More than 140 classic cars go up for auction in Reno County this October

A Reno County family is auctioning off what they think is one of the largest barn-find classic car collections in the nation.

At one point Bob Regehr had 226 cars in his collection. His daughter, Kelly Graber, says he started collecting classic cars when he was only 14.

Graber says when her father died last September, he left behind more than 140 cars that had been hidden for decades.

"He said, 'I'm not doing anything with these cars, you kids deal with it," she recalls.

Luckily, Vanderbrink Auctions will take on most of the work. Graber says it was her father's idea to auction off his collection.

"He was a case. He said, 'If you want one you can bid on it at the auction too. That way you know you really want it,'" says Graber.

Regher's classic collection includes everything from Camaros, Corvettes, 1950's GM cars, Ford and one of his favorites, 20 1932 Fords. The collection was featured in

.

"Many of the cars in here have been here since 1954. There are four locations and some of those have been there for over 30 years. We have corvettes that have been sitting for 30 years. It's just incredible," says auctioneer Yvette Vanderbrink.

Graber says her father owned three Texaco gas stations. He also created the "the Moonwalk," also known as the first bouncy house. His invention and ownership helped him pursue his passion for classic cars.

"Customers would come to his filling station, and he'd like their car and say 'If you ever want to sell it, come to me I'd like to buy it from you,'" Graber remembers. "He loved them so much, like that Cameo pickup back there. They were in Colorado and he bought if right off a guy driving down the street."

Regher's collection will go up for auction on Saturday, October 24, 2020, at the Kansas State Fairgrounds.

You can view the lot now at

.