Written by independent automotive journalist Tom Jensen

This 1958 Chevrolet Impala (Lot #663) is just one of the stunning ’50s classics to be offered as part of the Bryan Frank Collection at the 2018 Las Vegas Auction.

The formula that allowed Barrett-Jackson to create the World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions is not complicated at all. When you combine great people and great cars, you’re going to have great auctions. Simple as that.

Bryan Frank with the collection of microcars he brought to the 2015 Las Vegas Auction.

At the upcoming 11th Annual Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Sept. 27-29, there will be plenty of both great people and great cars.

One of the top consignors at the Las Vegas Auction will be Scottsbluff, Nebraska, native Bryan Frank, who is bringing 26 cars to this event – and another 50 to the 2019 Scottsdale Auction in January.

“Our relationship with Bryan and his family began when he and his late father, Roger, attended their first Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction in 2006, and they have been great friends of Barrett-Jackson since then,” said Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson. “It has been wonderful to see Roger’s love and passion for cars within his son Bryan, and also Bryan’s four sons. They are a shining example of passing the collector car hobby down to future generations, and we are honored Bryan has chosen Barrett-Jackson to sell this select offering from his collection.”

Roger Frank on the block during the charity sale of his 1955 Chevrolet 210 at the 2012 Las Vegas Auction.

For Frank, who loved to buy and restore old cars, Barrett-Jackson was the perfect outlet to both buy and sell the vehicles he had such a strong passion for. The Frank family has also sold charity cars at Barrett-Jackson to raise money for cancer research and other worthy causes, and Frank plans to do more of that in the future.

Frank, who has a collection of about 400 cars in his native Nebraska, is sold on dealing with Barrett-Jackson and how they do business, with most every car selling at No Reserve. “It’s exciting to go to Barrett-Jackson as a buyer, because if you want to buy something, it’s up to you to bottom-line it whether you want it or not, because it’s going to sell at No Reserve,” he said.

“Barrett-Jackson also does a great job marketing the vehicles,” adds Frank. “All the people – from the top executives to the drivers – are great to work with. We’ve had a great relationship with them.”

Barrett-Jackson President Steve Davis says he has been very fortunate in his role at Barrett-Jackson to meet and work with many fantastic people, with the Frank family at the top of the list. “Not only have I had a very close relationship with Bryan and his late parents, but also have watched his children – including two named Barrett and Jackson – grow up on the auction block,” recalls Davis. “It’s always bittersweet reflecting on some of the best memories, because when those people are no longer with us, it leaves a void in our hearts and on our auction block. At the same time, it’s inspirational to watch the next generation come along, and the generation after that.

Bryan Frank (left), discusses a bid at the 2017 Northeast Auction with sons Jackson, 20, and Mitchell, 18.

Bryan Frank (left), discusses a bid at the 2017 Northeast Auction with sons Jackson and Mitchell.

“The passion that created the environment that has influenced multiple generations of the Frank family is manifesting itself now in these incredible cars that Bryan has hand-selected from his collection to roll across the auction block,” Davis continues. “Each car is special in its own way and represents not only a piece of automotive history, but a little piece of the Bryan Frank and Barrett-Jackson history, coming together to celebrate life.”

The Bryan Frank Collection offering at the Las Vegas event will prominently feature General Motors cars and trucks from the 1950s and ʼ60s. Here are five stellar GM examples, all of which will sell at No Reserve, meaning the high bidder wins, regardless of the final hammer price.

1953 Buick Skylark Convertible, Lot #665.1

In early 1953 at the Waldorf Astoria, more than 45,000 people crowded the posh New York hotel to see the opening day of General Motors’ Motorama and four very special automobiles. One of them was the Buick Skylark, an elegant and luxurious convertible, which cost $5,000, 43 percent more than the Buick Roadmaster ragtop.

The largely handmade Skylark was ahead of its time with its “Sweepspear” chrome side trim that ran from nose to tail, a dramatically lower beltline than other Buick drop-tops and Kelsey-Hayes chromed wire wheels.

The Skylark also marked the introduction of the famous 322ci Buick Fireball V8, also known as the “Nailhead,” and Buick’s use of 12-volt electronics.

Lot #665.1 is a gorgeous example of a 1953 Skylark, one of just 1,690 manufactured that year. Trimmed in lush Osage Cream, with matching cream-and-white interior, this beauty was treated to a comprehensive restoration several years ago.

1958 Chevrolet Impala, Lot #663

The 1958 model year marked the introduction of a new top-of-the-line Chevrolet model known as the Impala, a car that would became a mainstay of the automaker’s lineup and remains in production today.

The original Impala was a marvel of design, with its swept roofline, diagonal rear quarter-panel fins, triple taillights and long chrome spears running the length of each side of the car. Radically different than both the 1957 Chevrolets that preceded and the 1959s that replaced it, the 1958 Impala truly was a one-year rarity.

This was the first model year for Chevrolet’s optional W-block 348ci V8, which this car is equipped with, along with the hot three two-barrel carburetor setup. Lot #663 is well optioned, with the Powerglide automatic transmission, aluminized dual exhaust, Continental kit, chrome spinner wheel covers, stainless rocker moldings, dual side mirrors, Wonder Bar radio and Soft Ray glass. It has been meticulously restored and presents extremely well.

1958 Chevrolet Corvette, Lot #665

There were big changes afoot for the Chevrolet Corvette in 1958, a year that saw the two-seat fiberglass sports car get important design and mechanical updates that reflected the tastes and technology of the times. Up front, for the first time, the Corvette received quad headlights. The number of “teeth” in the grille was reduced from 13 to nine, and factory seatbelts were made standard for the first time.

And the ’58 Corvettes had two features that were never seen before and would never be seen after: a louvered hood and two chrome spears that ran in parallel along the length of the trunk.

Chevrolet’s legendary fuel-injected small-block V8 engine was optional for Corvettes in ’58, and Lot #665 comes with the 250-horsepower version of the fuelie motor, mated to a four-speed manual transmission.

And Lot #665 is trimmed out in what is arguably the most iconic color scheme for that year: Signet Red paint over white coves with a red interior and white convertible soft-top. Well-sorted and detailed, this ’58 Corvette is ready to rock.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 RS, Lot #664.1

Chevrolet manufactured a lot of fast cars in the 1960s, but none was better balanced than the 1969 Camaro Z/28, considered by many collectors to be the most desirable of the first-generation small-block Camaros.

In 1969, the Z/28 package was a $458 option on top of the Camaro’s base price of $2,726. The Z/28 option added a host of high-performance parts to the Camaro, including a 302ci, 290-horspower small-block Chevrolet engine, complete with a solid-lifter cam and a massive 850 cfm carburetor.

The Z/28 also came with Chevrolet’s F41 handling suspension, four-speed manual transmission, posi-traction rear end, raised-white-letter E70x15 tires on 7-inch-wide rims, quick-ratio steering, rear spoiler, front spoiler and twin stripes that ran from hood to trunk.

Lot #664.1 has several additional – and highly desirable – options, including the rare Rally Sport package with its hidden headlights, as well as black vinyl top and the wild black-and white houndstooth interior. The Daytona Yellow paint is one of the top colors from that period.

This is a correct, high-quality 1969 Camaro Z/28 Rally Sport that received a full rotisserie restoration, and it’s ready to show or go.

1954 Buick Century Convertible, Lot #664

In the 1950s, Buicks combined outstanding performance with opulent luxury, producing desirable cars like this gorgeous 1954 Titian Red Buick Century convertible that has undergone a meticulous, frame-off restoration.

In 1954, the Century came with a lavish list of standard features, including leather interior, as well as power windows and seats. Power came from the 322ci, 200-horsepower V8 known to Buick fans as the “Nailhead.” The most common transmission for the Century was the Dynaflow three-speed automatic.

Other standard equipment included Buick’s Selectronic radio, a silenced air cleaner, automatic glove box light, cigarette lighter, direction signals, flexible spoke steering wheel, high-air intake ventilation system, two-way power seats with Foamtex seat cushions and a wraparound windshield.

Just 2,790 of these beauties were manufactured in 1954. Few survive today, and even fewer of those are anywhere near as immaculate as this restored example from the Bryan Frank collection.

Additional cars offered from the Bryan Frank collection are as follows:

LOT #96 – 1999 CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28 SS
LOT #97 – 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28 SS
LOT #97.1 – 2007 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER SS
LOT #98 – 1993 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
LOT #98.1 – 2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS CUSTOM COUPE
LOT #99 – 1972 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS
LOT #99.1 – 1952 CHEVROLET STYLELINE
LOT #100 – 1955 FORD CUSTOM SEDAN
LOT #400 – 1956 DODGE CORONET
LOT #400.1 – 1960 CHEVROLET IMPALA
LOT #401 – 1964 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE MALIBU SS CONVERTIBLE
LOT #401.1 – 1968 OLDSMOBILE 442
LOT #402 – 2009 DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8

This beautiful 1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible from the Bryan Frank Collection will be sold to benefit Regional West Foundation and the American Heart Association.

LOT #402.1 – 1969 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE SS 396
LOT #403 – 1996 CHEVROLET CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE
LOT #403.1 – 1996 CHEVROLET CORVETTE GRAND SPORT
LOT #403.2 – 1991 NISSAN SKYLINE GTR
LOT #662 – 1962 CHEVROLET BISCAYNE
LOT #662.1 – 1957 CADILLAC ELDORADO SEVILLE
LOT #663.1 – 1962 CHEVROLET IMPALA CUSTOM ROADSTER
Lot #3002 – 1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible – to be sold with 100% of the hammer price benefiting Regional West Foundation and the American Heart Association.