Hampton, NH — RM Auctions returned to Hampton, N.H., June 23-24 for its concluding presentation of The Dingman Collection, achieving more than $7 million in total sales, with all lots finding new homes across the two-day auction event.
Offered entirely without reserve, the collection comprised the remarkable cars and collectibles of the late Michael Dingman, long-time Ford Motor Company director and one of the most important Ford collectors of modern times. Previous offerings from the collection took place in 2012 and in 2006.
The sale featured 37 automobiles, including a 1995 Ford Roush Mustang Cobra SCCA Trans-Am — confirmed as three-time SCCA Trans-Am champion Tommy Kendall’s by RM’s in-house research team — that nearly doubled the high end of its pre-sale $400,000 estimate at a final price of $720,000.
We’d love to see this ex-Tommy Kendall Trans Am Mustang at speed again. Photo: RM Sotheby’s
The bulk of The Dingman Collection comprised historic pieces of Americana, including more than 500 exquisite neon, porcelain and metal signs. The much-buzzed-about Silk City Diner by Paterson Vehicle Company, an authentic, beautifully-restored 1940s American diner, also impressed with a final price of $336,000. Additional collectibles highlights include the Ford 24-Stud Flathead V-8 Cutaway Display Engine (1946-1948) that brought $45,600 against a pre-sale estimate of $4,000-$6,000.
