The late Neil Peart is widely hailed as one of the greatest drummers in rock and roll history. He was also a very good car collector.
The drummer from beloved rock band, Rush, passed away in January 2020 after a battle with brain cancer. Now his car collection is going under the hammer and it’s full of some of the world’s finest machines.
Peart dubbed his garage the “Silver Surfers” with all but one of his cars finished in a shade of silver. It’s a remarkable collection of pristine classics including a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400 S, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split-Window, 1964 Jaguar E-Type, 1973 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS Coupe and 1964 Shelby Cobra 298 (the literal black sheep of the collection).
The Lamborghini is tipped to fetch top dollar, with an estimate of sale between $1.2 and $1.5 million, ahead of the Cobra which is tipped to fetch $1m. The beautiful ‘Vette could be the bargain buy with a pre-sale estimate of between $150,000-$180,000.
The entire collection of seven stunners will go under the hammer at the annual Pebble Beach Auctions on August 13 and 14. Each is being sold separately, so unfortunately this remarkable group of cars will likely be broken up.
Speaking on his decision to name the collection, Peart explained it was inspired by his drives along the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles.
“The title ‘Silver Surfers’ for my collection of cars occurred to me while driving the DB5 up and down the Pacific Ocean. Because it felt right to me, I guess – the idea that I was just one of the wave riders,” auction house Gooding & Company quotes Peart as saying.
“I had moved from Toronto to Los Angeles in 2000 (cherchez la femme), and in search of natural peace I often drove out that way and up into the Santa Monica Mountains. Out past Malibu to Ventura County, I’d weave along barren ridges of rock and vegetation, the ocean always on one big side. Some days would be misted by the marine layer, while other days the sun blared through a clear sky. The waves were slow and gentle, or churned out a powerful, rolling rhythm…
“It was during one of these drives when out of nowhere, it just occurred to me that the color of the ocean had influenced the silver palette of the collection. What other color looks as good in a blue photo? Not black, not white – silver. And a fortunate risk for the framers’ art, too: silver frames.”
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