The late John C. Mesloh (1934–2025) spent more than six decades collecting and caring for his cars at T&C Restorations, his shop in Mineola, New York. While his love for Chrysler Town & Country woodies came first, his garage ultimately housed a wide variety of cars including a 1928 Packard Fifth Series and a 1956 Cadillac convertible. This collection from @AuthenticAuctions includes six pre- and post-war American vehicles that came from the estate of Mr. Mesloh. These automobiles have been together for many years, with one having joined the collection in 1977.  Now, they are being offered individually here on Bring a Trailer.

Auctions from The John C. Mesloh Collection will begin going live on Saturday, October 17. A preview of the vehicles on offer continues below.

1928 Packard Six Series 526 Phaeton

Model year 1928 was the last one for Packard’s Fifth Series and its “Single Six” lineup before straight-eight power became the standard offering the following year. This example wears a Style 331 five-passenger phaeton body on a 126-inch wheelbase, and has been in the Mesloh collection since 2003. It was refinished in its two-tone green around 2007, while its 288 ci L-head inline-six was rebuilt in 2013. Features include Trippe Speedlights, a Boyce MotoMeter radiator cap, dual side-mount spares, and an upholstered rear partition with locking storage cabinets.

1936 LaSalle Series 36-50 Flower Truck

While most LaSalles of this vintage left the factory with Fisher bodies, this 1936 Series 36-50 chassis was sent straight to the A.J. Miller Company of Bellefontaine, Ohio, to receive its wooden huckster-style “flower truck” bodywork. Historically, this body style was used by florists and funeral homes, and this truck’s previous black finish indicates it may have been owned by the latter. Today, the steel bodywork wears maroon paint from a refurbishment completed before Mesloh’s acquisition in February 1987. A wooden cargo bed is topped by a black roof with roll-down curtains to shield any fragile cargo within.

49-Years-Owned 1940 Dodge D14 Deluxe Sedan

This 1940 D14 Deluxe sedan hails from Dodge’s 25th year in business and represents an evolution of the carmaker’s streamlined look, most notably with faired-in sealed-beam headlights. This example is also the longest-tenured member of Mr. Mesloh’s collection here, having joined in 1977. Its motivation comes from a 218 ci L-head inline-six paired with a three-speed manual transmission, and additional details include a driving light, rear-hinged rear doors, and a Mopar Deluxe heater.

1942 Chrysler Windsor Town & Country 9-Passenger Barrel-Back Station Wagon

Long before the Town & Country name was glued onto a minivan, it debuted on this funky Chrysler woodie wagon known as the “barrel-back.” David A. Wallace was the man behind the design, which involved taking the roof from Chrysler’s eight-passenger sedan and replacing the conventional tailgate with curved clamshell doors. The T&C featured a newly restyled front end for 1942, and this example is one of some 849 nine-passenger woodies produced for the war-shortened model year. The interior was retrimmed in burgundy leather around 10 years ago, and power comes from a 250.6ci L-head inline-six backed by a Vacamatic Fluid Drive semi-automatic gearbox.

1947 Chrysler Town & Country Sedan

Mr. Mesloh had a penchant for the 1940s Chrysler Town & Country, and the second offered in this collection is a 1947 model with four-door sedan bodywork—one of roughly 2,700 Windsor-based sedans built for the year. The car joined the collection around 2002; some of its Newport Blue paintwork was refreshed under Mesloh’s ownership, and the interior was reupholstered and the roof rack refurbished around 2010. Power is from a 250.6 ci Spitfire inline-six paired with a Fluid Drive semi-automatic.

24k-Mile 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

Seventy years after leaving the factory, this 1956 Eldorado Biarritz shows a mere 24k miles on the odometer—but there’s a good explanation for that. This posh convertible was sold new to a couple in Pennsylvania, and after covering some 21k miles, the car was sealed off in a storage room behind their restaurant following the husband’s death in 1962. It wasn’t until 1988 that the rugs were pulled away and the Cadillac was uncovered. Mr. Mesloh acquired the car from a fellow collector in the 1990s. It was refreshed in 2013, at which point the power top and power windows were repaired, the brakes overhauled, and the exhaust system replaced.

The full list of cars from The John C. Mesloh Collection is below. Links to live auctions will be added as they become available.

• 1928 Packard Six Series 526 Phaeton
• 39-Years-Owned 1936 LaSalle Series 36-50 Flower Truck
• 49-Years-Owned 1940 Dodge D14 Deluxe Sedan
• 1942 Chrysler Windsor Town & Country 9-Passenger Barrel-Back Station Wagon
• 1948 Chrysler Town & Country Sedan
• 32-Years-Owned, 24k-Mile 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz