At some point, Bob Regehr had an idea. We don’t know when or where it happened—in the shower? at the breakfast table? during a nightcap?—but the idea was to create the Moon Walk bouncy house, an inflatable contraption for kids to jump in. At that point, Bob Regehr owned a few gas stations, but it was his invention that made him rich. And so Bob did what any of us would do upon coming into money: He bought a ton of cars, including ’32 Fords, Corvettes, and vintage hot rods. Now many of those cars are for sale through VanDerBrink Auctions, meaning you have a chance to buy the collection that bouncy houses built.
Our sister publication HOT ROD actually profiled Regehr and his collection a few years back, and their photos are included in the gallery below. It was the sort of collection that’s semi-mythical, one that writer Henry Platt had heard about for years. At one point, Platt writes, Regehr accumulated 226 cars in total. By the time Regehr hired Platt to help him pare things down a bit, many were in disrepair.
Regehr had many attributes that seem to feature in many owners of incredible, derelict car collections. He was intensely private and resistant to selling his cars or even showing them to folks. Once he decided to start selling, Platt related, he only wanted to do deals in multi-vehicle lots and he wouldn’t tell folks where the cars were. He had no patience for tire-kickers. And that sort of persnickety selling is how collections grow wild. But Platt also relates that Regehr wasn’t a hoarder, per se, as the cars were all selected carefully, each being rare or significant. But he definitely loved those special models.
Regehr passed away last year and the veil of secrecy has been lifted, with what remains of the Hutchinson, Kansas-based collection now up for grabs. That includes an incredible 20 ’32 Fords—the cars the famous flathead V-8 debuted in, becoming an instant icon and hot-rod legend—and piles of American cars generally from the ’30s to ’60s, although there is at least one Ferrari. Corvettes, T-Birds, and assorted muscle cars abound. There are some period-built hot rods, too, which our HR colleagues salivated over and may just be the highlight of the collection. For collectors, the many rare NOS parts Regehr amassed could be the key to finishing off some incredible restoration project.
Take a look through the gallery of cars below and see if anything strikes you. Assuming it’s not delayed further, the auction will be held on October 24, 2020. Check out the listing here.
