From barn dust to bidding war

NORWALK — For most people, one or two vintage cars would be enough. For Ron Hackenberger, it turned into a lifetime pursuit, one that filled barns, truck bays and warehouses across Huron County with the gleaming memories of America's automotive past. Now 90 years old, Hackenberger is preparing to part with the final 100 vehicles from a collection that once totaled more than 1,000 cars and trucks. The online-only sale will be handled by longtime friend and auctioneer John Froelich, who also conducted the 2017 auction that sold more than 750 of Hackenberger's vehicles and drew international attention. "I don't need any more cars," Hackenberger said. "These are the cream of the crop — the ones I kept back in 2017 because they meant something to me." From trucking to collecting Hackenberger's story began not with classic cars, but with trucks. In the mid-1960s, he and his wife, Eunice, moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio with three daughters, "three trucks and no money." They settled outside Monroeville in 1971, built a small trucking business and, over time, expanded it into a company operating more than 100 tractors and 150 trailers, hauling steel throughout the Midwest. "Norwalk was kind of the trucking capital back then," Hackenberger recalled. "We were hauling to every steel plant from Chicago to Pittsburgh." But along the way, a hobby began to grow into something much larger. The first car At age 16, Hackenberger fell in love with a 1949 Studebaker owned by a friend's father. Not long after, he found a 1948 Studebaker Champion for $1,000 — more than he could afford. His grandfather loaned him the missing $500 under one condition: nightly rides to the Moose Lodge social club. "He went four nights a week," Hackenberger said, laughing. "Whenever he was ready to go, I was ready." That Studebaker became the first piece of a collection that would eventually include Studebakers, Packards, Crosleys, Hudsons, Avantis and dozens of forgotten brands from America's automotive golden age. The barns full of memories By the 1980s, Hackenberger had barns and buildings packed wall-to-wall with vehicles. "I had cars parked side-by-side — you'd walk over the top of one to get to another," he said. "We filled every space we had." He focused on rust-free cars from Arizona and New Mexico, knowing he didn't want to spend his retirement chasing bodywork and repairs. "These cars never sat outside a day after I brought them home," he said. "Not one." Among the most famous is a 1948 pickup truck with a Volkswagen bus still strapped to its flatbed — parked in that position for 35 years. The 2017 sale When Hackenberger decided to thin the collection in 2017, Froelich organized one of the largest private car auctions in Ohio history. Over three days, nearly 750 vehicles sold for $2.4 million. The Norwalk Raceway Park was transformed into what Froelich described as "a mile of cars," with four rows of vehicles stretching a quarter-mile each. "People came from all over the country," he said. "It was a celebration of Ron and Eunice, their family, and a lifetime of collecting." The 2025 auction Eight years later, Hackenberger is ready to let the rest go. The final 100 cars, most of them barn-kept and nearly rust-free, will be auctioned online only. The centerpiece of the sale is his 1988 Avanti, a one-owner car with just 5,000 miles. "It's showroom new," Froelich said. "It would be top three at any car show in the country. "You just don't find cars like these anymore," he said. "This is one of the last true barn-kept collections of its kind in the Midwest." A friendship and a legacy The two men have been friends for more than a decade. Froelich first met Hackenberger by chance while stopping at the property to ask about a "For Sale by Owner" sign. "I thought I was talking to a landowner about selling a few acres," Froelich said. "Instead, I met Eunice mowing the grass. She told me, 'You should probably talk to my husband — he's got a few cars.'" The rest, as both men say, is history. Looking back For Hackenberger, who turns 90 this month, it's the right time to close the garage door. "I've had my fun," he said quietly. "I just plugged away all these years — that's really all there was to it." To collectors and local residents, the sale is bittersweet — the end of an era for one of Huron County's most distinctive personalities. But for Hackenberger, it's simple. "I kept the cars that made me happy," he said. "Now it's time to let someone else enjoy them." The auction can be accessed at: https://jfmarketing.us/hackenberger-2025. The auction ends at 6 p.m. on Nov. 7, and pickup will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 10.