BLENHEIM, Ontario, Canada (September 20, 2006) – One of the world’s most important and comprehensive Ford car collections will be offered when RM Auctions, North America’s leading collector car auction house, puts The Cappy Collection on the auction block on November 11, 2006 on the property of Ford aficionado Jerry Capizzi in Addison, Illinois. This important sale represents the lifelong collecting passion of Capizzi, whose father was General Legal Counsel to the Ford Motor Company and occasionally served as Henry Ford’s personal lawyer.
“Jerry Capizzi’s cars regularly participate in prestigious national shows each year, and have won countless awards throughout the decades,” says Dan Spendick of RM Auctions. “With this astounding collection, it has been Jerry’s goal to give the automotive past a future, which is why he has a full time restoration staff to handle all aspects of the collection’s preservation, concourse participation, and acquisition evaluation. This collection contains some of the finest and rarest examples of Ford products in the world.”
Raised with Ford as a dominant force in his life, Capizzi grew up with the Blue Oval all around, even attending grade school at the Edison Institute in Greenfield Village with the children of other Ford executives. In 1975 he purchased his first Thunderbird, then another, and another, and today his collection contains more than 60 Ford Motor Company vehicles from the 1930s through the 1970s. There is a predominant focus on Thunderbirds and Lincoln Continentals, with a variety of Edsels, Mercurys and Fords.
The Cappy Collection vehicles are exactly what collectors seek: high-point cars, most restored to the highest possible standards, with strict attention paid to authenticity. In the mid-1980s, Capizzi established “in house” restoration capabilities in order to achieve the caliber of restoration and preservation desired. Bob Welsch, and Chuck Mill have been with the collection for a combined total of 45 years and they, along with two part time employees, handle all aspects of restoration, preservation, Concours participation and acquisition evaluation. Stored in a climate-controlled environment, these cars have received perpetual upkeep and on-going preservation of the collection second to none.
Headlining the sale is a 1938 Lincoln K Brunn Semi-Collapsible Cabriolet, one of only nine such cabriolets produced with a semi-collapsible top. A multiple National Show winner, its accolades include First Place, Best of Class and Senior Grand National awards, and a prestigious CCCA First Place Senior Award trophy.
Other featured cars include:
• 1957 Ford Skyliner Retractable Supercharged – One of only seven supercharged “F-Code” Retractables built, this example has every option except air conditioning (which wasn’t available on F-Code versions) and is a multiple national show winner, including the AACA Senior Grand National Award.
• 1937 Lincoln Zephyr Three Window Coupe – Loaded with such accessories as a trunk rack and Columbia two-speed rear end, this beauty is also an AACA Senior Grand National Winner
• 1957 Ford Thunderbird Supercharged – Another AACA Senior Grand National Winner, this unique Thunderbird is one of only 212 built
• 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser Two-Door Hardtop – an extremely rare 335 hp dual quad version equipped with factory air conditioning, this stunning tri-tone example captured National Best of Show honors
Nearly 60 vehicles, including a 1956 Ford F100 panel truck, and 1959 Edsel Corsair Convertible, and Edsel Ranger Convertible, a 1972 deTomaso Pantera, three Ford Rancheros, and dozens of Thunderbirds, Lincolns and Mercurys will be sold. In addition to the cars, the offering also includes 300-400 lots of related parts, automotive literature and artwork, a huge cache of impeccably displayed die-cast models, plus Ford shop and service signs, tools, and an assortment of shop equipment.
The single-day sale will take place from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Capizzi property, at 758 Annoreno Drive, in the town of Addison, Illinois on Saturday, November 11, 2006. The auction preview runs November 9-10 from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm each day. Admission to the sale is $80 and includes an auction catalog. Bidder registration is $150 and includes an auction catalog, plus admission for two persons to the preview, auction, and reception. Catalogs may be ordered online at www.rmauctions.com, or by calling (800) 211-4371.