http://www.sptimes.com/2007/11/29/Northpinellas/History_rolls_onto_au.shtml#
History rolls onto auction block
Al Wiseman looks to collect up to $10-million for his expansive and expensive collection of classic cars, bikes and more.
By EILEEN SCHULTE, Times Staff Writer
Published November 29, 2007
TARPON SPRINGS - Parked on the sprawling lawn of Al Wiseman's 20-acre estate is at least $7-million worth of automotive history.
There's a gleaming 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Merlin straight out of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Worth at least $600,000, it sits protected by security guards.
There also is an artfully restored 1906 Stanley Model EX Runabout with an estimated value of about $125,000.
And nearby is a 1953 Corvette Roadster which can be yours for about a half-million dollars.
Or $1 - if, by some remote chance, that is the highest offer. Starting Friday, each will be offered for auction without reserve, meaning the highest bid wins the item.
The vehicles are among 80 classic cars Wiseman will put up for auction Friday and Saturday in Tarpon Springs.
Wiseman's collection, which he spent 28 years lovingly assembling, includes dozens of rare motorbikes and vintage motorcycles. There are also more than 700 antiques and items of memorabilia, including an old Tokheim 850 Shell gas pump, a Good Humor ice cream push cart and baby carriage circa the late 1800s.
He expects the sale to fetch as much as $10-million.
Although Wiseman, 69, will sell off much of his lot, his dealership, Classic Corvettes and Collectables, in downtown Tarpon Springs, will remain open.
"I have to pare down," he said. "I just can't keep up with all these cars."
Wiseman was raised in Duncan, Okla. population about 17,000 back then by a family of modest means. When he was 16, his father made a $40 down payment on Wiseman's first car, a 1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe. He paid the balance of $500 himself.
As an adult, he became an engineer and inventor who made millions in the aircraft industry, designing jet engine sound-suppression devices. He and his wife, Emily, 67, raised five children.
In 1979, Wiseman began seriously collecting what he considers "rolling works of art," and his hobby picked up speed with each acquisition of a favorite muscle car or hot rod.
"I lost my head in the 90s," he said.
He opened his store in 1996.
Although he owns a slick late-model Mercedes, he prefers to tool around town in his 1958 Chevy station wagon.
"I like cars with history," said Wiseman.
One of them is a fully-restored 1912 Cadillac Speedster with wooden wheel spokes, believed to be the only one of its kind left in the world.
Another is a 1957 Continental Mark II once owned by Dwight D. Eisenhower. The former president drove the two-door 300-horsepower auto with its 368 cubic inch V-8 engine around his ranch in Gettysburg, Penn. during his second term in office.
It is in totally original condition and worth about $80,000.
Wiseman's collection "is a great cross-section of cars," said Ian Kelleher, car specialist at RM Auctions, which is running the event. Among other things, "there are steam-powered cars and airplane engine-powered cars."
About 2,000 people are expected to attend, according to RM Auctions spokeswoman Amy Christie. When asked if any celebrities are planning to attend, Christie said company policy forbids her to say.
Standing in his warehouse looking at his collection, Wiseman said it will be sad to see it go.
But he said he is moving on to a new hobby.
"I'm going to collect old tools."
Eileen Schulte can be reached at schulte@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4153.
IF YOU GO
The auction of Al Wiseman's vintage car collection runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 2270 N Highland Ave., north of Keystone Road. There will be a preview from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Admission requires the purchase of an official auction catalog available for $80. The book admits two people. Those who cannot be on hand for the event can bid on-line by visiting www.rmauctions.com or find out how to bid by telephone. For more information, call (519) 352-4575.
If you go, here's some of what you'll see:
- A 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder with only 53,365 miles on the odometer. Value: around $20,000.
- The 1995 Batman Forever Batmobile which was used in the promotion of the film starring Val Kilmer. It's not street legal (flames shoot out the rear), but it would be fun to own if you have about $600,000 to spare.
- A 1967 Amphicar which can travel on land and sea. Built in Germany, it features twin propellers in the rear. Although Wiseman has owned the vehicle since 1999, he said he has not taken it to the beach for a test plunge into the surf. Expected price: about $60,000.
