Bob Newhart's Cadillac station wagon is no joke and up for auction

Cadillac sedans and coupes were the coolest cars on Sunset Boulevard and Las Vegas strip back in the 1970s, but station wagons? Possibly even cooler, based on who drove them.

Elvis and Dean Martin each had one, as did comedian Bob Newhart, who was in the prime of his career and staring in his namesake TV show. They weren’t from the factory, but were custom made in minuscule numbers by boutique car builder ASC. That makes them rare finds today.

Elvis’ 1972 Deville-based wagon was sold at auction in 2011 for $62,500, while Martin’s has been missing for years. But Newhart’s is apparently now up for auction on Ebay in San Diego, and the price may be very right for fans of luxurious family cars and comedy legends.

It was created by attaching the roof and tailgate from a Buick Estate onto a 1973 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. The era-appropriateness of its burgundy over burgundy color scheme is matched only by the velour upholstery and wood trim.

It’s being sold by the family of its second owner, a car collector named Clyde Orman Reinke Sr. who passed away last year. His wife recalls him telling her that he came to own it as the result of a card game in Las Vegas in the mid-1990s, but isn’t quite sure.

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According to his son, he didn’t drive it that much because it had less than 10,000 miles on it and he wanted to preserve it as best he could. It still runs, but needs some electrical work.

Newhart’s representative hasn’t responded to a request from Fox News Autos to authenticate its history, but the address on its registration matches Newhart’s at the time.

The opening ante is $20,000, which is what the owner said he wanted to sell it for some day, but the auction runs through Tuesday, March 19, so feel free to raise.

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This story has been updated with the owner's name