Some Corvette car clubs never standstill. The Corvette Cruisers of Atlanta car club took to the road again to visit the private estate of the nationally renowned muscle-car collector, Milton Robson of Gainesville, GA.
Mr. Robson has owned hundreds of automobiles, including some of the rarest and most desirable muscle cars in American history. The first car of his collection was a 1967 Model A Roadster.
Today, he still holds a fondness for 1955’s, and his immaculate 1962 Chevrolet Impala is his personal favorite.
In the early days of American muscle-car collecting, a GTO was simply a GTO, a Hemi was just a Hemi, but Robson could see the subtle nuances and value among them. Starting with basic cars of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, he began to move up to rarer muscle and performance cars from Dodge, Chevrolet, Plymouth, and Pontiac, all with unique features, special engine packages or convertible tops.
He didn’t want just a GTO in excellent condition. He sought out examples with the highest performance engine available for its model year. For 1969, 1970, and 1971, this would have been a Ram Air IV Judge.
Robson had one of each year, and each one was considered the most beautiful known example.
Record-Setting Auction
Over 29 years, Robson invested a substantial portion of his money in assembling one of the finest muscle-car collections in the world. Many of his vehicles have been featured in magazine articles, calendars, and on television.
Some have been used to design toys.
The historic quality of his collection cannot be overstated. On the 13th of November 2010, 54 cars were sold by RM Sotheby Auctions, from his custom-built 40,000 sq ft, climate-controlled garage he affectionally calls the “Car Barn.”
The collection sold that day for $9,200,000, breaking several automotive auction records in the process.
A 1969 GTO Judge Ram Air IV four-speed was the top seller that day netting an impressive $682,000. Milton Robson had spent many years concentrating on acquiring, restoring, and preserving the very finest examples of Detroit’s Golden Age in the Fifties and Sixties.
It showed that day in the record-breaking sales figures. Here are some of the sales recorded on the 13th of November 2010:
- 1960 Chrysler 300F Four Speed Convertible $437,250
- 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 Coupe (Four-Speed) $418,000
- 1953 Cadillac Eldorado Supercharged Convertible $385,000
- 1957 Chevrolet Corvette Factory Airbox Convertible $374,000
- 1970 Shelby GT500 Four Speed Convertible $368,500
- 1957 Desoto Adventurer Convertible $341,000
- 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Yenko S/C Sport Coupe $308,000
- 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV Convertible $308,000
- 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge 455 H.O. Convertible $286,000
Inside The “Car Barn”
The 446 acre Robson estate was originally a ranch used to raise 600 head of cattle. He built the barn, initially out of hewn logs, to house his cutting horses.
Later he sold the cows and retrofitted the horse barn into a visually impressive home for his extensive car collection. From then on, it has been referred to as the “Car Barn.”
The inside of the 40,000 sq ft facility features a 1950’s style Chevrolet and Pontiac dealership facade, a Mobil gas station, a western-style barbershop, and a vintage soda shop. Large scale murals and classic automotive signs are tastefully placed throughout.
A western-style staircase leads to a beautifully appointed 1900s San Francisco-style saloon complete with a stage for musical entertainment. The collectible treasures continue throughout the building with such notables as Audie Murphy’s saddle on display in the front office.
At one time, the car barn held nearly 80 vehicles, including some of the most sought-after and ferocious muscle cars ever produced. Today it still houses over 40 fully documented, historically significant cars with several in the wings in various stages of restoration.
A Day Of Memories, A Lifetime Of Passion
As you may have gathered, this extraordinary collection is not open to the public–it’s accessible by invitation only. It was very gracious of Milton Robson to share his amazing collection and extend his warm southern hospitality to Corvette Cruisers of Atlanta car club, and Vettes of Atlanta Magazine.
A special thanks go to Joe Steinmetz for taking the time to spend several hours on a beautiful Saturday morning walking us around each car and sharing great stories. Joe has stewarded the collection for many years now. Among his many duties, he tracks down rare parts and passionately restores these historical vehicles to their original beauty.
Besides the obvious benefits of working with iconic muscle-cars, Joe said, “It’s great meeting people like Chip Foose, and all of the actors, singers, and sports figures who have come by to see the collection.” “If that’s not enough,” Joe said, “YearOne is right down the road, and we show off some of the cars at their monthly cruise-ins.”
We can’t thank Milton Robson enough for the opportunity to visit his private estate and enjoy his nationally renowned muscle-car collection. It was an incredible day of lasting memories for us as we experienced his lifetime of passion first-hand.
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