HOW THIS AWESOME CAR COLLECTION SNOWBALLED FROM A SINGLE 1969 PONTIAC GTO JUDGE

Whether it be American muscle, classic, or sports cars one thing they all share is the ability to inspire a childhood dream that makes you think "one day, I'll own one of those." This automotive passion we have is very strong, and it's one of the few things that we can carry with us all the way into adulthood. Buying cars and enjoying them, especially those that you loved as a child, is truly a special feeling.

One man, whose passion was immediately passed down from his father, has been living out his wildest childhood dreams. Chris Bishop has one of the most amazing selections of cars in his collection. And for him, it all started with falling in love with his first collector car which had been inspired by his father's love for classic cars.

In the years since, Chris has continued to grow and diversify his wonderful collection to what it is today. He says that he has learned to appreciate patina and realized that collecting cars is not all about getting the cleanest, lowest mileage rare spec example, it's about the car giving you the freedom to enjoy them.

This 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Started Everything

The first collector car experience Chris Bishop was a 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge. The GTO came about after Chris's father had GTOs when he was growing up, and so the love story began. When the time came to buy a "collectors car", there was only one that Chris had in mind. The Judge was the upper echelon on Pontiac's, and it was quick too

The Judge was available with the standard 350 hp 400 cubic-inch engine which powered the vast majority of GTOs, but there were also 366 hp and 370 hp RAM air-powered options if that wasn't enough. With its distinct stripes, an all-blacked-out grille, a colored-matched spoiler, and the obligatory "The Judge" decals it was set apart from other muscle cars on the road.

The examples Chris has in his collection today are truly exceptional. 1969 was the original release year of The Judge, and he has both a convertible and a hard top from this year, with 4-speed automatic and 5-speed manual transmissions respectively. They're both finished in the classic orange color over black leather, which is an unmistakable characteristic of this muscle car legend.

The original GTO Judge Chris purchased, however, was a Palladium Silver model which he found in the mid-west. He still has this in the collection today. From this car grew Chris's desire to collect, restore and enjoy a number of vintage and classic cars. Chris says that now he has a car for every mood and purpose in his collection.

The Chris Bishop Collection Of Classic Amercian Cars

Cars are like music. Sometimes you want to listen to trash rock and other times you want to hear piano. This is the preface to the collection we're looking at today. What started with a humble American classic has developed to become one of the coolest car collections we've seen. Aside from the brace of GTO Judges, Chris also has a pair of another American legend, Shelby Mustangs, see if you can spot differences between the images above and below.

He has 2 1968 Shelby Mustang convertibles, one a GT350 and one the ultimate Mustang of them all, a GT500KR. No American car collection would be complete without a Shelby Mustang, but to see 2 that has been restored to concourse condition is truly special. The year '68 was when Ford took the Mustang in-house and away from Carol Shelby. The cars changed in personality and dynamics, but the positive was that they became much more usable on the road.

Another unforgettable part of the Chris Bishop collection is the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Custom Station Wagon otherwise known as Cadmad. This absolute behemoth of a car is unlike anything else in the collection of over 30 cars. Over the course of 15 years and after more than $2.3 million in build costs, the Cadmad was born. After 4000 hours, a 1959 Cadillac and a 1956 Chevrolet Nomad were fused together to make this one-of-a-kind build.

With over 1000HP, the Cadmnad is powered by a Tom Nelson Racing Engines specially built Warrior Series V-8 at a cost of a whopping $97,000. The two-tone paint on the exterior cost an eyewater $300,000 to complete. This is perhaps one of the most unique offerings in the collection and showcases Chris's love for restoration and custom projects.

Hot Rods Making An Appearance

Along the array of Cadillacs, Fords, and Plymouths, Chris also has a soft spot for Hot Rods. The almost all-American affair carries on with some amazingly modified 50s classics. The first of which is a non-expense spared renovation of a 1955 Pontiac Chieftain. This icon is finished with a classic flame designed along the side.

Beneath the Hot Rod aesthetic, the Chieftain consists of a completely boxed frame, custom body and engine mounts, and transmission cross member. Powered by a 509 cubic-inch V-8-cylinder roller engine built by Motorworks of Spokane, Washington with its Custom steel heads it's rated at 623 lb-ft of torque. Not only does the Chieftain perform, but it was Featured in Pontiac Enthusiast magazine and even became a Goodguys award winner which was documented in the magazine.

Alongside this sits an incredible 1932 Studebaker Model 54 that looks like the kind of car you would show someone if they didn't know what hotrods were. Exposed engine bay, crazy candy-colored paint, and a whole load of swagger. This thing looks straight out of a Hot Wheels box. It was a Toyo Tire and Monster Energy show car that was first presented at SEMA Show in Las Vegas, it was fully refurbished and modified by Choppin’ Block Chassis Products in California.

Not Just American Muscle In The Chris Bishop Collection

No self-respecting car collection would be complete without a Porsche 911. And Chri's collection has, arguably the best-ever 911 to be produced. A 2016 Porsche 911 GT3RS. This GT3RS is not just any ordinary RS though, it was ordered and specced by none other than legendary rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen. The car is presented in GT silver, an iconic color for Porsche.

Along with the incredible paintwork and yellow accents throughout, the car also has some unique touches. Instead of the usual GT3RS emblem on the door sills, there is instead a Van Halen logo. And the Late Eddie Van Halen's iPhone is still one of the devices on the car's infotainment system. The GT3RS was tracked extensively by the previous owner and offers a unique opportunity for ownership.

All the cars in Chris' collection that we've mentioned alongside many others will be auctioned soon. We're sure that some will fetch record-breaking numbers and rightly so. Chris' collection is a special one, it has grown and evolved over time and is one of the finest examples for his generation of car lovers, the wide and varied American cars in the collection are some of the best we've seen.

Source: Mecum Auctions.

2023-06-03T17:08:44Z dg43tfdfdgfd