The Peter Max Corvette Collection Garage Find (photos)
The mother load of all barn finds is the Peter Max collection, which has been buried in dust in various Manhattan parking garages for nearly 30 years. How did they get there? Why were they there? Let's investigate.
1. The VH-1 Ultimate Corvette Prize
In an attempt to draw in more viewers, specifically the "baby-boomers," VH-1 put together the ultimate Corvette collection in 1989, and held a contest. The promotion had viewers call a 1-900 number to enter for a chance to win 36 Corvettes, one from each year of production. Each call cost the viewer $2.00, and with an estimate of over 1 million entries, you can imagine the profits to VH-1, whether or not they ever saw increased ratings.
2. Three Decades of Excellence
VH-1 enlisted a producer to procure 36 Corvettes in good driveable condition, one from each production year. Every year is represented from 1953 to 1989, the only year missing is 1983. No Corvettes were sold in 1983 due to the coming launch of the all new C4 in 1984.
3. Jim Cahill Goes Shopping
The Corvette Collection was originally the brainchild of Jim Cahill, a VH-1 producer. Over the course of several months Cahill went on the shopping spree of his life. He purchased 36 Corvettes, 14 of them convertibles, and 25 of the 36 contained an automatic transmission. He reportedly spent $610,000 on the collection, adjusted for inflation... $1.1 million. Looking at values today, just the 1953 Corvette is worth a quarter of that in good condition.
4. You WIN!
A carpenter from Long Island, Dennis Amodeo, was the eventual winner and flew out to California to claim his winnings. Before he could make arrangements to transport all of the cars home to New York, artist Peter Max approached him with a proposition. For $250,000 in cash, $250,000 in artwork, and a portion of future sales up to $1 million dollars, Peter Max became the proud owner of 36 beautiful Corvettes.
5. Consigned to Oblivion
Max intended to use the Corvette's for an unspecified art project, but unfortunately (or possibly fortunately) this art project never came to fruition. No one is sure what the project was to be, but all that can be seen of his vision are faded, chipped, and peeling test strips of paint that were brushed onto some of the cars. The world will never see his vision come to life, but it probably would have involved these cars with rainbow hues painted on them.
6. Essentially Left to Rot
Here's where it gets interesting. A handful of Digital Corvettes members began to hunt these cars down after a New York Post article in 2005. Upon finding them, hundred of forum posts, letters, and emails began to flood in. People wanted to upkeep and care for the cars for free, just to preserve the integrity of the 'Vettes rather than leaving them to rot, which is essentially what Max did. Max remained mute, never responding despite all of the offers.
7. Collecting Dust in the Dark
These beauties have been collecting dust in the dark for the better part of the last 25 years, only seeing the light when they had to be shuffled between a series of garages in New York City. This collection has sat waiting to be rediscovered, and was whispered about all the time among East Coast car collectors. After nearly a quarter of a century the Heller and Spindler families finally convinced Max to sell, at the urging of the owner of one of the garages they were being stored in.
8. Odd Man Out
One car stands out against the sea of 'Vettes. This fully customized Volkswagen Beetle demonstrates the artist's vision and love of color play and patterns. It gives us a small glimpse into what may have been his plan with the Corvette collection.
9. Number 291 of 300
That's right, this 1953 Corvette Roadster Convertible is one of 300 cars made that inaugural year. This car alone demonstrates that there is great value in this incredible collection. Restoration has already begun for this rare beauty under the ever watchful eye of Corvette aficionado, Chris Mazzilli.
10. Hush, Hush
When it comes to payment for these timeless pieces of Corvette history, everyone's lips are sealed. Neither Max, nor Heller and Splinder, have disclosed the amount for which the cars were purchased. Although one can imagine that it is a very large sum of money. However, late in 2014 after the sale a lawsuit was filed by the brokers claiming that Max never paid them, so eventually the price may be come part of the public record.
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