An Alabama man’s old car collection has been uncovered after his death – and the new buyers were surprised to find that many of the cars in the $1 million portfolio were in nearly pristine condition.
Earl Trammell, 88, hails from the small town of Warrior, population just over 3,000.
He was known for his love of cars, especially Corvettes, and stored the vehicles he bought in places ranging from the basements of investment properties to a barn.
‘He would just buy Corvettes and put them up brand new. We bought houses and he put them in basements,’ said Trammel’s brother-in-law, John Hollander.
However, the world did not know the extent of Trammell’s collection of rarely used vehicles until after his death in May 2022.
This included a 1998 Indy Pace Car with just 23 miles on the odometer.
Earl Trammell died in 2022 at 88, leaving behind a vast vintage car collection
Hailing from Alabama, Trammell was known to many as an avid collector
However, the extent of his passion was only realized after his death when two men bought his collection of 22 cars.
Many of the cars were in near perfect condition, including a 1998 Indianapolis 500 pace car with only 23 miles on the odometer
When Trammell’s widow, Patricia, settled his estate, she sold the vehicles to Alabama car wholesaler John Pierce and his business partner John Clay Wolfe.
Although Patricia sold the duo a 1996 Porsche about a year and a half ago, she recently called them to say she was trying to unload a 1997 Corvette with only 100 miles on it.
It grew to the point that she wanted to sell the entire collection – which to the business partners’ surprise, was stored in a barn.
‘It was a little barn in Alabama that looked ridiculous. Like, you’d never expect there to be a million dollar cars there,’ Pierce said.
He and Wolfe negotiated with Patricia and sent payment the next day for the 22 vehicles, all purchased between the 1970s and 1990s.
Moving the cars required intensive labor as they were not driven.
Pierce and Wolfe used rollers, not wanting to add coolant, oil or fuel as they had bigger plans for the vehicles.
“These cars that are new from 1971, 1978, there’s no reason to get them wet because chances are they’re going to live the rest of their lives in a museum or a collection,” Wolfe said.
‘Right now it’s going to be our collection because I’m not selling anything. It’s the biggest day I’ve had in a long time, I’m really excited.’
John Pierce and John Clay Wolfe bought the cars from Trammell’s widow, Patricia, who decided to sell the entire collection
The vehicles were stored in a small, unassuming barn in Alabama
Using rollers, the men moved the cars out of the shed, not wanting to add oil or ‘wet’ them.
The cars will likely go to a museum or collection, according to Wolfe, though he and Pierce have conflicting opinions on whether to sell or hold on to the vehicles
Wolfe showcased the collection on his YouTube channel, The John Clay Wolfe Show.
Standouts included a purple Indy pace car with yellow interior that he described as obnoxious – ‘but in muscle cars obnoxious is a good thing.’
He also highlighted a white Stingray with red leather interior. His window sticker was still on and seats were wrapped in plastic.
Several of the cars were nearly brand new, including Trammell’s beloved Corvettes — two of which, a 1988 35th Anniversary Corvette and a 1990 Corvette ZR1, had just 25 miles on them.
“I’ve heard of situations like that … not very often,” Wolfe said.
‘It is properly stored. They’re still in the hospital, it’s like a bunch of new babies.
‘This is the stupidest thing I’ve seen in my career. I’ve been doing this for 31 years, I’ve never seen anything like this. I do not know what to do!
“This is by far the greatest find of my career.”
However, Wolfe and Pierce are conflicted about the next steps.
“He’s going to want to sell them and I don’t want to sell them … I’m not going to screw him out of anything, but I don’t want to sell them,” Wolfe said.
When Trammell died, his brother-in-law encouraged his sister Patricia to sell the vehicles, saying: ‘These cars need to be out where people can see them.’
Trammell began rebuilding 1957 Chevrolets and later rented a garage from a relative to restore damaged cars
A few years later, he opened his first car shop, ‘Foreign Car Paint and Body’, and became an instant success
“Earl taught people how to ‘do better, be better’ and pushed you because he could see your potential,” Trammell’s obituary read
Trammell’s obituary describes him as a hard-working man who dropped out of school to work and help his family financially.
‘He had determination and the will to make a better life for himself and his future,’ it said.
Trammell began rebuilding 1957 Chevrolets and would store them in warehouses.
But his passion grew, and in 1960 he rented a four-car garage from a relative where he could repair wrecked vehicles.
He quickly realized that he had a knack for fixing cars, as he could match any paint color just by looking at it, painting a perfectly straight pen line by hand.
A few years later he opened his first car shop, ‘Foreign Car Paint and Body’.
Trammell was an instant success and in the eighties was able to buy his dream building, a property in Birmingham, where he remained until his retirement in 2020.
“Earl taught people how to ‘do better, be better’ and pushed you because he could see your potential,” reads the description. “He will be truly missed.”