- Des Moines, Iowa resident Bill “Coyote” Johnson collected more than 100 classic muscle cars over the past 40 years.
- Now he has auctioned off the majority of his collection.
- Johnson kept his collection relatively secretive and built five sheds to house them in on his property.
- Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.
Bill “Coyote” Johnson’s secret collection of over 100 muscle cars was nestled past bunches of trees in Red Oak, Iowa.
Now they’re going up for auction.
Coyote Johnson, nicknamed after the cartoon characters Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner from the Looney Tunes series, has been collecting muscle cars from his “glory days,” according to VanDerBrink Auctions. Johnson used to look through classified ads in the Des Moines Register and Omaha World-Herald looking for the cars to build his collection, according to the Des Moines Register.
He has since amassed a collection of over 100 vehicles, 93 of which went up for auction. Johnson, a third-generation contractor, built five sheds to house his large collection.
The admiration for muscle cars came when Johnson's mother bought him a green and white 1969 Road Runner that he later used for drag races, the newspaper reported. His collection included the likes of a 1975 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe and a 1971 Dodge Super Bee.
Johnson kept around a dozen of his cars, and the rest were auctioned off on September 14 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Red Oak, Iowa.
Take a look at his extensive collection and what each piece sold for, not including the customary buyer's premium paid by the buyer to the auction house.
Coyote Johnson looked through classified ads in the Des Moines Register and Omaha World-Herald to find his collectibles, according to the Des Moines Register.
This 1968 Dodge Charger sold for $32,940.
He has been buying them since he was 16 and built sheds to store them in.
There were three 1969 Pontiac Firebirds up for auction: a convertible version, and a pair of two-door HT coupe. This 1969 Firebird sold for $18,900.
The collection had never been seen by the public.
This 1969 Super Sport Camaro fetched $24,840.
Over the past 40 years, Johnson has collected over 100 muscle cars, including Chevrolets, Pontiacs, and Fords.
There were three 1971 Plymouth Roadrunners up for auction, all two-door HTs. This one was auctioned off for the highest amount at $27,540.
He auctioned off 93 of them.
The Lincoln Town Car Limo sold for $2,160.
The auction was held at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds on September 14.
Johnson got his moniker from chasing his preferred car, the “Road Runners”, paying homage to the Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner Looney Tunes cartoon series.
The yellow and black version auctioned off for $25,380.
Coyote used to drag race his Road Runners.
The 1972 orange Cuda auctioned off for $43,200.
The cars were kept in Red Oak, a small town in Iowa.
This Ford Victoria Custom, which was restored in 2000, auctioned for $30,240.
This past winter, Coyote Johnson’s workshop caught on fire, and his girlfriend and daughter have been pushing him to slim down his collection, according to the Des Moines Register.
The 1970 Chevelle fetched $37,800.
Johnson and his team cleaned up and repaired each car before the auction.
The repainted metallic blue and black rally-striped car auctioned for $29,160.
He kept about a dozen of the cars for himself, including a copper-colored Plymouth Barracuda from 1976, the last year they were produced.
The 1973 Barracuda with Cuda striping fetched $27,000.
“I just like 'em, I guess,” Johnson told the Des Moines Register when asked why he was keeping the specific cars.
Four 1969 Plymouth Roadrunners were up for auction. The one pictured in B5 blue with black stripes auctioned for $20,520
Johnson's first acquisition was in high school, a green and white 1969 Road Runner gifted to him by his mother.
This 1967 Plymouth Satellite Convertible doesn't run but auctioned off for $9,90.
Johnson is a third-generation contractor and started his own company in Red Oak.
Two 1997 Pontiac Firebirds were up for auction: a convertible and a sports coupe. The convertible, pictured, went for $5,940. The sports coupe example went for $5,724.
He would purchase the cars, restore them, drive them a bit, and then park them in the sheds.
Three 1956 Custom Two-Door Posts were up for auction. The one pictured fetched $25,500.
Johnson built everything on his 20-acre property, according to the Des Moines Register.
He built five sheds on his property total to store his collection of cars.
