Chicago’s Coolest Cars Are up For Auction

For 15 years, a massive warehouse in Belmont Cragin quietly housed hundreds of vintage cars. Now, they’re going up for auction.

Klairmont Kollections was once Chicago’s largest private car collection — though it was public to Chicagoans. Late founder Larry Klairmont, a local real estate tycoon, opened Klairmont Kollections as a non-profit museum. There, visitors could ogle hundreds of cars — ranging from old buggies to Batmobiles — alongside neon Americana.

Wandering through the crowded showroom was like exploring a funhouse freeway, full of lights, color, and glistening engines. Some corners, affixed with mid-century storefront displays, felt frozen in time like an Edward Hopper painting.

Ten years ago, Klairmont Kollections ranked among the top five largest private car collections in the country. But its size has dwindled. Now, four years after Klairmont’s death, his passion project will be auctioned piece by piece. The final days to visit the museum were last weekend, but you can still see the vibrant collection as a bidder.

From Sept. 19-21, Mecum Auctions is hosting Larry’s Legacy: From the Larry Klairmont Collection at the former museum. The event will feature auctions of the final 300 collector cars and over 1,000 pieces of road art, all at no reserve.

Highlights include:

• This glorious, neon Mobil Pegasus from 1960
• The famed Golden Sahara with glowing orange wheels
• A Chris-Craft boat bar — including a statue server
• A 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz featuring extreme tailfins
• OG Marshall Field’s signage
• A mahogany Rolls Royce
• An entire Hot Doug’s storefront display
• This “Jestons”-style Beatnik Bubbletop
  

Mecum officials reckon total sales will gross more than $12 million — a conservative estimate following recent downturns in vintage car valuations.

Maybe you can score a deal … Going once, going twice!