Well, maybe not the men themselves, but their cars will. The Worldwide Group Auctioneers announced that they have procured the sale of Ronald Reagan’s 1952 Army Jeep, Model M38 A1, and the 1934 Packard Twelve Sedan of Al Capone for its Houston Classic Auction on May 3rd at the Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas. The Willys Model M38 A1 Jeep saw a lot of combat in the Korea war. This was the first appearance of the round fender Jeep that would eventually become the CJ5 model. You can find one on display in the Museum of Modern Art in New York being describe it as the quintessential utilitarian vehicle. Maybe that’s why Ronald Reagan had one on his California ranch.
Reagan later donated the Jeep to the Camping and Education Foundation of Cinncinnati, an organization which raised scholarship funds to run wilderness island camps for under-privileged youth. But if you are the winning bidder of Reagan’s M38 A1, you’ll have the honor of receiving its Title which still reads “Reagan Protective Division. US Secret Service.”
The 1934 Packard Twelve Sedan going under the hammer on May 3rd was not destined for military valor or for doing good deeds; it was to be delivered new for the use of gangster Al Capone. But just as it arrived, Capone went to jail on charges of racketeering. Capone's 1928 Cadillac Town Sedan, Model 501, Series 341 A sold for $621,500 in 2006. Maybe it does pay to be bad.
The Worldwide Group are auctioneers of some of the world’s finest automobiles, and you can view the entire line up of cars and details for the Houston Classic Auction on their website.
In conjunction with the auction, the Lakewood Yacht Club will be presenting the 2nd annual Keels & Wheels Antique and Classic Boat Regatta on Thursday, May 2nd, and the 13th annual Concours d’ Elegance on May 3rd and 4th. It’s a great way to spend a long weekend on the Gulf coast.
We went last year to the first Keels and Wheels event when the legendary race car driver Sterling Moss served as the Grand Marshal with automotive legend Carroll Shelby on hand. It just doesn’t get any better than that. You can see a video of the press conference with Shelby and Moss at Keels and Wheels on You Tube.
Photo of Capone's 1934 Packard Twelve © Worldwide Group.