Richard J. Solove in one of his many vintage cars.

This Sunday, cancer researchers at Ohio State will receive a financial boost when the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance holds its annual automotive auction.

Columbus community leader and real estate developer Richard J. Solove’s prized collection of Rolls-Royce automobiles will be sold at the auction to help fund cancer research at OSU.

The auction, presented by Gooding & Company, is a beacon for automotive collectors from around the globe.

Solove’s collection of 15 cars, valued in the millions, includes a nearly 100-year-old Silver Ghost built in 1907, shortly after the company started production. The Silver Ghost is considered one of the most valuable automobiles in the world.

OSU Medical Center spokeswoman Emily Caldwell said estimates of the auction proceeds are between $8 and $10 million.

All proceeds from the sale will help the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Solove, a longtime friend of Dr. Arthur James, has been involved with the cancer hospital from the beginning. He earned his degree in pharmacy from Ohio State and turned to real estate after selling several drugstores in Columbus.

Solove’s long history of philanthropy and support of medical research at OSU reached a pinnacle in 1999 when he donated $20 million to the James’ Threshold of Discovery campaign for cancer genetics research. In honor of generosity, the hospital was renamed the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

Solove said he has mixed emotions regarding the auction.

“It took 34 years to collect them, but I know it’s time,” he said. “It will be great to see the benefits the money can bring.”

Solove said the Pebble Beach auction ensures the value of the automobiles to the hospital.

In his eyes each car has a special meaning.

“They’re all my favorites,” he said.

Solove will be attending the auction with Dr. David Schuller, executive director of the James Cancer Hospital.

“Despite the challenges we face each day trying to gain ground on such a dreaded disease, Dick never loses hope in what tomorrow may bring,” Schuller said in a press release.

Benjamin Lammers can be reached at [email protected].