cOrveTTe lT-1 pOrsche carrera rs

Transcription

f ue l f o r t h e m oto ring lifestyle
Vs.
Corvette LT-1
Porsche Carrera RS
Two Experts Swap Rides
The McQueen Mystique
Miniatures: The Origins of Collecting
The Classic Car World, 2011
spring 2012
$4.95 USA | CANADA
in t he driver’ s seat
photo by Windborne Photographic Studios
a word from mckeel
PUBLISHING MANAGEMENT
Executive Publisher McKeel Hagerty
Publisher Rob Sass
Senior Publishing Adviser Greg Stropes
EDITORIAL STAFF
Executive Editor/Associate Publisher
Jonathan A. Stein
Managing Editor Stefan Lombard
Web Managing Editor Claire Walters
HVA Editor Bob Butz
HVA Editorial Adviser Carmel Roberts
Copy Editor Jeff Peek
ART AND PRODUCTION STAFF
Creative Director Wendy Ronga
Production Consultant Carolyn Brooks
Production Coordinator Emily Black
Video Production Specialist Justin Warnes
CONTRIBUTORS
Carl Bomstead, Marshall Buck, Wayne Carini,
Ezra Dyer, Ken Gross, Matt Stone
Ask Hagerty, Resource Desk
Glenn Arlt
ADVERTISING sales
National Ad Sales Executive Cody Wilson
[email protected]; 503.866.9464
Questions about our products and services? Call
800-922-4050 or email us at [email protected];
Questions about the magazine? Call 866-922-9401
or email us at [email protected].
Hagerty (#40) Spring 2012, Vol. 7 No 1. Hagerty is
published quarterly for $8 a year by Hagerty Media
Properties, LLC., 141 River’s Edge Dr. #200, Traverse City, MI 49684-3299. Application to mail at
periodicals postage is pending at Traverse City, MI,
and Saratoga Springs, NY.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Hagerty
Readers Services, P.O. Box 87, Traverse City, MI
49685-0087.
© 2012 HAGERTY. All rights reserved. Printed in
USA. No part of this magazine may be reproduced
without permission. All unsolicited submissions, including manuscripts, photographs and queries, must
be accompanied by adequate return postage and
an addressed return envelope. Submission implies
right to edit and publish. Editorial correspondence:
Hagerty magazine, P.O. Box 87, Traverse City, MI
49685-0087. Publisher’s correspondence: [email protected]. Products and services advertised in this issue are not necessarily endorsed by
Hagerty or affiliates. Complaints or inquiries should
be forwarded directly to the advertiser. All purchases
are at the complete discretion of the consumer.
Spring in Our Step
The Spring issue is usually chock full of some of the more creative ideas we’ve come
up with during the “lost months.” In “A Mile in His Shoes,” we wanted to see what
would happen when we took David Burroughs, one of the smartest Corvette guys we
know, and put him in “the enemy”—a Porsche 911 Carrera RS. We did the same to
Reid Vann, one very analytical, diehard Porsche guy, by dropping him into an LT-1
Corvette. With Ezra Dyer as a witness, the result was sort of like “Top Gear” meets
“Wife Swap.”
No matter what kind of car guy or gal you consider yourself, one thing that most of
us agree on is Steve McQueen. The guy was just flat-out cool, whether doing his own
motorcycle stunts in “The Great Escape,” thrashing a Mustang around San Francisco
in “Bullitt” or piloting a Porsche 917 at Le Mans. To that end, McQueen aficionado
Matt Stone explores the “McQueen Mystique” and why so many of us still care so
much about his work and his legend more than 30 years after his death.
Spring is also when we review the state of the collector car hobby. In this issue,
experts from the U.S. and Europe weigh in on what happened in 2011 and what
we’re likely to see in 2012 and beyond. Without giving away too much, things look
pretty good.
Finally, in “Small Beginnings,” we examine the roots so many of us share when
it comes to our gearheadedness —the Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Corgis, Dinkys and
more we played with as kids. Marshall Buck looks at four guys whose childhood love
for miniatures saw them acquire the full-scale versions in adulthood. And it’s a good
thing winter is breaking; I’m so eager for spring that I couldn’t resist pulling some of
my old miniatures off the shelf.
ISSN 2162-8033
Hagerty Magazine | 800-922-4050
1
contributors
Photo by joanne buck
courtesy Ezra Dyer
w ho’ s in t he issue
photo by john lamm
Courtesy Matt Stone
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features
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A Mile in His Shoes
Two diehard marque enthusiasts—a Porsche guy and
a Corvette guy — swap rides for a day of high-speed
paradigm shifting. Ezra Dyer witnessed the occasion.
24
a
44
The McQueen Mystique
24
Small Beginnings
We all start somewhere. For these collectors, that meant zooming Corgi toy
cars across the carpet and assembling plastic model kits.
38
c Ken Gross writes for several hot rod magazines, and his book Art of the Hot Rod is a
best seller. In 2007, his ’32 Ford Highboy
roadster was selected by a special panel as one
of the 75 Most Influential Deuces of all time.
On page 44, he writes about his road trip to
Auburn in a Cord to celebrate the marque’s
75th anniversary.
56
38
D Matt Stone is a freelance journalist, author,
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Hagerty Magazine | HAGERTY.COM
iature Associates, Inc. in 1982 and has since
been involved with high-end automotive miniatures as a collector, model maker, manufacturer and broker. He wrote a featured model
column for Vintage Motorsport magazine for
10 years and contributes regularly to various
publications. On page 34 of this issue, he sits
down with four classic car guys to trace the
origins of their passion.
magazine, Men’s Journal and the Improper Bostonian. He also contributes to the New York
Times and Popular Mechanics, and served as a
writer and guest host on SPEED’s “The Car
Show.” You’ll find his third story for Hagerty
magazine, “A Mile in His Shoes,” on page 18,
in which he records what happens when two
marque aficionados swap rides for a day.
departments
Publisher’s Letter
Contributors
Short Shifts
Your Turn: Unrestored and Original Cars
Ask Hagerty
Carini on Cars: To Hershey, with Love
Marketwatch: McQueen on the Block
New Experiences: Cross Country in a Cord
Automobilia: Schwinn Sting-Rays
Historic Vehicle Association: Update
Rearview Mirror: Dodge Power Wagon
D
B Ezra Dyer is a columnist for Automobile
The Classic Car World, 2011
Last year proved to be a doozy on auction blocks around the world. And with new
events popping up in unlikely places, all signs look good for the year ahead.
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3
4
12
15
16
32
44
52
56
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C
a Marshall Buck founded Creative Min-
What is it about the “King of Cool” that turns everything
he touched to gold? Matt Stone investigates.
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B
broadcaster, Pebble Beach Chief Class Judge and
the former Editor of Motor Trend Classic magazine. He has authored and photographed 10
automotive book titles and is a member of
SPEED’s Barrett-Jackson auction broadcast
team. On page 24, he examines the “McQueen Mystique” and tries to account for the
incredible prices the man’s possessions seem
to attract.
3
short shifts
Darin Schnabel courtesy of RM Auctions
Auction Recap
SCOTTSDALE, AZ
Scott Nidermaier/Bonhams
Arizona
Coming off big sales figures in Monterey
last August, much anticipation surrounded
the Arizona auctions in late January.
For starters, Bonhams set up shop in
the greater Scottsdale area, joining RM
Auctions, Gooding & Company, Russo
and Steele, and Barrett-Jackson, with Silver
Auctions farther out at Fort McDowell.
No rain in the forecast, hundreds of
thousands of gearheads and more than
2,500 cars, pickups, trucks, buses and boats
to keep them in a happy daze for the week.
In all, the six auction companies sold 85%
of those lots for $184 million—up from
last year’s $162 million —and 17 cars
broke a million dollars.
Top sale went to Gooding and its $4.62
million 1955 Mercedes 300SL coupe, one
of only 29 alloy Gullwings built. When it
was over, Gooding had sold 116 of 118
cars for $39.8 million.
Barrett-Jackson returned to form with
nine million-dollar sales, topped by a lovely
blue 1948 Tucker 48, arguably the coolest
and most romanticized post-war American
car. It sold for an auction-record $2.915
4
million, and by Sunday night, 1,291 of
1,294 cars had sold totaling nearly $91
million—a $21 million jump over 2011.
RM sold 126 of 140 cars to end
the weekend at $25.7 million. Its lone
million-dollar seller was a special 1957
Ferrari 410 Superamerica at $1.815
million—up $500k since last sold by
Gooding at Pebble beach five years ago.
Russo and Steele was close to its 2011
result, with 410 of 651 cars bringing
$19 million. A 1968 Corvette L88
convertible sold for a
claimed world record
$687,500—more
than twice the going
rate in the Hagerty
Price Guide.
At its inaugural event
at the Westin Kierland
Resort, Bonhams sold 44 of 67 cars for
an even $6 million, with top sale coming
from a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet C at $667,000.
Finally, out at Fort McDowell, Silver
posted a $2.95 million result from 175 of
Courtesy of Russo and Steele
Pavel litwinsky © 2011 courtesy of gooding & company
courtesy of BARrETT-JACKSON
267 cars. High sale was a 1960 Facel Vega
HK500 hardtop coupe at $93,960.
These six sales continued the momentum
gained in 2011, and the rest of 2012 looks
promising.
short shifts
Theo Civitello/Bonhams
desert delights
It wasn’t all zillion-dollar sales in the desert; there were bargains to
be found at nearly every price point. Here are the week’s best deals:
BARRETT-JACKSON
GOODING & Company
RUSSO AND STEELE
Average sale: $70,064
Best buy: Lot 310.1, 1968 UltraVan,
$1,375
The buzz: These Corvair-powered,
monocoque wonders are ultra rare and
ultra cool. Though this one was unfit
for a cross-country trek, there was
plenty of money left to make it so.
Best buy: Lot 31, 1966 Pontiac GTO,
$33,000
The buzz: Documented, all-original, unrestored, matching-numbers 335-hp 389cid V-8. A clean early muscle machine
that sold $18k under its low estimate.
Best buy: Lot TH336, 1954 Jaguar
XK120 OTS, $49,500
The buzz: Older restoration in BRG with
C-Type head. Not a concours car, but a
solid, honest example of a lovely old cat
that could have brought another $30k.
RM AUCTIONS
SILVER
BONHAMS
Best buy: Lot 106, 1950 Hudson Commodore Super Six convertible, $44,000
The buzz: Freshly restored by a marque
expert. These will always be sought-after
cars. Light use should benefit both car
and owner.
Best buy: Lot 272, 1987 Chrysler Fifth
Avenue, $2,268
The buzz: No classic, but very clean and a
cheap way to get about in style.
Best buy: Lot 355, 1968 Shelby GT500
KR, $70,200
The buzz: The steal of the week. “KR”
does mean “King of the Road,” after all.
Underpriced by about $40k—a sound
investment for a savvy buyer.
courtesy Russo and Steele
Courtesy RM Auctions
Courtesy Barrett-Jackson
EVENTS
the Great Race
They don’t call it the “Merely OK Race,”
largely because in the week from June 23
to July 1, 2012, it will take entrants on a
timed, speed-controlled endurance
competition through 19 cities,
four states and two countries, all
the way around the Great Lakes.
Eligible vehicles include trucks,
cars and motorcycles built before 1969. Hagerty is proud to
sponsor the Great Race, and
as it happens to kick off from our home
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Learn more at greatrace.com and follow
us on Facebook for updates.
All British Field Meet
town of Traverse City, Michigan, this
year, it’s only fitting we field a team.
If vintage Brits are your thing, check out
the All British Field Meet in Vancouver,
B.C., on May 19, 2012. The one-day
show celebrates all things
British. This year the event
features Lotus cars and
Norton motorcycles. Learn
more at westerndriver.com.
short shifts
Freedom Road Rally
NEC Classic Motor show
The Freedom Road Rally is a driving
vacation for pre-1974 cars. Two rallies
are scheduled for 2012 —the first runs
June 3 – 8 along the scenic backroads of
Wisconsin, while the September 9–14
event explores North Carolina. Entry is
$1,950 per car, which includes lodging and
more. Learn more at freedomroadrally.com
The NEC Classic Motor Show
in Birmingham, England,
held last November 11–13,
is likely the best car show
you’ve never heard of, and if your
automotive tastes have an English bent,
it’s possibly the best show on earth.
At the NEC, the question isn’t whether
there are Smiths water temperature gauges
to be found, but whether you want them
for a Riley, Alvis or Morgan. Incidentally,
those clubs plus other familiar marques had
stands at the show. In all, there were 1,200
cars and 500 motorcycles displayed in the
five mammoth exhibition halls. Dave
Kinney, publisher of the Hagerty Price
Guide, and our publisher, Rob Sass,
were joined on stage by Mike Brewer
and Edd China of the Discovery UK
show “Wheeler Dealers” for three
courtesy FREEDOM
ROAD RALLY
British market valuation seminars, while
the BBC’s “Top Gear” put on a live version of its show at the adjacent LG Arena.
Plan ahead at necclassicmotorshow.com.
Classy Chassis
The Classy Chassis Concours returns to
Houston’s Reliant Stadium June 9–10,
2012. The 120-car event will focus on
Bonneville Race Cars and Aston Martin.
A special Ride & Drive will offer rides
in some of today’s fastest
exotics. Learn more at
classychassis.org.
courtesy classy
chassis concours
short shifts
hagerty news
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
Shelby Cobra, Hagerty held a seminar at
the Penske Museum in Scottsdale. The
panel included some of the best-known
members of the 1960s Shelby American
crew, including Phil Remington, Chuck
Cantwell and Pete Brock, along with Rick
Kopec of the Shelby American Automobile
Club and John Luft, the current President
Shelby panelists included (from left) Phil
Remington, Peter Brock, Rick Kopec,
Chuck Cantwell and John Luft.
short shifts
Operation
Ignite!
of Shelby American. Colin Comer, author
of The Complete Book of Shelby hosted.
If you missed the seminar, it’s available
online at hagerty.com/scottsdale/shelby.
Look for Hagerty in Hot Springs, Arkansas, at the British Car National Meet, May
30–June 3, 2012. This will be the first-ever
national gathering of British cars and the
people who love them. The weekend includes scenic drives, timed competitions,
golf outings, and fantastic meals, not to
mention a full docket of informative seminars. On Saturday the 2nd, Hagerty magazine Publisher Rob Sass will discuss auto
Hundreds of British sports cars, like these
MGAs, will converge on Hot Springs,
Arkansas, in May 2012.
valuation in “How Much Are Cars Really
Worth?” Also speaking during the week is
Carmel Roberts, vice president of the
Historic Vehicle Association. Find more
information, including a full schedule of
events, at britishcarweeknationalmeet.org.
the amelia island concours returns to Northeastern Florida
on March 11 for its 17th show. This year, Amelia celebrates the 50th anniversaries
of the Ferrari 250 GTO and the Shelby Cobra. Hagerty will be there for Dawn Patrol,
and we’ll have a recap in the Summer issue.
Following the success of last year’s
Hagerty Driving Experience (HDE)
dates in Michigan and California, the
HDE will make a stop in Dallas, Texas,
in late March, with summer dates to follow. The events give licensed drivers ages
15–25 experience behind the wheel of
manual-transmission vintage cars, with
helpful owners riding shotgun.
Hagerty’s Operation Ignite! Youth Judges
have been busy, too. They recently walked
the show fields at the Boca Raton and
Amelia Island concours, learning to judge
classic cars while interacting with owners and experts. In May, the youth judges
Youth Judges walked the showfields of
several concours in the early spring.
will attend the McPherson College CARS
Club Car Show in McPherson, Kansas,
with summer dates to follow. If you know
a young person who’d like to get involved
in the programs of Hagerty’s Operation
Ignite!, contact Tabetha Salsbury at
[email protected].
what to read
Built for Adventure:
The Classic Automobiles of Clive
Cussler and Dirk Pitt
Anyone familiar with Clive Cussler’s
fictional hero Dirk Pitt knows he has a
penchant for classic cars. But did you
know those same cars populate Cussler’s
real-world collection? Built for Adventure is a coffee-table chronicle of 56 of
Cussler’s rare cars, from a 1906 Stanley
griot’s garage car care tip:
Product, Not Pressure
Whether it’s road tar, a
stubborn bird bomb or
dried-on wax, our nature
tells us to “Scrub a little
harder!” Resist the temptation. Pushing harder may win the
battle, but you’ll lose the war for perfect
Steamer to a 1948 Talbot-Lago GS.
A must-have for any Cussler fan. $50,
us.penguingroup.com.
paint. No matter how soft the towel or
wash mitt, too much pressure presses
the dirt or contaminant into the paint,
so your “cleaning” may create scratches
or swirl marks. Use the proper product
to soften whatever-it-may-be so you can
wipe it away, leaving the clean, perfect
paint your classic car deserves.
Your turn
I Love
You Just
the Way
You Are
Not every vehicle needs a
nut-and-bolt restoration.
Sometimes new tires and a
good polish are all it takes.
By stefan lombard
1946 Seagrave open cab pumper
Clay Barret has been a firefighter since he was 14 years old and has always wanted
an old fire truck to restore. He found his 1946 Seagrave Open Cab Pumper in
Pennsylvania in 2009, with 96,968 miles on the clock. Says Barret, “It screamed
coolness.” It was originally owned by the West Haven Fire Department, Savin
Rock Hose Co. #4 in Connecticut, with subsequent duty in another Connecticut
department, and Barret is the fourth owner. It shows plenty of scars and dull paint,
and though it runs, Barret says the drivetrain and fire pump need to be rebuilt.
“My dream is to one day get it fully operational,” he says, mainly so neighborhood
kids can shoot water out of it. For now he’ll settle for the occasional drive to the
local ice cream shop.
1957 Oldsmobile
88 Holiday
Hardtop Sedan
Several years ago at a local cruise night
in East Hartford, Connecticut, William
Belisle met an older gentleman who had
an original 1957 Oldsmobile 88 Holiday
hardtop sedan to sell. Belisle instantly
fell in love with the mid-century giant,
which showed just 54,560 miles, and
paid $3,500 for it. The Cutlass Bronze
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Price range: $5,000–$10,000
paint is in amazing condition, except for
one touch-up on the rear quarter, and all
brightwork still sparkles. Under his ownership, Belisle has driven the 88 all over
New England, and it has never left him
stranded. He has replaced rubber bits that
have perished with time — tires, belts,
hoses, gaskets — but that’s the extent of
it. “The car still runs strong and should
for many more years,” he says.
Price range: $7,200–$21,800
your turn
ask hagerty
b e f o r e a n d a fte r
888 -3 1 0 -8 0 2 0 , option 3
Q. I’m restoring a 1965 Ford
Mustang GT fastback. Where can
I find original/replacement parts
for Kelsey-Hayes disc brakes?
A. Although a number of businesses
offer disc brake replacement kits for early
Mustangs, parts for the original KelseyHayes disc brakes are increasingly scarce.
Try contacting:
Cobra Automotive
203-284-3863 (CT) cobraautomotive.com
Classic Services Restoration Parts (CSRP)
512-947-6718 (TX) discbrakeswap.com
1963 Ford Falcon
two-door sedan
Mark Greene of Tacoma, Washington, was in
high school when Porsche introduced its 930
Turbo — the supercar of the day. Fast forward
to late 2010, when Greene’s business partner
at Griot’s Garage called him one Sunday afternoon about a 37,000-mile Turbo on eBay.
Greene jumped on it. His 930 features option code L999 “Paint to Sample” Metallic
Orange, a rare color that was specified by its
original owner, who also picked it up at the
factory — option code 900 “Tourist Delivery.” Greene has added about 850 miles and
had to sort out a few oil leaks from dry lines,
but otherwise he says the car is in excellent
original condition. In the spring, expect to see
him and his wild 930 on Porsche Club tours.
Price range: $20,300–$60,600
1934 Brewster town
cabriolet deville
Don and Diane Weir, of York, Pennsylvania,
bought their 1934 Brewster Town Cabriolet
deVille in 1996. The imposing machine originally belonged to the president of the New
York Stock Exchange, and the Weirs acquired
it out of long-term storage from a good friend.
In a matter of days, they had the Brewster in
excellent running condition, and after five or
six aggressive polish jobs, new tires, some new
glass and some minor touch-ups, it was ready for the road. The couple has shown it regularly at
AACA events, and in 2002 they took it to the Amelia Island Concours. The following year it
garnered Best Unrestored Car honors at the Hilton Head Concours. Most recently, the Brewster was awarded the FIVA Award at the 2011 Elegance at Hershey and Best in Class at the St.
Michaels Concours. And it’s not just for show; the Weirs drive their stately Brewster regularly
and enjoy touring with it.
Price range: $10,000–$52,000
14
On the
Blink
In search of brighter turn
signals for a ’54 Corvette
Q. I own a 1954 Corvette. Do you
know of an LED replacement bulb for
the 6V 1154 bulb that is compatible
with the stock turn signal flasher? If
there’s an LED bulb available that
isn’t compatible with the stock turn
signal flasher, is there a signal flasher
or add-on circuit that will work in
this application?
Price range: $3,600–$14,800
Do you have a great “before and after” car? Send your best photos and a brief description
of the car to [email protected], and you might see it featured on these pages.
See complete guidelines at hagerty.com/submissions.
photo: © Jay texter
1978 Porsche 930 Turbo
Louisiana resident David Dominigue
still remembers riding in the backseat
of his grandmother Beulah’s 1963
Ford Falcon as a young boy. Beulah
was meticulous about her eponymous car, which she purchased off
the showroom floor of her local Ford
dealership. She left the 33,400-mile
Falcon to David as a gift for cutting
her lawn each summer, and in the
17-plus years he has owned it, he has
added just 67 miles. The car looks
immaculate, with a clean red interior
and only slight dulling to the paint,
and it is still equipped with one of
its original tires, as well as the original spare. Dominigue and his sons
have done some mechanical work
(repaired a cracked manifold, new
brake system), and he plans to pass it
along to his boys some day. “And to
think,” he says, “my uncle wanted to
make a pro-gasser out of her.”
A. According to Chris Bacon of Classic
Auto Bulbs in Higley, Arizona, a 60 LED
Bay15D bulb will work. You can find one
at classicautobulbs.com/6volt.html. Bacon
cautions, however, that “with many flashers, LED bulbs will cause the turn signals to
flash rapidly or not flash at all. If using LED
bulbs for turn signals, you may need to add
load equalizers.” Bacon says Classic Auto
Bulbs may also have a combination LED/
OEM bulb flasher that fits your vehicle.
Email him at [email protected].
For information about load equalizers, try
autolumination.com/equalizers.htm.
Q. I’m going to be storing my
Porsche 928. Where on the car should
I place the jack stands?
A. Peter Smith, National Tech Chairman
for the Porsche Club of America, advises
that jack stands should be placed at the rear
jack points, located just in front of each rear
wheel, and under the frame rail beneath the
side foot area. Begin by jacking up one side
of the car using the front jack point. Then
put jack stands at the rear jack point and
under the foot area just inside the front
jack point. Repeat the procedure on the
other side.
Q. I recently purchased a 1904
Nash Rambler. Do you know of a
restoration shop that specializes in
cars of this era, preferably one in the
Chicago-Milwaukee area?
A. You’re extremely fortunate; one of
the top brass era restoration shops in the
country is within 100 miles of you. (John)
Saunders Antique Auto Restorations, in
Rockford, Illinois (815-226-0535), can
handle every facet of the restoration, from
body work to upholstery to an engine rebuild. We also suggest trying Classic and
Exotic Service in Troy, Michigan (Brian
Joseph, 248-362-0113), Tired Iron Works
in Monrovia, California (Chris Kidd, 626359-9306), and Bob Nauman in Dillsburg,
Pennsylvania (717-645-0334).
carini on cars
k id in a c a n d y s to r e
Going Home to Hershey
By wayne carini
I’m Connecticut born and raised, but
every year when I get off the highway at
Hershey, it feels just like coming home.
Dad first came to Hershey on his own
in 1955; I joined him two years later
16
when he figured I was old enough —
I was six — and I’ve been coming ever
since. We’d stay at the same motel —
before we got the motorhome—and eat at
the same restaurants, and all the waitresses
would say, “Aren’t you cute,” even after it
got embarrassing.
Back then, Hershey was something you
just couldn’t believe. There was this huge
flea market — not as big as it is now, but
incredible for those days — and on show
day there were 300 or 400 cars. Back then,
nobody had seen that many classic and unusual cars in one place.
Hershey was something I’d look forward
to every year, at least partly because I’d miss
school for a couple of days and Dad would
give me candy — Hershey’s chocolate, of
course—or ice cream, if I found the right
parts. He was restoring a 1913 Saxon, and
when I was 10 he hung a sign on me that
read: “Saxon Parts Wanted.” He told me,
“The one thing we’d really like to get is Buffalo wire wheels.” So I’m walking around
Hershey wearing this sign and a guy comes
up to me and says, “I’ve got Saxon parts.
What do you need?” So he takes me back to
the booth and shows me an engine and a radiator, and then he says, “I’ve got these wire
wheels that will fit a Saxon.” And I say, “Oh
my God, I’ll be right back,” and I run as fast
as I can through the flea market to find my
Dad and bring him back. And he couldn’t
believe what I’d found — the Holy Grail
needed to finish the car. That was my big
score. After that, I was pretty well hooked
on Hershey.
Since then I’ve bought parts of all
kinds —engines, cylinder heads, carburetors and vintage speed parts. I’ve also
bought cars from the car corral and at auction. Like so many people, I come to see
my friends and wander the fields, even if
I don’t need anything. Though Hershey is
at least part work, I love it and it’s truly
become part of me. But for a lot of people,
it’s their annual vacation and trip out with
the guys. Actually, it’s like spending a week
in a candy store.
photos: © Jay texter
Wayne Carini is always happy to return “home” to
Hershey, whether it’s to buy cars and parts, to browse
through the automobilia or just to look at yet another
great old Ford.
By Ezra Dyer • Photography by Joe Vaughn
Will the world
really end when
the most diehard
Porsche and
Corvette drivers
swap rides?
>>
18
19
Many
of us
are
automotive gadflies, our shifting
fancies dictated by the latest
eBay listing. One month it’s
Triumphs, the next it’s early
Audi Quattros. But certain cars
inspire commitment, a brand of
long-term devotion that spawns
communities of single-minded
enthusiasts whose loyalty is akin
to that of diehard sports fans.
20
And just as a Green Bay Packers fan
wouldn’t don a Bears jersey, there are legions of Corvette owners who couldn’t
imagine themselves behind the wheel of a
Porsche 911— and vice versa. What would
happen if you took two gurus from the rival
camps, figures indelibly associated with a
particular vehicle, and put each of them behind the wheel of the alien machine? Would
either become a convert to the rival camp,
or would the experience merely reinforce
lifelong predilections?
To find out, we convene at St. Louis’
Gateway Motorsports Park with all the right
ingredients for this grand experiment. Representing the two sides of the Corvette-911
divide, we have a freshly restored 1970 Corvette LT-1 coupe and a coveted 1973 911
RS. For our drivers, we’ve recruited Corvette
authority David Burroughs and Porsche expert Reid Vann, each ready to try on a new
automotive identity. For a day, anyway.
Burroughs is the man behind Bloomington Gold, the Corvette certification process
he founded in 1978. Gold Certification rewards cars that epitomize a factory-correct
condition for their year. Sure, swapping your
LT-1’s rubber bushings with polyurethane
replacements might liven up the steering
feel, but such minor modifications can corrupt the time-machine experience delivered
by an original car that has its original flaws
intact. Thus our representative Corvette rides
on bias-ply tires and features a few pieces of
historically accurate misaligned trim. “Every
nut and bolt’s been turned on it,” says
owner Mike Walter. “It’s back to the way
it should’ve been from the factory.” Typically for many Corvettes — which quickly
went from new car to used car — Walter’s
LT-1 has virtually no documentation. It was
simply a well-maintained old car with one
repaint a friend found on a used car lot in
Nebraska.
Standing at the other side of the philosophical chasm, Reid Vann is the proprietor
of Reid Vann Luxury Import Specialists,
St. Louis’ oldest independent Porsche service and repair shop. Vann can glance at a
seemingly pristine 356 Speedster and instantly call out all the areas where a restorer
deviated from stock. Just as Burroughs is a
human database of Corvette information,
Vann doesn’t need Google to know that
Stuttgart built 1,583 examples of the 911
RS, of which 200 were Lightweight models.
Fortunately for us, Vann brought one of
those 200 cars, chassis number 9113600891.
Vann’s RS was originally a street car before joining the German Rally Series and undergoing
a full RSR conversion. After its race career ended in 1983, the Porsche sat dormant until a
2010 restoration returned it to street trim. (Well, mostly. It still has the 2.8-liter RSR motor.)
With each car freshly restored, the creaks and groans of time and mileage won’t pollute the
essential experiences delivered by Porsche and GM four decades ago.
We’ve got two legendary cars and a racetrack to ourselves. As long as we avoid putting any
fresh paint on Gateway’s walls, this has the makings of a great day. With the RS and LT-1
dormant in the paddock, Vann and Burroughs do a walk-around and discuss their expectations
and preconceptions. “I don’t expect the Corvette to be of a piece, the way a Porsche is,” Vann
says. “I expect it to understeer.” Burroughs, who’s well acquainted with the iconic status of the
1973 911 RS, replies, “I’m going to be disappointed if it isn’t as good as I think it is.”
Once the RS is warmed up, Burroughs straps in and pulls onto the track. The inherent
strangeness of the 911, the idiosyncrasies that Porsche owners eventually take for granted, are
manifest everywhere to Burroughs’ fresh set of eyes. “I can’t get used to this clutch pedal,” he
says. “The pedal is 20 degrees off from the longitudinal axis of the car. And the floor-hinged
pedals take some getting used to. The safety belts I don’t care for, either. The shifter isn’t bad,
it’s just in an unfamiliar spot. It’s not a car that I feel immediately at home in.”
As Burroughs feels his way around the cockpit and the car’s performance envelope, he begins
to brake a little deeper and carry more speed into the corners. “This car’s got a nice feel,” he says.
“The steering is better than a Corvette’s, and I like the upright seating position. I fly airplanes,
and I like being up close to the windshield and controls. The brakes are wonderful. But the
throttle feels stiff. It’s hard to modulate at low speed.”
Then there’s the fact that this is a German-market car, thus some of the gauges wear inscrutable German labels. Burroughs peers at a gauge labeled “oil druck” and says, “I have no idea
what ‘druck’ means. But
I have two and a quarter
of oil druck.”
Burroughs pulls back
into the pits to ponder
his Porsche experience,
and now it’s Vann’s
turn for Corvette wheel
time. Vann is a St.
Louis local who knows every line on this track, so from the first lap he’s comfortable exploring the Corvette’s limits. Which, to his surprise, are unexpectedly high. “You have to
anticipate turn-in and get it to take a set,” he says, pitching the ’Vette into a long double-apex
sweeper. “But the faster you go, the better it feels. You don’t have to be careful of what gear
you’re in, because the torque’s right there. I’m used to having to row a lot more.”
Vann’s gear-rowing habits surface on the front straight, when his hand reflexively drops
to the shifter to find fifth gear. Except, of course, Corvettes only had four gears until the C4.
“I’m so used to having fifth gear,” he says. “But this redlines at 6,000 rpm and mine redlines
at 7,300 rpm, so you don’t have to shift as much.”
Off the straight and back on the infield road course, Vann notices that the Corvette’s
styling serves a functional purpose. “From a racing standpoint, you know where your fenders are,” Vann says. However, the LT-1’s combination of unassisted steering and a frontmounted V-8 make for an on-track workout. “It takes a lot more turns than the Porsche, lock
to lock,” Vann says as he muscles the ’Vette through a tight corner. “There’s some understeer
there on that slow corner.”
As long as we avoid putting any fresh
paint on Gateway’s walls, this has the
makings of a great day.
Carrera RS and Corvette LT-1
face off (opposite top), while the
Corvette (opposite bottom) lets it
rip. Burroughs (top) examines the
Porsche flat six and watches (center)
as Vann explores alien territory.
Vann and author Dyer (bottom) chat
as Burroughs goes “Bloomington
Gold” on the Porsche.
21
Corvette man Burroughs (left) and Porsche lifer Vann (center)
are grilled by author Dyer (right) as he tries to get to the
bottom of what drives their passions.
Initial impressions out of the way, Vann and Burroughs hit the track
simultaneously. It’s evident even from pit lane that their comfort levels
are increasing, as the cars carry a little more speed with each lap. Soon
each pass down the straightaway is a glorious event — the 911’s RSR
flat-six wailing, the LT-1’s solid-lifter thunder reflecting off the adjacent wall as the cars blow past. The idea had been to take it easy, 70
mph or so, but when you put two guys on an empty track with two
cars like this, well … they’re not exactly racing, but they’re definitely
playing, two kids with the keys to their own amusement park.
Eventually, the cars pull back onto the infield and Burroughs and
They’re definitely playing, two kids with
the keys to their own amusement park.
Vann emerge to talk shop. We raise the hoods for motor-ogling purposes, and Burroughs’ well of Corvette expertise momentarily preempts
his Porsche critique. The sun is hitting the LT-1’s gleaming chrome air
cleaner and sending a veritable laser death ray toward the upright hood.
“Does anybody have a towel we can put over the air cleaner?” he asks.
“The sun will reflect up and burn the paint on the hood.” That sounds
like a lesson learned the hard way.
The ’Vette’s pristine paint saved, Vann and Burroughs launch into a
discussion of the merits and drawbacks of one another’s chosen chariots. “In a way, the comparison’s skewed, because the Porsche’s a factory
race car,” Vann says. “The Corvette is still a street car, which accounts
22
for the body roll.” Burroughs protests the “street car” assessment of
the LT-1. “This is a hybrid,” he says, “a high-performance street car.”
Vann concedes that the Corvette’s composure in the corners was
better than he’d anticipated. “I was surprised at how well the Corvette
handled,” he says. “On the big sweepers and the bankings, I went 85
or 90 mph and it felt good. Though if you got it on a track and had to
chase a Porsche, after five or six laps you’d overheat the brakes.”
Both guys agree about one thing. “The Corvette has a much more
positive shifter,” Burroughs says. “You can really bang the shifter into
the next gear. With the 911, I had to be tentative and really think about
it each time I shifted.”
Vann points out that the layouts of the two powertrains directly
affect the shift quality. “In the Corvette, you’re sitting right on top of
the transmission, where the Porsche has a linkage to the back. But you
bring up a good point. This car has the Porsche synchros that’ll lock
you out of a gear. You’ve got to feel the pressure, hesitate, feel the pressure and it slips into gear. But if you try to push through that resistance,
you’ll wipe the synchros.”
In its racing days, Vann’s RS was always fast, always competitive,
but bedeviled with mechanical problems, including transmission woes.
Perhaps in the quest for light weight and speed, Porsche pared down
certain components a little too far. The Corvette had a different market and different goals, and was built to survive the harsh treatment
expected from a gleeful new owner. “Chevy builds the Corvette for
people to go out and beat on it,” Burroughs says. “And if you break it,
it gets fixed at a Chevy dealership.”
The Porsche’s gearbox is emblematic of the RS’s generally steeper
learning curve. Vann says, “On my first or second lap with the Corvette, I thought, ‘I’m surprised at how fast I can go already. I could get
to like this.’” The Porsche, on the other hand, requires
a driver to solve its riddles before unlocking its speed. “I
was slower in the Porsche because of the things that I’m
not acclimated to,” Burroughs says. “I think if I could
drive it for 10 hours or so and get to know it, I’d really
like it.”
But would he like it enough to forsake V-8s and plastic bodywork for rear engines and oil druck? And would
Vann ever conclude that he needs more low-end torque
and less lift-throttle oversteer? Well, probably not. But
each guy did get a peek behind the curtain, a chance
to understand why the Other Car engenders a horde of
devoted followers. The Corvette has its V-8 power and
soundtrack, its knockout styling and accessible dynamics. The 911 takes an austere path to performance, favoring light weight over horsepower. “It’s a rapier versus a
sword,” Vann says. Then he glances over at the ’Vette
and adds, “Or a club.”
What’s incredible is that the essential personalities of
the Corvette and 911, as expressed in these two highwater marks of the early 1970s, are intact today. That
kind of consistency of purpose, executed over decades,
is the reason why people like David Burroughs and Reid
Vann can base careers on their favorite cars. Their commitment is enabled by that of GM and Porsche, which
stuck to their respective formulas even when critics challenged the obsolescence of rear engines or pushrod V-8s.
And that’s why the rival machine represents an intriguing temptation, even for guys with deep loyalties.
Burroughs regards the Corvette and 911 RS parked side
by side on the infield, their drivetrains emitting the metallic pings of cooling metal, and says, “If you told me at
the end of the day that I have one more ride and asked
me which one I want, I’d say either one. I’d take either
one of them.”
To see exclusive video from our track day, go to:
hagerty.com/mileinhisshoes.
The
McQueen
Why does any car,
truck or motorcycle
once owned by this
iconic actor, racer
Mystique
and sex symbol sell
for many times its
normal value?
Steve McQueen’s Ferrari 250 GT Lusso,
s/n 4891GT, was a gift for his 34th birthday
from his wife Neile. Here McQueen and
model Peggy Moffitt class it up for an
iconic William Claxton photo shoot.
Photograph by William Claxton / Courtesy Demont Photo Management, LLC
By Matt Stone
August 16, 2007. The Christie’s Auction at the Monterey
Jet Center, Monterey, California. The lights dimmed
and the music system thumped to Sheryl Crow singing
her hit song “Steve McQueen.” An elegant 1963 Ferrari
250 GT Lusso rolled onto an elevated turntable. The
crowd hummed with anticipation and the bidding hit
a half-million dollars instantly, and nearly as quickly,
passed a million—twice the price of a “normal” Lusso.
Bidding continued to rise, although once it reached $1.5
million the pace slowed. The crowd collectively sighed
when the magnificent Ferrari broke the $2 million
mark. When the gavel fell, the final tally for Steve McQueen’s former 250 Lusso was $2.31 million, including
the buyer’s premium. What had just happened?
25
The McQueen Lusso makes a statement in its Marrone Metallizzato color, a far cry from the Rosso Corsa and Giallo Fly colors that permeate the Ferrari world.
Under the harsh lights of the Christie’s auction block, it brought a cool $2.3 million.
On that day, that particular Lusso may have been the finest in the world.
Its provenance was unquestioned, its powertrain and chassis numbers all
matched, and it had been restored to the highest levels in its original colors. Let’s assume, for the sake of discussion, that this one, given its Pebble
Beach-quality restoration, but not accounting for its ownership provenance, would have been worth $750,000–$800,000. So what made this
magical car crack the two-million-dollar mark? Its stellar celebrity ownership, of course.
Why the “McQueen bump?” People have been speculating on “star
cars” for decades, but vehicles owned by other big names, such as Elvis
and Frank Sinatra, seldom sell for markedly more than their “normal”
market value.
Put aside for a moment any intrinsic value of the sheet metal. Even
today, more than 30 years since his passing (McQueen died November 7,
1980, at age 50), his star power has considerable global earning potential.
He ranked ninth on Forbes’ 2011 list of Top-Earning Dead Celebrities;
his estate, name and likeness are well managed, with the intent of licensing
their use only to top-quality products and endeavors. Says Forbes: “Three
decades after his passing, the one-time ‘Bullitt’ star continues to personify
cool. McQueen’s image and likeness have been licensed for a host of sig-
nature collections for high-end brands like Dolce & Gabbana and Persol
sunglasses. More recently he became the face of Tommy Hilfiger’s fall
‘icon collection’ and UBS’ global ‘We Will Not Rest’ campaign.”
Was the Lusso’s record price a fluke—just an odd cosmic convergence of factors that vexed one wealthy enthusiast collector into paying
three to four times the car’s market value? No. McQueen-owned cars,
trucks and motorcycles have continued to sell for many multiples of
their otherwise normal (non-celebrity) market value. Bonhams & Butterfields, now known as Bonhams, has made hay selling ex-McQueen
machines. At separate sales in 2006 and 2009, the company sold two
2001 Ford Bullitt Edition Mustangs owned by McQueen descendents
and family members, for $70,200 and $50,000, respectively. These
are current Mustangs, produced decades after Steve McQueen passed
away, so they obviously were never owned or driven by the actor himself, yet both sold for more than double their prices when new. At its
California Classic Auction in Los Angeles, in November 2009, Bonhams sold a weathered, faded ex-McQueen 1949 Chevrolet pickup for
more than $35,000. Again, the McQueen ownership factor pushed it
to four to five times its nominal value.
After so many extraordinary sale results, people began to question the
McQueen is synonymous with many things, and this 1970 Porsche 911
is one of them. It helped to set the stage for his epic 1971 film
“Le Mans” (left) and today looks like a million bucks, which isn’t far off.
26
Publisher Rob Sass revisited his own Le Mans dreams in this 1970 911T.
lE mans by porsche
I was minus the cool Italian Persol sunglasses, the French suede
jacket, 99.9% of his cool factor, and the early Porsche 911 was
a Tangerine Targa and not a Slate Gray coupe, but following
the Autoroute toward Le Mans, I was doing my best Steve McQueen as I retraced the opening sequence of the 1971 movie
“Le Mans,” 40 years after I first saw it as a wide-eyed sevenyear-old.
In that scene, Steve McQueen drives his 1970 Porsche 911S
around the Sarthe départment in north central France, through
the town of Le Mans and on the very public Sarthe Route
Départementale D338, which makes up part of the famed racing circuit. The car, the scenery, the engine noise and the accident flashback that frame the sequence were all imprinted on
me during that first viewing.
Thanks to Jérôme Hardy of the Classic Car Network, and
Chloé Allègre of Bonhams France, Phillippe Martin, the owner
of a beautifully restored 1970 Porsche 911T, agreed to be part
of our cinematic time travel. It got even better when Alban
Martinet of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and the Porsche
Driving School offered unfettered access to the Bugatti Circuit,
which makes up much of the non-public road portion of the
track and includes the iconic Dunlop Bridge and chicane, the
grandstand straight and the Ford Chicanes. So, not only had
we followed much of McQueen’s route to the circuit, we were
actually able to drive portions of the track. Initially with owner
Martin driving, our progress was quick, smooth and safe. Although not nearly as smooth, I left no tangerine paint behind.
Later, after nosing around the control room and defiling
the winner’s podium, where the likes of Bell, Ickx and Kristensen have stood multiple times, we headed for the impressive museum where, not coincidentally, there’s a very fine Steve
McQueen exhibit. For more information about the museum,
which is about two hours west of Paris and accessible by Autoroute and high-speed train, go to www.lemusee24h.com.
To see more photos from our trip, go to: hagerty.com/lemans.
28
longevity of the McQueen phenomenon. That question would be put to
perhaps the ultimate test in August 2011, as RM Auctions consigned two
notable McQueen cars to its annual Monterey, California, sale with great expectations. The first was the 1970 Porsche 911S driven by McQueen during
filming of his motorsport magnum opus, “Le Mans.” The car was delivered
new to the set by Porsche, and on sale day came with a foot-thick file of
documentation. The second car was a 1953 Siata 208S Spyder. It had less
than perfect ownership documentation, and in the end that kept the price
down to $946,000.
But the star of that show was without doubt the “Le Mans 911,” as it
came to be called. Its McQueen ownership was unquestioned, and it figured prominently, with McQueen at the wheel, during opening sequences
of the film. The Porsche served as McQueen’s personal transport in France
during the summer of 1970, and he acquired the car after filming was
concluded.
If classic car auction sales registered on the Richter Scale, the McQueen Le Mans 911S’s performance on the RM auction block last August would have triggered a tsunami. When the gavel fell, the final sum
was $1,375,000; an extraordinary amount of money for a 41-year-old
non-racing 911, which would otherwise be worth around $100,000.
“It’s not just about the car,” notes Michael Regalia, previous owner/
restorer and seller of the ex-McQueen Ferrari Lusso. “It all comes down
to the intergalactic power of Steve McQueen. Remember that Steve McQueen absolutely ‘had it going on’ back then, and his legacy still does
today. Steve McQueen was the guy that every man wanted to be, and
that every woman wanted to be with. For a time, he was the world’s most
popular and highest paid actor. He was a tough character and lived life
his own way. He had ‘edge,’ and then as now, people are drawn to edgy
personalities. And of course his connection to cars was absolutely legitimate. He was a serious car guy with great taste in cars; ditto his passion for
motorcycling. And he was a committed and capable racer, on two wheels
or four. Let’s not forget that he placed second overall at the 12 Hours of
Sebring, in a Porsche, just a few months before he went to France to film
‘Le Mans.’”
Rob Myers, the “RM” of RM Auctions, concurs with Regalia’s reasoning: “It’s true that guys like Frank Sinatra and Elvis had nice cars. However, they didn’t race and do the kinds of things that Steve McQueen did.
McQueen was just so true and authentic as a car guy, and that’s what car
and motorcycle collectors love about him and why his pieces command
three, four or more times what an ‘ordinary’ example would.”
Writing for Sports Car Market magazine, collector Miles Collier takes a
somewhat different view, admitting that “there isn’t an atom of my being
that gets the fascination of owning a piece of celebrity memorabilia.” But
Collier acknowledges that there is certain value in owning a McQueen
machine, explaining that the car connects the buyer to Steve McQueen,
which is one of the “drivers for the extraordinary sum paid.”
One area where Regalia and Collier disagree is in the longevity of the
This 1949 Chevy 3100 is as worn as old pickups should be, and McQueen
sometimes used it to fly beneath the radar when out running errands
around Hollywood.
reach and impact of McQueen’s star power. Collier wrote that “the day
will come when McQueen’s celebrity will be forgotten.” Regalia feels differently, believing that McQueen will always be “a global pop culture and
automotive icon” and that “his films, persona and, of course, his cars and
bikes are a huge part of that legacy. McQueen’s legitimacy will continue to
find favor with new, younger audiences and collectors and has the stuff to
stand the test of time.”
So was $1.375 million too much to pay for the Slate Gray Porsche
911S that Steve McQueen owned and drove in the opening scenes of
“Le Mans?” Miles Collier feels it was, concluding that “among Steve
McQueen fans, this car has to be quite a coup. Among the rest of us, not
so much. Very well sold.” Michael Regalia feels “it’s a bargain. This car
will only grow in stature and value, and even at this price, I feel it was
well bought.”
If future collectors remain willing to pay huge premiums to own a
small piece of the Steve McQueen legacy—and so far it appears they
are—the LeMans 911 and the McQueen Lusso will prove well bought,
though their prices render them better suited for display than driving.
McQueen motorcycles—including his Bultaco and various Indians—
have been bringing big prices, and other McQueen collectibles have
brought their sellers handsome returns as well (see “Marketwatch,” page
32). The trend was most visible at Bonhams & Butterfields’ November
2006 Steve McQueen Auction, where the King of Cool’s Belstaff motorcycle jacket brought $32,760, a folding knife Von Dutch gave him
garnered $38,025 and the man’s very own Persol sunglasses made a staggering $70,200 — for an item available new for a few hundred dollars.
That 2006 sale alone totaled close to $3 million, while many auctions
and private sales continue to trade on McQueen’s legacy. And if the
provenence is solid and true, as was the case with the Ferrari, Porsche,
Bultaco, Indian and the hundreds of lots Bonhams and other auction
companies have offered, prices will soar high enough to make any auctioneer smile.
marketwatch
McQueen on
the Block
With the exception maybe of pocket lint, everything touched by Steve McQueen has a price
By stefan lombard
Rarely does one man’s stuff inspire the kind of bidding frenzy that generally occurs when Steve McQueen’s things—his cars and motorcycles,
certainly, but also his jackets and bags and watches and knives and sunglasses—come up for sale.
Since the November 1984 auction of his estate at the Imperial Palace in
Las Vegas, there’s been no shortage of buyers lining up to own a piece of the
“King of Cool.” And by “lining up,” we mean “paying up.” More recently,
Bonhams has become the auction house of record for many McQueen
items, though certainly the big-ticket buys still belong to Christie’s and RM.
Here’s a brief cross section of “McQueenobilia.”
AUTOMOBILIA
1. Lot 103, Personalized Idaho License Plate, $5,265, Bonhams, Los
Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (about 5,000 times any other vintage
Idaho plate)
2. Lot 57, Wells Fargo Master Charge Credit Card (unsigned),
$9,945, Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (9,945 times
any other credit card that expired in July 1980)
3. Lot 415, International Driver’s License, $42,000, Antiquorum, New
York, NY, June 11, 2009 (42,000 times any other old driver’s license)
4. Lot 62, Persol 714 Sunglasses, $78,390, Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA,
November 11, 2006 ($385 for a new pair)
(Above from left) McQueen’s Husqvarna 400 originally sold at his 1984 estate
auction for $4,700; in 2011 it hit $144,500. Persol folding sunglasses from
the 1968 film “The Thomas Crown Affair.” International license granted him
access to ride in the 1964 International Six Day Trials in East Germany.
32
M cQ u e e n o b ili a
5. Lot 416, 1967 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Wristwatch, $234,000,
Antiquorum, New York, NY, June 11, 2009 (20 times the estimate)
6. Lot 899, “Michael Delaney” Gulf Racing Suit from “Le Mans,”
$984,000, Profiles in History, Calabasas Hills, CA, December 16,
2011 (about 4 times the estimate)
motorcycles
1. Lot 162, 1963 Triumph Bonneville Desert Sled, $84,240, Bonhams,
Carmel, CA, May 9, 2009 (1.5 times the estimate)
2. Lot 101, 1971 Husqvarna 400 Cross, $144,500, Bonhams, Carmel,
CA, May 14, 2011 (3 times the estimate)
3. Lot 177, c.1920 Indian Powerplus “Daytona,” $150,000, Bonhams,
Los Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (2 times the estimate)
4. Lot 133, 1931 Brough Superior SS80, $176,000, Gooding, Pebble
Beach, CA, August 20, 2011 (high estimate)
5. Lot 176, c.1934 Indian Sport Scout, $177,500, Bonhams, Los Angeles,
CA, November 11, 2006 (10 times the estimate)
6. Lot 414, 1929 Scott 596cc Super Squirrel, $276,000, Antiquorum,
New York, NY, June 11, 2009 (double the estimate)
cars
1. Lot 262, 1952 Hudson Wasp 2-dr sedan, $58,500, Bonhams, Los
Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (low estimate, but 4 times any other
rusty Wasp)
2. Lot 178, 1958 GMC Series 101 Pickup, $128,000, Bonhams, Los
Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (3 times the estimate)
3. Lot 64, 1967 Baja Boot off-road buggy, $220,000, Gooding, Pebble
Beach, CA, August 14, 2010 (low estimate)
4. Lot 255, 1953 Siata 208S Spyder, $946,000, RM, Monterey, CA,
August 20, 2011 (mid estimate)
5. Lot 148, 1970 Porsche 911S, $1,375,000, RM, Monterey, CA, August
19, 2011 (10 times the going rate for a 911S)
6. Lot 62, 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, $2,310,000, Christie’s, Monterey,
CA, August 16, 2007 (4 times the going rate for a Lusso)
beginnings
We all start
somewhere.
For these
collectors,
their passions
began on
the living
room floor.
Imagine for a moment that the first car
you ever owned was a D-Type Jaguar.
When you were 11. It sounds like fodder for an automotive adventure novel,
but it’s really not so far-fetched. Because
of course we’re talking miniatures here.
There is a common thread among
collectors that is traceable to their childhoods: The toy cars and models they collected then provided the spark for their
collecting flame now. Ray Minella, Greg
Galdi, Don Orosco and Angus Forsyth
are four such collectors.
Ray Minella is an investment banker
who cofounded Berenson Minella &
Company and later joined Jefferies &
Company, Inc., where he retired as Vice
Chairman in 2010. He is currently Adjunct Professor and Executive Director of the Clarke Business Law Institute at Cornell University. His car
collection is all Porsche and includes a 1962 Twin Grille 356 Roadster,
1955 Speedster, 1962 Carrera 2 coupe, 2007 GT3 RS, and the very last
1973 Carrera RS made.
For Ray, it started with Corgi Toys. “From about the time I was
three and a half,” he says. “But I was more into model kits as I got older.
By marshall buck
34
photo by jake wyman
Revell and AMT, and others. I built a lot, but I was never good at it. I
just couldn’t get the painting right. The cars I built were muscle cars,
which was what my interest was in.” But those models are long gone.
“The stuff I made myself…none of it was worth keeping,” he says.
While his tastes have changed, and he stays away from building
kits, Ray still collects miniatures, primarily related to the cars he
owns. As he became interested in vintage 356s, he grew interested in
everything related to them. “Models, books, ashtrays, all the memorabilia,” Minella says. “About 85 to 90 percent of my collection is
now Porsche.”
Nearly all of his Schuco wind-ups are originals, and when it comes
to scale in miniatures, Ray doesn’t much care, though “the smaller
ones (1:43) are easier to keep and I have more of them.”
Detail counts too for Ray, and he has commissioned 1:24-scale
custom-built models of several of his cars, including some built by
the author. And while it’s too bad he sold his wonderful 356 Carrera
2 Cabriolet, there is comfort in knowing he has a great model of it.
greg galdi is a chemist-turned-IT professional. He is President and
CEO of Custom Computer Specialists, Inc., which he founded in
1979. His collection includes a McLaren M23 Formula 1 car, Porsche
917K, Porsche 956, Porsche 911 RSR, two BMW GTP cars, a ’72
Lotus Europa, ’63 Lotus Super Seven and a few others. The cars in Greg’s collection certainly aren’t the types one collects
without having a rooted interest, and he is quick to tell you that the
influence was there early on. “I had a hundred of them really early,
since age four. Solidos, Corgis, Dinkys … so many names.”
He blames his obsession on his older brother Joe, who took him to
his first Can-Am race at age 10. “Joe and I went to Westchester Hobbies
every weekend and bought built models and kits. Then when I was
about 16, I went to Europe with my parents, and I came back with at
least 30 or 40 models. Filled up my luggage!” Greg also built kits, but
admits they didn’t turn out so well.
Not surprisingly, the types of cars he had in toy form affected his
choices in cars as an adult. “They certainly did influence me,” he says.
“I had lots of Ferraris and other sports cars. Eventually those led to the
real cars. When I could afford the full-size models I had Lotuses and
then Ferraris, and, well, you know the rest.”
One of his favorite cars in his 1:1 collection is the McLaren M23,
as is evidenced by the three different custom-built models he keeps in
his home, from 1:43 to a big 1:8 piece. Greg still has some of the toy
cars from his youth, and today he actively collects new model cars of
all types and scales, but not the old toys. As with the McLaren, what
he looks for now are mostly models of cars he owns or has owned.
That should keep him busy for a while.
don orosco is a commercial real estate developer and president of
DBO Development Company, which he founded in 1975. He also
oversees restorations of his cars at his own facility, Orosco Racing. His
collection includes several hot rods, a woodie station wagon, two Scarab
Formula 1 cars, the Scarab Mk 1 sports racer and, to carry them all, the
Scarab Race Transporter.
Most gearheads can trace their roots to racing toy cars across the floor
and as adults often stick with what they know and like, as evidenced
by the miniature (and full-size) collections of Ray Minella (opposite top),
Greg Galdi (above) and Don Orosco (right).
Orosco credits the toys of his youth with his passion. “I have lusted
after many of the vehicles that were modeled in the 1950s and ’60s.” One
such model was the Scarab, of which he has an original Strombecker plastic model kit. “I have now managed to restore, own and race the real thing.” His interest exploded around age nine or 10, when he was able to
take the extra money from his paper route to buy and build model
kits made by companies like Revell, Strombecker and AMT. Don
was infatuated with Model Ts back then and remains a heavy Ford
fan today. He was always building model cars. “I lived vicariously
through them,” he says. “They lighted my imagination.”
Unfortunately, none of those early builds have lasted, and many
of his childhood cars are gone. “I once had a collection of nearly
200 early tether cars, which reminded me of the Offy Midget I once
photo by robert blakeman
small
photo by jim lennon
photos by Linzi Smart
Angus Forsyth started out as a boy with a Dinky Toys Jensen FF (top right) and has recently become the
proud owner of its full-size counterpart. He now keeps his 1:43-scale cars prominently on display.
owned and the World of Outlaws race cars that I dearly love to
watch.” He also had a substantial collection of mint, boxed Japanese
and German tin toy cars. But Don has made a point of repurchasing
some of what he had as a child, specifically models of cars that meant
something to him from that time.
He continues to collect models he likes in an assortment of scales,
with a preference for 1:24 scale, which is likely traceable back to the
scale of the kits he built as a child. Spread around his office and
home are everything from a 1:43-scale model of his Bartoletti Scarab
Transporter to a 1:8 Bugatti Type 35. There’s also a huge 1:4-scale
aluminum-bodied radio-control Lancia D50, for display only (you’d
have a tough time restoring that body if it got crunched!).
Why models? “Most serious collectors today had and still
have models in their bedrooms and offices of the cars they wanted
to own, did own or currently enjoy today,” says Orosco. For him,
models are constant reminders of why he works so hard every day—
to be able to spend his money on collecting and restoring the real
thing. “It’s just that you can’t keep full-size hot rods and classic cars
as reminders and incentives in every room of your house like you can
with models.”
angus forsyth is the Managing Director of Hagerty International
Limited, a position he has held since the inception of Hagerty’s International division in 2006. Prior to that, Forsyth was with Lloyd’s
for 22 years. His present collection consists of a Volvo P1800, Jaguar
E-Type Series III roadster, early two-door Range Rover, Jensen Interceptor Mk I and a pair of Triumph GT6s.
As with so many of the severely bitten car guys, it started early for
Angus, and there was no turning back when at age six his father gave
him a Dinky Toys Jensen FF. It was that very Jensen toy that ignited
his car flame and served as the inspiration to one day own a 1:1 FF.
Coincidentally, such a car happens to be the most recent addition to the
Forsyth stable.
Collecting and playing with the various little cars from Matchbox,
Corgi and Dinky was a passion. “Every weekend I took my pocket
36
money to buy
more of them,”
he says. “I was also
hugely influenced
by TV shows of
the day such as
‘The Professionals,’
‘The Man From
U.N.C.L.E.,’ ‘The
Persuaders’ and
‘The Saint.’” Naturally, most of the cars that co-starred in these shows
were immortalized in miniature by the toy makers. Though now in
“battered and bruised condition,” Angus still has several of the Dinkys and Corgis from childhood, including the Saint’s Volvo P1800.
Hmm…so that’s a Jensen and a Volvo — do you see a pattern here?
Forsyth did build model kits too, but not cars. “For some reason,” he
admits, “they were predominantly aircraft models of Spitfires, Mustangs
and the like.”
And what of his toy or model collecting today? He is quick to say
that he currently buys models of cars and events he has a personal connection with, such as the Mille Miglia. “I buy models, rather than old
toys, of whatever strikes me,” he says. If he likes it he buys it — a simple
philosophy that isn’t constrained by any particular scale or level of detail. As a result, his current model collection is eclectic (and growing),
and contains an interesting and varied mix of Aston Martins, Healeys,
Ferraris, Porsches and Lamborghinis, to name a few.
Whether your collection is comprised of the entire Scarab racing
effort, a handful of vintage Porsches or a 1970 Nova you love more
than life itself, chances are you’ve come by your passions honestly.
And that means the best way of all—through the toys and models
of childhood.
To read about more collectors who started small, go to:
hagerty.com/smallbeginnings.
The
Classic
Car World
2011
While the collector car market tends most
often to be viewed in terms of auction totals,
there is far more to the collector car itself than
a selling price. As the old Packard pitch used to
say, “Just ask the man who owns one.” Or restores one. Or rallies one. Or shows one. Or …
Oh, what a year!
Certainly 2011 was a year for the auction record books. Though
the January sales in Arizona saw little if any gain from 2010,
Mecum made a substantial 55% jump from its 2010 Kissimmee
result ($26.5 million to $41.2 million). Several notable results followed from all over the globe. Heading into August and the frenzy
of Monterey, many pundits wondered whether final figures could
trump the $172 million of 2010. When the hubbub was over, the
grand total came to $199 million. In the process, some incredible
machinery changed hands — and set records.
But beyond the market, our hobby had plenty to celebrate. Despite the current financial state, the outlook appears favorable as we
settle into 2012.
top: jake wyam photography / bottom: Photo courtesy Kidston SA
By stefan lombard
In the auction world, Auctions America saw great
success at the Auburn Auction Park.
Rick Carey
(top) and Simon
Kidston (bottom)
are two experts
with their fingers
on the pulse of
the market. Carey
regularly reports
on auctions all
over the U.S.,
while Kidston’s
home territory is
Europe.
courtesy of auburn auction park
Clear and Present Danger
No matter what folks are doing with their cars these days, one question
still hangs heavy: “What’s the economy going to do next?” It’s a farreaching question, and it represents the single biggest threat to the
classic car hobby worldwide. “This crisis has stripped out unbelievable amounts of liquidity from the hobby,” says Rick Carey, a
veteran writer, editor and analyst who has been covering the collector car market for publications like Victory Lane, Cavallino, Ferrari
Market Letter and sportscardigest.com for more than 20 years.
And the burden isn’t confined solely to this side of the Atlantic.
“Despite what many would like to have you believe, the classic car
market is indeed influenced by the world economy.” So says Simon
Kidston, president of Kidston SA, a Swiss-based collector car consultancy, and former president of Bonhams Europe.
Weathering the Storm
Both men agree that for all the gloomy reports from Wall Street,
Main Street and elsewhere, the hobby seems to be weathering the
storm remarkably well. “Even with all of the economic ups and
downs and uncertainty,” says Carey, “hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cars have changed hands, and even more than that in
the private market.” Adds Kidston, “I wouldn’t say the classic car
market is completely impervious, but at least superficially it has really shaken off most of the troubles the economy has thrown at it.”
And if auction results are the barometer to which collectors, investors and marketplace professionals all look, then most people must
take heart from the fact that our market has remained relatively
strong. “It really is better than anybody could have expected,” says
39
Market Trends
One trend Carey has witnessed on auction blocks around the U.S. is renewed
interest among brass era cars. “The
availability of events has really encouraged people to buy those cars,” he says.
The result is that many younger buyers
are spending money on such antiques,
so their collections are no longer just
the cars they longed for as kids.
Events here and there
Meanwhile, Kidston believes the
At around $50,000, cars like the Ford ThunderThose who populate the hobby do so with
“modern classics”— supercars of the
bird (top) represent the median of the classic car
gusto, and new events are popping up all
1980s and ’90s —are on the verge of
market, which was strengthened by thousands of
over. Kuwait hosted its first concours in
transactions in 2011. On the collectibility horizon,
real collectability. “Maybe one day,”
modern supercars like the Jaguar XJ220 (bottom)
2011, and the Cartier Concours in India
Kidston says, “somebody will actuappear to have a bright future.
shows no signs of slowing. Japan has
ally wake up to the fact that the Jaguar
begun adding events after a long period
XJ220 isn’t such a bad car.”
of dormancy following the last big crash in the early 1990s. “GloStill, middle-income collectors still make up the largest segment
balization of the hobby is a positive trend,” says Kidston. “It brings
of the classic car hobby, and they’re buying, too. “Particularly in
new people into the hobby. Fresh eyes are always a good thing.”
the $50,000 median price range,” says Carey. But even at lower
Closer to home, the former Meadow Brook Concours
price points, plenty of cars are trading hands; dozens of auction
changed its name and venue to the Concours d’Elegance
companies around the U.S. sold thousands of classic cars priced
of America at the Inn at St. Johns in Plymouth, Michiwell below $20,000 last year.
gan. Executive Director Jim McCarter says attendance was
“These people aren’t investment oriented,” says Carey. “Though
up 20 percent, with no additional marketing. “We had the
they can justify their expenditure by saying, ‘I could put $50,000
whole golf course, the whole convention center and the whole hotel
in the stock market, but I don’t know where it’s going tomorrow.
photoS: © motoring picture library / alamy
I could put $50,000 in bonds or treasury
notes or a money market fund and make
two-tenths of one percent on it. So why
not put it in a ’57 T-Bird?’”
There’s really no downside. If the economy continues to slide and you need the
money, you simply sell your car. If you’re able
to hang onto it, you put some gas in it and
take it out on a sunny afternoon.
While attendance at Hershey was strong,
vendor support was even better, with all
vendor stalls sold out.
courtesy of concours d’elegance of america
just the facts
Trust Hagerty’s free and simple collector car pricing tools. It’s the most
reliable pricing information available,
based on our massive database of insured cars, in-person auction observations and on-staff expert analysis. No
other resource can match it.
The results of Hagerty’s annual hobby survey are in.
More than 23,000 classic car owners weighed in on
everything from the value of their cars to how and
where they are purchasing — or not purchasing. Not
surprisingly, the average age of classic car enthusiasts
continues to climb, though nearly 50 percent of parents who own classic cars have kids who own classic
cars, so nostalgia of one sort or another is making the
leap from generation to generation.
53%
14%
56
52
23%
51%
all weekend,” he says. With increased sponsorship opportunities,
McCarter sees serious growth potential.
Also making news last year was the partnership between Auctions
America by RM and Carlisle Events. Auctions America has emerged
since its first sale in September 2010 as a powerhouse purveyor of
good low- and mid-market classic cars, and Carlisle represents one
of the strongest brands in car and motorcycle events. The pairing
set the stage for four co-branded weekends—two in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and two in Auburn, Indiana—and the overall results were
very positive, in terms of auction totals, vendor spaces and car corral
sales. “Ultimately,” says Lance Miller, co-owner of Carlilse Events,
“you’ve got two players who know their fields very well, and it’s
just a natural fit.” Expect more great things from the duo in 2012.
Finally, a major metric of the hobby is the annual Antique Auto
Club of America (AACA) Hershey Swap Meet in October. For
2011, AACA Executive Director Steve Moskowitz said attendance
may have been down slightly, but the event remained a huge success. “All the 9,000-plus spaces were sold, over 900 car corral spaces
sold and 1,250 cars registered for the show on Saturday. We felt
good about the year, as it seemed we saw a younger crowd at Hershey, and the crowd seemed serious about finding items.”
Own classic
trucks
Average age of
collectors in 2011
Average age of
collectors in 2006
Of collectors under 35 are in an
online car club, nearly twice the
number of collectors over 35
Of all collectors belong to
no clubs or organizations
Final thoughts
The classic car hobby comes down to this: Nobody needs a ’Cuda or
an MGB or a Ponton Mercedes. Nobody needs an eight-figure Ferrari. Nobody needs the rallies, concours and rotisserie restorations
all aimed at supporting such cars.
42
1963 CHEVY CORVETTE:
Body Type: Coupe | Engine Specification: 8-cyl. 327cid/360hp FI L84
The average value for this vehicle is:
The Concours d’Elegance of America benefitted from its
new location for 2011, and Executive Director Jim McCarter
sees no signs of slowing down in the years ahead.
Own more than
one vehicle
Look up the prices of cars you own or
want to own. Learn the whole story
about what your car is worth and how
it has performed over time. Then build
your own portfolio and track the value
of your car or collection.
But we do love these old cars of ours, and that’s a currency that
can’t be measured on any auction block or dealer stand. It’s a currency that will hold value in the face of the world’s financial woes.
And that bodes well for 2012 and beyond.
$61,832
Before you perform any transaction
with a classic car, do your research.
valuation Tools
www.hagerty.com/valuationtools
1,000 miles and five states in a 75-year-old Cord
When I was a kid, a collector in a
neighboring town owned a Cord
Westchester sedan in Cigarette
Cream with a maroon mohair
interior. The memory of that car
still haunts me, and although I’ve
been a member of the AuburnCord-Duesenberg Club for years,
I’ve never owned a Cord.
By Ken Gross / pHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL ALAN ROSS
44
45
The 810 Cord: A Remarkable Classic
The author (above) began his journey in Virginia at the
wheel of a Cord 812 convertible coupe he borrowed
for the occasion (left). Although the car didn’t make it
all the way on its own four wheels, it was back in action
shortly after its arrival in Auburn.
So when I learned that dozens of Cords would be converging on
Auburn, Indiana, in September 2011 to celebrate the 810’s 75th anniversary, I asked my friend Charlie Montano if he would consider
driving his 812 convertible coupe from his place in Gloversville,
New York, to Auburn. “I don’t have time,” he said, “but you can
take the car. I’ll drive it a little first to be sure it’s OK.”
A capable restorer who does most of his own work, Charlie installed new pistons, rings and bearings, plus new cylinder heads. He
changed the belts, fitted a PerTronix electronic ignition, checked
the wheels for cracks (a chronic Cord problem), replaced two of
them and fitted four new Diamondback radial whitewalls.
Reliable Carriers, Inc. picked up the Cord and brought it to me
in Virginia. My friend, Al Mason, himself an accomplished restorer,
agreed to co-drive. We planned a three-day, 716-mile drive with
overnights in Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis, where we’d join
up with fellow Cord Convoy participants.
Setting off with high hopes, I was finally driving the
car of my childhood dreams. With its Bendix vacuumelectric pre-selector four-speed transmission, the Cord
is a challenge until you learn the technique. Flip the
gearlever into first, engage the clutch, release it, and
you’re off. Pre-select second and when you’re ready
to shift, depress the clutch pedal and slowly release
it. You’ll hear a “clunk” as the next gear is engaged.
Downshifting is the reverse from fourth to third.
When stopping, apply the brakes, keep the clutch in,
select first and slowly release the clutch when you’re
ready to go. Don’t use neutral. It’s counterintuitive
to the way you’ve always operated a manual transmission. But if you shift it like a conventional manual,
you’ll get stuck in a false neutral.
Under way, the supercharged Cord felt peppy and
responsive. Heavy at low speeds, the steering became
nicely balanced on the highway. Our 812 cruised
comfortably at 2,000 rpm in fourth at 70 mph, and
it felt like a newer car. In period, Cords were genuine 100-plus-mph performers; in a supercharged 812
sedan, endurance racer Ab Jenkins averaged nearly 80
mph for 24 hours in 1937 at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway to win the Stevens Trophy.
Our route took us through Cumberland, Maryland,
across part of West Virginia and up into Pennsylvania.
People everywhere waved and gave us the thumbs-up.
The stunning 810 Cord was arguably the most advanced American production car of the 1930s. Sporting a unit-body, frontwheel drive, independent front suspension, a V-8 with aluminum
heads, a four-speed pre-selector Bendix gearbox, an optional
centrifugal supercharger on 812s and timeless art deco styling
by Duesenberg designer Gordon Buehrig, it was far ahead of its
time. But the 810 bowed in the depths of the Great Depression,
before its development was really completed. Early models suffered from gearbox problems, body shake, electrical glitches and
chronic overheating.
The country was mired in such economic doldrums that
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked the auto industry to
preview its 1936 models early, in November 1935, to jump-start
sales and boost the stalled economy. Cord wasn’t quite ready.
Conceived in a stunning Art Moderne building in Auburn, Indiana, Cord Corporation—the pride of industrialist and two-time
Time magazine cover subject Errett Lobban Cord—was arguably
doomed from the start.
The Automobile Manufacturing Association (AMA) required
automakers to build 100 examples of a new model in order to
qualify it for display. Luckily, it didn’t specify that they had to
run. Cord quickly complied, but only just: 100 new 810s were
hastily assembled, nearly all of them without transmissions, and
25 were shipped to the major auto shows. A canvas “diaper” covered the gaping hole where the gearbox should have been. An
angular, coffin-shaped hood, set off by shapely fenders, a low
roofline and a fastback trunk, made the 810 Cord’s sleek silhou-
We were due to hit West Virginia again before crossing into Ohio, but
after 250 miles of enjoyable driving, disaster struck on a steep downhill
leg near Claysville, Pennsylvania. Al was in third to let engine compression slow the car, and the brakes began to fade, then stopped working
completely. Skillfully applying the emergency brake, Al coasted to a
stop at a service station off the highway. Both rear tires were streaked
with grease. Whether it was wheel bearings, brake cylinders or worse,
one thing was certain: We were hors de combat.
You can’t find much for a Cord at a NAPA store, so we decided to
ette impossible to miss. Four-passenger convertibles, called phaetons, and two-seater convertible coupes rounded out the lineup.
One show car had copper trim to dramatize its advanced styling.
Instantly recognizable, the Cord was a visual and technical tour
de force.
Crowds gaped and orders poured in, even with a base price of
$1,995 for the Beverly sedan (the price of two Oldsmobiles). Cord
sent out a small bronze sculpture of the car (they’re collector’s
items now) to appease impatient buyers, most of whom wouldn’t
take delivery until mid-1936. Early adopters were plagued with
problems, which the factory corrected as quickly as it could. Despite the available supercharger and those stunning external exhaust pipes, it was all over by 1937. Revered by collectors, Cords
today are CCCA Full Classics, and a cottage industry has evolved
to correct all the inbred faults.
just get the car to Auburn, where spare parts and a Cord mechanic
might be available. With two auctions scheduled and several cars
headed west for the Labor Day events, I was certain Reliable Carriers might have a rig nearby. Sure enough, General Manager Bob
Sellers turned one of his trucks around, and we loaded the Cord.
With the wounded 812 en route to Auburn, we piled in the chase
car and headed for Indianapolis, where the motel parking lot was
filled with Cords in various states of disrepair. Many had hoods
up and transmission covers removed while owners fiddled with re-
The author (left) examines the supercharged
Lycoming V-8 of his borrowed Cord 812
convertible coupe. Rear bearing and brake
trouble along the way necessitated rescue
by transporter (center) and delivery to Jerry
Muzzillo’s garage in Auburn, Indiana.
47
calcitrant shifters. Several broken Cords were already on trailers, but
people helped one another and no one seemed upset. Phil and Kathie
Ragains of Manhattan, Michigan, were plagued with shifter trouble,
and underdash wiring was spread out in the cabin like spaghetti. “I
might put her in the back seat and let her do the shifting,” Phil joked.
The next morning some 22 Cords (plus a few on trailers) lined
up with an Indianapolis State Police escort. Skillfully blocking traffic for 140 miles, with alternating teams of motorcycle-mounted
officers, the “Staties” ensured our convoy had clear sailing north
into Auburn. Once there, Al and I headed for Cord Specialist Jerry
Muzzillo’s garage, where his son Tony had already replaced the
812’s rear wheel bearings on both sides. But when I stepped on
the brake, the right rear wheel cylinder failed. Tony said he’d get a
new one overnight. To be safe, we drove to Brake Materials & Parts
in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and got a new master cylinder as well. By
Friday morning, the Cord was ready, just in time for us to drive to
the flea market and tour the ACD Museum.
Built in 1930, the museum initially served as the administration
building for the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Corporation. A remarkably preserved art deco structure, it is filled with historic cars like
Labor Day Weekend was a celebration of all things ACD, as demostrated by an array
of Cords and Auburns outside the wonderful Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum.
the majestic prototype 1932 E-1 Cord, a Duesenberg-like V-12 limousine that was designed to replace the short-lived Cord L-29, as
well as one of the first hand-assembled Cord show cars, replete with
copper trim. Up a magnificent center staircase, you’ll find E.L. Cord’s
office and Gordon Buehrig’s design studio, preserved the way they
were. Knowing you’re ascending the same stairs that Fred Duesenberg climbed is a thrill.
On Saturday, we joined more than 65 Cords on display in Eckhart Park, then tucked in behind noted Cord author and historian
Josh Malks, who led a parade of ACD-ers into historic downtown
Auburn. Townspeople smiled and waved; Norman Rockwell would
have been right at home with his easel. Parked around the historic
courthouse square, where we lined up for the “ice cream social,”
these racy Auburn Speedsters, majestic Duesenbergs and Erté-in-
spired Cords were a poignant reminder that beginning a century
ago, skilled craftsmen in this small Indiana town created automobiles of great stature that are still coveted and respected.
Company founder Errett Lobban Cord was a brilliant financier,
a successful businessman, a visionary and perhaps something of a
stock manipulator, but he’s fondly remembered in Auburn as a hero.
William Cord Hummel, oldest grandson of E.L. Cord and president
By Saturday, the author’s 812 was again ambulatory and ready
for display with more than 65 other Cords in Eckhart Park.
of the ACD Club, was on hand with his 812 convertible coupe. “I’m
thrilled that so many people are still fascinated by these cars,” he said.
We drove into the lush crop-lined countryside so photographer
Michael Alan Ross, who had been with us since Virginia, could get
some running shots of the black Cord convertible coupe. Comfortable behind the wheel now, with the car running cool despite the
100-degree heat, I delighted in exploiting the 812’s still-considerable
performance. Vision is a little limited by the snug top, but peering through the split windshield down that long hood, feeling the
Lycoming V-8’s eager responses and relishing the soft whirr of the
supercharger, I’d cheerfully trade my garage of old Fords for this car.
Malks, who helped organize the Cord Convoy, said the turnout
exceeded his expectations. “Everyone who drove here has a tale to
tell. Crossing the country, we drove through mountains as high as
12,000 feet, and the car never faltered,” he said.
While I couldn’t say the same, all too soon it was time to load the
Cord into the transporter that would return it to New York. Later, I
had to keep my hands in my pockets when I saw the Cords offered
at the Worldwide Auction. I’m hooked.
automobilia
Two-Wheel
Tire Shredders
Schwinn Sting-Rays put a generation of kids on
some of the coolest bikes ever made
By carl bomstead
If it has wheels and moves, someone will want to personalize it. Nowhere was that more prevalent than in southern California in the 1950s
and ’60s. Teenaged boys modified their flathead Fords, and beside them
their younger brothers customized their bicycles with things like banana
seats and “ape hanger” handlebars.
Recognizing the trend, in June 1963 Schwinn introduced the StingRay. The bikes came in five wild colors: Flamboyant Lime, Flamboyant Red, Sky Blue, Violet and Radiant Coppertone. Parents weren’t so
receptive to the non-traditional design, so the Sting-Ray wasn’t an immediate hit. But kids loved the large rear tires, chrome fenders, butterflystyle handlebars and the solo polo seat.
Schwinn borrowed a page from the automobile manufacturer’s marketing book and introduced new Sting-Ray models and features annually. The three-speed hub debuted in 1965, and the five-speed Stik-Shift
was first offered in 1966. The
Kratebikes — the muscle cars
resources
of two-wheelers — came out
Copake Auction Inc.
in 1968 with names like the
copakeauction.com
Apple Krate, Orange Krate,
First Flight Bicycles
Lemon Peeler and Pea Picker.
firstflightbikes.com
They carried a price tag of
Hyper-Formance Rays
$86.95, and advertising dared
hyper-formance.com
kids to “Blast off and move out
to a whole new world of cyMenotomy Vintage Bicycles
cling thrills aboard the flashiest
oldroads.com
Sting-Ray ever designed.” For
52
mSocdhif
wie
indn mSut sincgl-Ra
e cayrs s
1968 only, Krates featured a full-floating
bucket saddle and a large aluminum front
brake. The coveted disc brake was introduced in 1972, and production continued
until 1983, when 10-speeds and BMX
bikes captured the imaginations of America’s youth.
Marc Savarise, who has been collecting
and restoring Sting-Rays since the mid1990s, believes nostalgia draws people to
the bikes today. When he and his wife go
out for a ride, they attract comments from
strangers who remember these wild bikes
from their childhoods. Marc’s interest
stems from his own desire to have one as a kid. His mother worked
two jobs to keep things together, and a Sting-Ray was not inexpensive.
“Can’t afford it,” she told him repeatedly, but he still recalls how he
felt the day he came home from school and found an Apple Krate in
his room. “The excitement of that moment is still with me and I’m
reminded of it every time I go out to work on my Sting-Rays.” He
rode the Apple Krate well into high school, even when all his buddies
had moved on to 10-speeds.
Marc believes the 1968 Orange Krate, Lemon Peeler and Apple
Krate are the most collectible Sting-Rays, with the ’73 equipped with
rear disc brake a close second. Most valuable among Sting-Rays would
be the one-year-only 1971 Grey Ghost, with black grips and seat. It
cost more than $100 when introduced; these days a complete and
original example commands more than $2,500.
Like many wheeled wonders, eBay is a great source for Sting-Ray
bikes and parts. If you ever lusted for one as a kid, Marc will tell you
to indulge your whim.
They’re as much fun now
as they were 40 years ago.
Schwinn’s popular Krate
series of Sting-Ray (above
right) was joined in the
lineup by the larger Manta
Ray (above left). With
names and colors as wild
as their curvaceous styling, they were the grooviest way to get from A to B
in the late 1960s.
Historic Vehicle Association Old Masters,
New Age
Part II: Structural Woodworking
For the second installment in a series examining highly specialized skills
associated with historic vehicle restoration and maintenance, we take
a closer look at structural automotive woodworking. Why are these
craftsmen so scarce nowadays? What is the future for these hands-on
careers? Here’s what the experts had to say. By bob butz
update
|
h i st o r i c ve h i c l e . or g
People once questioned Peter Gluklick’s chosen profession. A self-taught furniture maker
and specialist in structural automotive woodworking, Gluklick founded P. Gluck Woodworks (pgluckwoodworks.com) 40 years ago in
Oak Park, Michigan.
“Gas prices were high. People didn’t have a
lot of discretionary income,” he says. “In many
ways it was a lot like today—a perfect time to
get into the business.”
Gluklick jokes, but the fact is that people
with his skills are in demand. Structural woodworking consistently ranks as the number one
skill sought by employers looking to recruit
graduates from McPherson College’s Automotive Restoration Program (“Old Masters, New
Age,” Hagerty, Winter 2011).
High Demand and Low Competition
Today, Gluklick enjoys a steady flow of customers seeking his expertise—primarily for
cars produced before World War II, when vehicles came with wooden substructures including door frames, body framing, dashboards,
garnish molding, running boards and, in pickups, truck beds.
“Making custom furniture and crafting
wood automotive parts are very similar skills,”
Gluklick says. “But cars are an art form even
more so than furniture and I’ve found that the
rise in value of these collectibles has resulted in
an increase in the amount of money people are
willing to spend to preserve them.”
Business Backup
Mike Nickels, owner of Nickels Automotive
Woodworking, agrees. Inside his 8,000-squarefoot garage in Traverse City, Michigan, he has
a two-year backlog of projects—predominantly
classic woodie wagons—all without a website or
any sort of advertising beyond word-of-mouth.
(Top) With a degree in history and no formal
training in handcraft, Peter Gluklick founded
P. Gluck Woodworks more than 40 years ago.
(Bottom) Mike Nickels, owner of Nickels
Automotive Woodworking, has more than
20 years experience working with woodies.
“There are 22 cars in my building right
now,” he says, adding that this number is actually down from past years. “A Ford Model
A, two International Ford station wagons,
a ’47 Pontiac wagon—they come from all
across the country because there are very few
people these days who can do the work.”
Nickels has worked on everything from
barrel-backed Chryslers to wood-panel pickups and even done the total outer-body restoration of a 1915 Allen car—doors, side
panels, braces and brackets—which took
him more than a year.
In business for three decades, Nickels
once employed a team of five but let them go
gradually despite the steady flow of clients.
The reasons, says Nickels, always seemed to
come down to a lack of skills and a worker’s
attention to detail.
“This isn’t just a job,” he says. “You have
to have a passion for the work and an eye for
what’s right. There’s no manual out there on
how to build a wood car. Nothing is written
down. Every make and model is different, so
every project is different.”
Dying Profession? Not So Fast
Both Nickels and Gluklick agree there are
opportunities for structural automotive
woodworkers, even in our slow economy.
Gluklick himself was recently looking to hire,
but found no qualified applicants. Even the
pool of apprentice-level candidates is small
because the learning curve is so long. Gluklick doesn’t see the time investment as a real
roadblock to anyone who really wants to turn
a love for woodworking and historic cars into
a satisfying career.
“When you love what you do, there’s
never a bad day at the office and work never
feels like work,” or so the saying goes. Craftsmen who can take raw material and transform it into something that is beautiful,
functional and unique may not be as common as they once were, but Gluklick doesn’t
believe cars—or the people needed to restore
and repair them—are headed the way of the
horse-drawn buggy any time soon.
update
|
Historic Vehicle Association h i st o r i c ve h i c l e . or g
photos courtesy of Motion Works Management Limited
Historic Vehicle Association To the
Bookmobile?
Based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the AACA
Library and Research Center contains more
than 500,000 pieces of historic automotive
sales literature, owners’ manuals, photos and
clippings, 3,000-plus shop manuals, and
more than 4,500 books, blueprints, parts
catalogs and programs from racing events
and car shows. It’s a treasure trove of automotive history and, as evidenced by a creative
and ambitious new plan, the AACA is not
content to sit back and hope visitors discover
this amazing archive on their own.
AACA members and historians who can’t
make it to the AACA library now have another alternative. The library can come to
them with the newly commissioned AACA
Bookmobile.
“The AACA Bookmobile will remain bone
stock on the outside, but high-tech within,”
says Steve Moskowitz, AACA Director.
“We’re on track to have it ready to go on tour
this year to auto shows, car events, retirement
homes, schools — any place we can spread
the word about the hobby.”
Now in the final stages of a total restoration
that began last February, the AACA’s 1955
Chevrolet 3600 “Bookmobile” traveled to
Hershey all the way from South Carolina,
where it had serviced the Anderson County
library system since 1979. Hoover Antique
Restorations in Middletown, Pennsylvania,
is handling the Bookmobile’s restoration,
thanks to donations by AACA members and
partners.
The AACA Bookmobile will allow library
staff to take photographs and printed archive
material on the road. Material can be tailored
to any event. And high-tech touches such as
plasma screen televisions and wireless Internet allow access to the AACA library online.
“People will actually be able to research
their cars at the event,” says Moskowitz. The
Bookmobile, he says, will make it possible to
expose the AACA collection to a far greater
audience than ever before.
Regular updates of the Bookmobile’s restoration are posted on the Library & Research
Center’s Facebook page. Go to Facebook and
enter AACA Library & Research Center in
the search box.
photo by motion management limited
Coming soon to a car show near you—the
Antique Automobile Club of America’s new
library on wheels
u pd a te
|
his to ricv ehicle.o rg
Today’s “green” movement has nothing on the
century-old hybrid offering from Porsche, still
zipping along after all these years.
The Great
Not-SoNew Idea
Rare 1900 Lohner-Porsche—the world’s
first front-wheel-drive hybrid car—completes
London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
Any fan of historic automobiles knows that
where automobile technology is concerned
there’s little new under the sun. Take alternative-fuel vehicles: A good argument could
be made that today’s buying public has even
fewer choices than they did 112 years ago
when the Lohner-Porsche “Mixte” first made
its debut.
Back then, automakers offered an array of
vehicles powered by steam, gas or electricity. The German-made “Mixte” was unique
because it was powered by a “mix” of electricity and gas, and while you couldn’t plug
it into an electrical socket, the technology
was not very different from what automakers offer today.
Last November, this 19th century invention (conceived and built by Ferdinand
Porsche while working for Vienna coachbuilder Jacob Lohner) was one of the more
Than 500 pre-1905 motor cars participating in
the 115th anniversary of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, the world’s longest-running motoring event.
Ernst Piech, Ferdinand Porsche’s grandson,
and Andreas Lohner, of the coachbuilder’s family, were at the controls for the 60-mile route.
Porsche’s hybrid featured electric motors in
the wheels, a gasoline engine to generate electricity and a bank of onboard storage batteries. To see the car, check out YouTube (search
words “Lohner-Porsche Mixte”) for a short
video clip of the world’s first electric hybrid
crossing the finish line.
Historic Vehicle Association update
|
Go Figure: WHAT A GAS
$0.36
300
(Source: U.S. Department of Energy)
(Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration) Average cost of a gallon of gas in
the United States in 1971
$3.49
Average cost of a gallon of gas in
the United States in 2011
Number of U.S. refineries in the
early 1980s
149
Number of U.S. refineries in 2000
(Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration)
(Source: American Petroleum Institute)
$9.50
Average cost of a gallon of gas in the UK in 2011
(Source: The Guardian)
121,446
12,684
Current number of gas stations
in Canada
(Source: Canadian Business/
canadianbusiness.com)
2
Current number of gas stations in the
United States
Number of states that don’t allow
self-serve gas stations (Oregon
and New Jersey)
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
(Source: The New York Times)
Historic Vehicle Association update
|
hagerty’s marketplace
For advertising information call 503-908-1873
summit racing
equipment
HVA HONOR ROLL
Teacher Shared His Excitement
About Cars for Three Decades
P. Gluck Woodworks, Inc. provides wood, metal
and finishing work of the highest quality using the best of
craftsmanship and materials in the repair, restoration or design
and fabrication of automobiles and furniture. Whether floorboards
or steering wheels, complete bodies or dining room chairs, no
request is too simple or too complex.
Contact Peter at 248-399-7698 or by email at [email protected].
Dallas Mustang
Name: Lew Davis
Position: Instructor of Automotive
Technology, retired
Organization: Berks Career and
Technology Center
Primary Accomplishment: As a high school
teacher, Davis kept students up on the leading
edge of automotive technology while also sparking interest in historic vehicles and restoration.
Davis retired in 2011 after 32 years with the
Berks Career and Technology Center in Leesport, Pennsylvania. Although BCTC’s automotive technology program was designed to equip
high school students for careers working on
modern cars, Davis channeled his personal passion into a much broader curriculum that fostered an appreciation for old cars. Davis inspired
his classes with field trips to car shows (including Pebble Beach) and all manner of classroom
restoration projects, including restoring a 1966
Mustang made possible with the help of a
$40,000 grant from the Collectors Foundation.
Do you know any special people, clubs
or charities acting on a grassroots level
to safeguard and promote the future of
historic vehicle ownership?
If so, please fill out the form at:
historicvehicle.org/honor-roll.
If time has taken a toll on your
classic, Summit Racing Equipment
can restore it. Check out licensed
reproduction parts from brands like
Original Parts Group, vintage tires
made from original molds from
Coker Tire, plus Classic Tube, Trim
Parts, and many other factory OE
replacements. Call 1-800-230-3030
or shop our entire selection at
SummitRacing.com.
Serving the Mustang industry for 30 years. DM stocks a full line
of quality restoration and performance parts for 1964 – 2011
Mustangs. Centrally located to ship your parts when and where
you want them. We offer volume discounts and free shipping on
orders over $350. Visit us at www.DallasMustang.com or call us
toll free at 800-MUSTANG.
Vintage Auto Posters
Woodward Fab
CARJACKET®
Free metal working equipment
catalog with affordable prices.
Featuring sheetmetal brakes, shears,
grinders, belt sanders, notchers,
iron workers, pipe benders, nibblers, punches, body hammers,
shot bags, metal cutting saws,
english wheels, shrinker/stretchers
from $179.99, metal brakes from
$299.99, rolls from $299.99.
Call us at 800-391-5419 or order at woodwardfab.com.
900+ Brands
at Summit Racing
Equipment
Since 1980, Everett Anton Singer has been supplying international collectors with the most diverse selection of authentic
vintage automotive posters. The vast inventory runs from the late
1890s through the 1960s; featuring marque, event and product
advertising. Please visit us at www.VintageAutoPosters.com.
A BAG — NOT A COVER.
A perfect combination. CarJacket ®
protects your car from aging during storage
while Hagerty insures your car from
accidents. Your car comes from
storage exactly as it went in.
NO RUST — NO DUST!
Indoor use only.
800-522-7224
www.carbag.com
Makes glass invisible
Invisible Glass was developed
with two simple objectives:
superior cleaning power and
“invisible” clarity. When compared
to ordinary “blue water” glass
cleaners, you’ll immediately see
how quickly Invisible Glass removes
even the most difficult grime, making glass virtually disappear! For tips,
testimonials, prizes, and more go to
FreeInvisibleGlass.com or call
rearview mirror
Power Wagon Passion
Even the toughest truck can be the object of love at first sight
By jonathan a. stein
Chrysler was everything to Detroit’s Wellman
family: work, financial security and the cars in
the driveway. So it was only natural that the
first vehicle to capture young George Wellman’s heart was a Dodge Power Wagon at the
Raynal Bros. dealership. “I thought it was a
great looking truck,” Wellman recalls. “And
it stuck with me.”
While Wellman was attending Kalamazoo
College, the local dealer had a Power Wagon
in his showroom, but it was unattainable for
the young student. As always, though, the
Power Wagon stuck with him.
By 1994, Wellman was a chemist working in
Philadelphia. Finally in a position to rekindle his
first love, Wellman attended the Power Wagon
Rally in Fairfield, Iowa. There he learned of two
trucks for sale in Arizona. Plane tickets followed,
and soon he owned a nicely restored red 1956
Power Wagon pickup. With another day before
his return flight, Wellman went to see the second truck. In the back of a building packed with
Mopar muscle sat another red Power Wagon,
this one a 1950 model with a beautiful Campbell wood body.
The price seemed a bit steep, and despite having just bought one Power Wagon, Wellman
made an offer, which was politely declined. But
a month later the owner called and accepted the
bid. With two trucks and limited storage, the
pickup went to Wellman’s home in Pennsylvania, while his brother agreed to store the woodie
in Michigan.
After a few years, Wellman trailered the
truck east for some major work. Several of the
basswood roof slats had been broken by heavyfooted vandals, a few wood panels were damaged and the ash floor needed replacement.
The wood was refinished and the roof recovered. The front sheet metal was stripped and
resprayed in the original dark blue, while the
fenders were repainted black. Meanwhile, the
interior, chassis, straight-six engine and fourspeed transmission were largely untouched,
because in its 45 years the 11-passenger Power
Wagon had only covered 31,000 miles.
The truck is thought to be the only surviving Campbell-bodied Power Wagon and
was originally a gift from Brown & Bigelow
greeting card employees to company president
George Wellman’s wood-bodied 1950 Power Wagon (top) is restored to the condition it was in
on the day that Brown & Bigelow employees (top right) gave Charles Ward (sitting in truck) the new
Power Wagon that would remain in his family for so many years.
64
Charles Allen Ward. Mr. Ward had been a
cohort of Pancho Villa and a petty criminal
before serving a sentence at Leavenworth,
where he befriended Herbert Bigelow after
the greeting card magnate’s conviction for tax
evasion. After his release, Bigelow rewarded
Ward’s kindness with a job and a fast climb
up the corporate ladder. A decisive and effective manager, Ward led the company until his
death in 1959.
Among the most sought after of all Power
Wagons, the imposing blue woodie looks
perfect under the portico of Wellman’s striking log home in northern Michigan, where it
shares the property with his 1953, 1956 and
1965 Power Wagons, a 1948 Plymouth business coupe and several modern vehicles — all
from Chrysler, of course.
Want to talk Power Wagon with Wellman?
Write him care of [email protected].
(above) photos: © jay texter; (Below) period photos courtesy of vida ward
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Transcription

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