AUTOS: Lottery Winner’s Finds At Auction

Former Kansas truck driver who won $96 million Powerball jackpot is selling off some of his collector-car overflow on Saturday at Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach.

SPEED Staff | Posted April 05, 2012 West Palm Beach, FLA

A beautifully restored 1955 Ford Sunliner convertible is one of the stars of the Donald Damon collection. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson)

This article was originally written by Rich Taylor for the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach catalog.

“What would you do if you won the lottery?”

“Why, buy all the cars I ever wanted, price no object.”

A custom 1937 Ford convertible was built to evoke the world-beating styling of that pivotal year. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson)

Fellow car nuts, meet Donald Damon, a retired truck driver living the good life in Great Bend, Kansas, after winning a 2009 Powerball jackpot worth $96.6 million. He immediately started attending Barrett-Jackson auctions.

As Damon told The Wichita Eagle a few months ago, “Barrett-Jackson’s quality is very high. I tell guys they need to go to a Barrett-Jackson auction. You don’t even have to buy a car; the auction is worth seeing all by itself!”

Damon, however, does buy cars. So many, in fact, that he also purchased the former General Motors dealership in Great Bend and started D&B Motors, LLC, his own classic-car showroom. His collection has now outgrown the dealership, so he’s selling a few cars to make room for new purchases.

Important points to remember are that Damon has virtually unlimited funds and buys only perfect cars through Barrett-Jackson. Bottom line: everything he has is the best of the best.

Click on the lot numbers for the full Barrett-Jackson catalog entry.

1937 Ford custom convertible (Lot #652) – Under the direction of Edsel Ford, famed designers John Tjaarda and E.T. “Bob” Gregorie rapidly advanced Ford styling from the upright look of the early-’30s to the streamlined ’39 Ford and ’40 Continental. The earliest of the sleek new models were the 1936 Lincoln Zephyr and 1937 Ford, especially the Ford with its swept-back grille, faired-in headlights and rounded fenders.

The '37 Ford custom is powered by a 454cid GM big block. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson)

Damon’s ’37 Ford-inspired custom carefully enhances the Art Deco streamlined look. A total hot rod, it’s been given a late-model rear axle located by a four-link suspension and coilover spring/shock units. At the front is an adjustable air suspension.

The wheels are billet aluminum, 18-inch rear/17-inch front, hiding four-wheel disc brakes. The engine is a 454cid GM big block hitched to a sturdy TH 400 three-speed automatic. The engine compartment is finished off with immaculate chrome and billet dress-up pieces.

The high-quality Gibbons fiberglass body shows a custom grille, no bumpers, frenched-in lights front and rear, no door or trunk handles, and no trim. The fiberglass work and red metallic paint are flawless. Both the padded removable “Carson” top and fully finished trunk are better than new.

On the interior, light-tan leather bucket seats, matching leather and billet steering wheel, custom classic gauges and center console with floor shift make this a very contemporary rod. Power windows and power door openers add the final touch. With less than 1,000 miles on the odometer, this hot ’37 is ready to get out and boogie. Power Tour, here we come.

1955 Ford Sunliner convertible (Lot #629) – By far the best-selling convertible in the record-setting year of 1955 was the Ford Fairlane Sunliner convertible coupe, with a remarkable 49,966 sold. The classic version used in most Ford advertising was two-tone red with white, white top, wide-whitewall tires and red-and-white interior. In other words, identical to Donald Damon’s.

The 1955 Ford Sunliner convertible won the hearts of ragtop lovers in its day. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson)

There’s a reason this car was so popular. For starters, Ford’s dramatic new sheet metal was light years ahead. From concave grille to “Jet-Tube” tail lights, it still looks good today. Under the hood was Ford’s new Y-block V8, 272cid and 182 horsepower. Hooked up to a three-speed Ford-O-Matic with power brakes and power steering, the lightweight Sunliner was terrific fun to drive and cost just $2,325 in 1955.

This stunning Sunliner is totally stock except for conversion to a 12-volt electrical system. It is immaculate: paint, chrome, glass and interior all excellent. The engine compartment and chassis are just as clean. It is ready to show and drive, and will give immense pleasure whether being admired on the concours lawn or cruising to the country club dance. A ‘55 Ford convertible…what could be more evocative of the post-war American Dream?

1955 Chevrolet 210 two-door hardtop(Lot #629.1) – Everybody had one once. “The Hot One,” “The Fabulous ’55,” the “Motoramic,” “The Shoebox” and a dozen other fond nicknames glorify the first all-new post-war Chevrolet, the best-selling car of 1955 with remarkable sales of 1,704,667, which represents 25 percent of the new-car market. There are only a few iconic American cars revered by restorers, racers and street rodders alike: ’32 Ford, ’65 Mustang and the ’55 Chevy.

The ’55 Chevrolet is special for a variety of reasons. The boxy body — styled by Clare MacKichan, Carl Renner and Charles Stebbins under the direction of the legendary Harley Earl — was an uplifting change from the dull transportation devices of the previous years. From its Ferrari-style “egg-crate” grille to nascent finned tail lights, the ’55 Chevy was and still is one of the cleanest classics of all time.

The 1955 Chevrolet 210 two-door is a restored original example of the famous Shoebox Chevy. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson)

Then there’s the famous small-block Chevy V8, engineered by Ed Cole and Harry Barr in less than 15 weeks. It pioneered precision “green-sand” casting, stamped rocker arms and a number of other engineering breakthroughs. It stayed in production with only minor changes for more than 45 years, and the LS small block V8 that General Motors still sells is a lineal descendant of the original 265/162hp V8 of 1955.

The winningest engine in racing history and the most-produced engine in automotive history, General Motors has sold more than 100 million small blocks with no end in sight.

Surprisingly, one of the rarest 1955 Chevrolet models is the handsome two-door hardtop sport coupe version of the mid-level 210 series. The only scarcer model is the 150 series sedan delivery. Damon’s blue-and-white 210 two-door hardtop is one of only 11,685 built, or just 0.66 percent of all ’55 Chevrolets. It has only 54,000 miles on the odometer but nonetheless has enjoyed a recent bumper-to-bumper restoration. Photo documentation of the restoration comes with the car.

Rare for a ’55 Chevy today, this car still has a proper 265/162hp V8, not some late-model small block making 700hp. The gearbox is a proper automatic, and it features power brakes and deluxe bumper guards front and rear. If you want to experience what “The Hot One” was really like, here’s a rare chance to own one just the way it left the factory.

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