Muscle car auction this weekend
Car collectors, enthusiasts, and buyers looking for a weekend restoration project are all expected to be in Red Oak this weekend to take part in a massive muscle car auction.
Bill “Coyote” Johnson will auction off over 80 classic and muscle cars, as well as parts, at an auction at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. A preview and early registration is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 13. Gates open again at 7 a.m. on auction day, Sept. 14, for registration and a preview, and the auction will run from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Johnson, who has accumulated the cars in his collection for over 40 years, said he started getting into cars at an early age.
“I think it was in my high school days that I started getting interested. After I got married and divorced, I got more interested in the collecting side of things. I started adding to the collection one year at a time, and now I’ve got this collection.”
Johnson’s first car was a 1957 four-door sedan he drove in high school, before he upgraded to one of his favorite cars.
“My mom said I needed to upgrade a little bit. She found a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner from a guy who used to run a loan company. Back then, it sold for $1,100,” Johnson explained.
That first car, Johnson said, started him “chasing road runners,” and earned him the nickname “Coyote,” Saturday’s auction will include four 1969 Plymouth Road Runners, three 1971 Road Runners, one from 1968, and one from 1972. Johnson said his methods of collecting changed over the years.
“When we first started looking for cars, it was in the auto classifieds in the newspapers. Then the internet came into play, and we got involved with a computer and looking online. Nowadays, you can’t find them in the newspaper; it’s all internet stuff,” Johnson advised.
The majority of the collection includes a lot of hard-to-find muscle cars in stock condition.
“I had a friend, Gene Graham. We used to work day and night on the cars, and pretty soon we had a lot of them finished. We mainly redid the motors and the interiors and stored them. We didn’t even drive them, we just got the fun of rebuilding them. They all run, we just have never driven them,” said Johnson.
Johnson added he recently retired, and it was a bittersweet decision to let the majority of his collection go.
“It’s a turn in life when you start giving up things that you worked so hard for during your lifetime. I’m at the point where I’ve got to give things back. Everything has to have an end. But I’d rather do it like this as opposed to a time I wouldn’t be able to take part, so I guess I’d say I’m lucky,” Johnson said.
While the majority of the collection will be up for bid, Johnson said he is saving a small portion of his collection.
“I’m keeping roughly 12 cars, so I’ll have something to drive and play with and keep me busy. One of the cars I’m hanging onto is that first roadrunner that I had in high school,” said Johnson.
The auction also will feature a selection of cars that are ready to drive, and some that will be good for a weekend project for people to restore.
“I think we’ve got a different car for every person. If someone wants a muscle car but can’t afford one of the fully restored one,” Johnson said. We have a variety of cars that can be bought and fixed up. There’s not many that don’t run, so we’ve got a little bit for everybody.”
As a longtime Red Oak resident, Johnson said it was an easy decision to host the auction here in Red Oak.
“I couldn’t have the auction at my place, as the trees are too thick, so we contacted people in town and so we were able to work out having the auction here at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds,” explained Johnson.
Portions of proceeds raised will be donated back to a number or organizations in the community.
“All the food proceeds will be going to animal shelters in Clarinda, Shenandoah, and Council Bluffs, the American Cancer Society, the City of Red Oak, to benefit the Red Oak Fire Department, Red Oak Police Department, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and the rescue squad will each get a donation, and the Methodist Church, which has volunteers who will help serve the food.”
Johnson speculated on the rarest car going to auction, and felt the 1971 Dodge Super Bee was likely one of the most collectible, as only around 2,000 went into production. Johnson said the Chevy Chevelles, Roadrunners, Dodge Challengers and Chargers, and Plymouth Barracudas were also highly collectible.
Jenny, a friend of Johnson who is coordinating getting the cars to the auction, said it’s been a long process getting the cars ready for auction.
“When we started, the cars had been sitting, and needed some cleaning and TLC, Getting them all down here has been a process also. We’ve been storing some that are ready to make space to clean up the other cars and get them ready for showing. The main focus has been getting all the cars cleaned out and washed and waxed,” said Jenny.
Jenny added the majority of the cars have been transported by trailer. Transporting of the cars will likely take place until Sept. 12, so everything can be done and ready to go by Friday. Crowd estimates range from 2,000 to 15,000 on Saturday. Johnson said everyone is welcome, even if they aren’t buying a car.
“People can come and just check out the cars and buy some food. As we’ve said, all the money from that will be donated, so it will be a good fundraiser. We’ll have hot dogs, nachos, potato chips, hamburgers, and donuts and coffee in the morning. There will be something for everybody,” Johnson advised. “We don’t care how many come, as long as they have a good time. We’ve been working with the city and law enforcement, and they have been great. Hopefully on auction day we’ll be able to test and see what Red Oak can do.”
In addition to the in-person bidding on auction day, online bidding on the cars is also underway at proxbid.com.
Red Oak city administrator Brad Wright said the city has been working hard in the lead-up to the auction to get everything ready for the large volume of visitors expected in the community.
“I have heard estimates on number of people projected to show up anywhere from 2,000 to 15,000. That’s what has made this extremely difficult to plan for. No matter the number, there will definitely be visitors in town that we need to be ready to welcome,” said Wright.
Wright added pre-planning meetings have been taking place involving a wide variety of organizations and agencies to coordinate and keep things running smoothly.
“There have been a number of planning meetings held, including: Law Enforcement, Fire & EMS, County Emergency Management, City Administrator, and the Red Oak Chamber of Commerce,” commented Wright. “We also held a meeting that included the Transit Director for the Southwest Iowa Transit Agency. SWITA will be assisting by providing buses to shuttle visitors from parking areas to the auction and also possibly other locations in the community.”
Wright also advised there would be some streets around the auction site that residents may want to avoid.
“The best advice for those wanting to avoid traffic congestion would be to avoid streets in the vicinity of the fairgrounds, primarily 4th Street from Oak to Hwy 34 and Cherry Street from 4th to Broadway. There will obviously be increased traffic all over, including Broadway and Hwy 34,” commented Wright.
The increased visitor traffic will also greatly benefit Red Oak businesses. Elaine Carlson, the director of membership and finance for the Red Oak Chamber and Industry Association is anticipating a lot of positive financial boosts.
“Anytime we have a large event in our community, the Chamber communicates with our members, businesses, and community using our promotional tools which includes our Facebook page, the weekly promotional email that we call The Communicator, local media sources, and our website. Our local restaurants will definitely see a boost in their traffic flow that weekend as well as our retailers and have made adjustments in their staffing,” commented Carlson.
Other businesses in the community that will be receiving a major boost from the auction are the local hotels.
“The hotels have been booked for the weekend of the auction for a few months. I know that they are prepared to take care of their guests as they always do with a warm and professional touch,” said Carlson. “We have had people contacting our office asking for camping accommodations as well as hotels in the area. I believe that there will be a number of those visitors who will be in our area for a day or two following the auction.”
Carlson added that coordinating for the auction, which is a one-time event, is different from events such as Junction Days, which takes place every year.
“Even though this is not a Chamber or community event, this auction has definitely brought attention to Red Oak. As a community, we want to be the best we can be and roll out the red carpet welcoming all who visit Red Oak that weekend or any other time. There will be media from outside our area present that weekend, which adds to the spotlight Red Oak has already received as the site of this auction. No matter if we have 3,000 or 7,000 visitors coming from all over, there are details that have to be addressed to accommodate that many people navigating around in our city,” Carlson said. “The City of Red Oak, the Red Oak Police Department, the Red Oak Fire Department, Montgomery County Sherriff’s Department, Montgomery County Emergency Management, Iowa DOT, and Iowa State Patrol have been working on aspects from a law enforcement and safety perspective to insure the well being of our community as well as the visitors that weekend. While our restaurants, gas stations, and retailers will feel a boost in sales, something that many do not think about is the cost to our city and county for this size of event. Each agency is adding extra staff for the weekend for security and traffic control, which comes at a cost out of their annual budgets. Planning and preparing for the Coyote Johnson Muscle Car Auction that is a once in a lifetime event in contrast to Junction Days which is an annual event, brings some challenges with all of the unknowns. Rest assured, they are prepared to handle everything from the safety, security, and traffic perspectives the influx of visitors to Red Oak that weekend.”
The Chamber will have a welcome booth at the auction to direct visitors to restaurants, retailers, businesses, and attractions in the community, as well as maps, brochures, and handouts.