Museum’s cars to go on auction block next weekend

It’s the end of an era. Dick’s Classic Car Garage closed its doors at the end of 2018, and an auction of the memorabilia and select vehicles from the late Richard “Dick” Burdick’s vast classic car collection is scheduled for next weekend. Burley Auction Group will conduct the auction, which will begin at the museum at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12. A preview is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 11, from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 12, from 8 a.m. until the auction starts.

All of the memorabilia — antique gas pumps, signs, antique auto dealership signs, gas and oil signs, vintage vending machines, antique toys, parts, tools, shop equipment and more — will be up for sale at the auction. Among the vehicles that will be auctioned off are a 1929 Stutz Model M LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaeton, 1949 Oldsmobile 88 Deluxe Club Coupe, 1962 Austin Healy 3000, 1956 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria, 1941 Chevrolet convertible, 1940 Chevrolet Special Deluxe, 1941 Ford, 1942 Ford, 1943 Ford WWII Navy Jeep with a historical connection to Corpus Christi, 1957 Hudson Hornet (second owner survivor in unrestored original condition) and a 1937 DeSoto Sedan. 

Proceeds from the auction will go toward the Richard L. Burdick Foundation, a nonprofit that Burdick’s family announced they would form in July. The board of directors of Dick’s Classic Car Garage told the public over the summer that the museum would close at the end of the year and become a private, nonprofit grant-making foundation. The foundation will focus on providing financial support for charities and individual scholarships to promote values-based leadership through character-based educational programs.

“It was my husband’s most sincere wish to create and maintain a private non-profit foundation that would be both beneficial and impactful in our local community, across the country and around the globe,” Johnnie Burdick said in July. “We intend to honor his vision by using the proceeds from the sale of the museum’s assets to further the Foundation’s charitable intent.”

Dick Burdick died on Feb. 25, 2018. Among his achievements was the founding of Thermon Manufacturing, a San Marcos-based company that now has offices around the world. Burdick leaves behind a legacy of community service, including involvement with the Rotary Club and support of the Boy Scouts. 

Burdick’s car collection is also part of his legacy. Six cars from his collection will be featured in an exhibition at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio this spring. “American Dreams: Classic Cars and Postwar Paintings” will open at the McNay on Feb. 14 and run through May 14. Details will be available soon at www. Mcnayart.org.

For more information on the Jan. 12 auction, call 830-237-3440 or visit BurleyAuction.com.