Re: Packard NO RESERVE auction

Posted by R Anderson On 2021/11/12 12:03:29

As to Lou Abelove, I know him, a very nice fellow and real car nut with very eclectic tastes. Pierce Arrows to Miatas. I met him about 10 or 12 years ago, he had interest in Franklins, I knew of a local '25 Franklin for sale, and I was interested in a 46'47 Super Clipper at the time and he has a ton of Packards as you can see. This sale will certainly flood the Packard project car market. He's actually been on here a few times I think, but I forget the name he used, I may have initially responded to a post that he made.

Utica is about 1 hr 45 min from me. Lou is/was an attorney and the Chief Counsel for Price Chopper grocery stores, a major Northeast grocery chain of about 200 stores. I met him at his office, with my car-loving 27 yr old son in tow, and he very kindly spent several hours with us, showing us his entire collection, housed in his huge turn of the century NY Mills warehouse, where most of the cars are, and a 5 story building in downtown Utica, the upper floors being absolutely stuffed full of probably thousands of parts most still in their unopened box from their eBay sellers. I see no mention in the auction of the huge parts lot. Much was NOS or new repro I believe. The biggest problem with selling the cars over the years is getting to them, as they are stuffed in very tightly and one would have to move them sequentially, as is being done here by the auctioneer.

The most interesting part is the genesis of this collection. He told me that years ago he had brought home his first vintage car, a '55? Cad I think it was, and his wife went absolutely beserk, and she forced him to eventually sell the car. So he decided then and there to collect cars surreptitiously. He had or bought the warehouses and proceeded to fill them up with cars and parts over the next years, in amazing quantities. He told us that he mainly wanted to preserve them from destruction, and realized that 80% of them were junkers or parts cars. I'd say that he succeeded admirably. He also mentioned that incredibly his wife still had no idea of any of it! He knew at the time, being by then in his 70s, that he had to do something with it all but he didn't have a clue what to do as he was concerned about his wife's reaction. His son did know about it, I believe that he's still a DA in another area of NY and may well be handling the auction.

So I'd be most curious to know what has finally sparked this auction. I don't know if Lou passed away or perhaps just decided it was finally time, come what may. He's a very nice guy and as I said true car nut in the best sense. I hope he's still around to realize some fruits of his prescience in saving these great cars. As you can see, besides Packards, he particularly loves Pierce, Cads, Imperials, Oldsmobiles and Brit sports cars. I for one Would love to be able to bid and win a white & blue '55 Olds convert that he had when we were there, but I'm afraid that at my age the collecting and restoring ship has sailed for good.