The return of the classic car auction in the Hill Country

After a five year break Dan Kruse Classics is reviving its Hill Country Classic car auction. Daniel Kruse inherited the long-running semi-annual auction from the late Ron Brooks in the early 1990s and quickly hired Bruce Knox of Kruse International, now managing partner of Lamborghini Austin, to help him run his newly formed Kruse Classic Car Productions.

The auction was originally held at Wursthalle in New Braunfels, Texas and was quickly dubbed the “Hill Country Classic” by the Kruse team. The auction and company were sold to eBay in 1999 along with Kruse International of Auburn, Indiana. In 2002, Dean Kruse bought Kruse International back from eBay and hired Daniel’s eldest daughter, Tiffany, to run his Southwest office and the auction. Daniel bought the auction back from his brother in 2004, but by that time Dean had already moved the auction to the Hangar Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas.

The Hill Country Classic struggled to find a permanent home, moving first to San Marcos and then to Austin. Daniel purchased the San Antonio Autorama in 2014, merging the auto show and auction into one mega-event. 2020 brought the live auction to a halt, prompting Tiffany to open her own online auction house.

Fortunately, 2024 presented a new opportunity for Daniel and Tiffany to relaunch the Hill Country Classic. “A long-time customer approached us wanting to host an auction at their new location in Dripping Springs. “The proximity to Austin coupled with our previous experience with him both as a customer and as a partner made this decision a natural,” reports Daniel.

“Texas has always been the home of American muscle cars and anything with a truck bed, but with the influx of people not only from the U.S. but from around the world, the European and domestic classic car markets are now finding their way into more and more Texas garages.” says Tiffany, excited about the diverse selection of vehicles Dan Kruse Classics will have for sale the first weekend in December.

Vehicles featured include: a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window Coupe, a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger Roadster, a 1970 Pontiac GTO 455 455 H/O Convertible, a 1973.5 Porsche 911 T Coupe, an Aston Martin DB6 Vantage 1967 and a 1951 Ford Country Squire Woody Station station wagon, a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from 1974 SD and a Porsche 356A 1600 Speedster race car from 1958, a Ferrari 360 F1 Spider from 2002, a Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan from 2013 and a Hummer H1 Alpha SUV from 2006. In addition, over 20 vehicles without Minimum or reserve price offered for sale. The full inventory can be viewed by clicking on the Vehicles tab on dankruseclassics.com.

The custom auction will take place on Sunday, December 8th at 10am CST at Motoreum’s Rancho Agua Vista, 4010 Bell Springs Road, Dripping Springs, Texas. A preview will take place on the Friday and Saturday before the auction from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, the Tejas Turismo vehicles will be on display. For further information on the vehicles being auctioned, consigned or bid, please contact Tiffany Kruse at (email protected) or call/text 210.495.8111.