ORANGE — The majority of the 29 exotic high-end vehicles up for auction at the Orange Municipal Airport this weekend once belonged to a New Salem man arrested in August 2020 and found dead in an abandoned Holyoke warehouse two months later.

The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office seized 37 cars, valued at more than $1 million, from Cory A. Taylor, 41, and has tapped Stanley J. Paine Auctioneers to sell most of them to the highest bidder starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Taylor was arrested in Pelham following an Aug. 21, 2020, traffic stop. State Police allegedly found approximately 138 pounds of marijuana in the van he was driving. Taylor was bailed out the same day, but authorities later seized from him a cache of 24 illegal guns, more marijuana and millions of dollars in cash found in built-in compartments in buildings he occupied, including an old firehouse on Main Street in Holyoke. No foul play is suspected in his death.

Saturday’s auction will feature 13 Toyota Supras, a sports car made famous by “The Fast and the Furious” film franchise. There are also eight BMW M3s and two each of the Honda S2000, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Nissan 350Z.

Laurie Loisel, spokesperson for the DA’s office, explained the money taken in at the auction is considered forfeiture money and state statutes stipulate it be deposited in a special law enforcement trust fund and used “to defray the costs of protracted investigations, to provide additional technical equipment or expertise, to provide matching funds to obtain federal grants, or such other law enforcement purposes as the district attorney … deems appropriate.”

Loisel was unsure what will happen to the other eight cars seized from Taylor. One of the vehicles up for auction on Saturday is a John Deere tractor.

Stanley J. Paine, owner of the full-service auction company based in Boston and Los Angeles, said he will be the auctioneer on Saturday. He said he specializes in the industrial, commercial and liquidation markets as well as real estate foreclosures, but also holds three or four auto auctions each year.

There will be live in-person bidding at the Orange Municipal Airport at 80 Airport St. and simulcast bidding is available at paineauctioneers.com. More information and a catalog of the vehicles up for auction are also on the website.

According to Orange Police Chief James Sullivan, the airport’s fence was found damaged a few weeks ago and one of the vehicles was discovered to have had a window smashed and a couple of pieces stolen off of it. He said the vandalized vehicle was “not particularly expensive” and the pricier vehicles were stored safely indoors.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the chief said no arrests had been made. He said the case is being investigated by Detective Travis Rushford.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.

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