The Classic Car Collection of Larry and Dawn Menard will be Auctioned Oct. 2 in Chippewa Falls, WI

Chippewa Falls, WI, USA, September 24, 2021 -/DailyVoice/- The Larry and Dawn Menard collection of rare and classic cars, gas station signs and other petroliana, fine pickup trucks, vintage motorcycles, antique tractors, over 300 pieces of memorabilia and more will be auctioned Saturday, October 2nd, in the Expo Building of the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, at 225 Edwards Street in Chippewa Falls.

The auction has a start time of 9 am Central. Gates will open at 7 am. “We hope everyone can come and bid on a chance to own one of these fabulous collector cars and more,” said Yvette VanDerBrink of VanDerBrink Auctions, the Minnesota auction house conducting the sale. “But even if you can’t attend in person, you can bid online” (thru www.VanDerBrinkAuctions.com).

The auction is a rare and vintage car collector’s dream, packed with rides like a fuel-injected 1957 Chevrolet convertible, a fuel-injected 1963 Corvette with the split rear window, a 1954 Chevrolet Corvette, a 1950 Ford Woody wagon, a 1935 Ford 3-window coupe, the complete Tri-Five series of Chevrolet convertibles and Nomad wagons, amazing 1958 and 1959 Chevrolet Impala convertibles, a 1959 Series 62 Cadillac, great vintage pickups, a 2007 NASCAR rolling body, beautiful customs, and over 300 pieces of automotive memorabilia. Many of the vintage cars have been lovingly restored back to their original showroom condition by Larry and Dawn.

Folks in the Midwest will instantly recognize the Menard name. Menard’s is famous throughout the region as a hardware store chain that sells everything from birdseed to lumber. For years, Larry Menard was the face of the company and could be seen at stores, giving sales and product seminars. His recent death led his wife Dawn to made the tough decision to sell their collection.

Larry grew up on the family farm in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and learned hard work at an early age. He enjoyed cars, speed and their styling, too, and was just 12 years old when he sold his 4-H calf with the idea of buying his first car, with help from his Uncle Ed. Larry had heard that a neighbor had a 1935 Ford slant black sedan for sale. He promptly bicycled over and bought it.

So, at age 12, he proudly drove that car home (his bike in the trunk), and when he got there his father asked him, “Did you get the title?” Larry had been so excited about getting the car, he’d completely forgotten about the title. But the experience convinced him he was a deal maker who was destined for a life in sales, and he vowed then to start collecting rare old automobiles, too.

Larry’s father didn’t want his sons, Larry and John, to spend their lives farming, and he began a family business, building pre-fab buildings. He gave the boys the first building, which they used to sell lumber out of a boxcar. That modest beginning, of selling lumber and pre-fab buildings, eventually became Menard’s – everything under one roof for all one’s building and home needs.

When Larry was still in high school, he hung out with a friend and kindred spirit who also loved cars and had a sister, too, named Dawn. The two never dated back, then, but years later they were reintroduced at the Menard’s store in Eau Claire by Dawn’s daughter. A strong connection was quickly established and the two became soulmates. It turned out Dawn loved old cars, too.

Larry and Dawn embarked on a life together that was centered around their rapidly growing car collection (and work of course). They loved to go to cruises with car buddies. They never missed Back to the 50s and Good Guys car shows. They had a list of cars that they looked for and actively sought out. One was a 1935 Ford, since that was Larry’s first car. They loved “the hunt”.

Eventually, the collection expanded to include not just classic cars but other American classics: gas pumps, porcelain signs and many items of petroliana and memorabilia. A collection became a museum. Larry and Dawn’s adventure continued for many years along the road of life, through all the twists and turns they encountered, leading up to Larry’s death and Dawn’s decision to sell.

An open-house preview will be held the day before the auction, on Friday, October 1st, from 10-6 Central time, at the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds at 225 Edwards Street in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Masks are recommended but not required for the open-house preview. The auction, on the following day, October 2nd, starting at 9 am, will be held in the Expo Building.

For more information about the sale of the Larry and Dawn Menard collection on October 2nd, visit www.VanderBrinkAuctions.com.

The Neil Krinke Collection of Classic Cars, Rod Projects, Barn Finds, Petroliana and more will be Auctioned Sept. 18th

Scranton, ND, USA, August 13, 2021 -/DailyVoice/- Classic car collectors, rod project enthusiasts, barn find buffs, vintage tractor fans and folks looking for rare old car parts (mostly Ford) and wonderful vintage gas station and oil signs, gas pumps and gas globes need to mark their calendars for Saturday, September 18th, for the sale of the lifetime collection of Neil Krinke, at his farm in Scranton.

“The auction will be held live at the Krinke’s family ranch,” said Yvette VanDerBrink of VanDerBrink Auctions, which is conducting the sale. “There won’t be any cell phone reception, but there is high-speed Internet to the residence and online bidding is available. But it’s best to come in person and spend a beautiful weekend on the high plains of gorgeous western North Dakota. There’s more than enough to finish off that man cave or score a hot rod or collector car.”

Internet bidding is available via the VanDerBrink website: www.VanDerBrinkAuctions.com.

The Krinke collection is a wonderland of amazing cars, tractors, signs and more, mostly from the 1930s to the 1960s. The property, which has been in the family for over 100 years, contains a field of dry Western metal (no rust) barn find Fords, many dating from 1932 to the 1940s, ideal for those rod projects. The rare 1932 and 1933 Ford 3-window coupes are a hot rodder’s dream.

The collection features Dearborn and AACA award winning cars that would complete any collection. While the town of Scranton was growing and updating, Neil would get the old signs that were set aside. Some he even rescued from dumpsters. He lovingly gathered all he could, mostly from a radius no more than 50 miles from the ranch, and he sold practically nothing.

Neil Krinke has been fascinated with all things automotive since childhood, when, at eight years of age and barely able to see over the dashboard, he was entrusted by his father to gather loads from the field by driving a 1928 Chevrolet grain truck; then, up to high school graduation, when he bought his first car (a 1949 Pontiac); and on into adulthood, when he got the collecting bug.

One of the first cars Neil obtained was a 1929 Ford Model A that he bought so a man in town could bury his brother. He met his future bride in a similar Model A. Later, the couple joined the early Ford V8 club and saw how much the members loved their cars and their histories. When he bought a 1941 Ford and spent six years restoring it back to factory condition, he was hooked.

Having been born in 1932, Neil was drawn to vehicles from that era, and was especially drawn to Fords. Of the 70 tantalizing rod projects in the auction, most are Fords. They include 1932 Ford Victoria two-door sedan bodies, a 1932 Ford four-door sedan, and a 1933 Ford four-door sedan.

Additional rod projects will include 1934 Ford coupe bodies, a 1934 Ford sedan for rod or restore, a 1934 Ford roadster project, 1940 Ford sedans, 1941 Ford sedans, 1946 and 1947 Ford coupes, a 1954 Ford Sunliner convertible and a 1930/1931 Ford Model A 5-window coupe body.

Ford collector cars will feature an older restore 1929 Ford Model A four-door sedan, a restored 1934 Ford Victoria two-door sedan (a Dearborn Award winner, flathead V8), a restored 1935 Ford Deluxe four-door sedan, flathead V8, and a restored 1936 Ford Cabriolet, flathead V8.

Also up for bid will be an amazing, fully restored 1940 Ford coupe with a flathead V8, a fully restored Dearborn winner 1941 Ford convertible with a flathead V8, a beautifully restored red and white 1957 Ford with a retractable hardtop, plus Ford and Dodge trucks for rod or restore.

Mercuries will include an older restore, fully loaded yellow and white 1950 Mercury convertible with a flathead V8, the 1964 Mercury Marauder two-door hardtop car that Neil and his wife Rosalie bought new with 30,893 original miles, and 1948 and 1942 Mercury coupe project cars.

Chevrolets and Pontiacs will feature a national award-winning 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible with automatic transmission and a 283 V8 engine, a nicely restored 1954 Chevrolet 3100 series five-window cab pickup truck, an original for restore 1938 Chevrolet coupe, a nice original 1950 Pontiac Chieftain convertible with an 8-cylinder engine, and other fine examples.

As for collector parts, there is a huge assortment of grills, carburetors, restored flathead motors, NOS (new old stock) parts, body panels, fenders, hoods and more. Most of the parts are Ford.

Antique tractors will include a 1940 Ford 9N/Ferguson, a restored 1954/55 Ferguson 35, a fully restored 1943 Ford 9N, a 1952 Ford 8N with Funk conversion, a rare 1940 Ford 9N with Al2 diecast radiator, a restored 1948/49 Ford 8N, two Fordson tractors, a Farmall Cub, a 1957 John Deere 420, a restored 1960 John Deere 330, a 1953 John Deere 40 and a 1959 John Deere 430.

An open-house preview will be held the day before the auction, on Friday, September 17th, from 10-6 Mountain time, at the Krinke ranch located at 10105 132nd Avenue SW in Scranton, S.D. No early previews, please; the family is farming. Scranton is in western North Dakota, 180 miles each from Bismarck, N.D. and Rapid City, S.D., and not far from Glendive and Billings, Mont.

For more information about the sale of the Neil Krinke collection on September 18th, visit www.VanderBrinkAuctions.com.

About Vanderbrink Auctions:
VanDerBrink Auctions is based in Hardwick, Minnesota. The firm specializes in collector car parts auctions, older salvage yard liquidations, auto related items, antique tractors, estates and private collections. It has a proven track record of selling farmland and other real estate at auction. For more information, please visit www.VanderBrinkAuctions.com.