We’ve already featured a couple of cars from RM Sotheby’s Elkhart Collection, but it appears the backstory is pretty interesting by itself.
As noted by Autoweek, the collection of over 240 cars was owned by Najeeb Khan who was the founder and CEO of Interlogic Outsourcing Inc.
While the company’s name might not ring a bell, the Associated Press reported the payroll processing firm filed for bankruptcy protection last year due to a “complex scheme” allegedly conducted by Khan.
According to a lawsuit filed by KeyBank, Khan made $122 million (£99M / €113M) in fraudulent wire transfers. If that wasn’t bad enough, the South Bend Tribune says Khan is also facing lawsuits from clients who had money withdrawn from their accounts for taxes which were never paid to the Internal Revenue Service.
Khan was forced to step down from his company and he declared bankruptcy last October. Now his collection of cars is being auctioned off to pay creditors.
As for the collection, there’s a little bit of everything. Among the eye-catching models are a 1935 Auburn Eight Supercharged Speedster, a 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint by Bertone and a 1963 Auto Union 1000 S Coupe.
The collection also includes a 1924 Bentley 3-4½-Litre Four-Seater by Vanden Plas, a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz and a 1966 Citroën DS21 Décapotable by Chapron. There’s also a 1937 Cord 812 Supercharged Cabriolet, a 1933 Dodge Brothers H44 Tow Truck, a 1961 Facel Vega HK500 Sport Coupe and a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.
The collection also includes a number of different Ferrari models ranging from a 1952 225 S Berlinetta and 1972 Dino 246 GT to more modern vehicles such as the 488 Spider. There’s also an impressive number of Fiat vehicles including everything from a 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic to a 2012 500 Abarth.
Other highlights include multiple Hudson Hornets, a handful of Mercedes SLs and more than a dozen Jaguars including an XJ220. There are also multiple Morgans and Messerschmitt KRs as well a 2010 Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale Zagato.
Needless to say, the collection is worth browsing simply for the eye candy alone. It also includes boats, memorabilia and more than 30 motorcycles.
The auction was originally scheduled to take place next month, but it has been pushed back to October due to the coronavirus pandemic. You can see the full list of items available here.