Chris Jacobs visits The Deering Muscle Car & 4x4 Collection // Mecum Kissimmee 2024

The thrills of driving, maintaining, showing off and even simply admiring a classic vehicle are appealing to just about all in the collector car world, but for some, it’s the hunt that draws them in. It’s the perusing through numerous examples of their preferred make and model on website listings, private offerings and in-person at auctions and the seeking out of examples that meet their personal lists of prerequisites that get their motors revving, and it’s the joy of finally finding their ideal vehicle that kicks their passion into overdrive. Collector Bryan Deering falls into that category of collectors in it for the pursuit, and after tracking down and building up his own impressive collection of vehicles over the years, he’s ready to get back to that adrenaline-filled hunt. In looking to clear some space for the next specimens to join his collection, Deering will bring not one, but two collections to The World’s Largest Collector Car Auction® this year: The Deering Muscle Car Collection and The Deering 4x4 Collection. Deering’s love for muscle cars stems from his high school days, back when his older brother had a Plymouth Cuda, and Deering himself drove a Dodge Demon while his good friend was behind the wheel of a Plymouth Hemi GTX. Considering his history with Chrysler’s famous Mopar line, it’s no surprise that Deering considers himself an unshakeable “Mopar guy,” with his favorites being those built between 1969 and 1971 and those powered by the iconic 426 Hemi engine. “When you can get a beautiful car with a Hemi and a 4-speed, that’s about as rare as it gets,” he said. As his professional successes allowed him to dive headfirst back into his passion as an adult, Deering picked up a pair of AAR Cudas, which would eventually serve as the first dominos to fall in his collecting journey as he found the joy and thrill in attending Mecum auctions. “I have fun going to those, and then you become intrigued with the quality and selection of the other cars,” he said. “Then, the collection just started growing and growing.” Bit by the collector bug and fueled by the high-octane, live-auction action, Deering followed up his Cudas with a pair of Plymouth Superbirds, and then yet another, with even more muscle cars joining his personal lineup in the years that followed and many of them coming home from Mecum’s Kissimmee and Indy auctions. Throughout his collecting journey, Deering has had his eyes set on originality and cleanliness, ensuring that the cars he chose were something he could enjoy from the get go. As such, most of them are in impressively original condition, and those that aren’t have already been tenderly restored to match their counterparts. “That was pretty much my intent,” he said. “When I went into it, I didn’t want to go into anything that was going to need a lot of work, take a lot of time. This is really just an enjoyable hobby for me, so I purposefully went out and looked at anything that was basically all original, had low mileage and had broadcast sheets.” In regards to the highlights of his selection headed to Kissimmee this January, Deering first pointed to his Superbirds, among them being an unrestored, Zzenith Certified 1970 example in TorRed with a mere 5,444 miles on the odometer. “That’s just a beautiful car,” he said, noting its massive amount of documentation. “Out of all the auctions I’ve been to, I’ve never seen that quality of a Mopar. It’s a true survivor car, which I don’t believe there’s many of this caliber left.” Powered by the V-code 440 6-BBL V-8 and a TorqueFlite automatic transmission, the TorRed Superbird is an exceptionally rare find and one that would be incredibly difficult to replace. “If a true collector is looking for a collector’s piece, I believe that is a car that fits the bill,” he said. Deering’s collection also features two other Superbirds from 1970. The first, a comprehensively restored version in FJ5 Limelight green, features the Super Commando 440 CI V-8 engine. The second wears the iconic Petty Blue color scheme and packs the V-code 440 6-BBL V-8; notably, it is also accompanied by a broadcast sheet, NASCAR race program, installment agreement and even Richard Petty’s autograph on the rear wing. Deering’s Kissimmee-bound collection further includes a trio of Cudas, led by a 15,146-mile ’71 Hemi Cuda of which Deering is just the third caretaker. The product of a meticulous, frame-off, rotisserie restoration, his very rare and highly desirable Hemi Cuda features its original 426/425 HP Hemi V-8, a Pistol Grip-shifted 4-speed manual transmission, the rear-window louvers and the notable Shaker hood. https://www.mecum.com/articles/on-the...