Classic armored Dodge van is a motoring mystery
A 1948 Dodge Route Van converted into an armored vehicle of unknown origins has its owner stumped. No one knows who built the one-of-a-kind truck or what it was used for.
Dennis Collins bit off more than he can chew. A lot more.
The celebrity classic car restorer has a collection of about 450 project vehicles he has purchased over the years, but not enough time to get to them all, so he is putting half of them up for auction on Saturday, April 29 in Texas.
Collins owns the Collins Bros. Jeep store in Wylie, Texas, and also hosts YouTube's "Coffee Walk" show, which features him hunting for old cars.
The cars and trucks he is selling are in various states of disrepair.
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Dennis Collins is selling more than 200 project cars. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
Few are in running condition and the lot they are in looks more like a junkyard than a dealership, but there are plenty of diamonds in the rough for an ambitious mechanic to sink their wrench into for a restoration or custom build.
"They were desirable cars when we bought them," Collins told Fox News Digital.
The early 1960s Chevrolet Impala is popular among custom car builders. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
They range from highly sought-after 1960s Chevrolet Impalas to Ford Mustangs and Pontiac Trans Ams from the 1970s.
Many of the cars are little more than shells that can be used as the basis for custom builds. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
One of the more complete cars is a 1968 Dodge Charger that has already received bids over $14,000 online ahead of the on-site auction, but the car that is arguably in the best condition is also the oldest.
This 1968 Dodge Charger was originally blue, but has been repainted the classic Dodge color Sublime. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
The 1908 Buick Model 10 was the brand's best-seller that year, and the car ran the last time Collins tried to start it up. Its body is still in fine shape thanks to a restoration it underwent before he bought it.
This 1908 Buick has been restored and has a functional engine. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
The most interesting vehicle that is crossing the block also has a solid body, but for a very different reason.
This 1948 Dodge Route Van has been converted into an armored truck. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
It is a 1948 Dodge Route Van that's been converted into an armored vehicle. Collins purchased it from another restoration shop in Mt. Vernon, Texas, a few years ago, and he says it is the only one like it that he has ever seen.
Dennis Collins says he has never seen another armored truck that looks like this one. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
It has multiple locks on every door, a single seat in the cargo area for a guard and several gun ports with bulletproof glass windows to use for fending off crooks.
The armored Dodge has gun ports and a seat in the cargo area for a guard. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
What it does not have are any markings indicating who built it, or what it was used for, and its ownership history has been lost over the years.
The driver's compartment is separated from the cargo area by a bulletproof divider. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
"Whatever they were hauling was very expensive," Collins said.
It is not the only vehicle being offered that has a connection to law-breakers.
In 2007, Collins and fellow builder Richard Rawlings claimed a transcontinental Cannonball Run record by driving a Ferrari 550 with an oversize gas tank from New York to Redondo Beach, California, in 31 hours and 59 minutes. They did not get any tickets, but broke a lot of speed limits and the previous record set in 1979 by nearly an hour.
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Soon after they went public with their record, they got a call. "I know where the 1979 record car is," the caller said.
This 1978 Jaguar XJS was used to win the 1979 Cannonball Rally. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
The 1978 Jaguar XKS was driven by David Yarborough and David Heinz. Heinz owned a Jaguar dealership in Florida at the time and modified the car with a large marine fuel tank in the trunk, radar detectors and a CB radio for the illicit event.
The Jaguar's trunk was equipped with a marine fuel tank for the cross-country race, but it was removed afterward. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
After it returned to the Sunshine State, the car was returned to its original condition and sold as used with dashboard plaques commemorating its feat.
The Jaguar's dashboard features plaques commemorating its Cannonball Run history. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
Today, it is worn and a little rusty, but in good shape for a restoration.
"This was the first Cannonball Run winner that was sold by its driver, they usually keep them," Collins said.
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Final bids for Jaguar, van and all rest will be accepted at the VanDerBrink Auctions event in Nevada, Texas, starting at 9:30 a.m. local time on Saturday.