Auction Auto

Northwest Side garage full of hidden-gem classic, muscle cars to go on auction block

For decades, developer Larry Klairmont kept his collection of 300 cars in a warehouse. Now, the cars and other auto-related memorabilia are set to be sold.

The Klairmont Kollections Automotive Museum, 3117 N. Knox Ave., will close next month, and its collection of nearly 300 cars and road art go on the auction block Sept. 19-21.

In 1967, Larry Klairmont bought his first keepsake car, a 1951 Rolls-Royce.

By 1974, he had added a few more cars to his collection, including a 1946 Lincoln Mark II and a pair of other Lincolns from 1957 and 1965.

Years later, “He was buying cars by the dozens,” said his son, Alfred Klairmont.

At its peak, the collection totaled nearly 600 cars.

And they weren’t just ordinary cars. They include a gold-leaf plated 1920 Pierce Arrow; a custom blue-and-silver 1983 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur decked out in 1 million Swarovski crystals; and a futuristic, remote-control prototype 1956 Golden Sahara II with one-of-a-kind glowing tires. He even owned a replica Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine and a 1960 “Munsters” Coffinmobile.

Cars came and went, and Klairmont stored them all for decades, hidden in a half-mile-long industrial building in Belmont Cragin, which became the Klairmont Kollections Automotive Museum. For years, the museum was private. In 2019, Klairmont opened it to the public.

The museum has remained open since Larry Klairmont died in 2021 at 94, but it will close next month, and his collection of cars and memorabilia will be sold.

Bidders can buy any of the 275 vehicles and more than 1,000 pieces of road art and auto memorabilia during the Sept. 19-21 no-reserve auction overseen by Mecum Auctions at the Klairmont Kollections Automotive Museum, 3117 N. Knox Ave. A preview will be held Sept. 13-14.

The Golden Sahara II, with glowing Goodyear tires, was originally built by Hollywood car customizer George Barris.

“Now, the general collector car world is excited because they get to buy something that they thought they couldn’t have before, and now it’s available again, so it’s a great-size auction with a lot of excitement already,” said Gus Kozar, an assistant at Mecum Auctions.

Mecum Auctions, headed by Dana Mecum, also oversaw the sale of comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s Porsche 917K that was driven by Steve McQueen in the 1971 movie “Le Mans.” That car sold for an estimated $25 million. And the auction house handled the $3.74 million sale of the Ford Mustang GT driven by McQueen in the 1968 movie “Bullitt.”

‘Automobilia heaven’

From the outside, the Klairmont Kollections museum looks like any other brick industrial building. But packed inside its two floors are one-of-a-kind and antique vehicles — and full-scale model planes.

“This museum was an incredible showplace, loaded with unique, gorgeous collectible cars and all sorts of memorabilia on the walls and stunning attractions alongside the cars on the floor,” Alfred Klairmont said. “Anybody who visited this museum was absolutely floored at what a wonderful car collection and museum this was.”

The “Cucamonga Room” at the Klairmont Kollections Automobile Museum, 3117 N. Knox Ave., has a Southern California vibe.

Larry Klairmont was a World War II Marine veteran and founder of Imperial Realty Co., one of Chicago’s largest property management companies. But his car collection was his passion.

“He just dedicated himself in his later life to decorating the museum and filling the museum with unique and collectible cars. He enjoyed going to auctions and buying cars, and he just loved being in the museum,” said Alfred Klairmont, president and chief executive of Imperial Realty.

The elder Klairmont was known for being direct and commanding in a room. He was meticulous with his cars, restoring them and maintaining them.

One of the few people he allowed in when the museum was still private was Lou Costabile, an automotive YouTuber in Elgin who has traveled the United States and Canada to interview vehicle owners and review their collections.

The Muscle Car Room at the Klairmont Kollections Automotive Museum, 3117 N. Knox Ave., is filled with fast cars from the heyday of muscle cars from the late-’60s to the early ‘70s alongside cars from today.

Costabile, in essence, gave the public its first glimpse of the Klairmont Kollection Automotive Museum through his dozens of videos, including a 26-minute clip highlighting every vehicle in the collection.

“It has this amazing quality of surprising you and seeing something when you go through these doors in this warehouse of automobilia heaven that you’ll never see again and let alone under one roof,” Costabile said.

‘Larry’s Legacy Auction’ highlights

The Golden Sahara II, originally designed by Hollywood legend George Barris and featuring gold accents and special translucent-luminous Goodyear tires, headlines the auction, along with the luxurious 1926 Rickenbacker Eight Super Sport, which is “believed to be” the last of its kind, according to Mecum Auctions. The Rickenbacker was built by WWI flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker and features an airplane hood ornament and copper metalwork. Another Rickenbacker sold for $946,000 at a 2014 auction.

Among the hundreds of others are a replica Batmobile; Cadillacs; Corvettes; a 1919 Ford model fire engine; a 1972 Lamborghini Espada; Mustangs; a 1969 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds; Rolls-Royces; race cars; Vespa scooters; and much more.

The 1956 Golden Sahara II was based on a 1953 Lincoln Capri and was designed by Hollywood car creator George Barris with gold trim and glowing Goodyear tires.

“It’s one of the greatest car collections that I’ve ever seen,” Costabile said. “Larry would collect a Chicago 1920 Model T police car, and you’re like, ‘Where do you find something like that? And why is it in such great condition?’”

The road art pieces and memorabilia for sale include metal signs, neon signs, engine displays, bicycles, replica jukeboxes, Batman statues, a Ronald McDonald statue, model planes and miniature cars.

The 1926 Rickenbacker Eight Super Sport, which is believed to be one of the last of its kind still existing. The car was built by WWI flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker and features an airplane hood ornament and copper trim. Another Rickenbacker sold for $946,000 at a 2014 auction.

“It’s a very significant move [because of] the size — 300 cars and 1,000-plus road art pieces, because it stems from a private collection, which is overwhelming with that amount, in addition to a not-for-profit museum type setting to have all this stuff and be offered to the community,” Kozar said.

He added that the museum board is developing a nonprofit foundation in honor of Larry Klairmont that will benefit youth educational programs.

Proceeds from the auction will go to the soon-to-be established foundation, a Mecum spokesperson said.

The Klairmont collection features airplanes, cars, road art. The collection will be sold without reserve in September.

Auction Auto

9am – 6pm | Auction Preview, Car Corral and Swap Meet

Thursday, August 28

9am – 8pm | Auction Preview, Car Corral and Swap Meet
1pm – 6pm | Collector Car Auction
6pm – 8pm | Concert and Reception

Friday, August 29

9am – 8pm | Auction Preview, Car Corral and Swap Meet
11am – 8pm | Collector Car Auction

Saturday, August 30

9am – 9pm | Auction Preview, Car Corral and Swap Meet
11am – 9pm | Collector Car Auction

Saturday Night Catalogue

Auburn Auction Highlights

“Classic Car Capital Of The World”

For the enthusiasts and collectors eager to buy and sell great cars this fall, all roads lead back to Auburn, Indiana, the original “Classic Car Capital of the World” and birthplace of the collector car auction industry in America.

Join us for the 55th Annual Auburn Auction Show taking place from August 28-30 at our Indiana headquarters. Many consignments will be offered at no reserve, including stellar car and memorabilia collections. This auction will be presented as a simultaneous live and online event.

3-Day Boutique Auction with Carefully Curated Cars and Memorabilia

Captivating Events for All Kinds of Car Enthusiasts

Relaxed Setting at the Birthplace of the Collector Car Auction Industry

World-Class Consignments

We’ve sold some of the most iconic cars and finest private collections in Auburn, and broken a few records along the way. We look forward to another carefully curated offering of outstanding pre-war automobiles, select muscle cars, American and European sports cars, classics and racers, as well as an exceptional selection of the best automobilia and memorabilia to be found.

World-Class Consignments

Over the past 15 years we’ve sold some of the most iconic cars and finest private collections in Auburn, and broken a few records along the way. We look forward to another carefully curated offering of outstanding pre-war automobiles, select muscle cars, American and European sportscars, classics and racers, as well as an exceptional selection of the best automobilia and memorabilia to be found.

Classic Car Capital of the World

As the “Classic Car Capital of the World” and the birthplace of the collector car auction industry in the United States, Auburn has long been a mecca for automobile collectors and enthusiasts. Many of the most important cars ever made have been bought and sold here, at The Auburn Automobile Company in the 1920s and ’30s and in later years, at auction.

The celebrated Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum and annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival held over Labor Day Weekend attracts visitors from across the USA and overseas, bearing testament to the town’s unique motoring heritage.