City Beat: One man, 69 cars and an auction
Gerald Willits never wanted to sell his vintage cars. Not that he could drive them. Most had flat tires and needed extensive work. When the solitary Buena Park man died last year at age 76, Orange County officials had to step in and figure out what to do with his collection.
Officials got involved because Willits did not leave behind clear instructions about what to do with his property after his death. When county workers went through his belongings, they found two conflicting wills -- one in the trunk of a Ford Model A, the other in a toolbox.
They needed four flatbed trucks to remove the 69 cars parked in Willits' yard.
On Tuesday in Santa Ana, they auctioned those cars off, along with an experimental plane and other assorted machinery and spare parts.
Courts will have to determine who gets the proceeds. But after the sale of his home, cars and rental properties, Willits' estate should be worth more than $2 million.
Willits was rich on paper, but not in life. Officials say his home was piled with papers and trash and infested with bees and rats.
I hope you'll read my story, in today's paper, about Gerald Willits and his cars.
Keep reading below to see another version of the story, in photos, that I sent out tweet by tweet on Twitter.
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Email ideas for future City Beats to nita.lelyveld@latimes.com
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