ColleCtor CarinsiderColleCtor CarVolume 3 / Issue 1

Momentum

The major auction houses reported excellent results for their recent Scottsdale sales,

and once again, several records were set. Gooding and Company’s total sales hit $39.8 mill ion, Russo and Steele sold $20 mill ion, RM booked $25.6 mill ion and big gun Barrett-Jackson rang up $92 mill ion.

One statistic I found par-ticularly interesting is that pickup trucks accounted for more than 10% of the sales at Barrett-Jackson, and they reported a surge in truck consignments and sales. It looks like our timing is good for the 1964 Chevrolet K20 pickup profile you’ll read in this issue.

We’re also pleased to present a fascinating special feature written by our client Steve Tremulis — nephew of famed auto designer Alex Tremulis — about Alex’s adventures developing the world’s fastest motorcycle, the Gyronaut X-1.

We’re equally excited to an-nounce a new regular feature, “The Classics,” written by David Schultz, president of the Classic Car Club of America. Chubb Collector Car Insurance is proud of our partnership with the CCCA, and I’d like to thank David for his valuable contribution to our little newsletter.

Momentum. If auction sales are any indicator, the hobby seems to have plenty of it. Too much momentum and you’ll wish your classic had the disc brakes option. Just the right momentum and you’ll get maximum mileage from each tank of gas. Let’s hope our current momentum can carry us swiftly and safely down the road for a few more really good years.

Keep ’em running, folks. I hope to see you in Amelia Island. Have a story idea? As always, feel free to email me directly.

Jim FiskeVice PresidentChubb Personal Insurancejfi ske@chubb.com

In This Issue Amelia Island Warm-up ........... 1Gooding on the Market .......... 2Ten Cars to Watch .................2-3Classic Car Club of America .. 3Chubb Featured Client............ 4BMW 2002-A Coveted Classic 5 What Makes a Car Real? ........ 6Chevrolet K20 Profi le ................ 7Upcoming Events ...................... 8

The last car crossed the block at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale on Sunday, January 22. The

fi rst car to be sold at Amelia Island, in Florida, will be at the Gooding & Co. sale on Friday, March 9. That means that collectors will have had six weeks to muse over the breathtaking Arizona results, and look at their garages to decide if it’s time to shuffl e the deck.

This is the 17th Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, and I’ve attended 15 of them. There simply is no setting more elegant than that of the host hotel, the Ritz-Carlton, perched on the beach-front, the Atlantic Ocean lapping at the white sand below.

Unlike Monterey weekend, where events are scattered willy-nilly and chartering a helicopter is your best bet, at Amelia there are two epicenters. The fi rst is the Ritz, where the concours, seminars and the RM auction take place, and the second is at the Amelia Island Plantation (a fi ve-minute drive from the Ritz) where the Gooding auction is held.

Both Gooding and RM pull out all the stops for their Amelia Island auctions, with Gooding featuring the Drendel Family Collection of vintage racing Porsches. If you’ve got a few million dollars of loose change in your pockets after that auction, head to RM where you’ll be offered a 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Superprofi le coupe, a 1941 Chrysler Newport Dual Cowl Phaeton and a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Berline among other delictable collectibles.

There are collector car reasons to stay in the Sunshine State past Amelia weekend. Just fi ve days after the concours, on March 18, Auctions America by RM holds its traditional event in Ft. Lauderdale. Several episodes of the show I host on Velocity, “What’s My Car Worth,” were shot there last year, and I thought the quality of cars was high — and more on the affordable side than the heavy merchandise at Amelia.

Then, just three weeks later, Barrett-Jackson will have over 400 cars for you to choose from at their Palm Beach sale. If you don’t have something new in your garage by the middle of April, it’s not because you didn’t have choices.

As the collector car market continues to surge, we see certain trends repeating. Well-heeled collectors are not afraid to pay 10%, 15% or even 25% above “market” pricing for extraordinary examples. For example, the brilliantly restored 1956 Lancia Aurelia convertible that Gooding & Co. offered in Scottsdale was predicted to sell in the $350k to $450k range, which would have been a record for this model. When the fi nal bid was in, and the commission calculated, the new owner paid a lofty $561,000 for the car. But pundits, instead of saying the new owner paid too much, refl ected on how the market is developing, with top top cars bringing top top money.

In a similar vein, Barrett-Jackson consigned a 1948 Tucker (one of 51 built) to their Scottsdale sale. The last one to sell publicly was a scruffy example with interesting history, that Gooding got $797,500 for two years ago. The B-J car, perfectly restored, stunned the collector car world when it went for an unprecedented $2.9m.

It’s a great time to consider investing in excellent cars, and March and April are terrifi c months to consider taking a mini-vacation in Florida. Sunny skies and scrumptious cars — a perfect combination.

Spectacular Cars in the Sunshine State This is the time of year when the focus of the collector car world moves from the desert of Arizona to the semi-tropical splendor of Floridaby Keith Martin

Vintage race Porsches from the Drendel Family Collection at Gooding & Co.

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The Goodsby David Gooding

3 1984 Porsche 962Gooding & Company

A back-to-back 24 Hours of Daytona winner, driven by many legends, with excellent documentation, two owners from new. Gooding Estimate: $1.75m–$2.25m

7 1941 Chrysler Newport Dual Cowl PhaetonRM Auctions

The 1941 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car. Formerly owned by Walter P. Chrysler Jr. RM Estimate: $1.5m–$2m

4 1974 Porsche RSR Turbo Carrera 2.14Gooding & Company

Built as a factory experimental car, campaigned by Martini & Rossi Porsche Works in the 1974 season at Nürburgring, Imola and Zeltweg. In unusually correct and untouched condition. Gooding Estimate: $1.75m–$2.25m

8 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Series II CabrioletRM Auctions

Featuring rare covered headlights, original Avorio color paint and Ferrari Classiche certification. RM Estimate: $600k–$800k

5 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Superprofile CoupeRM Auctions

Well appointed and restored to show quality. RM Estimate: $1.25m–$1.75m

10 1948 Tucker TorpedoGooding & Company

5,200 miles from new. One of twelve Tuckers painted Waltz Blue. In same ownership since 1985. Gooding Estimate: $950k–$1.3m

6 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe

Gooding & CompanyNumbers-matching, with factory-installed Rudge wheels. Gooding Estimate: $700k–$900k

9 1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Berline

RM AuctionsThe first LWB chassis built, and one of seven shown at the 1929 New York Auto show. RM Estimate: $800k–$1m

11973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am SpyderGooding & Company

One of four examples built at the Porsche factory. Meticulously restored and presented in Penske-Sunoco livery. Has been raced at Monterey Historics and displayed at Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Gooding Estimate: $3.25m–$4m

2 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Coupe SpecialeRM Auctions

One of four built with unique special-order items. Ferrari Classiche-certified. RM Estimate: $1.3m–$1.6m

After an extraordinary January, with an astound-ing $39.8 mill ion Scottsdale

Auction where 98% of our lots sold and we hammered the top sale — the $4.62m 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing — for the fifth year in a row, we’re looking forward to another significant sale in Amelia Island, FL, on March 9.

Our annual Amelia Island Auction has become an important market for us, with its convenient proximity to East Coast and European collectors. In order to ac-commodate the extensive offerings of more than 80 great American classics and iconic European sports and race cars, we decided to change the start time of this year’s auction to 11 a.m.

One focal point in Amelia Island will be the Drendel Family Porsche Collection. The Drendel Family Collection consists of both road and race cars spanning 25 years of Porsche history from 1973 to 1997. It’s a rare occurrence when a refined, single-marque collection of high-quality road and race cars such as this is offered to the public, and our Amelia Island Auction marks the first time that many of these race stars will be auctioned.

Additional Amelia Island highlights include a 1948 Tucker Torpedo, chassis 1034, the same low-mileage, Waltz Blue ex-ample featured in the Francis Ford Coppola film “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.” Other special consign-ments include a matching-numbers 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing with Rudge wheels and a 1947 Mercury Station Wagon.

We hope you will be able to join us in Florida, but if that’s not an option, you may stil l participate by viewing our auction live online via Gooding & Company’s webcast at www.goodingco.com, where one of our specialists can also help you register to phone or absentee bid.

I hope you’re out there enjoying your cars, the community and the open roads ahead.

Ten Cars to Watch at the Amelia Island AuctionsPorsches, Ferraris, Bugattis and more

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The best place to see the great American and European Classic automobiles is at a Grand Classic or on a CARavanby David Shultz, CCCA President

The Classics

Although the term “classic” can certainly mean different things to different people, there is only

one Classic car club — the Classic Car Club of America (www.classiccarclub.org.) It was founded 60 years ago, in 1952, to “further the restoration and preservation of distinctive motorcars produced between 1925 and 1948.” The club now recognizes cars built before 1925 that are “virtually identical” to their 1925 peers.

The club’s objective then — and now — was to “provide a channel of communication for those interested in such cars and to bring together in good fellowship all who own or admire these finest examples of automotive craftsmanship.”

Today, the club numbers nearly 6,000 members. Its signature activities include Grand Classics — showings of Full Classic automobiles — and CARavans — tours in Classic automobiles. Grand Classics are held at several locations during the year. CARavans take place throughout the United States and Europe.

While many members have a serious interest in automotive history, the club comprises an eclectic group of interest-ing and knowledgeable people from all walks of life. Participation in club activi-ties affords the opportunity to literally, see, touch and drive history. This is an interesting, fun group of people.

The club has 30 regions throughout the United States. The club publishes an award-winning magazine quarterly, The Classic Car, as well as a Bulletin eight times a year. The annual CCCA Handbook & Directory contains all of the information about the club as well as a complete membership roster, including Classic cars owned by each member.

Club members founded a museum more than 25 years ago — the Classic Car Club of America Museum, on the campus of the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI. More than 40 Full Classic automobiles are on display.

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Quarterly explaining his Ford 999 Gyronaut pro-posal.

Originally intended to be powered by a Ford V8, it was to be stabilized fore and aft by gyroscopes. The Gyron-like motorcycle ar-rangement of its two wheels allowed for the smallest possible frontal plane area.

He pulled out all his pre-vious decades of streamlin-ing expertise and research to design a slippery body to enclose the rider and all mechanicals. The goal was to “stop the sadistic torture of innocent air.” He was out to prove, once and for all,

that his entire design career philosophy of going the fastest with the least, in this case horsepower, was a worthy project.

To educate himself on how to practically pull together such a lofty goal, he had to go to the proving grounds for the ultimate in speed trials: Speed Week at the hallowed Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

In 1963, Tremulis journeyed from Detroit to the “Great White Dyno” with his gyroscopically stabilized models in hand.

These models were the same prototypes he built for the Ford Gyron that he recycled for the Gyronaut discussions he planned to have on the salt. There he met with several of his past friends, such as Bob Greene, editor of Hot Rod magazine, and shared his vision to build the fastest thing on two wheels.

Unbeknownst to Tremulis, another team was also descending on Bonneville from Detroit in their quest to claim title as the world’s fastest motorcycle. Led by Bob Leppan, an accomplished bicyclist and motorcycle drag racer, this was to be his first trip to Bonneville as well.

Back in Detroit, Leppan was the owner of a Triumph dealership, where he built his Triumph-powered race machines.

Leppan’s Cannibal II was scoring wins on many drag strips throughout the Midwest. This twin-engined monster provided Leppan and his ace me-chanic, Jim Bruflodt, with the necessary skills to build and tune race-winning engines and drag racing bikes.

The Cannibal II was also wowing the crowds at motorcycle shows, where it won Best of Show at the 1959 Cyclerama.

For ultimate speed, though, Leppan needed a purpose-built chassis for their Triumphs. They found what they were looking for at Bill Martin’s Triumph shop in Burbank, CA.

Like Leppan, Martin was tuning his Triumph engines and using them to power his own attempts at Bonneville speed records with some success. In 1959, he had set a world record for a Triumph Cub at 139 mph using a chassis and streamlined body he designed specifically for Bonneville.

Martin had followed up on that record with one of his own multiple-engined attempts.

He had purposely built another chassis and body, but this time it was pow-ered by two Triumph 500-cc engines. In his attempts at Bonneville for the ultimate speed record, it had proven unstable at higher speeds, so he decided to part with it and move on to other designs rather than debug it.

See the next issue of The Chubb Collector Car Insider for the rest of the Gyronaut X-1 story.

The Gyronaut was the world’s fastest mo-torcycle in the late 1960s, a time when motorcycle and muscle car mania swept across America and land speed records

were set — and broken — at the Bonneville Salt Flats on almost a monthly basis.

The duels between speed kings Craig Breedlove and Art Arfons made headlines throughout the world as the race to be the first to drive a car at 400 mph, then 500 mph, and finally, 600 mph became legendary. In be-tween these historic runs, another fierce, two-wheeled race was unfolding at Bonneville: The quest for the ultimate top honors in the motorcycle class.

In February 1963, Alex Tremulis was abruptly terminated from the Ford Motor Company, where he had spent the past 11 years heading up advanced designs. Constantly professing the virtues of aerodynamics and streamlining, many of Ford’s custom show cars originated from Tremulis’ airbrush.

Concepts such as the Seattle-ite, the Mexico, X-1000, X-2000, Madame X, the DePalma and many others were Tremulis designs. One particular show car, the Gyron, stood out as a pet project of his dating to 1952. The Gyron was to be a two-wheeled car shaped like a delta-winged fighter aircraft and stabilized by a gyroscope.

Ford saw the Gyron as a show car, and there was no intention of bringing it to production. It was just too radical a design for the masses. However, Tremulis performed regular design work at Ford. He’s credited (or blamed) for the production of the 1958–60 Thunderbirds (the “Square ’Birds”) and the 1961–63 T-Birds (the “Bullet-Nosed Birds”).

Several months later, and still feeling somewhat lost, he attended an Industrial Design Society of America meeting, where he had a chance en-counter with GM’s future top designer, Chuck Jordan. Jordan had heard the news about Tremulis and asked what was next.

Tremulis decided on the spot that his next venture was to be a direct con-tinuation of the Ford project that had landed him in so much hot water with his old boss.

“I’m going to build the world’s fastest motorcycle, stabilized with a gyro-scope,” he told Jordan.

And that comment set in motion Tremulis’ primary mission for the next few years.

As a seasoned custom-car builder and hot rodder, this wasn’t the first time he had undertaken an ambitious project. Tremulis worked with Augie Duesenberg on the design of Ab Jenkin’s legendary salt flat racer, the 1937 “Mormon Meteor III.”

In 1940, Tremulis designed the ultra-streamlined and highly influential Chrysler Thunderbolt show car, named after another Salt Flats record breaker, George Eyston’s behemoth “Thunderbolt.”

And again, in 1947, Tremulis was hired as chief stylist for the new Tucker Corporation and was charged with the design and building of Preston Tucker’s prototype, the “Tin Goose.”

So by this time, Tremulis was familiar with breaking new ground and dealing with the naysayers that always accompany the most innovative new ideas.

For Gyronaut, he set as his first task to meet his critics head-on and publicly define his goals for all to see and judge. He wrote an article for Automobile

Client Profile – Special FeatureAlex Tremulis and the Gyronaut X-1: Part Oneby Steve Tremulis

Yes, it is a motorcycle

Gracefully Easing into a Coveted ClassicSometimes older, cooler, slower and simpler is indeed betterby Stephen Serio

Why buy a 35-year-old BMW 2002 when so many faster, newer and slicker BMWs purr all over the place? Well, who needs fast and new when you can have so much more?

The legendary David E. Davis led the charge for the BMW 2002 in 1968, when he wrote: “To my way of thinking, the 2002 is one of modern civilization’s all-time best ways to get somewhere sitting down.”

This was no small compliment. At that time, one person could actually make a huge impact on a car’s sales with high praise like that, and, in this case, Davis did.

Years later, Road & Track included the 2002 in the used-car buyers’ guides that were included within the pages of their monthly magazine. These guides helped us like-minded, wannabe car geeks understand the virtues and vices of some newish whip now just out of production, and, in some circles, yesterday’s news.

To this day I can clearly remember the issue that highlighted the 2002, reading it over and over and over. It could have been the first retrospective about “The Box” written anywhere.

Twelve years ago, I waxed on in Sports Car Market about the virtues of the BMW 2002. I was — and still am — smitten with this cube of a ride, this shoe box on wheels, the car that was really the first building block in BMW selling cars in the United States. Yes, 36 years after the last one was shipped to the U.S. from Germany, I still love the car that saved BMW from the brink of extinction. Let’s remember that without the 2002 there would be no 320i, 635csi, M1, M5, Z8 or X5 — and that would have taken some glowing color out of our world.

The magnificent pre-war 328 and the post-war 507 may be A-List exotica and hallmarks of rarity and collectibles from Bavaria, but the 2002 truly holds cult status across generations of buyers.

A 2002 gathering will showcase no two cars or owners who are alike, I promise you.

Plenty of cars out there…Hundreds of thousands of 2002s were manufactured between 1968 and

1976, and this means that there will always be plenty to choose from. Take your time and spend wisely. Leave the rusty projects in the fields to be parts cars.

The round taillight, chrome-bumpered 2002 tii cars built between 1971–1973 have the most stock grunt (140 horsepower, 0-60 mph in 9.8 seconds) and the cleanest, most uncluttered design. Find one of these with some op-tional original equipment (sunroof, alloys, dealer-installed AC or the mega-rare 5-speed transmission) and in a cool period 1970s “Laugh-In” color, and you’ll be envied at the meet and rewarded on the twisty two-lane roads.

The coveted gray market carsFurther up the rarity food chain would be the 2002 models that were never

officially imported to the U.S. You will occasionally find a Turbo, Cabriolet, Targa, Touring or Alpina crop up for sale in the States. These versions were made in tiny numbers and are hard to find in great original or restored condi-tion.

Weed out examples that countless home-school customizers have canni-

balized over the years. You can jam an M3 engine in a 2002, but why would you? The 2.0-liter lump is plenty peppy and purposeful when properly tuned. Beware of “tii” engine cars that started life out as a standard car — that’s a cheat that has been around for decades.

Most of all, stay away from the kiddie-car bolt-on spoilers, BMW 3 Series aftermarket rims, worn-out period Recaro seats, fender flares, bigger carbs and cracked, crazed dashboards.

Smog equipment is important in many states, and many cars somehow shed these parts over the years, which can lead to registration problems.

As usual, watch for rust (BMW helped shorten the life of the cars by draining sunroofs into rocker panels), leaky cylinder heads, clutch throw-out bearings, fragile interior fittings, worn transmission synchros and leaky windshields. And always avoid the hugely dull automatic transmission.

The rewards of a great 2002When you have found a great example, you will be rewarded with a car

that has light steering, decent acceleration, strong brakes and well-above-average build quality.

Many online groups have been formed over the past few years, so finding parts, specialist garages and cars to drool over is much easier today than it was. Use these resources to find a great pre-purchase inspector as well.

Since 1983, I’ve owned 11 of these cars, with prices ranging from $600 (1976 winter beater, automatic, little heat, faded paint) to $32,000 (1975, 7k original miles, one of the last European examples, show quality).

Be prepared to spend $10k for a good 1974–1976 2002 driver. Fork over $15k-plus for a 1971–1973 2002 tii, and you’ll see every price point up to $60k for a pristine Turbo.

Driving a 2002 today has little modern feel or connection to any of BMW’s current offerings. Sometimes older, cooler, slower and simpler is indeed better.

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SCM LEGALMARCH 2012

ARTICLE

Thousands of years ago, Pericles was a Greek hero. The Athenians de-cided to honor him by preserving his ship for all time. Unfortunately, the elements were not kind. As the ship’s planks decayed, the Athenians carefully and sensitively replaced them, one by one, with perfectly

crafted replacements. Eventually, none of the original planks remained. Plutarch then asked the question, “Was this still the ship of Pericles?”

Centuries later, Thomas Hobbes took the next philosophical step, and posed the question: What if all of the decayed planks had been stored in a ware-house, and were now reassembled to create a second ship. Which one would be the ship of Pericles?

Grinding the car axLegal Files has received several similar inquiries regarding collector cars.

In one, the owner of a long-lost car replicated it and gave the new creation the old car’s chassis number. In another, the old car’s dashboard was installed in a donor car and the chassis number reassigned. In the third, the running gear and chassis number moved to a donor car. In each case, the question was the same: Was the resulting car a “real” car?

The answers may differ in the contexts of criminal law, titling and regis-tering the car and collectibility.

Super Snake CobraThe most public example of the diffi culty of these issues is Shelby Cobra

CSX3303. It and CSX3015 were the two “Super Snakes” built by Carroll Shelby. Shelby held onto CSX3015, which sold at the 2007 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction for $5.5 million. Its provenance is unquestioned.

CSX3303 had a little different history. It was originally sold to Bill Cosby, who reportedly drove it only once before fearing for his life and giving it back to Shelby. Cosby recounted the tale in his “200 mph” comedy album. CSX3303 was soon owned by Tony Maxey, who ended up driving it off a cliff and into the Pacifi c Ocean. According to posts on the SAAC Forum by the SAAC registrar, the wreck was eventually sold to Brian Angliss, who had ac-quired ownership of AC Cars. Angliss “re-constructed” the car to the “same high standards as the Mark IV Cobras that followed later,” and gave it the CSX3303 chassis number. The original engine — minus the superchargers — and transmission were reported to have later been acquired and installed in the re-constructed car.

Was this legal? Is the reconstructed car really original? Is it collectible? Let’s take a closer look.

Ask the prosecutorLegal Files consulted Robert Morgester, senior assistant attorney general

at the California Attorney General’s offi ce. Morgester has prosecuted a num-ber of high-profi le car fraud cases, and he has been helpful to Legal Files in the past.

Morgester immediately qualifi ed his comments by clarifying that he

deals with criminal prosecutions. Titling issues are altogether separate, and whether DMV would actually title one of these cars is a completely different matter.

As for the criminal issues, Morgester said, “The air cars are easy. If you start with just a paper title and no car, and just put the VIN on the car you build, that’s fraud.”

Morgester explained that situations where some of the parts of the original car carry over to the recreation are the tougher ones.

Titling issuesLegal Files has reported before about the diffi culties of titling replica

cars. Current law in most states views replicas as having been built in the current year, even if they replicate an older car. To get titled, they must meet current EPA and DOT standards, which is almost impossible. California has an exception program that allows them to be titled under the same rules as applicable to cars manufactured in the year that they replicate, but the excep-tions are limited in number and diffi cult to get.

That gets us back to CSX3303. (I chose this particular car because so much about it is public knowledge that it serves as an excellent example for discussion.)

Angliss did have full ownership of land title to the wrecked car, but not one bit of the wrecked car went into the recreation other than its chassis number.

Thus, it would appear to be nothing more than a replica and would run into all the possible legal issues involved in titling it if DMV became aware of the pertinent facts.

It was not the car built by AC and Shelby in 1965. Instead, it was a car constructed in the late 1970s. Granted, it was created by the rightful owner of the wrecked car, but what physical difference does that make? “CSX3303” was a chassis number placed on the car by Shelby, not AC. Even if AC could reuse the same chassis number, it still isn’t the same car. Rather, Shelby and AC simply produced two cars with the same chassis number. And, the second car was built to Mark IV standards, not the original Cobra standards.

Intangible rights to a VINSome collectors claim that the rightful owner of a wrecked or nonexistent

car holds an intangible legal right to the chassis number — and can transfer it to the re-creation. That allows him to “build a car around a VIN.” With all due respect, there may be some acceptance of that philosophy from a col-lectibility standpoint, but there does not seem to be any legal support for the proposition.

All intangible property rights related to any particular model or individual car belong to the manufacturer who built it.

Does adding original parts help?The most interesting question regarding CSX3303 is whether the subse-

quent installation of the original engine and transmission changes anything. One reason collector cars increase in value is that their numbers are al-

ways diminishing. They crash and burn, they disappear, they rust and rot away. That is a big part of what makes the survivors so rare and valuable.

When your collector car meets that fate, it’s gone. If the rightful owner “re-constructs” his car and gives it the original chassis number, does he end up with the same value as a completely original example? The market seems to say no. Does he end up with greater value than someone else who built an identical replica? That probably depends upon the volume of physical parts that carry over from the original car. But either way, full disclosure is neces-sary when the re-constructed car is sold.

Absent that disclosure, questions about whether it is a “real” car will lead to a real lawsuit — and real losses for everyone involved.

JOHN DRANEAS is an attorney in Oregon. His comments are general in nature and are not intended to substitute for consultation with an attorney.

What Makes a Car Real?If the owner reconstructs his car and gives it the original chassis number, does he end up with the same value as an original example?by John Draneas

Of two 1966 “Super Snake” Cobras, the authenticity of Shelby’s s/n CSX3015 (above), sold for $5.5m in 2007, is without question

Profi le — 1964 Chevrolet K20 PickupLow-mile, heavy-duty trucks are not as rare as you’d think. Most of the low-mile trucks similar to this generally come in one color — fi re-engine red

by B. Mitchell Carlson

1962 saw the introduction of a new, simpler-looking hood, and in 1964, the cab greenhouse and doors were redone to eliminate the wrap-around wind-shield (as that styling trend had been played out by then) and subsequent “dog-leg” in the door and door frame. This was over and above the usual annual shuffl ing of grilles and badges. The changes gave the trucks a less aggressive and more stylish appearance — which continued until the next generation of GM trucks for 1967.

(Gear) Teething pains in the 1960s 4x4 marketAlthough Chevy had been making their own 4x4 trucks since 1957 (before

then, they were available as a dealer-installed conversion kit by NAPCO), by the 1960s, they were just starting to gain market acceptance. The ratio of four-wheel-drive versus two-wheel-drive pickups was extremely slim. Even after the major manufacturers all started making their own standardized 4x4s on their assembly lines, a four-wheel-drive truck was still an expensive proposition. Besides, most period buyers were of the mindset that “with four-wheel-drive, you’ll only get stuck worse.”

More often than not, 4x4 buyers were commercial rather than private. Using them for snowplow duty was a popular adaptation, with the manufactur-ers frequently showing examples of these trucks with a plow up front — if not offering a dedicated snowplow prep package. The more famous of these were Dodge’s Sno-Commander and International’s Sno-Star packages, offered in conjunction with plow manufacturers as a complete package, ready to bust through snowdrifts right off the showroom fl oor.

Now a trailer queen?While low-mile, heavy-duty trucks from the 1960s are hardly falling out of

the trees, they are not quite as rare as this one was promoted to be. The thing is, most of the low-mile trucks similar to this come generally in one color — fi re-engine red.

One-ton and smaller four-wheel-drive trucks were — and are still — popu-lar rigs for brush-fi re use. Units from the 1960s are now being retired from service — although a respectable number are still in primary or stand-by use. Granted, one of these may have a pump or other service equipment built into it, but for every guy who wants a pure, clean, unmolested original low-mile 4x4, there’s another who wants a fi re truck that actually fi ts in his suburban garage next to his wife’s Honda. The selling price for our featured truck generally falls into the range of what a retired brush rig with similar miles would bring — if not on the high end.

Although this was built to be a heavy-duty work truck, to use it like that today would destroy its value. With a well-cared-for higher-mile or driver-grade restored example, you wouldn’t think twice about running over to the Home Depot for a load of bagged peat moss. But with our featured truck, every mile put on it will slowly ratchet down its value, so you’ll probably just grab the keys for the RAV4 instead and make two runs.

Weighing all those factors in, this truck was both well bought and sold at a market price — even if it is destined for a future of going to shows on a trailer behind a modern four-wheel-drive pickup.

(Introductory description courtesy of Bonhams.)

Chassis number: 4K254T107616

Today we have endless choices among pickup trucks, and the luxurious options give away nothing to their car counterparts. This is a recent de-velopment. The Silverados and Lariats of the 1980s ushered in luxury features to the emerging everyday truck driving community.

In the 1960s, a pickup was still a utility vehicle. Trucks were sparse and used hard. Perhaps the ones that had the toughest life of all were four-wheel drive models. Four-wheel drive was an unusual option for a pickup in the 1960s. Prior to this period, manufacturers and customers looked to independent companies like Marmon-Herrington to convert trucks to four-wheel drive.

Unfortunately, many of the trucks that received this option were bought for plowing duty. At that time, most of the areas that had enough snow to warrant plows used plenty of salt to melt the ice on the roads. The salt was merciless to vehicles, and many would develop gaping holes after just a year or two. Most of these trucks have long since rotted away.

This truck is a true survivor of a rare breed. This K20 four-wheel drive was set up as a plow truck from new. Luckily for the truck, it did not even complete one full season of plowing before it was mothballed. The truck has fewer than 6,000 miles and is in remarkable condition. The interior upholstery is wrapped in protective plastic from new. The body is totally rust-free and has good paintwork. Opening the hood reveals an untouched engine compartment.

The specifi cation is typical of a four-wheel drive of the era. A low-geared, 4-speed manual is fi tted behind a 230-ci six — putting the truck in fi rst evokes the feeling that a wall could be climbed or driven right through with the power at hand.

This is a rare chance indeed to acquire such an unused or altered pickup from this era. The original plow frame and blade are included.

SOLD! This truck sold at no reserve for $15,210, including buyer’s pre-mium, at Bonhams’ Fairfi eld County Concours auction on

September 17–18, 2011, in Westport, CT.General Motors introduced a new truck design for the 1960s. Originally,

the 1960 model year Chevrolets carried on with their nomenclature, which started in 1958 using Native American names — with the light-duty trucks called Apaches.

However, due to displeasure expressed by Native Americans, Chevrolet in-stituted a new naming convention in 1961, which is basically still in use today. Two-wheel drives were called the C-series, while four-wheel-drive models — as Chevy started building their own 4x4 models in 1957 — were the K-series.

The half-ton models had a 10 suffi x, three-quarter tons had a 20 suffi x, one-tons used 30, and so forth up into the heavy-duty 90 models. As such, the ever-popular half-ton pickup became a C10, available with standard trim or a Custom trim package.

With that in mind, our featured truck is not a C20. It is actually a K20. This is also verifi ed by the second character in the VIN. In this case, the VIN breaks down as follows: “4” for 1964 model year, “K” for four-wheel drive, “254” for three-quarter ton Fleetside (wide box) pickup truck, “T” for being built at the Tarrytown, NY, assembly plant, and fi nally, the 7,616th unit built at this plant, with the unit sequence number starting at 100,000.

Courtesy of Bonhams

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