Late Publisher’s Collection of Antique Vehicles for auction
Published September 15th, 2006
Fifty cars and 40 cycles owned by Otis Chandler will go on the block at his museum in Oxnard. The former head of The Times died in February.
By Catherine Saillant, Times Staff Writer
September 15, 2006
A 1931 Duesenberg and a 1907 Harley-Davidson strap tank motorbike are among the rare collection of vintage cars and motorcycles owned by the late Los Angeles Times Publisher Otis Chandler that will be auctioned off next month at his private museum in Oxnard.
Auto lovers from around the world are expected to converge at the museum to bid on the 50 classic cars, 40 motorcycles and memorabilia that make up Chandler’s hand-picked collection.
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Davey Johnson, Los Angeles editor of jalopnik.com, an automotive blog, called Chandler’s collection “peerless.”
“It’s pretty amazing stuff, ranging from the turn-of-the-century to modern day,” Johnson said. “He was a big fan of fast machines.”
After Chandler’s death in February at 78, his family carried out his wishes by putting the collection up for sale, said auctioneer David Gooding, whose Santa Monica firm is in charge of the sale. The bidding could exceed $1 million for some of the rarest vehicles, because Chandler was meticulous about buying the best, he said.
But there will be just as much interest in other cars, such as vintage Corvettes that Gooding predicts will go for $200,000 to $300,000.
The entire collection is valued at more than $20 million, the auctioneer said.
