Want A Batmobile Or Michael Jordan’s Bentley? Visit This NW Side Auto Auction This Weekend

BELMONT CRAGIN — Tucked inside an unassuming warehouse in Belmont Cragin, Klairmont Kollections has been one of the Northwest Side’s best-kept secrets for more than a decade.

But this weekend, thousands of bidders will travel from across the United States to visit the automotive museum at 3117 N. Knox Ave. for a chance to take home one of the more than 275 collector vehicles and thousands of pieces of road art from the soon-to-close venue.

Those artifacts will be sold during the Larry’s Legacy auction, which is being organized by Mecum Auctions. The auction is all day Saturday and Sunday. There will be a preview day for registered auction attendees Friday. You can register here.

At its peak, Klairmont Kollections featured about 600 cars, all bought by real estate magnate Larry Klairmont, who died in 2021 at 94.

The collection, which sits in a two-story, 100,000-square-foot warehouse previously home to the W.F. Hall Printing Company, features a unique array of vehicles that span generations. Highlights include an Amish hearse from 1840; a custom 1983 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur covered in Swarovski crystals; several replica movie cars, including a Batmobile; a collection of microcars from the 1950s and ’60s; and a 2006 Bentley Continental that was once owned by Michael Jordan.

Gus Kozar, a consignment agent at Mecum Auctions and a member of the Klairmont Kollections board, said the museum’s 1926 Rickenbacker Eight Super Sport will likely be one of the top sellers. Only 17 Super Sports were ever produced, and Klairmont’s is believed to be the last one remaining.

Joyce Oberland, Klairmont’s partner of 11 years, said her late fiancé always had trouble picking a favorite car.

“He would say, ‘Oh, I loved every one of those cars. Some of their stories I just fell in love with, so I don’t really have a favorite,’” Oberland said.

A Car Collector Is Born

Growing up in suburban Maywood, Klairmont’s family didn’t have much money, so he started working at a young age, delivering Chinese food on his bike.

Klairmont enlisted in World Ward II when he was just 16 and served as a combat Marine, receiving two Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars and a Bronze Star. He used the GI Bill to enroll in law school at Loyola University, but he had to drop out after two years when his stepfather died, Oberland said.

Klairmont worked at a dry cleaners to support his mother and sister after he dropped out, and he first became interested in cars around that time.

A former law school classmate sold Klairmont a 1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn convertible for about $9,000. Within six years, he was able to sell the car for about $150,000.

“Larry thought, ‘My goodness, if you knew all about cars, you could really turn them around and make some money,’” Oberland said.

After eventually buying the dry cleaning business and successfully expanding it into one of the largest dry cleaning chains in the Chicago area, Klairmont founded Imperial Realty Company.

Kozar said Klairmont was so focused on working and growing his business, he didn’t really get into car collecting until he was in his 80s.

When Oberland met Klairmont some 15 years ago, his car collection was split between multiple buildings.

“I was so shocked when I saw them, I said, ‘They’re just sitting here in a basement,’” Oberland said. “Larry said, ‘I can’t just sell ’em.’

“I think because he was so poor and grew up during the Great Depression, a car became a symbol of influence to him, and so when he did purchase a car, it was hard for him to give it up.”

Oberland helped Klairmont organize the collection in one location. The couple traveled to automotive museums across the country to get inspiration and collected road art to decorate the space.

Today, the museum features a life-sized replica of the famous Hot Doug’s hot dog stand, an old-timey Chicago police and fire station, the iconic Route 66 Cucamonga Gas Station and a Marshall Fields storefront.

“You could walk through here five days in a row and you’ll see something different every day,” Kozar said.

The museum remained private for many years, offering exclusive tours to local charities and businesses. Oberland said Klairmont Kollections continued to grow and opened to the public just a few years ago.

The museum closed this summer because operating costs got too high, Kozar said.

The money raised by the auction, which Kozar said could total $12 million-$15 million, will go to creating a charitable foundation. The details of the foundation will be announced later this fall, but the organization will work with youth who are interested in learning the automotive trade, Oberland said.

Since 2022, Klairmont Kollections has also been home to the Made in Chicago Museum, an exhibit that features objects produced in Chicago during the 20th century.

Andrew Clayman, curator of the Made in Chicago Museum, said the exhibit is moving to a new location Downtown, but only part of the collection will be on display. Updates on the museum’s new location and the full collection will be online here.

“There is some sadness in the neighborhood, of course; this was a really cool thing,” said Lynne McGrath, president of the Klairmont Kollections board. “It was really a labor of love for both Larry and Joyce, and it’s bittersweet for all of us.”

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