with warren buffet and maybe a few nights at the burj al arab in dubai and we got a deal! 
oh, and no stuffed animals…they just collect dust!
June 29th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Shauna: My sister never worked at a clothing store that I could actually afford to shop at. She worked at a boutique in college, but that didn’t last long with her practicum and internship stuff. Not to many of my friends work in retail anymore either. One of my girlfriends used to work at Juicy Couture up until a couple of weeks ago.
anklebiters: Thank you! I’m so happy I’m not alone anymore!
Teejay: I enjoy shopping in general, but I love it more when it comes to clothes, shoes and accessories. Nordstrom is like heaven to me.
June 29th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
oh well….i guess i’ll hold on to my McLaren F1 for a little while longer then. might be worth some coin later on.
hey…..a guy can dream can’t he?
man….it must be killing Astor to dismantle his collection of classics. maybe Jay Leno could have took over his collection. then he would have piece of mind knowing that his babies are in good hands.
Kelli….don’t you wear the clothes (with tags hidden or replaced after) once and THEN return them?
now THAT’s frugal! heh
June 29th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
opso: No way! I have never done that. LOL… Not intentionally at least. I do recall going to the bank with the long, vertical sticker still on my shirt. My sister noticed it later and we couldn’t stop laughing. Well, if anyone noticed, it was just a bunch of S’s running down.
June 29th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
As a collector, I can feel this guy’s pain. You spend all this time and money on the collection, and now need to downsize. But all those years, he had the thrill of the chase.
I love that feeling of finding something you’ve been searching for. But once you get it, you feel let down in a way. Not buyer’s remorse, but now you need something else to be the target of your searching. oh well.
I’m glad I don’t collect cars. Got no room for that. Well, that and no $$$. On the other hand, at least he had a collection he could sell, also. Anyone want to buy my embarrassingly large collection of comics?
@opso - I remember hearing tale of the ladies who would buy dresses from Liberty House and keep the tags on, wear the dress out, and then return. I guess that’s why no more LH anymore. All those dang “shopper/borrowers” make them lose money. Oh well.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Shauna:
If 140 mph is not fast enough for you how about:
Lamborghini LP640 219 MPH World Speed Record attempt!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ftAhdcmIHn8
This was done on the freeway near my home…simply crazy!!
Kelli:
I keep telling her that she will be put on the stores blacklist and will no longer be able to do any returns!!!
Teejay:
The only thing you have to keep on an eye on is the oil temp…you then have to shift to 6th and that really slows you down.
June 30th, 2008 at 7:14 am
Great pictures, those cars look great!
I was lucky, my dad bought me my first car; it was a Plymouth valiant, the slant 6, a used car - my dad was practical. That car was terrific - very dependable. Sure wasn’t flashy but it got me around and I had a hard time parting with it. Gave it to a friend who ran it for several more years. As they say, they don’t make’m li’dat anymore.
June 30th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Tankobu, my good friend in high school drove a Valiant slant-6 for many years and he never changed the oil. I couldn’t believe how he abused and neglected the car but it was very reliable. Once, while cruizing tantalus late at night, he decided to make like a LeMans driver and was speeding down the hairpin turns. We kept telling him to slow down but he was in some kind of silent demonic trance and wouldn’t listen. Went squeeeeze all da way down - but hey, the Valiant and us survived.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Wow, dat musta been one hell of a ride down tantalus! I cannot imagine.
And talk about oil, one time I neva check for awhile and wen I did i had maybe one quart in the oil pan! I was all scared. But I jus fill’em up and the car must have been real refreshed, and I keep driving and keep driving. Dat car was amazing! Wen I tink about it, hardly had rust too. I wish I still had’em.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
oh man, all this talk about changing (or NOT changing) oil in cars got me remembering when my good friend from high school moved to honolulu and she shipped her dodge neon back from the mainland. brah, that thing was a P.O.S. and one day she asked me about some check engine light that went on so i asked her if she checked her oil and stuff and she was like, “what? is that the same as gas?” and i was like, “no, you know, the dip stick and all” and she just drew a blank stare. i asked her how often she took her car in and she said, never, not for the past two years or so….so yeah, checked her oil, the dip stick was bone dry. how’s that!!!!! never would have thought a dodge neon could survive that. filled with oil, and was all good. soon after she got a new car (pathfinder) and right off the lot, drove to ward center and gouged the parking structure ceiling with the rack on the top. hahahaha.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Tankobu:
Did your Valiant have the buttons on the dash for the transmission gear selection?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:46 am
Wow, good ting I check back. Shauna, dis is one good topic, hope it can keep going!
L8-10 (cool name), das one funny funny story! Girls and cars, don’t start me. - sorry girls.
anklebiters, I hope you come back check this blog. No, neva have the buttons model - my friend did ‘tho. Was neat - push button, reverse, push button drive. What a concept. Must not’a been too good cuz nobody else produced it afta dat.
My slow memory made me recall and let me clarify - my car was one Valiant Signet. What’s a signet? anyway, the design was very practical, a good basic sedan design. Man I miss dat car! The Valiant Valiant had dat sloped back with the circle or something li’dat. Memories, memories.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Tankobu: Do you have a story that can top L8-10’s one? I think most girls leave the inner workings of the car to a man or just take it to the shop. I care more about having enough water in that container to use to clean my windshield. etc.
I also gotta remember to make sure my tires are properly inflated. I never even knew until recently there was a tool to use to check it!
Rodney’s daughter just got a car the other day and I got to take a peek inside. The first thing I said: Good, the car has cup holders!
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
shauna, shauna, shauna…(shaking head)…ai-sos…so sad! ummm, yes, tire inflation is very important…too flat and you create uneven wear on your tires and end up buying tires more often and also getting sucky gas milage which is important now-a-days. too much air and you run the risk of less traction. and who was the genius that let you in on the secret tool for checking air pressure?
cup holders? my my, that must be a fancy car! hahahahaha. actually, motor trend used to rate the cup holders on all the cars they tested. i remember one test they compared two SUVs (i forgot which two, but ford made one of them) anyways, it came down to a tie, but they announced the ford the winner because the cup holders in the ford could fit a super big gulp from 7-11 and the other truck couldn’t. hahaha. and shauna, i’m surprised you would even consider letting someone consume a beverage in your car with you going off about being ultra-clean and all.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Ah, the fairer gender, gotta love’m. That being said, I will let all da guys out dare tink of their own stories and, like L8-10, shake your heads, and, bruddahs, smile, laugh, cry or do all three. Happy day off Shauna!
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
t’anks for the name recognition tankobu! my friend’s brother uses “N8-10″ for nathan. haha. weird. and then there’s CL8-10. but that’s just weird…
nah, just kidding. (shauna, i keed i keed…..future relative and all, huh?)
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:58 pm
hehe, it’s not just women who do, uh, interesting things to cars. One time before we were married, my wife had a flat tire. So she calls her dad to help her fix it, cause I wasn’t around or at work or something. He comes over, and busts out the jack and lug wrench. He then proceeds to quickly remove the lug nuts.
Just one problem: the lug nuts were decorative nuts on the hubcap.
He took all 4 off before he realized they were plastic. I guess he thought he was super strong or something, since they came off with no resistance. 
He eventually figured it out, but my wife’s car had one messed up hubcap.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Tankobu:
I remember the Signet, did you have the 273 V8 in it?
Shauna:
I’ve got exactly ONE and it is simply useless. A Big Gulp will definitely not fit, place anything else in it and you can’t shift to 3rd without knocking the cup over into the passenger footwell. Very hard to make a left/right turn with a cup in one hand, steering wheel in the other, and trying to shift at the same time.
Cup holders? Is that a girl thang?
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:03 pm
anklebiters–don’t forget about adjusting the air-con, turning up the radio, talk on the cell phone, and steer with your knees……which is how i think some people actually drive in hawaii given the bunch of crazy drivers on our roads!
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Wow, anklebiters, you sure know your specs! Nope, had the plain 6 cylinder. But das wuz ’nuff for get me around, easy. Man, 8 cylinders would be flying! When I think back, I had inferiority complex - my friend had a cool chevy malibu so everybody like ride with him; he got the girls too. Me, I was left overs. But like I said, I loved my dependable car.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:49 pm
My car got one cup holder. Usually holds 2 cups but sometimes only one if she talking on the phone.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:16 am
haha, wtp, that’s pretty funny. i told that to my gf and she laughed…i don’t think she got the message cause her hands are still empty.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:49 am
Tankobu:
I’m a Chevy die hard but most of my friends were overcomed by the dark side of the force and owned Dodges/Plymouths/Mercury. They had Dusters, Swingers, Darts, Challengers, Roadrunners, Cougars and Comets. The good old days where a tuneup actually meant that, not like today’s “change plugs” and the tuneups done!! Now everything is computer controlled, which is a blessing in disguise. Make any changes like adding aggressive headers and cam today and you’d have to reprogram the ECM/ECU/PCM, best done alongside a dyno…not something everyday gear heads have in their garage.
Shauna likes Mercedes, maybe your next car?
WTP:
I just call the cup holder in the passenger seat a ‘governess’. DO anything that irritates her, and she will squeeze your right thigh to stop what ever you are doing to annoy her. Speeding? Squeeze… Driving too slow to her liking? Squeeze….
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:51 am
L8-10:
Don’t forget fiddling with the Ipods, GPS, video displays…..
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:49 am
anklebiters…ahh, you got the squeeze effect huh? well i’ve also had the “sighhhh” effect with the slow driving, and the “hands-up-in-front-on-the-dash” effect when driving too crazy.
oh yeah, good point with the new electronic devices. and if get girl drivers, don’t forget about putting on the mascara and eye shadow. now that’s talent!!!!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 am
I can’t believe you guys are making fun of cup holders! Where are the ladies to back me up on this one? Speaking of cans, cups and other beverages, are you the kind of guy that likes to leave them scattered all over the house — whether half-full or empty? If so, I bet that drives the wife crazy!
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
scattered cups? ugh. i don’t do that too often but my roommate does…cups, plates, cans, you name it…all over the house.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Shauna:
Are you talking about my daughter? I’m missing half of my cups in the cupboard….they are all in her room!!!
Nagging GPS - http://youtube.com/watch?v=H9gbExDH-Ss every man should have one!!!
July 4th, 2008 at 9:39 am
That video is NOT funny! Hah!
Nah, how much are those things? I’m sure a guy would love it as a gift and then they would be indebted to me for giving them such a fabulous item. 
I wonder if you can personalize it. Now that would be classic! 
July 4th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Shauna:
Depends on which GPS you buy as for cost. I’ve got a GPS on my Crackberry, oopss, I mean Blackberry
Take a look at http://www.gpsmaniac.com/
I don’t know about personalizing it, but if you look on Youtube, there are several:
The Ozzie GPS
Poor man’s GPS
Racist GPS
Female GPS
Thinking GPS