That's too bad. I personally talked to Lee and he told me he had made specific requests that certain people would get items from his collection. I dont know if there was a legal will or not. I am sure he would not happy about this. I plan on attending to see how it unfolds.
well i have been there and had the pleasure to meet leroy he just amazing and to hear the stories it was just mind blowing.. RUSTYRODS i agree with you and heard the same from what i know leroy had a plan where everything was to go when he passed, and quite frankly i think this margie aka the two headed monster is just looking at the money she could care less where everything goes.. i think she should sell one or two things and build a nice new building and open a museum in memory of our friend Leroy Hartung, but instead this bitch wants money which is a shame and to top it off she did not tell everyone leroy had died till a month later which is bullshit my friend had called to talk to leroy and all she said is that he sick and can't talk now but will let him know that he had called. and who cremates a body a couple days later. kinda suspicious if you ask me. well all we can hope is that all the stuff goes to a good home and is preserved for many years to come. and as they say every dog has its day!!!!!!! RIP leroy we love you
I just got the official notice for the the sale. Very sad indeed. http://www.auctionsamerica.com/events/event.cfm?SaleCode=LH11
Amazing collection, does anyone know Leroy's background, and how he afforded to put this together over so many years?
I was lucky enough to go there a few times. I always thought that it was funny they whenever anyone went there for the first time they spoke about the place as if it was a giant secret, but everyone knew him. He once told me that during the depression he would look for jobs in the obituaries.
Newbie here, be kind - I was friends with Lee Hartung from about 1978 to about 1991. I grew up in Northbrook about a mile from his place and found out about it in the local paper; went to meet him and was astounded by the collection. More importantly, he was friendly to a nerdy carbuff kid. I hung out there a lot on the weekends, even during the winter when hardly anyone else would show up. My folks even had him and Bonnie over to dinner once; she was as nice to me as he was. He used to tell me a lot of stories about his finds; this was one of my favorites: He was called to clean out a garage in Chicago that hadn't been opened in ages. He had to dig out the dirt around the doors to get them open, and he was greeted by a floor-to-ceiling pile of boxes and trash. As he began digging everything out he saw the corner of the roof of some kind of boxy old sedan. He asked the owner of the property about it and she told him it was an old car that belonged to her late husband, and Lee could have it if he hauled it away. Hours of digging later, he unearthed a 1934 Rolls-Royce 20/25 with a Thrupp and Maberly saloon body. It had been painted (with a brush!) dark blue, and carried 1956 Illinois plates along with its old English ones (ACX 100). He trailered the car home (sadly, on the trip home one of the front suicide doors blew open and got a bit bent), pulled the plugs, oiled the cylinders, put in gear and towed it around his yard to free it up. With a battery and fresh gas, he got it running! Another time after I'd moved to California, he called me and asked, "You ever heard of a car called an Edwards?" I hadn't, so I hit the library and researched it, to find that he had found a sports car built by Sterling Edwards in 1950. It originally had a built-up V8-60, but now it had a Jaguar inline six. Last tagged in '64, he got it from the widow of a fellow named Reidy who had raced it in the mid-fifties. Unfortunately, that car was the starting point of the undoing of our friendship. Vintage Motorsport magazine had an article on homebuilt Fifties sports cars that mentioned it; I sent them a letter and a photo telling about the current status of the car which they published. Only thing was, I hadn't told Lee about having done so. The next time we spoke, I'd never heard him so furious - he said a magazine was going to pay him $1000 for an exclusive write-up on the car and they had cancelled it because of my letter. Despite my attempts to apologize, the last words he ever spoke to me were "Our friendship is dissolved" before he hung up. I tried to call him six months later to try again to apologize, but he just hung up again. I still told my friends about Lee's collection and encouraged them to visit; some did. I told them not to mention I'd sent them. Two years ago at Christmas while visiting my folks, I left a card in his mailbox with another sincere apology and my current phone number, asking his forgiveness and to call me collect. He didn't. As to the disposition of the collection, he mentioned to me long ago that the collection owned him, not the other way around. I suggested to him that he should leave the collection's proceeds to some charity like the American Cancer Society, considering all the loved ones he had lost to the disease, including his parents and his daughter (his only child), but he said his ex-wife would probably get it all... this was over 20 years ago; maybe he outlived her too? He mentioned a neighbor told him to his face that if he heard that Lee had died, he would come over, shoot the dogs, and start emptying the place. You can't blame him for being a bit paranoid after that. Ironically, the value of his land may outstrip the value of his collection - it's one of the last big parcels of prime commercial/industrial land in town and he used to complain long and bitterly about how the increases in property taxes were leaving him broke. If I do make it back to Illinois for the auction there's only one thing I want to buy: In 1979 or 1980, I traded him a 1962 U.S. Forces in Ethiopia license plate for a couple '56 California plates. It had been my uncle's; had it since I was little but I thought it would be better off in a museum where others could see it too. Thirty years later, with the museum gone, I'd like to have it back in the family. I hope I can buy it back. I have other Lee stories and some pictures, but I've probably bent your ears enough for one day! -Chris Brame
Concerning the Veritas sports car in the Hartung collection, most if not all Veritas cars, based on BMW 328 chassis, had coach built bodies by the Spohn Carosserie in Ravensburg, Germany. This particular car would have been one of their roadster offerings when first built in 1949. After the Munich Auto Show in 1951, where the GM Le Sabre Harley Earl concept car was first displayed, Spohn built a few dozen coachbuilt custom cars on used car chassis employing the styling of the tail of the Le Sabre. The Veritas Hartung had went back to Spohn for customization including the Le Sabre tail as well as front end mods and skirts. And it went back yet another time for a grille change. I own one of the other cars custom coachbuilt by Spohn and it is on a '40 Ford chassis. Attaching two pics showing the two front ends on the exact Veritas that is there at Hartung's until the RM auction. The Veritas is shown in PowDebs fine video promo at 3:30 in.
everyone should check out this current thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=624580
The front lot has been clear-cut, huge white tent is up and the Museum is no more as bobcats, tractors pull, drag and push Lee's 50 year collection out of 200 foot pole barn into the light of day. The Rent-a-cop stopped me and asked if I was on the "List" ~ Margie on the other end of the cell phone said "Don't let him in !" So I began my Historic Photo documentation from outside the new fence, imagine these guys and the unknown stuff buried that Margie has no clue whats been stuffed into the shipping containers, dumpters and trunks of the workers cars.
Veritas has a rich motorsport history. I thought this Spohn version was the uglyest Veritas ever made. But after a quick Google search I now know its the second most ugly Veritas ever made. Right after the 2009 version...
Why? The poster gave heartfelt, profuse apologies to Lee over the years. A good friend would have accepted them and moved on and continued the relationship. I would never lose a friendship over a $1000 under the same circumstances as the poster. The poster did not do anything wrong as in illegal or shysterious. He made a mistake of "outing" the car and that's it. If I did that to my friend friend he would have called me a dumba** and laughed about it 15 minutes later and ask when is the next swap meet. Many of these types of collectors can be cantakerous and quirky and it's like walking on eggshells when dealing with many of them...I suspect the $1000 check would have done nothing to make amends in this case.
Greetings,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> I lived in the area and was a very frequent visitor to Hartung’s Museum, and got to know Lee Roy fairly well.<o></o> Now I don’t want to start any false rumors, but Lee Roy had mentioned to me on several occasions that he had another storage place up in Wisconsin. He said that is where he kept his big cars. One of his older friends actually said that he might even have a Duisenberg hidden away up there someplace along with some other cars. Has anybody else heard anything like this? <o></o>
Never knew him but what a collection of old cars and items. Its a shame that he didnt have any one to pass it on to.
Lee told me about the cars in Wisconsin as well; should have talked him into a road trip. He did mention some Caddy convertibles were there but also hinted about a problem with the ex-wife.
No shit... I liked the old curmudgeon. I sure hope I can make the auction, but the damn thing's at the same time as the SEMA show.
Very disapointing news. The auction lots are now listed on-line, but most of the cars and all of the rare bikes are not listed and must have already been sold off. http://www.auctionsamerica.com/events/all-lots.cfm?SaleCode=LH11
Seems preety sad that i tlooks like they are breaking up the individual collections. The Spark plug collection itself was broken up into 3 different lots.
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