Dallas Collector Car Auction Gears Up for New Generation of Buyers.

Byline: Terry Box

Nov. 20--As always, the Dallas Collector Car Auction this weekend will feature a few great ghostly old tourers from the 1920s and '30s.

But while buyers may pause to admire the elegantly huge 1931 Marmon or the brutishly beautiful 1929 Bentley, many will be far more interested in the red 1970 SS 396 Chevelle or even the black 1934 Ford street rod.

Although grand 70-year-old sedans with sweeping fenders and waist-high whitewalls still symbolize the classic-car business, the main part of the market these days is being moved by more modern muscle.

GTOs, Road Runners, Camaros and other muscle cars -- which over the years have been castigated by critics as over-powered, overweight, gas-eating dinosaurs -- are probably the most desirable group of collector cars today, say those in the business. Many sell for $25,000 or more, and rare versions of the breed can command three or four times that amount.

Meanwhile, average cars from the '20s, '30s, '40s and '50s -- the big familiar coupes and sedans that many people view as true "classics" -- are starting to fade in popularity.

"We're seeing a generational switch from the guys who were interested in 1925 to 1948 cars," said Richard Sevenoaks, owner of Oklahoma-based Leake Auction and Southwest regional auction manager for Kruse International, a subsidiary of eBay. The auction at Dallas Market Hall, which began Friday and runs through Sunday, is being sponsored jointly by Kruse-Leake.