feature story - Car Pub Insider

Huge Hershey issue!
See us in
Hershey
Orange field
spaces
®
OAE 28
Vol. 36 • No. 41
October 11, 2007 ©
www.oldcarsweekly.com
Barn
Find!
Heavenly
Hershey
Classic car stash
found in Maryland
Pennsylvania perfect
for parts hunting
C
»
By Eric H. Killorin
J
landmark year of car production.
“In actuality, Ford came number one
in sales for the model year, and Plymouth dramatically increased their sales,
but in the long run, the Chevy is the
icon,” Eberts said of his composition.
»
ars will take over the land of chocolate Oct. 10-13 for the Hershey
Region of the AACA’s Eastern Division National Fall Meet in Hershey, Pa.
There’s a lot of tradition packed into
the annual swap meet and car show, held
in Hershey since 1954. Among those
traditions is the annual poster created by
artist Ken Eberts, founding member of
the Automotive Fine Arts Society.
This year’s Hershey meet poster, titled
“Suddenly it’s 1957,” features a batch of
aged-to-perfection 50-year-olds: a fuel-injected Bel Air convertible, Plymouth Fury
sport coupe, retractable Ford Skyliner and
Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight sedan in front
of a still-operating Chevrolet dealership
on Chocolate Avenue in Hershey.
The three best-selling brands of cars
of 1957 have been represented from the
Visit the online swap meet in the
OCW forums at oldcarsweekly.com
Hershey contains parts for more than
1957 models, and while you’re searching for that 1907 Knox or 1972 Barracuda part, be sure to take in the smell of
chocolate while enjoying sights of the
world’s largest swap meet.
Paducah, Kentucky
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Held inside the Expo Center
Some of the World’s Finest Automobiles from Four Prestigious Private Collections
09281 50270
Barn Find continued on Page 20
1-800-200-6030
The North Carolina State Fairgrounds
0
»
Collector
Car Auction
Friday Nov. 3
This issue was mailed October 3.
Newspaper Handling/Periodical Mail. Printed in the United States.
US $2.99
ust when you thought all the great
cars had been found, another set of
doors open to reveal an amazing
collection of heavy metal. That was this
enthusiast’s good fortune when he stumbled upon more than 20 rare and desirable
vehicles laid to rest in a Maryland barn.
Yes, they’re still out there!
We’ve all heard the stories. But how
many of us get the opportunity to be part of
a true “barn find?”
Call Linda today at (919) 269-5271 to become a
Pre-registered VIP Bidder and receive your
$500 VIP Gift Certificate.
See us @
Fall
Hershey
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Charitable Donation
Prepurchase Inspection
Insurance Documentation
Estate and Divorce Settlement
Diminished Value
1-800-848-2886
www.autoappraisal.com
» Barn Find from cover
It appears that a garden hose and some car wash soap will make this 1917 Empire
touring car a very respectable driver.
A little dusting and mechanical work would put this 1925 Pierce-Arrow Model 80
back on the road.
Here’s a rare glimpse at a rare car — a 1923 Dagmar.
So with some skepticism, I
attempted to digest the impact
of my friend’s message crackling through Ma Bell: “You
gotta check this out. There’s a
bunch of neat old cars in this
barn including a 1937 Packard
Twelve, a 1931 Renault town
car and a 1912 Pierce.
“Yeah right,” I said, “What’s
the catch?”
“No catch,” came the response. “Just come down and
see for yourself!”
Arrive I did to discover
25 collector cars, many unrestored, ranging from a 1903
steam-powered Locomobile
runabout to a 1954 Packard
Clipper. Between was enough
to keep the most seasoned collector reaching for his camera: A 1912 Pierce Model 36 Brougham emerges from
the barn for the first time in many years.
Classic Packards, rare PierceArrows, twelve-cylinder Lincolns, a Dagmar (what’s a Dagmar?),
ity right down to the pristine interior only
Overland, Empire, Cadillac, plus porceabsent the clock. Straight as an arrow, it
lain signs and parts galore.
lacked most of its original blue paint and
Okay, take a deep breath. Let’s see what
chrome, yet that’s precisely what pulled
this is all about. Collection owner Arthur
me in like a lost kitten looking for a new
“Buddy” Smith is guiding us through the
home. There are cars that just sit right, and
dank chambers that house his treasured
this was one of them. I wanted this unloved
stash. Buddy is a passionate enthusiast
Packard!
with an eye for saving great cars. Over
When you thought it couldn’t get any
the years, some were acquired from cusbetter, the one shiny spot in the dark air retomers (Buddy and his father operated a
vealed a perfect pair of Marchal headlamservice business in the area). Others arps atop a regal 1930s town car. It reminded
rived like lost souls in the hopes of seeing
me of the now-famous images of the Tifull restorations to their former glories.
tanic’s debris field… quiet and peaceful
Some received attention and were driven,
with so many stories to tell. It was a 1931
but most stayed put from the day Buddy
Renault Reinastella custom town landaulet
rolled ’em into storage.
with coachwork by Kellner of Paris.
But the time had come for Buddy to find
These rare and highly prized Renaults
a new home for his cherished collection.
were powered by purpose-built eight-cylMore on that later; now, the tour begins.
inder engines. Shabby and showing the
We start with the crown jewel of Budeffects of age, one could only imagine its
dy’s collection, at least for Packard nuts:
former glory as the carriage of choice for
a magnificent unrestored 1937 Packard
a dashing 1930s couple. In fact, a recent
Twelve convertible coupe, original right
issue of the Classic Car Club of America’s
down to paint and pin striping. She needed
Bulletin contained a photo of what could
a full restoration as the top was in shards,
very well be the same car photographed at
and probably had not seen the light of day
the Greenbrier Hotel!
since gas was 20 cents a gallon. Yet the elNext up: three Lincoln Model Ks with
egant lines of this Classic Packard shined
12-cylinder engines and elegant formal
through. As with other cars in Buddy’s
coachwork. The Brunn transformable
collection, the Packard was not butchered,
town car might have benefited from an
vandalized or missing the goodies, like inolder repaint while the 1935 sedan and
struments and trim. And that magnificent
1939 Judkins limousine were authentic
V-12 engine places it among just a handful
right down to the plug wires. The Judkins
known to exist.
interiors spoke of earlier times when the
Keeping this blue-chip Classic compaoccupants were as well dressed as their
ny was a 1934 Packard Junior Eight sedan,
surroundings.
a wonderful old gal just oozing authentic» Barn Find Page 28
A 1916 Stanley steamer gets ready to be loaded on a
transporter to make its way to a new home.
» Barn Find from page 20
Much to the delight of brass fans,
the find included the steam-powered ’03
Loco, 1911 Model T Ford touring and a
1923 Dagmar.
Dagmars were built over a brief time
period in Hagerstown, Md. The company’s expertise in constructing pipe organs
no doubt led to the decision to use brass
exterior trim, rather than the then standard nickel-plating. With sharp angles,
the Dagmar cut an impressive silhouette,
unusual then as it is today. But perhaps the
most coveted of the brass portion of Buddy’s collection was his 1912 Pierce Model
36 Brougham. Buddy reported driving
this great machine at least once from his
Maryland home to Montreal. Not for the
faint of heart!
Rounding out the Buffalo, N.Y., maker’s inventory was a 1925 Pierce-Arrow
This 1916 Overland touring car is powered by a fourcylinder engine. It looks like it would take little to get
this old girl back on the road.
Model 80 sedan, surely the conservative
mode of transport for an upscale businessman or family. Like many of Buddy’s
cars, the Pierce was complete and original,
having not seen service for many years.
What great collection would be complete without two steam cars? Accompanying the very rare steam Loco was a
big and impressive 1916 Stanley touring.
Stanleys contain an impressive array of
valves and controls and, of course, a boiler, where one is accustomed to cylinders
and spark plugs.
As we rounded out the tour, darkness
revealed a 1917 Empire touring car powered by six-cylinder Continental engine,
1916 Overland four-cylinder touring,
1920s Moon coupe and 1937 Cadillac V-8
convertible sedan (one of the few vehicles
showing recent restoration).
Chock full of automobilia, signs
and parts, Buddy had indeed
amassed a treasure trove of important of desirable cars and related pieces.
Okay, so you’re all probably
wondering what will happen to
Buddy’s collection? I’m happy
to report that it was acquired
by a private collector eager to
see the cars returned to their
former glory. And I consider
myself privileged to be a part of
this amazing discovery. Check
www.oldcarsweekly.com, where
Old Cars Weekly readers can be
treated to a ring-side seat of the
cars’ removal from their decades-old resting place.
Yes, they’re still out there!
A Pierce-Arrow sedan lurks behind miscellaneous
garage accoutrements.
Eric H. Killorin is an automotive web and publishing
consultant, Web site at www.killorin.com. All images copyright
Eric H. Killorin, LLC.
The 1931 Renault emerges after many decades in storage. Custom-bodied by Kellner of Paris, this grand automobile may someday see the lawn at Pebble Beach.
This 1937 Packard convertible coupe packs a Packard fan’s favorite number of cylinders: the magical dozen.
This 1934 Packard Junior eight is a heart stopper that still sports a magnificent
original interior and a patina that only time can paint.