Field of Low-Mileage Dreams - Old Chevy Stockpile in Nebraska

Field of Low-Mileage Dreams - Old Chevy Stockpile in Nebraska

We reported this story recently, but a few more pictures and twists...


New York Times

PIERCE, NEB. — For decades, a 10-acre tangle of trees in the corner of a corn and soybean field did its best to hide the legends of Pierce County.

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Chevys That Time Forgot

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But word got out. You could see a few of the cars from County Road 854 and a few more from the second green and third tee of the neighboring golf course. The sheriff lost count of how many times he was called to the farm to roust radiator thieves or chrome scavengers, and to chase away tire-kickers.

“They were parked in the trees, door handle to door handle, bumper to bumper,” Deb Bruegman said as she served beers in the clubhouse of the nine-hole course. “The trees grew up in and amongst and around them.”

Still, few people were prepared for what emerged from the woods in late July, when a construction crew uprooted the cottonwoods, maples and ash trees and carried their mostly hidden treasures into the sunlight. Rearranged nearby in nine neat rows, each longer than a football field, were nearly 500 cars and trucks including American classics from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s: Bel Airs and Corvairs, Apaches and Impalas, even a Corvette Pace Car model.

All were the legacy of Ray Lambrecht, the local Chevrolet dealer for 50 years until he retired in 1996. Now 95, he and his wife, Mildred, 92, still live across the street  MORE

Field of Low-Mileage Dreams - Old Chevy Stockpile in Nebraska

1940s Chevy Dealer Re-opens to Auction off 500 Time Capsule Cars

In "Boys click here" "Nostalgia" on July 2, 2013 at 8:40 am

Car collectors dream about finding a forgotten “new” classic car, discovered in a barn  or warehouse somewhere, covered in dust. This is that dream, only 500 times better….

A small-town Midwestern dealership in Pierce, Nebraska sold Chevrolets to local families  and first-time buyers for 50 years until it’s husband and wife team finally closed their doors seventeen years ago. Since then, a staggering inventory of 500 surviving cars, new & used, have been stored away, undriven for decades. Some 50 cars “brand new” Chevrolets from the 1950s and 60s have less than 10 miles on the odometer.

Ray and Mildred Lambrecht are now in their 90s and have made what is described by their daughter Jeannie, as a “a difficult and painful” decision, to liquidate the dealership’s massive inventory of ‘survivor vehicles’. On September 28th and 29th, 2013, VanDerBrink Auctions will have the honor of selling this incredible, once in a lifetime collection of American automotive history.

Up for sale? A seemingly endless list of 1950′s, 60′s Impalas, TRi-Fives, Chevelles, including a  1956 Chevrolet Cameo Pickup and a 1963 Impala with less than 10 miles on the clock.

Lambrecht Chevrolet Company opened in 1946, at a time when cars sold for around $600 to $800. It was owned and operated by Ray and Mildred Lambrecht with just one employee, a mechanic. “My parents worked six days a week for 50 years, never taking one single day of vacation or one sick day,” remembers their daughter Jeannie. “They worked hard and operated their business with honesty, integrity, and kindness, frequently lending a helping hand to others who were in need …This was a small ‘mom and pop’ operation, and it stayed that way throughout the decades in business.”

While all the new, unsold stock were stored away in the warehouses, many of the dealership’s trade-ins were parked on the family farm outside of town which gradually grew into a massive collection. “There is a lot of history in that collection,” explains Jeannie, who says her love of Chevrolets is in her DNA . “Dad can look at any of those vehicles today and tell you the story behind it. He remembers each used car and the former owner, like the 1928 Durant owned by Mom’s uncle Louie.”

“Unlike today, one special day in September of each year was the first opportunity for anyone to view the new car models for that year. New cars would be delivered in advance and then hidden away so that nobody could see them before Announcement Day. Early that morning, Dad would move one shiny new Chevrolet into the showroom. There would be balloons and banners, coffee and donuts, souvenirs, and lots of built-up excitement. Everyone in town would come to see the new car and truck models.”

“When attending gatherings of friends and family, Dad would often turn to me and loudly ask the question, ‘What is the finest car made?’ I would shout, ‘Chevrolet!!!!’, and it would bring down the house. I didn’t really know what was so funny, but I was happy to play my part.”

Find details of the auction on the VanDerBrink website. See a quick video tour of the cars going up for auction at the end of summer…

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