Use it or lose it: We tour the incredible Andrews Collection before it hits the auction block
Father-son duo will slim down the fleet to a more managable, and drivable, size
We trekked down to Fort Worth, Texas to tour the Andrews Collection before the bulk of it goes under the auctioneer’s hammer, expecting to see cars. And we did, but not until after Paul Andrews showed us his incredible assemblage of automated music machines. Fittingly for a man who made his fortune in the electronics industry, he operated all of these towering, early 20th-century player organs remotely, and gleefully, via iPad.
We quickly discovered that Paul and his son Chris are knowledgeable about what they collect (whether cars or vintage organs), passionate about obtaining the best and—most importantly—eager to actually use what they’ve got. That can be tough when you’ve got 90 or so cars spanning all eras kept ready-to-run in an enviable showplace/working garage.
The Andrews Collection has been several decades in the making. Paul spent evenings wrenching on a Corvair in the early 1970s, the Chevy serving as after-hours stress-relief as he built his fledgling electronics company into a booming enterprise. It wasn’t until after a fling with wooden boats, however, that Paul and Chris turned their attention to cars in a big way.
1934 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Stationary Coupe by Dietrich. Damn.
It’s slated to shrink to less than a tenth of its peak size May 2, when much of the Andrews’ remaining cars head to RM Sotheby’s one-day sale. In addition to 78 vehicles, dozens of pieces of automobilia (and a few of those organs) will cross the block without reserve.
This isn’t the first time the Andrews have trimmed their holdings, taking their collection from its peak down to roughly 90 vehicles a few years ago. Less-collectable vehicles went first, leaving “a great collection of good cars, or maybe a good collection of great cars,” in Paul’s words — including everything from a 1910 Pierce-Arrow Model 48-SS to a 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Cabriolet by Pininfarina. Yet Paul’s hesitant to call it a great collection of great cars.
He’s too modest. Though the Andrews’ stable lacks laserlike focus, we find it easy to relate to Paul and Chris’ generalist tastes. We spent a few hours just browsing the well-curated garage, head spinning, trying to figure out what to take a closer look at next. Dual-Ghia or Shelby Competition Cobra? Bentley Continental R Type or Cunningham C3? Imagine the stress trying to choose the perfect car to drive on a pleasant afternoon…
The 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Cabriolet in the middle and the 1963 Ferrari 400 Superamerica LWB Coupe Aerodinamico on the right, both by Pininfarina, will be auctioned; the 1960 250 GT SWB Berlinetta on the left is a keeper.
Their target was 10 keepers; they eventually settled on an even dozen, including a Chip Foose-styled ’32 Ford, an Aston Martin DB4 Lightweight (a Ferrari-beater, Paul tells us) and a stately, well-preserved Cadillac Series 62 sedan.
Also making the cut: A ’55 Chevy that’s a re-creation of Paul’s high-school ride. The first hot rod Chris built, on the other hand—a mean 1932 Ford pickup nicknamed “Loose Change”—goes to the highest bidder. That Pebble-winning Benz? Turns out it wasn’t much of a driver. It went a few years ago.
1965 Shelby GT350-R or 1963 Cobra? Why not buy both?
It’s significant, well-documented and valuable. It’s also a town car, originally built for wealthy owners who’d never touch the steering wheel. So it’s going across the block.
The use-it-or-lose-it logic applies, believe it or not, to a red 2005 Ford GT—a near-perfect driver’s car Paul couldn’t stop praising. So why sell it? This particular example of the increasingly collectible GT is pristine, with a mere 800 miles on the clock.
In case you needed any further proof that the Andrews are bona-fide car guys, Paul says he might eventually track down a higher-mileage example he can drive the wheels off of, guilt-free.
For more information on the Andrews Collection auction, or to register to bid, visit RM Sotheby’s at rmauctions.com
Chris and Paul Andrews, two really cool guys who happen to be selling most of their amazing car collection.
Original Article: AutoWeek http://autoweek.com/article/car-life/use-it-or-lose-it-we-tour-incredible-andrews-collection-it-hits-auction-block