This past year, we saw dozens of project cars that we would have liked to take home: everything from delivery-mileage cars at the Lambrecht Chevrolet auction to the offbeat classics in Leonard's 500-car trove. We brought neither cash nor a trailer to either place, so we ended up leaving empty-handed, but all the cars from the Lambrecht auction ended up finding a home. Let's take a look back at some of the most memorable project cars we saw this year.

With 326 miles on the clock, this 1964 Chevrolet Bel Air wagon had been kept inside since new and presented quite well when offered for sale. This one had a 283 V8 underhood mated to an automatic transmission, and it was still on its original MSO like a few dozen other delivery-mileage cars. This wagon had some surface rust, but it was otherwise in very nice condition. This one went for $30,000, which made it the 14th highest sale in the entire 500-car auction. With its mileage being in the 100s, we have a hunch it'll see some use.

Even though the Lambrecht Chevrolet auction gained fame for the low-mileage cars from the 1960s and 1970s, the trucks were the real stars of the show. A 1958 Chevrolet Cameo with 1.3 miles on the clock brought $140,000 on the first day of the auction, tens of thousands more than the second highest-selling lot, but there were plenty of other, more usable trucks to be bought. And one such lot was this 1964 Chevrolet 1/2-ton pickup, one of more than a dozen nearly identical trucks from 1964 and 1965. This example had just eight miles on the odometer, and it seemed mostly complete aside from having at least four bullet holes in the windshield. Like a number of other delivery-mileage trucks at the Lambrecht sale, surface rust was about as bad as it got. Even though this truck sat in an open field for decades, the paint wasn't all that faded, compared to some other examples. This truck sold for $17,500, and we later saw a number of these all being loaded onto a single car carrier. Restoring this one and others like it should be a pretty straightforward affair; being in relatively good condition for field finds, they should have plenty of life left in them. Perhaps we'll see these wearing brand new paint in a year or so at Barrett-Jackson.

And a few project cars that made us raise an eyebrow, in a Commander Spock sort of way:

With a grand total of 1.7 miles on the odometer, this 1979 Chevrolet Impala station wagon at the Lambrecht auction attracted some attention. At the end of the day, a number of bidders duked it out for the right to tow this 5.0-liter V8 monument to Carter-era suburbia home. Don't worry: This car came with wheels. The new owners put the car up on some wooden blocks and hammered the completely flat wheels off, intending to put it on some donuts so they could move it around. We suspect a restoration is planned, though we're not sure what one does with a faded-gold-over-stained-gold Chevrolet Impala station wagon with one mile on it.

This 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier Cadet sedan looked lost on the field at the Lambrecht sale. With 23.6 miles on the clock and a completely new (if dusty) interior, it looked like something from the background of a post-apocalyptic film. Someone was sympathetic enough to pay $1,800 for it, evidence of at least two bidders locking horns for a couple minutes. We even found original delivery documents in the glove compartment, which, to be fair, was not all that unusual among the Lambrecht cars. The paint was...there, for the most part, with just a few instances of surface rust here and there. We'd say a weekend's worth of work could get it to cough back to life. $1,900 is too much to pay for a Cavalier parts car, and reasonably complete Reagan-era Cavaliers can be had for much less. Is a restoration of this example in progress?

The 1988 Peugeot 505 Turbo was obviously a much more popular car on its home turf than over here in the States, but this was the single best-kept Peugeot out of the three dozen or so examples that Leonard has in his collection. Leonard had this sitting in a shed, with cat paw prints covering a dusty windshield. This 505 Turbo was said to be complete and in running condition when it was parked over a year prior. 505 Turbos are kindly thought of by those who actually remember them, but we could probably count the number of people who would take on such a project on the fingers of both hands. The completeness of this example was encouraging, but it's not one for French car novices. No word on whether this example will be offered for sale at some point.

This 1977 Chevrolet Vega hatch was perhaps the most malaise-flavored of the Lambrecht cars on offer, but six miles on the clock and its Lambrecht history certainly made it a one-of-a-kind automobile. $10,500 took this one home, which is a lot to pay for a Vega that needs some work to get going and a lot to pay for a Vega that one can't drive without losing at least some iota of its originality. Unless this one went to a big collection, we'd love to see this one receive a mechanical restoration and be enjoyed as is once it's cleaned up.

This 1956 Chevrolet station wagon was one of the better buys in the sale, and we're sure it'll be restored. Jay Ramey

We saw this 1956 Chevrolet 210 station wagon at the Lambrecht Chevrolet sale in Pierce, Neb., back in October. Like many complete-looking cars, it attracted plenty of attention from serious bidders, tire kickers, people looking for a good project, and all kinds of people from within a 300-mile radius who descended upon the small town to see what all the hoopla was about. This 210 station wagon sat next to a number of similarly patinaed cars, and it appeared to be mostly complete--though with the prices of restored examples being where they are (not that high really), it didn't matter. Body panels for these are cheap enough that the new owners wouldn't have much trouble replacing some rusted pieces, but rust on this example seemed merely moderate when we examined it. This 210 station wagon sported a 265 V8 with a three-speed manual transmission on the column. With 92,785 miles, it appeared to be a car that Ray Lambrecht had taken in on trade and never resold. This car wasn't sitting on flat tires, so it was likely stored indoors for some period of time. This would place it in a distinct minority among Lambrecht Chevrolet cars in that only three dozen or so appeared to have been stored indoors. We noted some rust in the wheel arches, but the interior appeared salvageable, adding credibility to the stored-indoors theory. This lot sold for $5,500, so somebody got themselves a nice project car with a great story behind it for not that much money.

Another great project car was this 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne sedan. Jay Ramey

One of the cheapest ways to get into a delivery-mileage Lambrecht Chevrolet turned out to be this 1959 Biscayne with just three miles on the odometer. We think it's safe to say that this is one of the lowest-mileaged 1950s Chevrolets in existence. Apart from the missing headlights and trim (the auction company later said that they weren't missing and would be included with the lot) the buyers who bid the car up to $11,000 on auction day might have a bit of dilemma on their hands: preserve or restore? While a sympathetic mechanical restoration would yield a very faded but usable Biscayne, the three miles on the clock of this car might earn the new owners the wrath of purists who wouldn't approve of this car accumulating more mileage. We'd say "Pfft!" to that. After a not-too-intensive restoration, this would make a fun summer cruiser. The history of this car wouldn't arguably be lost if it were restored and put back on the road. It would still be a Lambrecht Chevrolet, and the owners would actually get to enjoy it instead of it sitting in some gaudy basement automotive crypt with other mummies, to emerge on eBay in 2059 when it turns 100.

This 1957 Chevrolet was one of the best starting points for a restoration, and its mileage will permit this. Jay Ramey

While there were definitely some bargains when it came to project cars, this wasn't one of them. This 47,377 mile 1957 Chevrolet had a 283 V8 underhood, mated to an automatic transmission. This car was expressly stated to have been kept inside most of its life. This is why it was complete and sitting on inflated tires, though it was also covered in a tremendous amount of grime. Surface rust was extremely minimal, and there didn't appear to be anything missing. The interior appeared well preserved and salvageable. We thought this example might actually clean up nicely and not require a respray, but with no historic mileage issues for armchair archaeologists to get upset about, there seemed to be many options for this car. This lot brought $37,500, a reflection of its completeness, condition and perceived market desirability.

This rather complete 1980 Chevrolet C10 went for jut $1,600. Jay Ramey

Even though it was one of the newest trucks in the Lambrecht Chevrolet auction, this 1980 Chevrolet C10 appeared to be a steal. With 48,264 miles on the odometer, it was sold new by Ray Lambrecht to a couple in nearby Battle Creek, Neb., back in April of 1981. It was then taken back in as a trade in 1988. The truck sat on Ray Lambrecht's mechanic's property just outside Pierce, Neb., until auction day. This lot ran on the second day, and it didn't appear to attract a lot of attention, selling for just $1,600 to Jeff Rynearson or Lorimor, Iowa. A few weeks after the sale, Rynearson contacted us and told us that the truck was running again, apparently needing very little to get back on the road.

"What a feeling it was to open it up after 20-some years!" Rynearson told us. "The mechanic's son met us at the truck just after we opened it up and gave us a brief history. He said that probably with a battery and some gas it would probably run. Guess what? It did! Once we got home, the next morning I put a battery and some gas in it and fired it up and drove it off the trailer. We have been driving it around the farm ever since."

The Chevy is now back in use on Rynearson's property, and he's been teaching his children how to drive a manual-transmission truck.

This Peugeot 404 sat in a barn but appeared to be very restorable. Jay Ramey

For the record, the Peugeot 404 was not the car driven by Peter Falk's character in the popular "Columbo" TV series -- that was actually a 403 cabrio -- but you'd be forgiven for not recognizing this car right away. We saw this Peugeot 404 sedan when we visited Leonard's 500-car collection a couple months ago. While the vast majority of cars were kept outside, under the open sky, this 404 sedan was among a handful of cars scattered through a number of garages. And this one looked like a prime candidate for a restoration, having been kept inside most of its life, with its biggest need being a fully sorted dash. Not a project for a novice, but not impossible either -- Peugeot 404 parts are still very affordable and easy to find. And you're guaranteed to have the only one at the next West Coast or East Coast French car gathering; there are estimated to be fewer than 20 running examples in the whole country. Leonard didn't tell us what he planned to do with this one, but we wouldn't be surprised if he chose to offer it for sale some time in the near future. He's got plenty of other projects to keep him busy.

This MGB GT was said to be ready to be recommissioned. Jay Ramey

MGB GTs are enjoying a bit of a resurgence right now, and this white example we saw in Leonard's barn seemed ready for a relatively straightforward restoration. The car appeared complete when we saw it, with slightly exhausted tires and a dusty interior appearing to be the worst of it. Leonard told us that this one ran, essentially, (That's a new one. -ED) the last time he checked. With GT values being where they are, being a little extra thorough when recommissioning this example is likely to pay off. There aren't too many MGB GTs in garage-find condition out there, and this one seemed to almost ready to go as is, though some expert attention with a top-notch repaint certainly could help it.

This 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan looked largely complete. Jay Ramey

This teal blue 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan had 38,000 miles on it when we saw it sell at the Lambrecht Chevrolet auction. This one was in good condition inside and out, and the only body damage we saw was under the front bumper. This was a car that Ray Lambrecht had likely taken in trade. With a complete interior and very minimal rust, it looks like a pretty straightforward project. This one was taken home for $8,000, and it should be a fun restoration to complete.

This was another 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air that could be brought back relatively easily. Jay Ramey

This 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan ended up selling on the pricier side when it came to project cars, but as far as delivery mileage examples went, it was a bit of a bargain. This sedan wore nice, faded gold paint, and it was complete (the headlights were said to be inside the car for whatever reason). This one had a V8 underhood with an automatic transmission, and with just two miles on the clock, it brought in $19,000. The winning bidder no doubt decided a long time ago what he or she would do with the car, but a number of bidders on site said that they weren't sure whether they would have restored this one or kept it as-is. We're hoping that despite the mileage, this one will be given a mechanical restoration at the very least.

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