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Back from the dust! The petrol-head’s dream collection of Corvettes that lay forgotten in a hidden garage for 25 years
Wednesday, October 29, 2014 15:34
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Back from the dust! The petrol-head’s dream collection of Corvettes that lay forgotten in a hidden garage for 25 years
· Corvettes that were once part of an artist’s storied collection, but became dusty and fell into disrepair are being restored
· The collection includes thirty-six sports vehicles that were released consecutively from 1953 to 1989
· Artist Peter Max used to own the vehicles
· Max sold the cars to members of the Heller family this summer, who will eventually sell the vehicles in an auction
Corvettes that were once part of an artist’s storied collection, but became dusty and fell into disrepair are being restored.
The collection includes thirty-six sports vehicles that were released consecutively from 1953 to 1989 and once belonged to artist Peter Max, The New York Times reported.
Max sold the cars to members of the Heller family this summer, who will eventually sell the vehicles in an auction, according to the newspaper.
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New start: Thirty-six corvettes, known collectively as the Peter Max Corvettes, have been sold to new owners
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Historic: Pop Art figure Peter Max owned 36 Corvette models, released consecutively from 1953 to 1989
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Original owner: Dennis Amodeo originally won the Corvettes through a 1989 VH1 call-in contest – and was contacted by Max about potentially incorporating the cars into his artwork
Dennis Amodeo originally won the Corvettes through a 1989 VH1 call-in contest – and was contacted by Max about potentially incorporating the cars into his artwork, The Times reported.
Hemmings Daily reported on Max’s purchase from Amodeo, stating ‘Amodeo received $250,000 in cash, $250,000 in Peter Max artwork and an agreement that if Max sold the collection at a future date, Amodeo would get a portion of the proceeds, up to an agreed upon cap of $1 million.’
Though Max began his plans with the cars, they were placed on the backburner following various issues, including a tax fraud case, according to the The Times.
Scott Heller, one of the Corvette collection’s buyers, assisted in transporting the Corvettes to the Flatiron district parking after their original West 40th Street garage went on the market thirteen years ago, The Times reported.
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Up for grabs: Members of the Heller family, which purchased the Corvettes from Max, hope they are all auctioned off together
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Secret treasure: The cars have been in Upper Manhattan since 2010, after being kept in both the Flatiron district then Prospect Heights
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Soot: Many of the cars are dusty and have fallen into disrepair
The cars have been in Upper Manhattan since 2010, following a stay in a Prospect Heights garage, according to the news outlet.
The Times reported that ‘Scott Heller said that earlier this year he had offered to work with Mr. Max, restoring the cars for sale and splitting the proceeds. Mr. Max rejected the offer, he said. But Mr. Heller said that not long after, he was asked whether he wanted to buy the cars outright.’
He reportedly bought the cars with his two sons and his cousin Peter Heller, according to the media outlet.
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Time travel: The Corvettes span a thirty-six year period of automobile design
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Sporty: Artist Peter Max used to own all of the dusty Corvettes
The cars, many of which are damaged, include a 1953 vehicle that was only one of 300 produced, as well as vehicle from 1955 in which only 700 were produced, The Times reported.
Chris Mazilli, who is working with the new Corvette owners, told the newspaper they are looking for all the cars to be purchased together.
‘The biggest thing for use was rescuing the cars,’ he told The Times. ‘It was a good thing [the Heller family] came along. And they’re going to do the right thing.’
Amodeo also told the newspaper ‘I would like to see them out there when they’re done. That would be nice.’
Source: http://nesaranews.blogspot.com/2014/10/back-from-dust-petrol-heads-dream.html
