In certain circles the name Bob McDorman carries a lot of clout, and whether or not you’ve heard his name you certainly have heard of his passion — Chevrolets. Rare ones, old ones, serial no. 1 pilot cars.
Though he passed away in 2015, the celebrated dealer’s legacy lives on, with recognition and awards from the Bloomington Gold Great Hall and the National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame, to name a few.
“He was so well respected and one of the first serious collectors of Corvettes and as a hard-core Chevy guy and his relationship with the factory was such that he could get things, certainly serial numbers, that even other dealers maybe could not,” said John Kraman, consignment director for Mecum Auctions.
And now forty-plus rides from the McDorman collection — including a very vintage Wells Fargo stagecoach, three custom golf carts and a load of Road Art — is coming under the hammer at the Mecum 30th annual Original Spring Classic auction the May 16th through the 21st.
There’s also a pair of ‘78 Corvette Indy pace cars. But these aren’t just any pace cars — they’re the first and last makes produced.
“Both are L82 4 speeds,” Kraman says. “He was able to finagle things like that.”
This isn’t the first time the McDorman steeds have crossed the Mecum block. He sold 150 vehicles no-reserve via Mecum at his dealership in 2010 when he was 78-years-old. And again in 2014 before his passing in May 2016.
McDorman was a show
He was quoted in 2010 by the Columbus Dispatch as saying, “You know, in life, you can fake enthusiasm and you can fake your attitude, but you cannot fake your passion, and I got the passion.”
A ‘Vette legend if there ever was one.
Have a gander at the entire collection over at Mecum’s here including one white hot (pictured above) 1953 Corvette roadster, one of only 300, that we can’t stop ogling.
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