The four classic American cars that stood outside the replica 1955 McDonald’s restaurant – known by the company as Store No. 1 – in Des Plaines, Illinois, have been consigned to Mecum’s auction in nearby Chicago.
All 1955 models, the cars are lavishly restored, Mecum says, following their long stint parked outside the ersatz McDonald’s, which was used as a corporate museum until it was razed in 2008. The cars were preserved in storage until recently being brought back to factory condition.
four classic American cars that stood outside the replica 1955 McDonald’s restaurant
The cars are a Chevrolet Bel Air, an Oldsmobile Super 88, a Ford Crown Victoria (sporting a period continental-kit spare tie) and a Chrysler New Yorker St. Regis, each of which should garner premium bidding after their famous roles in preserving the eatery’s history. All will be auctioned without reserve prices.
“The stunning collector-grade cars were all built in the same year that Kroc opened his first McDonald’s, and they all seemed to embody the success that he quickly achieved by doing so,” according to a Mecum news release. “Their abundant chrome work and glistening two-tone paint schemes seemed to promote the affluence and prosperity associated with Kroc’s entrepreneurial accomplishments.”
four classic American cars that stood outside the replica 1955 McDonald’s restaurant
There is dispute about whether the Des Plaines location was actually the first McDonald’s – visionary entrepreneur Ray Kroc opened his first “official” McDonald’s there based on the burger joint operated for years by the McDonald brothers in San Bernardino, California. The company celebrated the Illinois store as the start of the worldwide chain.
The four cars, collectively known as The McDonald’s Collection, will be sold during Mecum’s Chicago Auction from October 25-27 at the Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. For more information, visit the auction website.
This article, written by Bob Golfen, was originally published on ClassicCars.com, an editorial partner of Motor Authority.