After a five-year hiatus, Dan Kruse Classics is reviving their Hill Country Classic car auction. Daniel Kruse inherited the long running biannual auction from the late Ron Brooks in the early 1990’s and quickly brought on Bruce Knox of Kruse International, now the managing partner of Lamborghini Austin, to help him run his newly formed Kruse Classic Car Productions.
The auction was originally held at the Wursthalle in New Braunfels, Texas, and was quickly dubbed by the Kruse team as the “Hill Country Classic.” The auction and company sold to eBay in 1999 alongside Kruse International of Auburn, Indiana. In 2002, Dean Kruse bought back Kruse International from eBay, bringing on board Daniel’s eldest daughter, Tiffany, to run his southwest office and the auction. Daniel bought his auction back from his brother in 2004 but by that time, Dean had moved the auction to the Hangar Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas.
The Hill Country Classic struggled to find a permanent home, moving first to San Marcos and then Austin. Daniel purchased the San Antonio Autorama in 2014, merging the car show and auction into one mega sized event. 2020 brought the live auction to a screeching halt, prompting Tiffany to launch her own online auction house.
Thankfully, 2024 brought new opportunity for Daniel and Tiffany to relaunch the Hill Country Classic. “A longtime customer approached us about holding an auction at their new location in Dripping Springs. The proximity to Austin coupled with our past experiences with him as both a customer and a partner made this decision a no brainer”, reports Daniel.
“Texas has always been a home for American muscle cars and anything with a truck bed but with an influx of people not only from around the US but the world, the vintage European and domestic Japanese markets are now finding their way into more Texan garages”, says Tiffany who is enthusiastic about the diverse assortment of vehicles Dan Kruse Classics will be offering for sale the first weekend of December.
Featured vehicles include: a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette split window coupe, a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger roadster, a 1970 Pontiac GTO 455 455 H/O convertible, a 1973.5 Porsche 911 T coupe, a 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage, a 1951 Ford Country Squire woody station wagon, a 1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD, and a 1958 Porsche 356A 1600 speedster race car, a 2002 Ferrari 360 F1 Spider, 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan and a 2006 Hummer H1 Alpha SUV. Additionally, over 20 vehicles will be offered for sale without minimum or reserve. The complete inventory can be viewed by clicking the “vehicles” tab at dankruseclassics.com.
The bespoke auction is being held at 10am CST on Sunday, December 8, at Motoreum’s Rancho Agua Vista, 4010 Bell Springs Road, Dripping Springs, Texas. There will be a preview period on Friday and Saturday prior to the auction from 10am to 4pm. In addition, the vehicles from the Tejas Turismo will be on display. For more information on the vehicles being auctioned, consigning or bidding, please contact Tiffany Kruse at [email protected] or call/text 210.495.8111.
Source: www.classiccars.com