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William A.C. Pettit, III Collection of classics going to auction for charity

Classic Motorcar Auctions in Canton, Ohio will be offering select vehicles and memorability from former dealer and long-time collector William A.C. Pettit, III at their 3rd annual Grande Salon Auction in September during the Glenmoor Concours d'Elegance. There will be no reserve.

The Classic Motorcar Auctions Grande Salon Auction is part of the Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles Concours d'Elegance at the Glenmoor Country Club in North Canton, Ohio coming this September 15. The auctioneer has announced that three vehicles and assorted memorabilia from the William A.C. Pettit, III Collection will be sold with no reserve at this year's event.

William "Bill" Pettit owned the Pettit Brothers Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge-Jeep dealership in Louisa, Virginia with his father W.A. "Claude" Pettit, Jr. The family also owned the Museum of Motoring Memories in Natural Bridge, Virginia, which contained over 150 collector cars and 4,000 license plates on display from the family's private collection.

The three cars being offered from the Pettit collection are all Bantam models, fully original and with low mileage. A 1939 Bantam Model 60 coupe with just over 15,000 original miles will be on the block as will a 1940 Bantam Hollywood convertible with just over 500 miles (after restoration) and a very rare 1940 Bantam Speedster featuring custom coachwork by the legendary Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky.

These three Bantam classics will be accompanied by a collection of Bantam-themed toys from the 1930s and 1940s. These will be joined by a Charles Sykes Rolls-Royce Flying Lady bronze sculpture (used as showroom pieces in Rolls dealerships), several original porcelain enamel signs, classic car sales literature, and many rare radiator mascots.

The auction will also include four collectible Mopars. Those include a 1967 Plymouth Barracuda convertible (273ci 230hp V8 Power Pack), a 1968 Plymouth Sport Satellite convertible, a 1970 Chrysler Newport convertible (one of only 1,124 made that year), and a 1984 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country convertible.

Several hard-to-find classic car engines and other items will also be auctioned. Proceeds from the Pettit collection will benefit the Shriners Hospital for Children.