2 - LCCI Members

MARCH/APRIL 2015
VOLUME 30, NUMBER 2
Inside:
Remembering
James Sears
Impromptu
February Cruise
gets chilly
Forney’s
Mustang exhibit
Mile-High
Modernism
event preview
Photos from the
North American
International
Auto Show
Highbeams:
Borgward is
reborn!
Historical
Perspective:
Muntz Jet
SACK starts year with Progressive Luncheon
S
ACK upheld its “first-event-of-the-year” tradition
as members gathered for the annual Progressive
Luncheon and event-planning meeting on January
11. In addition to getting to visit
the homes of three members and enjoy tasty
potluck items in three courses, the meeting
at the last stop focuses on discussing ideas
for club events for the next twelve months.
Though the weather was a bit chilly, Old Man
Winter neglected to serve up even a flake of
snow, a welcome contrast to the occasional
storms he tosses at Colorado in what appears
to be an attempt to ruin SACK’s parties!
The first stop of the day was the beautiful
Capitol Hill home of SACK’s Member at
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Large, Jim Cook, and his partner Danny Kim. The couple’s
well-behaved Samoyed, Luna, was also on hand to assure any
crumbs that hit the floor didn’t stay there for long. A bounty
of delicious appetizers soon filled the kitchen
island and the first course was under way.
Todd and Kevin’s bacon-wrapped dates were a
sensation! Several small groups enjoyed guided
tours of the house and a look at Jim’s impressive
collection of antique ham radios.
After about an hour, the crew gathered
dishes and reviewed driving directions before
departing for the home of Chris Hildenbrand
and Jim Lane in the west-side suburb of Wheat
Ridge. At the heart of Chris and Jim’s lovely
Continued on page 3
Top: SACK members
and guests feast on
appetizers in Jim and
Danny’s kitchen during
the first phase of SACK’s
Progressive Luncheon. 1.
Chris and Jim’s Mercury
Marquis was removed
from its crib so guests
could peek inside the
storage building during
the second stop. Photos
by Joel Klassen.
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
T
The registration fee for all SACK members
is $130 ($160 for non-members), which
includes all of the event fees and catered
events. We have a fantastic rate at our host
hotel, the Curtis, in downtown Denver.
We have a reserved an area in the parking
garage with facilities to wash your show vehicle. It’s going to be an excellent weekend
of tire-kickin’ fun!
By Steve Pietrangelo
wenty days and counting! That’s
right, fellow SACK members,
it’s just 20 days to go until the
first day of spring!
Greetings everyone! I hope you’re
enjoying your first day of March. It’s
hard to believe how quickly winter is
flying by. Soon it will be car-cruising
season and we’ll be enjoying another
year of beautiful Colorado weather. But
even better, SACK will be celebrating
its big 30th anniversary!
We have lots of events planned this
year with the big one in August, our
Mile-High Modernism Regional event!
August 27 through 30 we’ll be meeting, greeting and entertaining guests from all over the country with an opening
night party, followed by a Friday drive tour to the Rambler
Ranch Museum to tour the world renowned collection
of Terry Gale. Terry continues to add more material and
displays to further amaze his fellow collectors. A catered
barbecue lunch will be served to registered regional event
guests too.
2015 OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
• Steve Pietrangelo
VICE PRESIDENT
• Christof Kheim
SECRETARY
• Brian English
TREASURER
• Paul Bailey
ROADMASTER
• Sam Fuller
MEMBER AT LARGE
• Jim Cook
CCCC REPRESENTATIVE
• Howard Martin
WEBMASTER
• Chad Marks
MEDIA DIRECTOR
• Joel Klassen
On Saturday we’ll spend the day at the SACK-organized
Motorama Car Show being held in conjunction with the
Denver Modernism Show which will be celebrating its
10-year anniversary this year. So lots of fun and special
events are waiting in the wings. Our Mile-High Modernism
Regional car show will be a part of the bigger Motorama
Car Show. Trophies for the Mile-High Modernism Regional
show will be presented later that day at the awards banquet
at the Forney Museum of Transportation.
There are lots of details I’m excluding as to try and keep
this message short. Read more about our plans for the event
on page 8 pf this newsletter.
To register for the event online go to our website at
www.lcci-sack.com and look for the Mile-High Modernism logo. Follow the instructions and you’re good to go!
Speaking of fun, the months ahead are
packed with events starting with our Bowling Party at Wheat Ridge Lanes on March
22. So be sure check out the calendar of
events on page 15. There are multiple
events and “happenings” yet to be scheduled, so always keep an eye on your email
inbox for updates.
We’ve already set a record here at “SACK central” for
2015 with 60 members having renewed their membership
in the club by the first week in February! We closed 2014
with 74 members, so our 30th year looks like it’s going to
continue to grow thanks to you, our cherished members!
Thank you!
Speaking of thanks, I’d like to thank our Webmaster
Chad Marks for spending huge amounts of his personal
time keeping our website updated and for creating our
Regional registration page which is super easy to use and
efficient for us to tally incoming 2015 Regional guests. Chad
did a great job creating a form that’s streamlined and simple
to use.
In closing and on a somber note, SACK lost one of its
own last month as longtime member James Sears passed
away on January 30. I want to offer my personal condolences to James’s family and friends. A service for James was
held in Iowa in February and another service is pending for
the Denver area so his many friends in the area will have an
opportunity to pay their respects. A message will be sent to
our members as soon as we have the information.
My best to each and every one of you and I hope to see
you all soon!
Remembering James Sears
James A. Sears, a long-time SACK member,
passed away Jan. 30 in his hometown of Cherokee, Iowa, after a long illness. He was 71.
James was a good friend to many members of
SACK and several other car clubs of which he was
a member. Classic cars from James’s cherished fleet
were frequently on display at SACK car shows and
many other shows and automotive exhibits over the
years.
He is survived by a son, Jeff, a daughter, Janna,
two grandchildren, one brother, two sisters and
numerous other relatives. A memorial service was
held in Cherokee in February and another is being
planned in Denver for friends from Colorado.
Our condolences go out to James’s friends and
family. He will be missed.
Contact the SACK’s Board at:
[email protected]
VOLUME 30, NUMBER 2
Produced on an iMac
EDITOR, DESIGN and
PRODUCTION
• Joel Klassen
ASSISTANT EDITOR
• Brian English
Contact the Mobile Director staff at:
[email protected]
––––––––––––––––––––––––
Dues for a 1-year membership in
the Sunday Afternoon Car Klub
and Lambda Car Club International
are $52 on-line and $57 by mail.
Direct membership inquiries to
Paul Bailey at (303) 725-7345.
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MARCH/APRIL 2015
Annual event keeps members driving and eating
Continued from page 1
home is the original house, purchased and assembled as sort of a giant kit offered in Sears
Roebuck catalogs more than 75 years ago. The
house has grown significantly over the decades
thanks to multiple renovations, including five expansions of the garage area. Chris did most of the
construction on the most recent garage addition
— a large building that accommodates several
Airstream trailers and four cars and trucks!
The tour of Chris and Jim’s digs included a
walk across the street where they have an office
and another storage building with additional
guest parking. Jim moved their ’78 Mercury
Marquis out of its crib so the crew could check
out the inside of the building. The main course
was served soon after and the crew feasted upon
a tasty lasagna contributed by the hosts and
other main and side dishes supplied by the crew.
Before long, it was time to pack up and move
on again for the dessert phase at the home of
SACK’s president, Steve Pietrangelo.
The drive to the day’s last stop took members
back across town to southeast Denver. Steve
welcomed the crew to his presidential-size
home and presented the dessert buffet that he’d
provided all by himself! When house tours were
complete, Steve led the meeting for the group of
about 20 members who contributed several good
suggestions. The Board will review the event
ideas and get as many as possible on the docket
for SACK’s 2015 activities.
Huge thank yous go out to our hosts for the
day, Jim and Danny, Chris and Jim, and Steve.
Thank you also to all the chefs for their potluck
contributions and to all who offered up ideas for
activities for the upcoming year. The calendar
is filling up quickly once again — another sign
1. Jim and Danny were the gracious hosts for
the day’s first stop for appetizers. 2. Todd serves
up delicious homemade lasagna provided by
Chris and Jim, hosts of the “main course” stop. 3.
Hayden knows it’s all about the presentation when
offering up potluck items for the menu. 4. The crew
checks out one of Chris and Jim’s storage buildings
after lunch. 5. At the third and final stop, Steve
played host and provided a beautiful dessert
spread all by himself. 6. The spacious living area of
Steve’s house was the perfect size for the general
membership meeting. Photos by Joel Klassen.
that another fantastic year of exciting car-related
SACK-tivities is on the horizon!
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MARCH/APRIL 2015
FEBRUARY
HAPPENING
Cruise provides mid-winter exercise for cars
A
few unseasonably warm winter weekends in
a row was all it took to inspire several SACK
members to participate in a quickie cruise on
February 15, with the intention of keeping the
classic car “winter cobwebs” at bay.
The tour was hastily arranged just
a few days in advance and, right on
cue, light snow showers later showed
up in the ever-changing forecast.
Skies were sunny when the group
of seven members in five cars departed the gathering point at the Forney
Museum about 10 a.m., intending to
be back home long before the first
flakes of snow were supposed to start
flying. The original plan had the crew taking the back roads
to Longmont for lunch and returning back to Denver. But
skies continued to darken as the cruisers motored north
and a quick decision was made to cut the trip short and stop
to get lunch out of the way. The Famous Dave’s Barbecue
near 160th and I-25 happened to be in the right place at
the right time. The eclectic group of collectible cars was
parked in a row perhaps to show solidarity, or just to make
for better photos. Chilly winds were really picking up as the
crew shot a few pictures before making
a dash for the building.
Before long everyone was munching away on savory items from the prematurely faded Famous Dave’s menu
and watching an occasional snowflake
drift by the window. The latest club
news and events were discussed while
the lunch was enjoyed at a leisurely
pace.
When the dishes were cleared and
the bills were paid, the group gathered for a quick group
photo before heading for the shelter of the cars and the
drive back to Denver. The storm picked up a couple of hours
Continued on page 5
Top: The cruisers head north
through “refinery row” in
Commerce City on the way
to a destination that was
not yet known! 1. The cruise
ended up in north Broomfield at the Famous Dave’s
Barbecue restaurant. The five
special-interest cars in the
caravan were lined up for a
group photo shortly before
the human occupants rushed
inside to warm up and have
some lunch. Photos by Joel
Klassen.
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MARCH/APRIL 2015
Member cars get some winter-time cruising exercise
Continued from page 4
later and it’s a good bet that the special cars
were thankful to be tucked safely back into
their garages.
Thanks go out to the folks who
dusted off the cars and joined in the day’s
activities, including Todd Sebo and Kevin
Whatley in their ’79 Lincoln Mark V, Rob-
ert Bernhardt in his ‘67 Fairlane 2-door
sedan, Joe Gibson in his ’96 Viper, Steve
Pietrangelo in his ’76 Fleetwood d’Elegance
and Carleton White with Joel Klassen in
Joel’s ’71 Estate Wagon. Even if the midFebruary cruise was cut a bit short, it was
good for the cars to have a bit of exercise as
a friendly reminder hibernation season is
almost over!
Vehicles in SACK’s February Cruise caravan were: 1, Todd
and Kevin’s ’79 Mark V; 2, Joe’s ’96 Viper; 3, Robert’s ’67
Fairlane 2-door sedan; 4, Joel’s ’71 Estate Wagon; and 5,
Steve’s ’76 Fleetwood d’Elegance. 6. The crew gathered in
front of Famous Dave’s for a group photo. 7. Inside the crew enjoyed a leisurely lunch as the storm rolled in. 8. Among the tasty
menu items served up was this beautiful salad and, 9, Famous
Dave’s renowned brisket sandwich. Photos by Joel Klassen.
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MARCH/APRIL 2015
SPECIAL
FEATURE
Forney exhibit features original ‘Pony’ cars
Top: This lovely ’641/2
”Poppy Red“ convertible
greeted visitors as they entered the Forney’s Mustang
exhibit. 1. 1967 Mustangs,
like this Fastback, introduced the first major restyle
since the line’s debut. 2. For
’71 to ’73, Mustangs grew
a bit more and offered a
rakish fastback bodystyle,
like on this ’73. Photos by
Joel Klassen.
I
f you didn’t get a chance to see the Forney Museum of
Transportation’s recent exhibit on the first generation
Mustangs, you missed a good one! The exhibit showcased 32 Mustangs manufactured between 1964 and
1973 and illustrated how the line gained more and
more heft and style as it underwent annual design
updates.
new Mustang poured in. The original projected sales for the
first year were 100,000. The Mustang passed that target after
the first four months. During the first model year Ford sold
680,992 Mustangs, setting a sales record that stands to this
day. It is not only the most successful pony car, it is
the only one to have been continuously produced
since its introduction more than 50 years ago.
By any measure, the Mustang is an automotive milestone. It was not only the most successful model launched by Ford since the Model A
in 1927, it created an entirely new class of car. The
entire design process only took 18 months, which set
a record.
Because of the large number of Mustangs
still on the road, the Forney chose to concentrate
on the first 10 years for this exhibit. Between
1964 and 1973 nearly 3,000,000 Mustangs were
built in a variety of body styles and option packages.
The beautiful specimens on loan for this show offered a
glimpse of that variety and took viewers on a sentimental
journey back to the beginning of this successful line.
The Mustang was introduced on April 17, 1964 at the
New York World’s Fair. The consumer response was unprecedented. Buyers flocked to Ford dealers and orders for the
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More photos on page 7
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MARCH/APRIL 2015
Forney’s Mustang exhibit
Continued from page 6
Top: The Forney’s Mustang exhibit featured
32 pristine specimens including this white
’66 convertible and a red ’67 Fastback.
Others on the display floor included 1, a
’641/2 coupe; 2, a “Pony” edition ’66 convertible; 3, a ’67 convertible; 4, a ’68 High
Country Special; 5, a ’70 Mach 1; and 6,
a ’73 convertible. Photos by Joel Klassen.
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MARCH/APRIL 2015
EVENT
PREVIEW
SACK set to host ‘Mile-High Modernism’
F
Top: Retro model Alisa
Reynolds poses with a ’58
Imperial convertible, winner
of the ’50s “Open” Class,
at the 2014 Motorama Car
Show hosted by SACK and
held in air-conditioned comfort at the National Western
Events Center. Photo by Joel
Klassen. 1. Host hotel for the
2015 Mile-High Modernism
regional invitational is the
recently refurbished Curtis
Hotel in downtown Denver.
or those who may have
been hiding under a
rock for the past few
months, we’d like to
reiterate that SACK will host
a regional invitational called
“Mile-High Modernism” in
Denver the last weekend of
August, 2015. Members of
LCCI sister clubs and the
non-LCCI-affiliated California
clubs will be invited and encouraged to attend. The event
will tie in with the popular
Denver Modernism Show,
celebrating its 10th year this
summer. SACK’s Board of Directors has been working hard
to get dozens of arrangements
made to assure our regional
event runs smoothly. The weekend will culminate with an
all-day car show held indoors at Denver’s National Western
Events Center Complex.
Host Hotel
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A block of rooms has been
reserved at the host hotel, The
Curtis, located at 1405 Curtis
Street in downtown Denver
for the special rate of $129 per
night. The hotel is centrally
located, surrounded with restaurants and is within a block of
the 16th Street pedestrian mall
shops and the Denver Center for
the Performing Arts. The hotel
is owned by Doubletree/Hilton
and was recently renovated to
give it a distinctive mid-century
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feel with many quirky, playful
touches. Every floor of the high-rise
hotel has a theme which is carried
through to each uniquely appointed
guest room. Visit www.thecurtis.com
for a virtual tour.
Underground parking will be
available at the hotel for an additional charge, and we’ll have an
entire level of the garage reserved
just for us. This garage also has
facilities that will allow our guests to
wash their vehicles onsite.
Basic itinerary
After a “meet and greet” event
at the hotel Thursday evening, we’ll
start the weekend activities Friday
morning with a scenic road trip
about an hour south of Denver to visit the world-renowned
the Rambler Ranch Museum, near Elizabeth, Colo. The collection of more than 600 cars and everything
related to American Motors continues
to expand as does the construction of
new buildings on the property. If you’ve
never visited before, you’ll be blown
away by what’s been called the world’s
biggest AMC collection. If you’ve
been there before, rest assured there
are always lots of newly acquired cars and
memorabilia to see. Visit www.ramblerranch.com
for a preview. A catered barbecue lunch will be served up
while we’re there.
The main event Saturday will be our Motorama Car
Show held in conjunction with the Denver Modernism
Show, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. While our
Continued on page 9
MARCH/APRIL 2015
Mile-High Modernism invitational set for August 2015
Continued from page 8
classic cars are on display for the all-day show
there will be plenty to keep everyone busy. Vendors come from across the nation to show
and sell all kinds of retro stuff including
furniture, clothes, housewares, artwork
and all kinds of accessories. The Modernism Show has something for everyone. You
want a Tiki Bar? We’ve got one! Pageants
and lectures? Check! The entire event will
be held indoors in air-conditioned comfort
at the National Western Events Center, 15
minutes away from our hotel downtown. Check it out at
www.denvermodernism.com.
The big Motorama car
show will take place in
the same building, right
next to the Modernism Show. The car show
will be open to anyone to
participate, and Mile-High
Modernism registrants
will be eligible to win
trophies from both the
public show and the show
for Mile-High Modernism registrants. A guest
judge will select winners
of the show open to
the general public. The
public will be asked
to vote for the vehicle
they think should win
“People’s Choice.” Guests and vehicles registered
for the Mile-High Modernism regional invitational will have special placards identifying
them as eligible for the special awards
and trophies to be presented later that
evening at the Mile-High Modernism
awards banquet. The banquet will be
held in the Great Hall of the Forney
Museum of Transportation. There,
surrounded by not just cars, but trains,
motorcycles bikes and streetcars, we’ll
enjoy a delicious catered dinner, the
Mile-High Modernism
awards presentation, and
premium entertainment
by special guest humorist, chef, pop
culture expert
and automotive enthusiast Charles
Phoenix!
Sunday morning the Disco
Brunch at the
Curtis will allow
everyone to
reflect upon
the fabulous
time they’ve
had in Denver and say
farewell in appropriately modernistic style
before heading home.
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Registration
Early-bird registration for the event is now
open and rates go up after July 1. Go to
www.lcci-sack.com to register. You’ll have to contact the hotel directly to reserve a room, either
at their website or by calling 303-571-0300. Be
sure to mention “Sunday Afternoon Car Klub” to
secure the special rate.
We look forward to welcoming many guests
to Denver for a fun car-filled weekend! We hope
you’re among them!
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H I G Charles
M I L Eonly
1. The one and
Phoenix will provide his premium pop
culture-focused entertainment at the Mile-High Modernism awards
banquet to be held at the Forney Museum of Transportation on
August 29. 2. The Motorama Auto Show will feature many awesome
vintage rides displayed by Mile-High Modernism event participants
August 27-30, 2015 registrants’ vehicles will be placed in special
DenverMHM
and the public.
categories, exclusive to the MHM event. 3. Friday’s trip to Rambler
Ranch Museum will include a tour of the buildings that house around
600 AMC, Nash and Rambler vehicles. 4. This cool vintage Sinclair
station is one of the recent additions to the Rambler Ranch Museum
campus. 5. Event mementos will include t-shirts and hand-crafted custom trophies for class winners. Photos and artwork by Joel Klassen.
M I L E H I G H
Denver
August 27-30, 2015
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MARCH/APRIL 2015
SPECIAL
FEATURE
Automakers pull out the stops for Detroit show
Top: Ford’s new GT was
showcased at the company’s display at the 2015
North American International Auto Show. 1. Buick’s
swoopy rear-drive Avenir
concept pays homage to
long-nosed, short-decked
Buicks of the past, like
the Riviera. 2. A favorite
concept for many at the
show was Hyundai’s Santa
Cruz, a four-passenger
crossover with a tailgate
that slides open like a
drawer to accommodate
larger payloads. Photos by
Joel Klassen.
W
hen it’s mid-January in Detroit, a customary distraction from the often-brutal
winter weather is spending a day at the
granddaddy of all new car shows, the
North American International Auto Show. For decades
the show has made its two-week run in the immense
Cobo Hall, tantalizing the press and spectators with
futuristic automotive concepts displayed among
road-ready production vehicles.
Plenty of highlights of the show are available
on the internet but actually being there to drink
in the ambiance is really the way to go for diehard auto show fans. There’s nothing like hearing a
gorgeous model prattle on about the hot new vehicle
twirling on the turntable behind him or her.
Your newsletter editor and his buddies made their
annual trek to the Motor City and the newly renovated
Cobo Hall to take in the sights and shoot a few photos for
automotive enthusiast friends back home.
On this and the following page you’ll see a tiny fraction
of the photos captured during the January 19 visit. Slick
and expensive displays dominated again with several multilevel set ups showcasing present and future products. Most
of the interesting concepts to be seen were from foreign
makers, providing a glimpse of styling we’ll see down the
road in a decade or so.
The crowds were as thick as usual and an extra dose
of patience was sometimes needed when seeking an
up-close moment with many of the more interesting displays.
Ford added some spice to its display again by
showcasing retro cars being newly reborn. This
year the new GT was the centerpiece of Ford’s
display and a couple of classic GTs added some
perspective to the look of the new model. Buick showcased its good-looking 2016 Cascada convertible which is
already available in other GM markets badged as Opel or
Vauxhall. Cascada (Spanish for “waterfall”) will be Buick’s
first convertible since the Reatta 25 years ago. Buick’s
swoopy Avenir concept will likely appeal to customers
in the booming Chinese premium market. Many agreed
Continued on page 11
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MARCH/APRIL 2015
NAIAS in Detroit lures concepts and new products
Continued from page 10
Hyundai’s Santa Cruz concept might
have been their favorite as it rekindled
memories of long-lost El Caminos and
Rancheros and even Subaru Bajas.
The outlook for the U.S. auto industry continues to improve and American automakers want to demonstrate
they’re on their way back. The North
American International Auto Show
is just one venue in which they’ve
taken the stage with foreign competitors to show the world things
are looking up and exciting new
products are on the way. Consumers are still hungry for a glimpse of
what the future holds whether they can
afford it or not. And if you happen to be
in Detroit during car show season, it’s
just nice to get out of the cold!
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1. Buick’s Cascada convertible will hit showrooms
for 2016. 2. The Mini Superleggera concept has
taillights with a “Union Jack” theme. 3. Maserati’s
Alfieri will be introduced for 2016, with a convertible to follow. 4. The new Acura NSX is ready for
production. 5. Infiniti showed a thinly-veiled concept
of its next-generation Q60 coupe. 6. Chevy’s restyled
Volt will also hit the streets soon. 7. Chevy’s electric
Bolt concept has crossover DNA. 8. Bentley had no
reason to tweak the classic form of its Continental
GT convertible. 9. Mercedes showcased its futuristic
autonomous vehicle, the F 015 “Luxury in Motion.”
10. Toyota’s radical look at the future included this
LED-wrapped people mover. Photos by Joel Klassen.
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MARCH/APRIL 2015
HIGHBEAMS
The world’s biggest
and smallest
1934 Studebakers
By Brian English
Roughing it
in style
Did you know that the first dealer
promotional model car was produced
for Studebaker? The one-piece potmetal models were based on a giant
wood and plaster mockup of Studebaker’s luxurious new 1934 President Land
Cruiser that was the basis for a major
display in the Great Hall of the Travel
and Transport Pavilion at the World’s
Fair in Chicago.
Hemmings is selling a 1982 Mercedes
Gelandewagen that
has been turned
into a camper. A
camper!! It has
a diesel engine
and a fourspeed transmission. Anybody got
$40K?
Where would
Han Solo shop
for vehicles?
Well, I certainly know
where I’m going to go when
I need a new (Millennium)
Falcon. Wellington, Ohio?
Who knew! I hope that the
prices aren’t astronomic.
Not available at
the toy store
A Corvette Donk?? Umm,
no, just No. I wonder if its
Corvette-tuned suspension
still corners well at speed
or does it just topple over? I
prefer the Bro-dozer pictured
below instead.
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The Canary Yellow mockup was designed to capture attention, and it did.
It was 80 feet long, 30 feet wide and 28
feet high! The running boards on the car were 21 feet long
and the wiper blades were 3 feet long. Imagine finding
12 1/2 foot tires for this baby! A door under the running
board opened into an 80-seat cinema that showed films
praising Studebaker automobiles.
The promos
are 6 3/4 inches
long, about 1/43
scale. They were
cast on site at
the display, and
were sold for 25
cents. The words
“Replica of Giant World’s Fair Studebaker” were embossed
on the rear deck lid. The company also offered a red model
of a stake-bed truck for the same price. The display and the
models were a big success, so Studebaker continued to offer
new promotional models after the World’s Fair had closed.
Other companies soon followed suit and a new industry
(and collectible market), were born.
Continued on page 13
MARCH/APRIL 2015
More Highbeams
Continued from page 12
attractive coupe and convertible
are now regarded as being classic
European cars.
It’s alive! It’s ALIVE!
An amazing announcement was made
recently. The long-dead German car maker
Borgward has been reborn, and a new model
will be introduced at the Geneva Auto Show in
March.
Borgward introduced many innovations into the German market,
such as automatic transmission, and
at one time was the third largest
German car company. But Borgward
was smaller than Volkswagen and
Opel, and had increasing difficulty
competing against its larger rivals
that had more efficient production
and distribution advantages. The
eventual bankruptcy was claimed to
have been forced onto the company
by a bank that suddenly denied a
previously approved loan.
The company was founded in 1919 and
originally produced delivery vehicles. The Blitzkarren, (Lightning
Cart), was the perfect
size van for small
package deliveries
in crowded cities.
The company got a
further boost when
the German Post
Office bought the
vans for their use.
In 1929 Borgward
bought the struggling Hansa-Lloyd auto company and began
producing cars under the Hansa, Lloyd and
Borgward brands.
Borgward resumed auto production after
World War II and in 1954 introduced its most
popular model, the Isabella, which remained
in production until the company filed for
bankruptcy in 1961. The Isabella was a twodoor car that was offered as a sedan, station
wagon, coupe and convertible. The very
Over fifty years later, Christian
Borgward, the grandson of the
company’s founder, reorganized the
company in Switzerland. The new
company hired former Mercedes designer Einar Harried
to develop a concept car
to present at the Geneva
show. The new model will likely
be a modern interpretation of
the Isabella coupe, which would
be a logical starting point for the
company. Unfortunately, we didn’t
have a legitimate advance photo of the
concept car at press time, so you’ll just have to
stay tuned!
This may be a fever dream, but we all have
to appreciate the tenacity of Mr. Borgward
in even attempting to resurrect his family
business. Good luck, and watch out for evil
bankers. I hear that there are a lot of them in
Geneva.
Isabella coupé
1961 Borgward Isabella
THE MOBILE DIRECTOR
Isabella station wagon
13
MARCH/APRIL 2015
HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE
Muntz Jet featured multiple innovations
T
he Muntz Car Company was created in Glendale,
California by Earl “Madman” Muntz, a well-known
local used car dealer and electronics retailer. It
was in existence from 1951 to 1954. Muntz was
assisted by Frank Kurtis, who had earlier attempted to
produce a sports car under the Kurtis Kraft marque.
The Kurtis Kraft Sport had sold only 36 units by
1950.
1
In 1951, Kurtis sold the license
to manufacture the cars to Muntz,
who quickly rebadged them as
the “Muntz Jet.” The car, a sports coupe, was
manufactured in Chicago and featured its
own unique design, with aluminum body panels and a removable fiberglass top that were
manufactured in-house.
Other parts, such as the
engines, were sourced from
other manufacturers. The
Jet was capable of 112 mph,
a significant achievement
for a road car at the time.
2
Top: Muntz Jets are highly collectible today. This 1953 Jet
is powered by a 160-hp 317-cid Lincoln V-8. Photo by Mike
Mueller. 1. The charismatic Earl Muntz gained the nickname
“Madman” because of his crazy antics and promotions on
radio and TV. 2. The newly lengthened Jet was a sensation at
the 1951 Chicago Auto Show. 3. The distinctive “Carson top”
had to be removed and left at home when the owner craved
some top-down cruising.
THE MOBILE DIRECTOR
which debuted for 1958. It cost $5,500, when a Cadillac convertible, America’s most widely desirable car, cost $3,987.
Many of the innovations Muntz placed on his car were unheard of in the American auto industry at that time. Each
car was equipped with a padded dashboard, full instrumentation and seat belts—which were unfortunately affixed to the seat! A company insider said the seat belts
were strictly a gimmick, but if you were going to
name a car a Jet, you better have seat belts! The Jet
never had a conventional convertible top, so its
removable top had to be left at home if taken
off because there was no place to store it in the car.
Muntz added a few innovations of his own. He invented
a console between the front seats and placed a Motorola
radio in it. He affixed the speakers in both kick panels. Another unusual option was the liquor bars built into the huge
rear armrests. One of the armrests is actually an ice box!
Muntz, being a flamboyant character, attracted the
same type of clientele. Most of the cars he sold were to the
Hollywood crowd. Each tried to outdo the other with a
more outlandish Muntz than their friend’s. The rare Muntz
Continued on page 15
After producing 29 of
the rebadged two-seat cars,
a decision was made to
lengthen the body by
13 inches to make
it a four-seater, and
exchange the Ford
engine with a larger
Cadillac V-8. Later, this
engine would be replaced
with a less expensive Lincoln
side-valve V-8.
The flashy Jet was
America’s first post-World
War II “personal luxury car,”
arriving long before the first
four-seat Ford Thunderbird,
14
3
MARCH/APRIL 2015
Pricey Muntz Jet was short-lived
Continued from page 14
were said to be incredibly fast.
is one that is a sedate color and interior. Instead,
they were often seen wearing pink, chartreuse,
purple and bright lemon yellow color schemes
accented with interior fabrics like
snake skin, emu, alligator, leopard
and many others.
Unfortunately Muntz purported
to have lost over $1000 on each car
for a grand total loss of
$400,000 during the
car’s four-year stint.
He said he couldn’t get
production volume up to
a profitable level because
labor costs were a stiff $2,000
per car, basically hand-built by craftsmen
who were essentially racecar builders. The
pleated custom upholstery, alone, cost
$600 per car. In late 1954, Muntz dismantled the
entire manufacturing process and destroyed all
Besides these cosmetic items, many customers ordered their new cars with even hotter
engines. Multiple carburation, aluminum
heads, hot ignitions and race cams were added
as “soup up kits.” Later cars were equipped
with the new Lincoln overhead engine with the
dual-range Lincomatic transmission. These cars
the tools and dies. His claim
of 394 vehicles produced has never been substantiated, but rather, 198 according to extensive
serial number research. By any account, it’s a very
low production.
Because the cars were distinctive in design,
well-built and good performers for their time,
Muntz Jets are rare and valuable collector pieces
today.
Inset: A whacky caricature of Earl “Madman”
Muntz served as a logo for his various business enterprises including placement on the Muntz Jet hubcaps and horn button. Top: A postcard shows the
Muntz Jet factory and craftsmen hand-assembling
the cars. Left: Artwork from a Jet catalog illustrates
wild color schemes, bucket seats with seat belts,
the console containing the radio, and the padded
dash with full instrumentation.
‘Madman’ Muntz was an accomplished entrepreneur
E
arl “Madman” Muntz opened his first
used car lot in 1934 in Elgin, Illinois, with
a $500 line of credit. He was only 20 years
old, and his mother had to sign the carsale papers because legally he was too young to
close his own deals. During a vacation in California, Muntz discovered that used cars sold there
for far higher prices; so he moved to California
in 1940 at age 26 to open a used
car lot in Glendale. On a hunch,
he purchased 13 brand-new
right-hand-drive vehicles to
resell. These vehicles had been
built for customers in Asia, but
could not be delivered because
of World War II. One vehicle
was a custom-made Lincoln
built for Chiang Kai-shek. Local
newspapers ran stories about
the unusual cars, and Muntz sold them all within
two weeks, still in their original shipping crates.
He soon opened a second lot in Los Angeles and
closed his lot in Elgin.
Muntz rejected the then common opinion
that used car salesmen should project a staid
image. He realized the possibilities of generating publicity with odd stunts, and developed
a “Madman” persona as a result. His flamboyant billboards and oddball television and radio
commercials soon made him famous. In his used
auto commercials, he marketed one model as the
“daily special”—Muntz claimed that if the car did
not sell that day, he would smash it to pieces on
camera with a sledgehammer. His commercials
generated so much publicity that comedians such
as Bob Hope, Jack Benny and
Steve Allen often tried to outdo
each other during television appearances by telling “Madman”
Muntz jokes.
During the war years, he became the biggest used car dealer
in the world. By 1947 Muntz
had continued in his command
of the used car market, but had
taken on the largest KaiserFrazer dealership in the U.S. In 1947 alone he
sold $72,000,000 worth of new and used cars.
Muntz sold 22,000 new K-F cars that year—the
total K-F output for 1947 was only 147,000. That’s
one of every seven cars! The “Madman” aspect of
his personality gained nationwide attention when
Earl hired a young advertising man named Mike
Shore. Shore started a flamboyant radio and
THE MOBILE DIRECTOR
15
billboard campaign in L.A. that has never been
surpassed.
Muntz was quite an inventor, and his true
interests were with anything that had to do with
electronics, hence the birth of the Muntz television. In the late ’40s Muntz designed a set that
was much simpler than his competitors. Since he
sold millions of them cheaper, fortunes skyrocketed. Meanwhile, Muntz had a falling out with
Henry Kaiser and decided to look into building a
car of his own. In 1950 he answered an advertisement on a Lincoln for sale by Frank Kurtis, a
leading builder of Indianapolis and dirt track race
cars. The birth of the Muntz Jet followed shortly
after.
After several ups and downs, the Muntz Jet
was history and Muntz went into bankruptcy.
Five years later, he invented the 4-track tape
player and went on to make yet a second million.
All-in-all, Muntz made and lost 3 fortunes. His
later ventures included Muntz Motor Mansions,
Muntz Motorcycle Park in Simi Valley, and
Muntz big screen televisions.
He died in 1987 at age 73 and is still remembered today as one of America’s most accomplished entrepreneurs.
MARCH/APRIL 2015
COMING
EVENTS
D
ates and events on this calendar
are subject to change. Dates circled in
RED are official SACK events where a monthly
membership meeting will be held. Dates circled
in BLUE are “SACK happenings” where some
of our members will be hanging out, but there
MAR 2015
1 2 3
8 9 10
15 16 17
22 23 24
29 30 31
4 5 6 7
11 12 13 14
18 19 20 21
25 26 27 28
will be no official meeting. GREEN-circled dates
are our fundraisers at the Denver Wrangler.
Additional dates and events have yet to be
added. Please be sure to watch your email for
official updates on dates, times and additional
events.
JUN 2015
APR 2015
MAY 2015
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 31 25 26 27 28 29 30
March
22Bowling Party
Tentatively planned to take place at Wheat
Ridge Lanes. Event will likely include lunch at
a local eatery. Watch for email updates from
the Roadmaster.
April
12 Denver Auto Show
We’ll meet for breakfast at Sam’s #3 downtown and then head over to the Colorado
1 2 3
7 8 9 10
14 15 16 17
21 22 23 24
28 29 30 31
Convention Center to check out the latest
offerings from the world’s automakers.
May
2 Golden Super Cruise Night
Giant gathering of classics, rods and customs
on Old Golden Road in Golden, CO Starts in
the afternoon and runs until after dark.
31 Fundraiser and car show
at the Denver Wrangler
We’ll meet at the Wrangler about 3:30 and
4 5 6
11 12 13
18 19 20
25 26 27
serve until 8. SACK will also have a group of
cars on display. We’ll need plenty of volunteers to assist!
June
6 Golden Super Cruise Night
Same arrangements as last month.
21 PrideFest Parade
We’ll line up early and likely be finished
before 11. An announcement will be made
about a follow-up lunch.
SACK’s March and
April birthdays
P
lease join us as we extend our best birthday wishes
to our members with birthdays coming up over
the next couple of months!
In March our SACK birthday boys include
Dennis Oliver on the 5th, SACK Treasurer Paul Bailey on
the 14th, Rod Gilmore on the 19th, Frank Potter and Scott
White on the 24th and Dave Randall on the 29th.
Celebrating birthdays in April are Bill Sheets on the
2nd, Hayden Cluff on the 3rd, SACK Roadmaster Sam
Fuller on the 6th, Frank Lucero on the 16th, Dirk Biermann
on the 22nd, Matt Langbauer on the 29th and Michael
Evans on the 30th.
Happy birthday to these and any other SACK members
we may have missed. If you know of someone whose name
should have
been included
here, please
drop us a line
at sacknewsletter@comcast.
net and we’ll
assure they’re
included next
time around.
THE MOBILE DIRECTOR
The Bold Chryslers: 1955-1962
Designs of Virgil Exner
Exhibit opens March 1
16
MARCH/APRIL 2015
PARTING
WORDS
Forney has an offer for SACK
Tell us about your first car!
A
re you looking for
a space to store
one or more of
your beloved
classic cars? You may already
know that reasonably priced
spaces and facilities are hard to
find. Denver’s famous Forney
Museum of Transportation
offers the indoor, climate-controlled
storage that may be just what you’re
looking for.
SACK’s Vice president Christof
Kheim is also director of the Forney
and is offering fellow SACK members
a terrific deal.
The secure, alarmed, indoor
automobile storage is available to the
public for $100 per month per vehicle. The same spaces are being made
available to SACK members for $75
per month with a 12-month lease or
$95 per month on a month-to-month
basis. The only requirements are
proof of current insurance to cover
loss or damage and you would have
W
ithout a doubt, everyone remembers
their first one – car,
that is. And we’d like to hear
about yours!
We’ll continue our “My
First Car” feature in upcoming
issues in which we’ll profile SACK
members’ fine and not-so-fine
rides back in the day. We’ll be
depending on you, our readers,
to submit your stories and photos
– especially ones suitable to
grace the pages of the Mobile
Director! Photos aren’t absolutely
necessary,
but the odds
of your story
running in the
newsletter will
greatly increase
if there’s something to add
visual interest!
to contact the museum in advance
to schedule removal or placement of
your vehicle(s).
Access is limited to the Forney’s
hours of operation (10 a.m. to 4
p.m., Monday-Saturday). There are
a limited number of spaces, some of
which are double-deep for two cars.
The Forney is conveniently located
near the I-70/I-25 interchange on
Brighton Blvd.
For more information, contact
Christof either by phone at 303297-1113, by e-mail at director@
forneymuseum.org or in person at
the museum.
Try to limit the length of your story
to about 500 words, if possible.
You can submit your stories
and photos by emailing them to
SACKnewsletter@comcast.
net. If you have photographic
prints that you’d allow us to scan
for use with your article, please
contact Joel Klassen at the
same email address and he’ll
make arrangements to get them
scanned and returned to you.
Thanks in advance for your
help with this ongoing newsletter feature. We’re all looking
forward to
learning
a bit more
about each
other’s first
time – owning a car,
that is!
Enjoy the ride!
We’ll see you next time!
THE MOBILE DIRECTOR
17
MARCH/APRIL 2015