SECONDEDITION

LOSTANDFOUND

MOREGREATBARNFINDS&OTHERAUTOMOTIVEDISCOVERIES

CONTENTS

FOREWORDCHAPTERONE1922DUESENBERGA702ROADSTER

CHAPTERTWO1924PACKARDTOWNCAR

CHAPTERTHREE193120MILLIONETHFORD

CHAPTERFOUR1934LASALLE

CHAPTERFIVE1934PACKARDROLLSTON

CHAPTERSIX1937FORDCUSTOMCOUPE

CHAPTERSEVEN1937FORDEIFEL

CHAPTEREIGHT1938CHEVROLETCOUPE

CHAPTERNINE1941FORDGP

CHAPTERTEN1946FORD

CHAPTERELEVEN1948DERHAMDODGE

CHAPTERTWELVE1951BUICKSPECIALDELUXE

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN1955PLYMOUTH

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

1956CHEVROLETBELAIR

CHAPTERFIFTEEN1957CHRYSLER300-C

CHAPTERSIXTEEN1957CORVETTE

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN1958LANCIAAPPIA

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN1961CORVETTE

CHAPTERNINETEEN1965CADILLAC

CHAPTERTWENTY1965PLYMOUTH

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE1969FIREBIRD

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO1969PONTIACGTO‘THEJUDGE’

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE1978CADILLAC

FOREWORDLOSTANDFOUND

Hide&SeekYes,thosebarnfindsarestilloutthere

Howdoesitcontinuetohappen?Howdowekeepcomingacrossoldcarsthathavebeenkeptoutofsightandoutofmindforyears,decadesandevengenerations?ItseemsimpossiblethataDuesenbergorPackardorexpensivemuscle

carcouldhaveeverbeenlockedawayinashedorbarn,orforgottenina field, and left unmolested for years. Sometimes, they almost hide inplainsight.Butmake nomistake, great “barn finds” are still out there— both

ordinary, everyman cars and great Classics. Sometimes, they are rightunderournoses,andallittakesisaphonecall,thecouragetowalkupandknockontherightdoor,ortheluckto“knowaguywhoknowsaguy.”If you’re one of those automobile lovers who can’t drive by an old

garage,barnorshedwithoutthinkingtoyourself,“Iwonderifthere’sanoldcarinthere?”thenthisbookisforyou.

—BrianEarnest

L

CHAPTERONE1922DUESENBERGA702ROADSTERByAngeloVanBogart

ADEUSYOFAHOTROD

Afterbeingsecretlystashedawayformorethan60years,anamazingDuesenbergcustomisheadedforthestreetagain

ThisDuesenbergModelAwithengineA702wasrecentlypulledfromtheCaliforniagaragewhereithadrestedsince1944.TheDuesenberg’schassiswasshortenedandfittedwitha1928Chryslerroadsterbodybefore1934.That’sa1931Grahamradiator

shell,1931ChryslerheadlampsandaLincolnfrontbumper.

ong before customs cruisedwith overhead-valve Rocket Eights andhot rods hustled under Ford flathead power, and even earlier thanthe period when hopped-up Ford Model A four-cylinders began

kickingupsalton the flats, therewasadifferent“powerof thehour.”ThispowersourcewasderivedstraightfromIndyracecarsandinstalledinto passenger cars by 1921. After their time in street cars, many oftheseusedengineswereputbackintoracecarsandreturnedtoIndytoaddtothelegendofDuesenberg.

Yes, Duesenberg was the source of one of, if not the hottest,powerplantduring the1920s. ItsModelApassengercarsof theperiodusedanoverhead-camstraight-eightof260cubic inches thatproduced90-100hpat3,000rpm,goodfor90mphinhighgearand20mpg—in1921.With such power, it’s no surprise that Duesenberg passenger carengineswererecycledinIndycarsthroughtheearly1930s,andatleastoneModelA became the foundation for amodified roadster thatmayjustslidethetimelinebackforhotrodding.“It looks like ahighboy,” saidRandyEma, an automotivehistorianand restorer who specializes in Duesenberg, and the owner of themodifiedModelAroadstershownhere.In November 2010, Ema pulled his shortened, cycle-fendered 1922DuesenbergroadsteroutofaBurbank,Calif.,garage,whereithadrestedsince1944.“Ihaveknownofthecarforprobably30years,”Emasaid.“Iusedtovisit[theownerWilJohnson]andheactuallyshowedmethecaronce.Hejustopenedthegarageandsaid,‘Didyouseeit?’That’showIsawit;thatwasit.Heneverletmegoin.”

TheDuesenberghadbeentreatedlikeanythingbutatreasureinitspreviouslife.Foryearsitservedasastorageshelfforothermiscellaneousgarageobjects.

Thebodystillretainsthecharcoalpaintandsilvermoldingsthatweresprayedin1934orearlier,buttracesoftheChryslerbody’soriginalyellowpaintand

rumbleseatupholsteryremainintact.

Ema’s view of the Duesenberg was obscured by piles of debris thatcoveredthetopofthecarinitsdarktomb.SinceWorldWarII,thecarhad served as a cumbersome shelf for a baby stroller, golf clubs,cardboard boxes and parts for the other interesting cars Johnson hadcollected.“The problem was, he told everyone it was an original Model Aroadster,andIthinkhewasafraidtoletanybodywhoknewcarsseeit,”Emasaid.“Evenhisnext-doorneighbor,whocollected[Ford]ModelA’s,neverknewhehadcarsinthere.”During its longslumber, themodifiedDuesenbergroadsterhadgoodcompany.ItslongtimeownerhadamassedLincolnContinentalsfromthe1940s,andatonetime,hadfiveDuesenbergs—fourModelA’sandtheModel X Locke-bodied sedan previously featured in Old Cars Weekly.When Johnson died about 10 years ago, his family began selling hiscollection,anduntillate2010,allbuttheDuesenbergroadsterhadbeensold. However, Emawas able to learnmuch of the car’s history fromearlier conversationswith Johnson andhis daughter, and from files oftheownerandthoseEmahasacquiredelsewhere.

“[Johnson] was an old engineer and he used to drive this thing toDouglas Aircraft in the 1940s,” Ema said. “He bought it in 1934 inChicago and paid $650 for it from a guy who had a Stutz andDuesenbergbusiness;itwaslater[John]Troka’sdealershipin’38or’39.“HeboughtitinJuneof’34for$650,andthatwasmorethanaFord.

Itwasprobablyafreshcar—ithadtohavelookedprettydamnspiffy,anditwouldhavehadtoforhimtopaythatkindofmoney.”Johnson certainly received hismoney’s worth from the Duesenberg.

Thecarprovided10yearsofservicefrom1934to1944,whichincludeda drive from Chicago to California. “He drove this one from Chicago,whenhecamewest thefirst time,”Emasaid.“We’renotsure if itwas1938or1940.”After the long drive, the car continued to provide sporting

transportationforseveralmoreyears,throughmostofWorldWarII.Theopen-air fun ended in 1944, when the racy car’s rear-end apparentlywent out. It was then parked and never driven again during the 20thcentury. “Whena car brokedown,heparked it, hedidn’t fix it,”EmasaidofJohnson.

TheDuesenbergretainsitsoriginalinstruments,butthepanelbehindthemwasfashionedtofittheChryslerbody.

InNovember2010,Emapulledhisshortened,cycle-fendered1922DuesenbergroadsteroutofaBurbank,Calif.,garage,whereithad

restedsince1944.

Asarestorer,Ema’smission is tomaketheroadsterdriveagain,buthe’s doing his homework before tearing into the car. His first task isdeterminingthecomponentsusedtomodifythecar.“Ididknowthatitwasasteelbody,”Emasaid.“IthoughtforalongtimeitwasaGardnerbody.AfriendofmineputitontheAACA[forum]andsomeonesaidthatit’sa’28Chrysler.”Withthisleadandthroughhisownvastautomotiveknowledge,Emahasbeenabletodeterminethesourcesformanyofthecar’sothernon-Duesenbergcomponents.“The rear fenders are from the Chrysler roadster, but I don’t knowwhatthehoodisoff,”Emasaid.“Thefrontfenders,Idon’tknowwhatthey are off, [but] the front bumper is Lincoln. The Model A[Duesenberg] radiator is underneath a 1931 Graham radiator screwedoverthetop.Theheadlightsare1931Chrysler,soIamassumingthiscarwasdonein1932or’33.”Under the Chrysler body andmiscellaneousmixed-make accessories,this “garage find” remains solidly Duesenberg. “The chassis is allDuesenberg,exhaustmanifold,brakes,it’sallDuesenberg,”Emasaid.“Ithas the brake line and the oil pressure line coming up through [thefirewall]totheoriginalDuesenberginstrumentpanel.”Although the Duesenberg chassis remains with all of its originalcomponents,itwasn’tsparedthetorchbythecar’soriginalbuilder.Emaestimates thechassiswasshortenedat least10 inches toaccommodatethe Chrysler roadster body, which replaced a very different style ofpassengercompartment.“Itwasoriginallyafour-passengertouringcar,”Emasaid.“Ihavethecourt papers on [Duesenberg’s] bankruptcy in 1924, and they list thiscarininventoryandtheycallitafour-passengersport,soIassumeit’safour-passengersporttouring.”

TheenginealsoreceivedalittlehoppingupbeforeJohnsonpurchasedit in 1934. The straight-eight’s updraft intake manifold was flippedupside down to give the non-stock Winfield carburetor a down-draftarrangement. In the paperwork that accompanied the car, Ema foundmention of high-compression pistons which, if installed, won’t beuncovereduntiltheengineistornapartforarebuild.

“Weweregoingtogetitrunningandpulledthepanandtherewas2inchesofsludge,”Emasaid.“Iamgoingtotearitdownsoonandgettheenginegoing,andhopefullyfromtherewe’llgetitbackontheroad.”Ema is certainly equipped for such an undertaking. Over the years,

he’saccumulatedmanyofthoserarepartsremovedfromcarsscrappedfromtherunof650orsoModelADuesenbergs.Healsohasalloftheoriginal Duesenberg drawings, toolings and patterns to restore thebiggest Duesenberg basket cases. This car isn’t going to get the fulltreatment,however.Infact,it’smorelikelytobeseeninthefutureatacruise-inthanaconcours.“Youknow,Iamjustgoingtodothemechanicalsanddriveit,”Ema

said.“Iprobablywon’tpaintit.Imayputatoponit,andIamgoingtoputaModelAgrilleonit.IhaveapairofWoodlitesImayputonit,butwhatever Ido, it’snotgoing tohurt it. Itwouldbe cost-prohibitive toputthetouringbody[back]onit.”

The“smilespermile”factorcannotbecounted,though,andwhetherthiscarisconsideredanearlyhotrodoramodifiedClassic,itwillsoonhappilyprovidethemtoenthusiastsofallkinds.

D

CHAPTERTWO1924PACKARDTOWNCARStoryandphotosbyAngeloVanBogart

FROMPARTSTOPACKARD

DedicatedhobbyistrevivesFleetwood-bodied1924Packardtowncar

Althoughthis1924PackardFleetwood-bodiedtowncarprobablyhasjust4,500miles,it’sledaneventfullife.Itwentfromaritzycabrioletto

beingcutupforuseasatrucktoashowbeauty.

on Hanson is among the old car hobby’s bravest souls. When hefoundhis1924Packard,aFirstSeriesSingleEightFleetwoodtowncar,itwasmorePackardthanFleetwood.Theprojectwasbasically

a combination between an incomplete 10,001-piece puzzle and ascavengerhunt.However,Hansonwasn’tdeterredoneiotabythecar’sincompleteandrustyconditionwhenheboughtitin1978.

Above:ThePackardasownerDonHansonfoundit.Thecarwasmissingitsbodyfromthebackdoorsrearward.

Right:Thefirststeptoresurrectingthebodywasinstallingnewwood.

“I wasn’t disappointed, because I didn’t know any better,” Hansonsaid. “I had always wanted an early Packard, and for what [restoredcars]weresellingfor,eventhen,itwasmorethanIfeltIcouldafford.SoIwasdelightedwithit.”Hansonwasluckytofindthecar.WhenherespondedtotheadlistingthePackard,hewastoldithadalreadybeensold.Regardless,helefthisphone number with the seller in case the deal fell through. Soonthereafter, Hanson’s phone rang and he took off from his Minnesota

home to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to retrieve his prize in themiddleofwinter.“Basically,thechassiswascompletebutthebackhalfofthebodyhadbeencutofftomakeatruckoutofit,”Hansonsaid.“LikeIlearnedtoomanytimestocount,thatwasdoneandpeopleneverfollowedthroughwithit.”WhenHanson came upon the car, itwas in a state littlemore thanPackard had delivered its chassis to Fleetwood for coachwork. Thechassiswas complete and the car still carried the radiator,hood, frontfenders and instrumentpanel. Fleetwood’s aluminumcowl, frontdoorsandpartitionbetweenthechauffeur’scompartmentandrearcabinwerealsopresent.However,thereardoors,roofandbackportionofthebodywerelostwhenaformerownerstartedtomakeatruckinthe1950s.“The guy I bought it from lived in Stambaugh, Michigan, and hebought it from the caretaker of the man who originally owned it,”Hansonsaid.“[Theseller]justdecideditwastooambitiousofaprojectandhethrewinthetowel.“Really, it was almost a one-owner car. The original owner, Mr.Richey, was from Chicago,” continued Hanson, adding Richey was apresidentandboardchairmanoftheChicagoNorthwesternRailway.“HehadacabininnorthernWisconsinandhetookitupthereanditwasupthere its entire life. He died early in the 1950s and he gave it to hiscaretaker,OttoLeino,andhisnamewaspaintedonthedoorwhenIgotit.

The1924PackardFleetwood-bodiedridesontheFirstSeries,SingleEightchassisandhasFleetwoodStyleNo.

2645coachwork.

Right:OwnerDonHanson.

“Iwas told itwasprobably ingood shapeupuntil the1950s,whenOtto got it and tore the body off [before he returned to his nativeNorway]anditsatoutside.”

Theinstrumentpanelcontinuestwo-tonegreenpaintinside.Gaugesincludefuellevel,oilpressure,amperes,clockandaspeedometer.

Ajumpseatallowsforadditionalpassengersintheplushrearcompartment.

Though the car was missing part of its body, many of its uniquefeatures remained intact. In a nod to his railroad history, the originalownerhadaredlampplacedonthedriver’ssiderunningboardsplashshieldandagreenlamponthepassengerside.Hansoncouldalsotellthe

carhadoriginallybeenpaintedthesamedarkgreencoloronthefendersas the body, an atypical feature sincemost Packards of this year hadblack fenders.Thecaralsohas sidemounts,whichareveryuncommonon 1924 Packards, and the originalwheels are optional 20-inch units,ratherthanthestandard21-inchwheels.Asaresult,Hansonbelievesthecarwasaspecial-order,andhe’scertainit’sthelastFleetwoodtowncarofitskind.“It’s the only one I know of,” he said. “I did find a 1928-’29

[Fleetwood], but I didn’t find any earlier ones. It would have beenhelpful if I could have located other 1924-’25 Fleetwood-bodiedPackardstorebuildthiscar,butIneverfoundany.”The FleetwoodMetal Body Co.was one ofmany coachbuilders that

added to Packard’s own already-extensive line of body styles in 1924.The Pennsylvania coachbuilder also supplied bodies to othermakes ofcars,butPackardwasoneofFleetwood’slargestcustomersatthetime.Fleetwoodhadbeenfoundedin1909inatownofthesamenamewhereit built body styles of every configuration, from coupe to sedan totouring to limousine tocabriolet (towncar),amongothers.Aswas thecasewithothercoachbuilders,Fleetwoodbodieswerebuiltinrunsortoan individual and unrepeated design, and could be trimmed to fit acustomer’swishesorthecompany’sownwhims.In1925,FleetwoodMetalBodyCo.’s shareholders soldout toFisher

BodyCo.,ofwhichGeneralMotorshadacontrolling stock share since1919.In1926,GMtookcompletecontrolofFisherinastockexchangethat gave it 100percent of Fisher’s shares.With that trade, FleetwoodMetal Body Co. was completely enveloped into GM, yet Fleetwoodcontinued toproducebodies for othermakes of chassis. Soon,GeneralMotorsbuilta satelliteplant toFleetwood inDetroit, then in1930,allcoachwork under the Fleetwood namewas completed inDetroitwhiletheFleetwood,Pa.,plantclosed.Despite the number of bodies Fleetwood built, Fleetwood-bodied

Packardsurvivorsappeartoberare.Withhiscar’srearsectionmissing,andanotherPackardprojectcarintheworks,Hansonletthe1924towncar project languish. But he didn’t stop thinking about the project.Heplacedadvertisementslookingforarearsectiontothebodysohecoulddeterminehowtocorrectlyre-assemblethecoachwork.Thoseadswere

never answered, but he never considered parting with the dauntingproject.“Ireallydidn’tconsidersellingit,butoftentimesIwouldcontemplate

findinganotherbodywhen Ididn’tgeta response tomyads,”Hansonsaid. “The front section was all complete and otherwise, I probablywouldhavenever attempted it. I thought all I had todowas find therear tub section and doors, and it was a much tougher job than Iimagined.”ItdidhelpthatthePackard’schassiswassocomplete.“Itwasexplainedtomethatitonlyhad4,500miles,whichwasonthe

odometer,buttheglass[onthegauge]wasbrokenandrustybecauseithadbeensittingoutside,”hesaid.“While Iwantedtobelievethatwastrue, I have no idea of knowing that. The frame and chassis were allintactanditlookedverygood.Itlookedcompleteandnotmessedwith.Butitwassorusty,therestorationworkwasconsiderable.”

“Basically,thechassiswascompletebutthebackhalfofthebodyhadbeencutofftomakeatruckoutofit,”Hansonsaid.“LikeIlearnedtoomanytimestocount,thatwasdoneandpeopleneverfollowedthroughwithit.”

Despite its rust, the chassis was a good foundation with which towork.However,Hansonwasstillmissing the rear section, sohebeganresearchinghow thebody shouldappear.Hevisited theDetroitPublicLibraryandviewedhistoricimagesofsimilarvehicles,buthisbigbreakcame in 1988when he visited Phelps,Wis., the former home of OttoLeinoandthevacationhomeofthePackard’soriginalpurchaser.“Iwent tobackwhereOtto lived,but first, Ihad to findoutexactly

wherehelived,soIwenttothepostmasterinthattown,”Hansonsaid.“IaskedwhereOttoLeinolivedandfoundthepropertywasprettymuchabandoned. I had driven that far, so I kicked the bushes and lookedaroundandfoundtherearsection[buriedinthedirt].Ionlyfoundthebottomhalf,butIwasecstaticbecausenowIknewtheconfiguration.”

Shortly after, another piece fell into place. “Within one month ofgettingthatrearsection,thisattorneycalledmeandsaidhehadabunchofrearpartsandsectionsthatIcouldhave,”Hansonsaid.“Ididn’ttakeatrailerbecauseIdidn’texpecttogetanything,andinthebasementofhis law office, he had a 1929 or ’30 Packard and he had all kinds ofparts.Therewerethesetwotopsectionsandhegavethembothtome.Ididn’t know which one I wanted to use or which was the best, so Ipigeon-holedtheminthetrunkofmycarandtookthembackhomeandIhadmybackhalf.”Apartssedanwaspurchasedin1992,whichprovidedthereardoorsand other parts. Hanson then delivered the town car’s body parts toGene Irvine of New Madison, Ohio, to have its wood repaired orreconstructed. In 1997, the body and its newwood frame work werereturned to Hanson for the fitting of the body panels — a task thatprovedchallenging.

Hansonhada“Daphneatthewell”radiatorcapfromalaterPackardfashionedforthecar.

By2009,thePackardwasshow-readyinsideandout.

Over thatwinter,Hansonmounted the town car body on the donorcar’sframesohecouldworkontheoriginalchassisandthebodyatthesametime.Thechassiswascleanedandhepreparedtostarttheengineinthespring.“Usingabeercaseforaseat, I towedthecarforinitialstartup,”he

said. “It fired almost immediately, andwithinminutes it was runningquite well. I drove the chassis, with the beer case seat, around theneighborhoodforseveraltrips.Theengineransmoothly—noleaks,nonoisefromwithinandnosmoke.Theengineisalsoequippedwithanaircompressorthatrunsoffthetransmission.Gottapumpupthetiresyouknow!Italsoworkedperfectlywhenengaged.“Istillhaven’trebuilttheengineanditrunsextremelywell.”Hanson took the cleaned chassis to Odyssey Restorations in Spring

Lake Park, Minn., to be fully restored. The craftsmen at OdysseyRestorationscompletedmechanicalworkanddealtwiththechassis’rust.Inthemeantime,Hansoncontinuedfittingthebodymetal,andwhenitwas completed in 2003, he took the body to Wayne Kempfert ofMinneapolisforpaint.Hansonchosealightgreeninplaceoftheoriginaldarkgreen,anditslighterhuehasbecomeanattentiongrabber.

“I was after elegance, and I was after something more bright andcheerful,” he said. “I considered gray, but I really wanted to do thegreen.Onthiscar,IthoughtitwasrightandIspentalotoftimesortingoutdozensofsamplesofpainttofigureoutwhatitshouldbe.Ithinkit’sthecolorandopenfrontthatreallygrabspeople.”By the summer of 2004, the body and sorted-out chassis had been

reunited and the Packard was ready to be trimmed. Hanson selectedRickTillmanofR&RUpholsteryinWhiteBearLake,Minn.,toinstalltheroofover the rearcompartment.Admittedly,Hansonwasparticularonhowthetopshould looktoremainauthentic.Hewaspleasedwith theresults,soheemployedTillmantoupholstertheinside.Left with little clue how the interior originally looked on his

Fleetwood-bodiedPackard,HansonandTillmanreliedonperiodphotosuncoveredintheDetroitPublicLibrary’scollectiontoupholsterthecar.Meanwhile, the 85-hp, 357.8-cid straight-eight registered low oil

pressure and hadwater jackets that leaked, sowith the prodding of afellow Packard enthusiast, Hanson continued to tweak the engine. Henowknowshiscar’senginefronttobackandhowtoproperlytuneit.“Ishouldhaveputzippersontheoilpanandfrontcover,Ihadthem

offandonsomanytimes,”hesaid.By2009,thecarwasreadytobeshown,anditmadeappearancesat

concours such as the Milwaukee Masterpiece and Salisbury Concoursd’Elegance, plus two Classic Car Club of America meets, where itsreceiveditsPrimaryandSeniorAwards,whichconfirmitsauthenticity.Hanson also hopes to enter the car in Antique Automobile Club ofAmericaeventsinthefuture.“Iwouldreally like to take it toHershey inOctoberandthat’sabig

commitment,”hesaid.“WhenItookittotheMasterpiece,IgottheMostElegantAward,andIusuallygetsomekindofanaward.It’snicetogetanaward,butIenjoytheshowfortheshow.”Throughtheyears,Hansonhassoldcarsinordertostartnewprojects,

but thisPackardmight justbeakeeper.“Iwould like to think Iwon’tsellit,butwe’realljustcaretakers.It’sthejourney—notthedestination—thatdrivesus,”hesaid.MaybethereisanotherPackardpuzzlewaitingaroundthecorner.And

ifthereis,Hansonisjustthemantoputitbacktogether.

I

CHAPTERTHREE193120MILLIONTHFORDByAngeloVanBogart

MILESTONEMODELA

LandmarkFordwentundercoverformanyyears

Thelong-lost20thmillionthFord—a1931ModelA—hasbecomecelebrityagain,justasitwaswhenitrolledofftheFordassemblyline.

nthefallof2000,oneofthemosthistoricandpresumedlostFordsofall time was unearthed from 40 years of storage in a garage inMichigan’s Upper Peninsula. The 20 Millionth Ford, a black 1931Model A Town Sedan, is not only important from the numericassignmentgiventoitontheassemblyline,butforthedignitariesthatuseditwhileFordpromotedthecararoundthecountry.After a fewpublicity shotswere takenof the landmarkFord after it

rolled off the assembly line, none other than Henry Ford drove theModelAFordofftheassemblylineandintohistorybooks.Henry’sson,

Edsel,whoiscreditedformakingtheModelAthebeautifulautomobilethatitis,wasinthepassengerseat.

Arearviewofthe1931ModelATownSedanrevealsthe“TheTwentyMillionthFord”writingonitssparetirecover.FordMotorCompanyChiefofStaffJohnRintamaki

explainedthat,“Henrywantedpeopletomakesuretheycouldreadit,”soheputthecar’snumericdesignationoneveryside,includingthecar’sroof.

“FordmadeitimportantwhenHenryFordstampedthenumberontheblock and drove it off the assembly line,” Rod Liimatainen said. Hisfamlyhasownedthe20MillionthFordsince1940,whenFordMotorCo.initiallysoldthecar.FromtheRougeassemblyplant,HenryForddrovethecartohishomewherehe and theModelAFordwerephotographedwithHenry’s firstcar, theQuadricycle.From there, the landmarkcarwasdrivenbyCol.C.D. Hilton on a promotional tour where it received honors fromAmericansacrossthecountry.“Itwentonanationwidetourandthousands,ifnotmillions,sawit,”Liimatainensaid.The car’s first stop in New York found it honored with a drive byMayor JamesWalker, whomet the car at the steps of city hall. EvenEleanor Roosevelt drove the car when it stopped by the New Yorkgovernor’shouse,whereherhusbandheldoffice.

In Texas, the car was photographed with the town of Brady’s 20millionthturkeyasacrowdlookedon.Manystateshonoredthecarwith“20000000”licenseplateswhilethepeopleoftheSiouxNationinducedthe car as a member of their tribe. The car was driven by manydignitaries between, such as actor/producer Douglas Fairbanks,champion golfer Glenna Collett and Admiral Richard E. Byrd, amongothers.

WhenLiimatainen’sfatherboughtthecar,hehadfullknowledgeofthecar’sstar-studdedpastdespitethefactFordhadtriedtobrushawaythecar’spastbypaintingoverthegiantwhiteletteringthat

proclaimedthecar’sheritage.

Throughitstour,the20MillionthFordrackedmilesfromNewYorktotheWestCoast, then to the south and finally back toDearborn,Mich.Once home, it was housed in Dearborn’s Ford Museum for 10 years.After itsdecade-longstay,FordsoldthespecialTownSedantocurrentownerRodLiimatainen’sfatherfor$550,just$80lessthanthemodel’soriginal$630baseprice.WhenLiimatainen’s fatherbought thecar,hehad full knowledge of the car’s star-studdedpast despite the fact Fordhadtriedtobrushawaythecar’spastbypaintingoverthegiantwhiteletteringthatproclaimedthecar’sheritage.Although the non-descriptModel A putted around the Liimatainens’UpperPeninsulahometownlookingasordinaryasanyotherModelA,afewlocalFordfanswerekeentoitsidentityandimportance,butkeptitssecretfordecades.“Itwasknowninthearea,”Liimatainensaid.“Alotofpeoplewantedtobuyitovertheyears.”Liimatainen’sparentsknewthecarwasofhistoricvalue,andaftertheelder Liimatainen’s death, his wife and son preserved it. “I thought itwasmydutytosavethecar,”Liimatainensaid.AfterhisfatherpassedonthecartoLiimatainenandismotherinthe1950s,itneverleftthegarage.

“IdroveitwhenIwas16andalmostwreckedit,”hesaid.“Ididnottrustmyself[withthecar].”Fordhadmaskedthecar’spastwell.AlthoughtheLiimatainensknew

what theyhad,others remained skepticaluntil its restorationbegan inthe2000.“Somebody had painted it a few times,” Terry Deter of Deters

Restorations in Temperence,Ohio, said. “Iwasn’t 100 percent sold onit.”Basedon the shop’saward-winningworkonotherModelA’s,Deters

Restorationswasselectedtorestorethecarbythecar’sownerandFordMotorCo.,whichhelpedfundtheproject.“ThestoryIgotwasFordsandedthepaintbeforetheysoldit,”Deter

said.Thismadeitdifficulttodetermineifthelong-lostcarhad,indeed,beenfound.Ford historian Bob Kreipke investigated the car’s existence in 2000

andtrackedittoLiimatainen’smother’sgarageintheUpperPeninsula.There,hefoundadustyModelAthathadbeenparkedformorethan40yearswithabout50,000milesonitsodometer.AfterKreipkedetermined thecarwas legitimate,HenryFord’sgreat-

grandsonWilliamClayFordIIstoppedtoseethecarintheLiimatainens’garagebeforeitwasshippedoutforabody-off-framerestorationfundedatleastinpartbytheautoindustrygiant.

“As faras Iunderstand,[WilliamClayFord II]wentup to…see thecar,” Deter said. Fordwas also filmedwith the car at his home for adocumentaryontheModelAthatFordwasintheprocessofproducing.AfterFord’svisit,thecarwascompletelytornapart.“Thebareframeissittingagainstthewall,”Deterssaidatthetimeoftherestoration.“It’sbeingputbackthewayitcameofftheassemblyline.”Deters said the car arrived in his shop in relatively good originalconditionwithmostoftheoriginalupholsteryandverylittlerust.“It’snotaneasy restoration,butnotadifficultone,”Deters said. “Itcertainly,forthemostpart,wasallthere.”Helpng preserve the bodywere at least two coast of paint over theoriginalblackcoat.AcloseinitialinspectionbyDetersshowednosignsof the letteringon thecar’s sidesor roof.Hewasdoubtfulof thecar’shistoryuntilthedisassemblybegan.Whenhetooktheframeofthecaroff,hefoundthemagicserialnumber—A20000000.

“The body has never been off the frame,”Deters added, a sure signthatthecarremainedunmolestedandtheLiimatainen’sstoryhadheldup.Further proof of the car’s authenticity camewhen the Deters began

strippingthepaintand foundprimerbetweencoatsofpaintwhere theletteringshouldhavebeen.DetersRestorationsspentaboutayearrestoringthecar.Whenitwas

completed,thecarmadeitsdebutatthe2002IolaOldCarShow,whichfeaturedthe1928-’31FordModelA,thenwasdisplayedatFordMotorCo.headquartersfor,ironically,another10years.

I

CHAPTERFOUR1934LASALLEStoryandphotosbyBillRothermel,SAH

THENEIGHBORLYLASALLE

1934convertiblecoupeservesasafaithfulcompanion

34-year-oldWadeTibbittsnoticedthis1934LaSallelanguishinginaneighbor’sgaragewhenhewasachild.Tibbittsandhisfatherpurchasedthecarin2010,madeitoperableand

immediatelybegantakingittoshows.

nthelate1920s,companioncarswerealltherageatGeneralMotors.Buick had Marquette; Oldsmobile offered Viking; Oakland featuredPontiac; and Cadillac, the LaSalle. By 1932, both Marquette andVikinghadbeendropped;Oakland,too,asitwasusurpedbyPontiac,itsunderstudy. InsideGM, therewas talk of dropping LaSalle,which hadbeenlegendarydesigndirectorHarleyEarl’sbabyashisfirstprojectforGM.However,LaSallesaleshaddroppedfromahighof22,961in1929to3,386 in1932and3,482 in1933, fueling theargument toabandonthe marque. The struggling early-’30s economy made it tough to sellautomobiles,especiallyupstartssuchasLaSalle.

TherearviewisallTibbittshadoftheLaSalleformanyyears.Hedidn’tgetaviewoftheartdecoinstrumentpaneluntilheandhisfathercalledthecartheirown.

Earl’ssolutionwastopresenttheLaSalleasanall-newcar for1934.Styledby JulesAgramonteunder the tutelageofEarl, thenewLaSallewasnothingshortofsensational.BackedbytheprestigeofCadillacwithbodiesbyFleetwood,theLaSallewaspriced$1,000lessthantheleast-expensiveCadillacinordertocompeteforbuyersintheupper-mediumprice range. Styling was streamlined featuring a slender V radiator,teardrop headlamps, circular ports arrayed in a vertical line along thehood, chevrons on the front fenders and unique-for-1934 bi-planebumpers — all very art deco features. Bendix hydraulic brakes wereCadillac’sfirstuseofthenewtechnologyandwereonlyusedonLaSallesfor1934.Anew240-cid,95-hpL-headstraight-eightfortheLaSallewasbuiltbyOldsmobiletoCadillac’sspecifications.ThefactthatallLaSalles

were legitimately assembledby the craftsmanatGM’sFleetwoodbodyworkscertainlyaddedtothecachet.Thedivisionsold7,218carsfortheyear,morethandoublingthatofthepreviousyear.LawrenceFisher,presidentofCadillac,firstnoticedEarlin1925when

hewasdesigningcustomcoachworkinHollywood.Aboutthesametime,GeneralMotorspresidentAlfredP.Sloan,Jr.wishedtofillthepricegapinGM’slineupbetweenBuickandCadillac.ThenewLaSallebecamethecartofillitandEarlwashiredtodesignthecoachworkonaconsultingbasis.“NotquiteasconservativeastheCadillac,”wastheinstructiongiven

Earl,andhechosetheHispano-Suizaashisinspiration.TheLaSallewasintroducedtomuchacclaimonMarch5,1927–afull15modelsontwowheelbases ranging in price from $2,495 to $4,700. By year’s end,16,850hadbeensoldandEarlhadafull-timejobatGMasheadofthenewlycreatedArtandColourSection.TheLaSalleismemorablenotforitsengineering,butratheritsstyling,

andEarlwasthemanresponsible.TheLaSallewasasmashhitwhenitwas introduced in1927.One reporterwrote that itwas “… justaboutthemostbeautifulcarhehadeverseen.”WadeTibbitts,a34-year-oldcollectorinSaltLakeCity,Utah,agrees.“Thecarbelongedtoaneighborofours,”recalledTibbittsofhis1934

LaSalle. “I can remember as a child ridingmybike aroundand seeingthebackendofthatredcarpeekingoutofthegarage.Atareallyyoungage,Imademydaddragmetoallthecarshows,butIhadnoideawhatIwaslookingat.IgotmoreintocarsasIgotolder.WhenIwasinmyteens andmy parents were on vacation, I drugmy first engine homefrom the junk yard. I kind of forcedmy dad into a partnership.” Theenginebelongedtoa1956ChevroletthatTibbittswouldlaterrestore.The neighbor who owned the LaSalle came over quite often to talk

during the restoration of the ’56 Chevy and remarked to the (then)teenagerthathewantedtogethiscaroutandrunning,too.

“Wewalkedover to lookat thecarand that iswhen Idiscovered itwasaLaSalle,”Tibbittssaid.“Mygrandparentshada1937LaSalle,soIwaskindoffamiliarwiththename.Iknewitwassomethingspecial,butIstillhadnoideathesignificanceofwhatitwasuntilmuchlaterwhenIstartedgettingintoClassiccars.”The knownhistory of the car goes back to the early 1960s. The carwas purchased by a prominent local judgewhowas an avid collector.Upon his passing, a son inherited the car. The son was Tibbitt’sneighbor.He, too,wouldpasson.Whilehelping theneighbor’swidowrepairhergaragedoor,Tibbittsandhisfathersuggestedshehavethecarprofessionallyappraised.“ThisisthefirsttimeIgottoseethecarwitheducated eyes. I was stunned how complete and rust-free it was,”Tibbitts said. Lo and behold, a deal was struck and the car waspurchasedbythefather-and-sonduoinJune2010.Underneatha layerofdustwas a remarkable survivorof theClassicera.Inadditiontothelackofrust,therewasnosignificantwoodrotintheframe.Saveforared-and-blackrepaintdatingtothe1960soveritsoriginalDianaCrèmeexterior,thecarwasaremarkablesurvivorofthescant600LaSalleconvertiblecoupesproducedfor1934.“Eventhetireswereairedup,”Tibbittssaid.“Unfortunately,miceand

ratsmade ameal out of the carpeting. But overall, itwas in amazingcondition.”

TheLaSalleismemorablenotforitsengineering,butratheritsstyling,andEarl

wasthemanresponsible.

The brake pedalwent completely to the floorwhen depressed, so itwasobviousthebrakesystemwouldneedtobeaddressed.Accordingtothepriorowner,thecarwastakentoamechanicwiththeideaofgettingitrunning.Itwasstarted,butbroughthomeandneverrunagain.Tothisday, the LaSalle still wears the inspection sticker from its lastregistrationperiod—dated1965!Thepartsrequiredtofixthebrakesarrivedjustthreedaysbeforethe

UtahConcoursd’EleganceonAug.28,2010,where theLaSallewas tomakeitsdebut.Remarkably,thecarwasputbacktogetherandreadyfortheshow.PriortotheTibbittsespurchasingthecar,ithadonlybeendriven200

milessince1964,asevidencedbyanoilchangestickerontheinsideofthe door from a local gas station. Today, the odometer reads 80,077miles.

The Series 350 convertible coupe was one of four LaSalle modelsoffered for 1934, all riding a 119-inch wheelbase. Designated Model6335, the convertible coupe seated two or four passengers, dependinguponwhether or not the rumble seatwas used.Weighing in at 3,780lbs., base price was $1,695.Most people became acquainted with the1934 LaSalle convertible coupe when Bill Rader paced the 1934Indianapolis500inonesuchcar.LaSalle production continued through 1940, when Cadillac called it

quits due to LaSalle’s declining sales. For 1941, Cadillac re-introducedtheSeries61toreplacetheLaSalleasthepriceleaderinitslineup.Tibbittshopestofindsomeofthemissingpiecessuchasthebumpers,

the original air cleaner and the ashtrays in the doors tomake the carcomplete.“Otherthanthecolorchange,itisintactasitwasbuilt,”Tibbittssaid.

Asforhisplansforthecar,Tibbittssaid,“I’mgoingtoleavewellenoughalone.Thisisanincredibletimecapsule.”

As in 1934, some 75 years earlier, this LaSalle remains a faithfulcompanion,albeitforayoungergeneration.

W

CHAPTERFIVE1934PACKARDROLLSTONStorybyAngeloVanBogartPhotoscourtesyofMikeHendelandBarryDosdall

REGALRIDE

GraceVanderbilt’suniqueRollston-bodied1934Packardtown‘essentiallydisappeared’

ManyRollstonbodiesfeaturetheV-windshield,butthisistheonlyknown1934Packardincorporatingthestylingelement.Thesharpandveryformallinestothetowncar

coachworkstillharmonizewiththesmoothshapesofthePackardfenders,hoodandradiator.

ith the last name “Vanderbilt,” GraceWilson Vanderbilt couldn’tbe seen in anything less than a Packard. The family of herhusband, Cornelius Vanderbilt III, had built its fortune on

transportation— first ferries, then railroads—somovingand shakingwas in the family blood. By Grace Vanderbilt’s lifetime, the shakingevolved to hobnobbingwith high society and royalty, and themoving

camecourtesyofPackard.Several photographs from the 1910s and 1920s showVanderbilts atthe runningboards of contemporaryPackards, soGracedidn’t need toask a man who owned one when she went car shopping in the late1930s. Her hunt took her to an unusual Rollston-bodied Packard thathadoriginallyescortedfellow“OldKnickerbockerSociety”socialiteMrs.AllenA.Ryan.RyanhadpurchasedtheRollstonPackardfromthestockof Park Avenue Packard, a Packard Motor Car Co. of New YorkdistributornotfarfromtheParkAvenuemansionVanderbiltsharedwithherhusbandinNewYorkCity.Althoughitwascertainlyunusualforoneaswealthy as Grace Vanderbilt to buy a second-hand automobile, theRollstonPackardwas stillworthy of a notable socialite, anddefinitelyuniqueinhighsociety.

“It’s anEight chassis,which isodd,because, the story that seems toflowonthiscaristhatitwassoldatParkAvenuePackard,andnobodyneededthebiglongwheelbaseandpowertogetaroundthecity,”saidTomLaferriereof theRollston towncar-bodied1934PackardEightherecentlypurchased.Laferriereuncovered the towncar fromdecadesofstorageafter receivinga tipon itswhereabouts fromPackardhistorian

JimPearsall.

AlthoughitwascertainlyunusualforoneaswealthyasGraceVanderbilttobuyasecond-handautomobile,theRollstonPackardwasstillworthyofanotablesocialite,anddefinitely

uniqueinhighsociety.

“It is uncommon, and I thinkwhere youwould find it was in NewYorkCity,becauseof thevolumeof traffic,”Pearsall said.“Theycouldhave put the same coachwork on an 1108 chassis, and there was abeautiful 1108 Rollston town car in 1934, but around New York Citywith heavy traffic, the Super Eight or Eight chassis would have beenbetter.”In1934,PackardofferedthreeseriesofitsEleventhSeriesmodel:theEight, Super Eight and Twelve. The Eight had a smaller displacementstraight-eightcomparedtoitslargercompanions,aswellaswheelbasesinshorterincrements.However,thePackardEight’s319.2cubicinchessupplied plenty of power in the city, and thewheelbases in 129-1/2-,136-1/4-and 141-1/2-inch lengths gave it a tighter turning radius fornavigating the cramped quarters of New York City during the GreatDepression.Aslogicalasthismayseem,itwasrareforacoachworkasformalasatowncartobefittedtotheEightchassis,eventhoughmosttowncarsweresoldinlargecities.“There’salotofspeculationwhyitwasdone,”Laferrieresaid.“Itwasdonewhenitwasnew;obviously,it’snotabodyswap.”Of the Rollston town cars known to have been built for Packardchassisin1934,theRyan-Vanderbiltcaristheonlyknownsurvivor.“This Rollston has a split windshield and to my understanding,Rollstonmadetwoofthesetowncarbodiesin’34,”Laferrieresaid.“Onewasonan1108chassisandit’sgotaflatwindshield.”Although theirwindshielddesigns vary, bothknownRollston-bodied1934 Packards have sharp edges to their respective passengercompartments that provide a very formal look, and each carries the

deeply skirted front fenders flanking the vertical radiator that definePackards of this year. However, the Rollston town car counterpart toLaferriere’sPackardismountedontheTwelve-cylinder1108chassisonthe146-7/8-inchwheelbase—Packard’slongestthatyear.It’spossibleRollstononlybuilttwotowncarsonthePackardchassis

in 1934, because the traditional body stylewas consideredhaughty inthe depths of the Great Depression. Additionally, Packard alreadycataloged two LeBaron town cars, so most buyers would have simplyordered Packard’s recommended coachwork. However, this RollstontowncarwouldhavebeenmorereadilyapparenttotheNewYorkCitysocialitessinceNewYorkCity-basedRollstonhadbuilt thecaronspecanddisplayeditatParkAvenuePackard,thuseliminatingthewaitforacatalogedLeBaron tobebuilt.And, for thewealthiestof socialites, thegreen-and-blackPackardRollstontowncarwasnotonlytherightmakeandbodystyle,buteventheappropriatecolor.

YearsofoutdoorstoragehavetakentheirtollontheinteriorofthePackard.Althoughitappearsoriginalandintact,itwillrequirerestoration.

“Most Vanderbilt cars were maroon and black, but this one wasgreen,”Laferrieresaid.“It’sthecolorofmoney.”GraceVanderbiltpassedawayin1953,soit’simpossibletodetermineifthecolorswayedherpurchase.However,it’snotsurprisingshedidn’tadheretothefamily’suseofredandblack,giventhefactherhusbandhad been disinherited by his father, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, for theirunion.Eventhoughfenceswereeventuallymendedwithherhusband’smother,GracewouldneverownaPackardinthetrademarkVanderbiltcolors, as this green-and-black Packard would be her calling card

throughtheremainderofherlife.“Sheusedthiscaruntil1951,”Laferrieresaid.“Justpicturethatfora

minute — she was still being driven around in this car when 1951Chevroletswerenew.”Today, the Packard remains largely unrestored and still wears that

green-and-blackpaintscheme.Likemanychauffeur-driventowncars,itwas well cared for during its years of service, and those years weremany.FromwhatLaferrierecantell,thecarremainedwell-preservedformostofitslife,althoughtoday,itisinneedofrestoration.“Itwas in storage from1951 to 1961,” Laferriere said. “AfterGrace

Vanderbilt died, the car, throughher son,wasdonated in1957 to theAbyssinian Baptist Church. They never licensed it and it remained indead storage.Thechurch sold the car inFebruary1961 toC.Kornorf.Thenitwaspurchasedin1968bythe[Mead]familyIboughtitfrom.”Beforeits1968saletotheMeadfamily,the’34PackardEightRollston

towncarwaswell-knownbyPackardenthusiasts.OncetheMeadstookownership,thecarfelloutofview.“Thecaressentiallydisappeared,”Pearsallsaid.“Itwasknowntohave

been in Florida in the early ’70s and then it disappeared and peoplewonderedwhathappenedtothatcar. Igotwindof it lastsummerandstartedtotrackitdown.”PearsallsharedhisdiscoverywithLaferriere,whomadecontactwith

theMeadfamily.“Thedaughterwouldtalkabouthowshewasalwaysridinginthecar

and theywent on all of these rides, so theywere using it,” Laferrieresaid. The funwas short-lived, because the registrations stopped in the1970s when the Packard was parked again, left to fall out of themicroscope of the hobby.During this bout of storage, father timewasnotsokind.

ThiswirephotographtakenonNewYorkCity’sFifthAvenueupontheopeningoftheBacheArtCollectionin1937isbelievedtoalsoshowthe

Rollston-bodiedVanderbilt1934Packardtowncar.

WhenLaferriereviewedthecar,ithadclearlysufferedtheravagesofoutdoor storage. He did what any enthusiast who stumbles onto anhistoriccarwoulddoandbegannegotiatingitspurchasetopreservetheweatheringcar.

“The familywanted tokeep it, but therewas a storagewar and thewarehouseownerendedupputtingitoutside,andthatiswhatdestroyedit,”Laferrieresaid.After a deal was struck, Laferriere added it to his Packard-heavycollection.Sincepurchasing it,hehasbeencombingover its conditionandfeatures.“It’salmostallthere,butitismissingtheradiatorcap,aircleanerandthePackardornament,becausethatiseasilystolen,”hesaid.“I get a thrill of getting them started and running and makingeverythingworkagain,”hesaid.“Ihaditrunning,butitwillneedafullrestoration. It needs paint, chrome, interior, but the [engine] soundspretty good. I am going to keep working towards detailing themechanicsofthecar.”WhileLaferriereisexcitedaboutthecar,hefeelsitshouldundergoafull restoration by another enthusiastic Packard collector. He plans toaddthecartotheinventoryofhisbusiness,LaferriereClassicCars.“Iwanttosharethecarandletthenextpersontakeittothatlevelofrestoration,”Laferrieresaid.Hefeelsthenextownerwillhaveauniqueopportunitytoownasliceofhistory.“I call this the find of the century, because you don’t find custom-

bodiedcarsthatoften,especiallyatthispointintimeinthehobby.Thiscarhastwothingsgoingforit:Ithastheautomotivehistory,becauseit’saRollston’34Packard,butitalsohasAmerican[Vanderbilt]historytiedtoit,aswell.”

E

CHAPTERSIX1937FORDCUSTOMCOUPEByAngeloVanBogart

COMEBACKCUSTOM

Long-lost’37Fordcoupeisastar,again

GlennJohnsonbuiltthis1937Fordcustomfrom1947-’51,allthewhiledrivingittoworkeveryday.ThecarlandedonthecoverofHotRodMagazinein1952.

xamplesfromJoeBortz’scollectionoffactory-builtconceptcarsfromthe1950sand ’60shaveappearedon thepagesofOldCarsWeeklyfordecades.Soitshouldn’tbesurprisingthathealsohasasoftspot

forcustomsthathailfromthesameera.“In a vague way, there is a relationship between custom cars and

conceptcars,”Bortzsaid.“Thecustomsthatarereallydonerightarelikesomeconceptcars.TheGeneralMotorsTechCenterwoulddothesamethingsometimes—takeaproductioncaroffthelineandtheirteamsofdesignersandengineerswouldmodifyittocomeupwithaconceptcar.”In Bortz’s opinion, the Glenn Johnson 1937 Ford coupe custom, his

latest of four custom cars, has the quality and even the popularity ofthoseproduction-basedconceptcarsfromtheirheyday.

“IthinkthearchitecturaldesignoftheJohnsoncarspeaksforitself,”Bortzsaid.“Mostguysthatcustomizedcarsweremodifyingthem;theyweretakingoff thehoodornamentandtheyareexchangingtail lights,buttheyarenottakingintoperspectivetheoverallpackage.IthinkGlenJohnsonwasoneofthefirstguyswhoconsideredtheoveralldesignandworkedbackwards.Hedidn’tjustcutandmakenipshereandthere.”HotRodMagazineagreed,andin1952itputJohnson’schopped-and-channeled 1937 Ford on the cover of its April issue. Inside the issue,Johnson explained how he turned his daily driver into a cover carbetween 1947-’51, all thewhile driving it 60miles back and forth toworksixdaysaweek.Asafuturearchitect,Johnsonhadtheskillsatthetimetomapouthischannelandchopjob.Hesketchedouttheprofileofhis1937coupe—acar he called an “ugly duckling” — then determined the new, lowerprofile of his coupe.His sketch included a rake to thewindshield andrepositioningtherearfendersslightlyforwardandhigherasaresultoftheslightshift in the locationof thebodyafter itschanneling.Healsodesignedapointierprowand1940Fordheadlampbezels.

Sincethiswastobehisfirstattemptatmajorbodywork,letaloneachop-and-channel job, Johnson studied a friend’s chopped-and-channeled1936Fordcoupe,butitofferedfewclues.

Johnsonmountedallthegaugesabovethewindshieldandhadthepanelbeneaththewindshieldupholstered.Thecarcarriesa1947Mercuryflatheadwithtwo

carburetorsandotherearly-1950sspeedequipment.

“IthinkGlenJohnsonwasoneofthefirstguyswhoconsideredtheoveralldesignandworkedbackwards.Hedidn’tjustcutand

makenipshereandthere.”

“The first thing I did was to thoroughly examine [Carl Ganz’s] ’36,hoping to pick up ideas, but due to outstanding workmanship, thesecrets of its reconstruction methods remained as mysterious as theancientSphinx,”JohnsonsaidinhisHotRodMagazinearticle.Johnsonalsoconsulted“experts,”noneofwhichprovidedenlighteningadvice,sohe drove the car under a shade tree in the backyard of his Las Vegashomeandgottoworkwithsomebasicbodytoolsandborrowedweldingequipment.Aftermeasuringandplanning,hechoppedthetop,filledthegapswith

newmetaland then leadedover theweldsandotherbodywork.Nextcamethebodychanneling,whichdropped thebodyabout6 inchesonthe frame. Johnson removed the fenders, running boards, hood, grilleanddecklidbeforedroppingthebody.Heslicedanddicedareasofthebody, including the firewall and the rear wheel openings, toaccommodatetheloweringofthebodyonthechassis.Allthewhile,theFord was serving daily driver duty, sometimes with major body partsmissing!After the channel was completed, Johnson molded the rear fenders

intothebody,thesetouttore-fitthefrontcliponthechanneledbody.The nose of the Ford car was heavily reshaped with a 1947 Cadillacgrille,cappedbya1941Cadillacfrontbumper.Meanwhile,asplit1946DeSotorearbumperwasfittedintherear.It took Johnson a year to complete the leadwork and file theweld

marksonthebodybeforethecarwasfinallypainted,theglassre-fittedand the body trimmed. Then, just one week after all this work wascompleted,disasterstruck.Inhisarticle,Johnsonsaidasmolderingragignited the gas tank and blistered the paint, cracked the glass anddestroyed the interior. While devastated at the time, Johnson lookedbackon the event as anopportunity toperfect the skillshedevelopedduringthecar’sinitialbuild.Muchoftheworkthattookhimhoursthe

firsttimewasreducedtominutes.In the end, Johnson’s 1937 Ford turned out to be a show-stoppingcreation.Afteritscoverappearance,thecarisknowntohaveappearedatthePasadenaAutoShow.AccordingtoBortz, thecarwasshownforthreeyears,thenitsuddenlydisappearedfromthescene.

ThecoupewaswellknownontheCaliforniashowsceneinthe1950s,butthendisappearedfromthepublic.

“Heboughtthatcarin’47andfinisheditin’50-’51,showeditthrough’52-’55andthenparkeditnexttohisdeserthomeinNevada,andfor40years,itjustsatthere.”The dry desert climate helped preserve the custom Ford, but afterdecades of baking in the hot Nevada sun while the car was parkedbehindabuilding,itneededarestoration.Bytheearly2000s,Johnsonhadrebuilthis1937Ford—forthethirdtime—completingeverythinghimselfexcepttheupholstery.After that, he began showing it again. “After he restored it to the

conditionashefirstbuiltit,heputitinoneshowbeforehedied,”Bortzsaid. Bortz acquired Johnson’s coupe around 2007 and had a fewfinishingtouchescompletedtomakethecarappearexactlyasitdidforthe1952HotRodMagazinecover.“WhenIgotit,theonlythingthatwasmissingwerethefenderskirts,

so Fran Roxasmade a set of fender skirts and he detailed the enginecompartment,”Bortzsaid.“[Johnson]hadputamoderntapedeckinthedashandwepulleditoutandputbackinanearly-1950sradiofront.”Apparently, Johnson had hoped to take the coupe to more shows

following its restoration,andBortz is trying tohonor that legacy. “Hiswishwasitwouldgotosomebodywhowouldshowitagain,andIsaidIwould see that the car got exhibited in ameaningfulway, and that iswhathappened.It’sbeenalotoffun.”

Sofar,Bortzhasshownthecaratthe2011GrandNationalRoadsterShow. It’s scheduled to appear at the 2011Detroit Autorama. Fans ofwell-donecustomswillhaveanotherchancetocheckoutthishandsomecustomatthe2011AmeliaIslandConcoursd’Elegance.

I

CHAPTERSEVEN1937FORDEIFELByAngeloVanBogart

THEEIFELFORD

RestoredroadsterisuniqueandrareGermanimmigrant

This1937EifelroadstercametotheU.S.inthe1950s,butwasthentakenofftheroadformanyyearsbeforerecentlymakingacomeback.

ttooknearly55years,butMannyFeijoo’sFordEifelexperiencecamefullcircleattheAACA’s2010EasternFallMeetinHershey,Pa.In1956,theJohnsonCity,N.Y.,residentsawanEifelforthefirsttime

attheHersheyevent.In1987,FeijoosawhissecondEifelwhenhewasapproachedaboutstoringatinyroadster.Althoughhedidn’thavespaceforsuchaproject,hewasinterestedinlearningmoreaboutthecar.“Myantennawentup and Imade an appointment to look at it,” he

recalleduponlearningaboutthe1937Eifelroadster.“Thebrotherofthe

previous owner said if he didn’t find a place to store it, he’d sell it. Iaskedforfirstrightofrefusalandsixmonthslater,hecalledtosellthecar.”

Given its age and imported status, Feijoo found it difficult to put adollaramountontheunusualcar.“Hewantedanoffer,butItoldhimIdidn’tknowwhatitwasworth,”Feijoosaid.“Isaid,‘Let’shaveanappraisal,andifIcanaffordit,Iwillbuythecar.Ifnot,wecansplitthecostoftheappraisal.’”The asking price turned out to be reasonable, and in 1987, FeijoofoundhimselftheownerofthesecondEifelhe’deverspotted—a1937roadsterprojectcar.Twenty-threeyearslater,in2010,Feijoodrovethat1937Eifel roadsteronto theHershey show field for the first time, justdaysafterfinallycompletingtherestoration.

Fordbuilt theEifel inKöln,Germany,and inHungary from1935 tojust1940,underAdolfHitler’scontrolofGermany.Thathistorical factaffectedhowthecarwasbuilt,andpartiallyexplainsitsbrieflife.AllofthepartsoftheKöln-builtEifeldenotetheircountryoforiginasGermany. “Hitlerwanted all the partsmade inGermany,” said Feijoo.“All of the parts have the Ford script… the muffler hanger, the lugnuts…”inadditiontothecountryoforigin.DespiteitsGermanheritage,theroadsterdefinitelyhastheFordlook,from its wind-splitting V-shaped grille to its skirted fenders. Whilerestoringthecar,Feijoo immediatelydiscoveredtheEifel’s relationshiptoAmericanFordproducts.“Idid thechassiswhen I firstgot it,”he said. “It’saminiatureFordunderneath.”

TheFordEifelispoweredbya1.2-literfour-cylindercapableof34hp.Therewerejust42,000milesontheenginewhenownerMannyFeijoopurchasedthecarin1987.

The Eifel actually shares the smaller Model C platform of BritishAnglias and Prefects of the period, which likewise borrowed from theAmericanFordchassisdesign,albeitonasmallerscale.LiketheBritishFords, the Eifel was powered by a four-cylinder engine, the Eifel unitbeing of 1.2 liters in displacement and 34 hp. Feijoo said the four-cylinder inhisEifelhadn’t traveledmore than42,000milesbefore the

carwasimportedtotheUnitedStatesinthe1950s.“Iboughtitin’87fromthebrotherofthemanwhobroughtithome

fromtheserviceinthe’50s,”hesaid.“Irecentlyhadaconversationwiththegentleman’sbrother,andhesaidbeforetheyshippedthecar[totheUnited States], his parents and brother drove the car to Amsterdam.”Given the Eifel roadster’s size and two-passenger status, it must havebeenonecrampedcruise!OncethecarlandedonAmericanshores,theEifel’stravelsappearto

havehalted.However,thecarremainedintactandwellpreserved.“Itwasprobably95to98percentoriginalandcompletewithnorust,”

Feijoosaid.Eifelsaren’tcommonintheUnitedStates,sohavingoneinrelatively

goodconditionandcompletecertainlyworkedinFeijoo’sfavor.“Iused[nearly]alltheoriginalparts,”Feijoosaid.Thatincludedre-usingpartssuchastheoriginalfuellines,becausethepropersizewasnotavailableintheUnitedStates.Inothercases,uniqueEifelpartshadtobemadetoputthecarinshowcondition.

“Thebrotherofthepreviousownersaidifhedidn’tfindaplacetostoreit,he’dsellit.Iaskedforfirstrightofrefusalandsixmonths

later,hecalledtosellthecar.”

“Some of thewood [in the body]was replaced,” said Feijoo,whoseskillsasatoolanddiemakerhelpedpreparehimfortheundertakingofrestoring a rare car located a long way from home. “I had to makelatchesfortheroof,ahornbezel,dashinsert,allthefastenersandeven

thekey.“There were 23 teeth missing from the flywheel. I tig-welded then

milled teeth after teeth, then hardened and tempered the teeth andgroundallofthem.”Thetaillampswereamongthefewmissingparts.Afterspendingyears

collecting literature and photos of Ford Eifels during his extensiveresearch,Feijoowasable todetermine thecorrectappearanceandsizeofthelamps.HealsonoticedtheywereverysimilartoAmerican1934Ford tail lamps, so he modified a set from a U.S.-built Ford bylengtheningthemtothepropersize.Theresultistaillampsthatlookasthoughtheyhavebeenwiththecarsincedayone.Adding into the rarity is the car’s body style. Feijoo said out of the

62,000Eifelsbuiltfrom1935-’40,justahandfulwereroadsters.“Stoewer,KarmannandGraberbuiltabout100roadstersforFord,and

it’spossiblyoneofsix[roadsters]left,”hesaid.The remaining Eifels were two-door sedans, cabriolets and similarly

diminutive trucks. In 1937, Feijoo said Eifels were available in ninecolorschemes,andasatwo-seatroadsterfrom1937,hisEifelhassomeuniquefeaturesforthemodelyear.“1937istheonlyyearforcut-downdoors,”henoted.FeijoodidmorethanmakenewpartsduringtheEifel’srestoration—

he also completed much of the other work himself, leaving only thepaint,upholsteryandwiringharnesstootherprofessionals.Feijoo expects to have some fun with his little restored rarity. “I

intend todrive it a littlebit andenjoy it,”Feijoo said. “I’veputabout100milesonit,anditwilldo60mph.Ithandlesandrideswell,butit’salittleshortonbrakes.”

R

CHAPTEREIGHT1938CHEVROLETCOUPEByBrianEarnest

WAITINGONAFRIEND

1938Chevyisnolongeraprisoner

RichardThomasfirstsawhis1938Chevroletwhenhewasateen.Fourdecadeslaterhepulleditfromashedandrestoredit.

ichardThomaswaitedalongtimetolandhis“Sweetie.”Morethanfourdecadesinfact.Andwhenopportunityfinallyknocked,evenattheleast-expectedtimeandmostunlikelyplace,hedidn’thesitate.Thomashadknownaboutthe1938ChevroletMasterBusinessCoupe

sinceheandthecar’sownerwerechildhoodfriendsbackinthe1960s.Eventhoughhedidn’townothercollectorcarsandwasn’tactiveinthecarhobby,Thomashadalwaystoldhisfriend,MikeWebb,thathe’dliketobuyhis car someday.Hewas always rebuffed, until his luck finallybegantochangeinlate2003.Thetwomanbumpedintoeachotherata

garage sale after not seeing each other for many years, and ThomasagaingaveWebbhissalespitch.Ayearlater,Thomascalledhimonthephone, stillpining for thecar.Then, finally, inDecemberof2004, thepairsaweachotheratanothergaragesale,andthis time,Webb’s tunehadchanged.

Thecarhadn’tseenthesunshineinmorethan20yearswhenitwasdraggedoutofashed.

“Ithinkhehadhopedandhopedthathe’dgetaroundtorestoringit,but his health was getting bad,” said Thomas, a resident of ArkansasCity, Kansas. “Life isn’t always fair, and itwasn’t fair to him.Hewashavingsomehardtimes.

“ButIwasverysurprisedthatheagreedtosellittome.Icouldhardlybelieveit.”ItwouldseemnogreatsurprisethatWebbwouldhavetroublepartingwith the car he had owned for somany years. He had gotten the carfrom the original owner, ElijahHam,who had purchased the car newfromafledglingdealershipinArkansasCity.Ham,afriendoftheWebbfamily, apparently drove the car very little, and during his retirementyearsdecidedtogivethecartoMikeWebb,whowasjust14atthetime.Thomassaystheotherboysdidn’tknowWebbevenhadsuchacar,butheremembersthedayeveryonefoundout!“ThefirstfirsttimeIsawitjustabunchofusguys17,18yearsold,right in thatarea,wewere justhangingoutanddoingwhat teenagersdid in the ’60s,” he said. “I didn’t even know he had it. I about diedwhenIsawit.Itwasjustacoololdcar.Ofcourse,wedidn’treallyknowmuchaboutit,Ijustthoughtitwascool.“Heletusalldrool,thentookitbacktothehouse.He’dgetitoutonoccasion.Butheeventuallyhadalittleproblemwiththebrakes—thepositivebatterycablerubbedahole in thebrake line.Andonedayhepoppedthebrakesandranintothebackofaflatbedtruckandputanicecreaseinthegrille.Afterthatherolledherintothebarnandthereshesat…

Theengineeventuallystuck,theinteriorwasshot,thanksinparttovarmints,andthethebodyneededalotofwork,butthe1938coupewasworthsavingforThomas.

“Itjuststayedinthebarnandastimewentonwebothwentourownwaysanddidn’tmuchofeachother.…Everyonceinawhilewe’dpasswaysandI’dkindofhalf-heartedlysay,“Hey,want tosellmethatcaryet?”BythetimeThomasgothischancetoownthecar,whichhecallshis

“Sweetie,” it had sat formore than 20 years. The gas had turned “tovarnish”andtheneglectedChevywascoveredwithathicklayerofdust.It had also become home to generations of unidentified varmints and

various other creatures. It was a longway from the impressive, shinycoupethatThomasrememberedfromhisteenageyears.“Iwaskindofhopingitwouldbeinkindofshapewhereithadbeensettingforawhile,butwasn’tletgoasmuchasithadbeen,”hesaid.“Iwashopingtochangetheoil,putafreshbatteryinitandgoforaride.Butthatwasnotthecase.”Chevrolet’s“diamondcrown”stylingchangeswereintroducedforthe1937models and carried over into 1938. The changes included safetyglassinallthewindowsandfendersthatwerestraightonthesides.The’38shadanewgrilledthatalternatednarrowandwidehorizontalbarswithacentermoldingdownthemiddle.Therewereafewotherstylingtweaks for the ’38s, but the body shells and running boardswere thesameonthe’37sand’38s.

Therewereatotalof12differentChevroletsavailablein1938—sixeachinboththeMasterandMasterDeluxelineups.

Thehoodshadventilatorswiththreechromehorizontalmoldings.Theheadlights were bullet-shaped andmounted close to the grille.Masterseriescars—therewasalsoahigher-endMasterDeluxeseries—handsingletaillamps.UnderthehoodwasthefamiliarChevyinlinesix,displacing216.5cidandproducingamodest85hp.Athree-speedmanualtransmissionwiththestickonthefloorwasstandardonallthebowtie’38s.Therewereatotalof12differentChevroletsavailablein1938—sixeachinboththeMasterandMasterDeluxelineups.Thetwo-doortownsedanswerethemostpopularbyfarwith95,050built,butcoupeswerealsogoodsellers.Atotalof39,793coupeslikeThomas’rolledoffChevyassemblylinescarryingbasepricesof$648,whichwasthelowestMSRPontheChevymenu.Thomaswasdetermined tobringhisSweetieback to life.Hestartedby fixing the starter and fuel pump, but then made a costly mistakewhenhestartedthecarwithoutcleaningouttheoldgastank.“Ifinallydidgetitstarted.Itran—itwasalittlerough—butitdid

run,” he recalls. “Well, after I got done bouncing off the walls withexcitement, I tooka coupleofpicturesof it running, then I shut it offandwent inside.ThenextdayIwentout tostart itagain, it justwent[insertloudenginenoisesounds]!CometofindoutthefreshgasIhadputinithadmeltedenoughvarnishandthevarnishhadgottenupintotheengineandstuckthevalvesshut.Overnightithadcrystallizedrightintheengine.Ihadtobuyawholenewsetofpushrodsandwholesetof lifters…Now I preach that hard, hard: If you ever buy a car thathasn’tstartedinalongtime,beforeyoustartit,pullthetankonitandcleanitallout.You’llsaveyourselfalotofproblems.”ThenextbigstepinwhatThomastermed“arollingrestoration”was

toreplacemuchof the interior“so itdidn’tsmell likeabathroom,”hesaid.“Idroveitthatwayforawhileandactuallytookittosomeshows.Itwasallprettymuchoriginal,exceptfortheinterior.“Mostofthepainthadpoppedoffit.Ithadalotofbarespotsandlot

of surface rust. I still had fun driving it and darn sure didn’t have toworryaboutpolishingitbeforewentashow.”

The1938Chevroletlooksgreattoday,andstillcarriesitsorignalinlinesix-cylinderengine.

Thomaskeptmessagingtheold’38alittleatatime,fixingafewbodypanels, thenpriming thebackhalfof thecarandre-chroming therearbumper.“Fromthesideitlookedkindoffunny,”hesaid.“Thebackhalflookedgoodandfronthalfwasalloriginal.”Thomaseventuallyprimed the fronthalfof thecar, too,andgot the

rest of the chrome done. “It had aftermarket fender shirts on it so itlookedlikealow-rider.Itreallylookedcool!”hesaid.Thefinishingtouchfinallycamein2009whenthecargotashinynew

suitofblackpaint.“Idecidedtobitthebullet,”Thomassaid.Thecarisnow arguably better than new,with options like fender skirts, heater,defroster,clockandashtraythatwerenotinthecarwhenitwasorderednew.Afterwaiting all these years, Thomashas noproblemsputting some

milesonhisChevy,oftenwithhiswifePeggyridingshotgun.“Shelovesit and loves to go for rides,” Thomas said. The coupe’s odometer nowreads54,000-plusmiles,andThomashasaccountedforabout6,000ofthose.TheChevy’sdaysofsittingsedentaryinabarnappeartobelonggone.“Itrunsfine,itjustdoesn’trunrealfast,”Thomasjoked.“It’stheold

babbit-beaterengine. It’sbasically theoldoil-splashsystem. Itwill runforeveraslongasyoudon’tover-rapit.“Igetitoutwhentheweatherisgood.Itrytodriveitatleastoncea

week.Irunacrosspeoplewho’llseethecarandsay, ‘Hey,IrememberwhenMike’smomusedtodrivethatcar.’Someoftheold-timersaroundhererememberit.”

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CHAPTERNINE1941FORDGPByKevinKronlundandTheaDeGroot

GPINTHENORTHWOODS

WasthatarareBantamjeeporsomethingelsetrappedintheWisconsinnorthwoods?Somemilitaryvehiclesbuffshadtofindout.

hisstorybeganinJune2001whenlocalStudebakercollectorCecilScribnermentionedtomilitaryvehiclecollectorBusterMillerthathehad spotteda “BantamJeep” in thewoodsbehind thehouseof an

elderlyladyinnorthernWisconsin.Scibner,whoownsasepticsystemsbusiness, had spotted the derelict vehicle when he had serviced thesepticsystematthewoman’shome.Miller,whoisamemberoftheMilitaryVehiclePreservationGroupof

Spoonercouldn’t resist sucha tantalizing lead.Whoknowswhatcould

bethere? AprototypeBRC? Scribnerisnotajeepcollector,soMillerhadtowonder what had prompted him to say “Bantam?”Most folks whohaven’tbeeninitiatedinmilitaryjeeplorewouldhavesimplysaidtheyhadspotted“anoldWorldWarII jeep,” or“anoldArmyjeep.” Scribnerdidn’t use those terms, though, he specifically volunteered the name“Bantam.” So, Miller went off to visit the old woman and her jeep,expectingtheworst,buthopingforthebest.

ThisWWIIerajeepclearlyhadn’tmovedinmanyyears.

After exchanging pleasantries with the woman, Miller receivedpermissiontogobackinthewoodsandlookatthe“oldjeep.”Whenhefinally clawed hisway through the covering foliage,Miller discoveredthat the vehicle was actually a 1941 Ford GP. What had promptedScribner, the Studebaker collector, to call it a Bantam? A bit moreexploringrevealedthesourceofthelabel.FirmlyseatedinthedashwasasetofBantam-markedgauges.Miller realized, even though itwasn’t a Bantam, he still had one ofthose “right under your nose rare finds.” He quickly shared theinformation with other members of military vehicle club to which hebelonged.KevinKronlundandTheaDeGroot,membersof theSpoonerMilitaryVehiclePreservationGroup(MVPG)decided topayavisit thelady with the hopes of purchasing the vehicle. With seemingly littleeffort,thetwopartiesdeterminedapriceandmadethesale.Thewoman

seemedonly toohappy to get rid of the rustyhulk.Toher, therewasnothingspecialabouttheoldjeep.

Thesourceofthe“Bantam” nameforthisdiscoverycamefromthegauges--SowhereistheBantamfromwhichthesecame?

The following weekend, armed with a M62 wrecker and flatbedtrailer,Kronlund,Miller,andEdMorgandrovetothecabinto“pluckthelittlegemfromitsrestingplace”(Buster’swords).Safely loadedontheflatbed, the three carried the Jeep with Bantam gauges back toKronlund’sshopinSpooner.Aftersomediscussion,theGroupdecidedto

offerthejeepforsale,sincetheMVPGhadjuststartedtheirnextproject,aM28Weasel.This tale just goes to show that the “jeeps in the barns” (or in this

case,“inthenorthwoodsofWisconsin”)arestilltheretobediscovered.As you drive the countryside, keep looking deep into those treelines,abandonedbarns, andpilesof rustymetal.Whoknows? ThoseBantamgaugeshadtocomefromsomewhere!

Soitwasn’taBantam…aFordscriptGPain’tsobad!

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CHAPTERTEN1946FORDStoryandphotosbyBrianEarnest

FAB’46

Afteryearsinashed,thisborn-againFordSuperDeluxegetstheroyaltreatment

JohnLanghadneverrestoredacarbefore,buthetookhistimeandtransformedhisbatteredold1946Fordintohead-turningcreampuff.

ometimesinlife,youjustgottatakeachance.TherereallyisnoothergoodexplanationforwhyJohnLangwould

wanttostopatastranger’shouse,knockonthedoorandinquireaboutanoldFordheheardmightbesittinginashedontheproperty.Langhadneverrestoredsuchacar.Neverownedone,andnevereven

ownedacollectorcarbefore.But“barnfind”automobilescanhaveanirresistibleappeal,andLang,

aresidentofMarshfield,Wis.,simplycouldn’tpassupthechancetodragan old car into the sunlight for the first time in years and give it asecondchanceinlife.

“Howlonghaditbeensittingthere?Icouldn’ttellyou.Alongtime,”saidLangofhisbeautiful1946FordSuperDeluxecoupesedan.“Itwassittinginamachineshedwithadirtfloor,butitsurvivedreallywell,Igottasaythat.

WhentheFordwasdraggedoutofafarmshedin1998,itwasmostlyintactbutinneedofatotalrestoration.“Itlastedthroughseveralwars,anditwasprettyscarredup,”Langsays.

“AnotherguyhadtoldmeaboutitandIdecidedtostopandseethe[owner]andaskhimaboutit.Hesaidsure,he’dsellit.”“I tell everybody it had some scars on it. It lasted through severalwars, and was definitely scarred up, but it wasn’t in bad shape … Iwanteditrightaway.Yup.Mydadhada’47Ford,andIlikedflatheads,soIwantedtostickwithaflatheadfromaroundthisage—1946,’47,’48.Iloaded’eronatrailerandbroughtithome.AndIgot’errunningrightaway!”Thatwasbackin1998.Ayearlater,Langretiredandbeganathree-yearrestorationthathasturnedtheFordintoarealshow-stopper.Thedeep-redcoupeisnowyourquintessentialSundayfunmachine,makingregular appearances at local car shows and taking joy rides aroundcentralWisconsin.

“Igotitdoneinthespringof’02andwejustturned10,000milesonit,” Lang said. “That first year the speedometerdidn’twork,butwe’vegot10,000milesonsincethatsecondyear.

“Idon’tseemanyofthem.Notmanyofthematall.Mostofthemarestreet-rodded.Iputthisonebacktooriginal,exceptforthepaint.Thiscarismostlyoriginal,butmostofthesewereroddedandchoppedandhadbigenginesputintothem.Ididn’tdoanyofthat.”The first postwar Fords are still extremely popular today, but they

werepositivelyred-hotwhenthey firstarrived indealershowrooms inOctoberof1945.Afterfouryearswithnonewcarsavailable,folkswerelining up, literally, to get their hands on new automobiles, and Fordbuyerswereclamoring fornewmachines, even if the1946swereonlyslightlyupdatedversionsofthe1942offerings.The front endwas given a new grille that featured three horizontal

chrome bars below a prominent set of Ford “wings” mounted to thebottomendsofthecurvedhood.Everythingelseonthecarwasvirtuallythe same as in 1942, including the 225-cid six-cylinder or 239-cidflatheadV-8,whichweretheonlytwoenginechoicesinbothofFord’stwo tiers (Deluxe andSuperDeluxe).Thebottom-endSpecial thathadbeenofferedupuntil1942didnotreturnafterthewar.

The top-end Super Deluxes featured twin sun visors, a horizontalchromestriponthebodyside,brighttrimaroundthewindows,armrestson the doors, a horn ring and a fewotherminor upgrades. The SuperDeluxescameinsevenconfigurations: two-doorcoupe, two-doorcoupesedan, two-door convertible, two-and four-door sedans, Sportsman“woodie”convertible,standard(steel)convertibleandfour-doorstationwagon.

Thetwo-doorsedancoupeslikeLang’sweresecondonthepopularitycharts that year amongFords.With aproduction total of 70,826, theywerestillwellbehindthetwo-doorsedans,however;Fordbuilt163,370ofthose.Thecarsallrodeon114-inchwheelbaseswithoveralllengthsof196.2

inches. The sedan coupes tipped the scales at 3,140 lbs. and carried abasestickerpriceofabout$1,307.All Fords carried a floor-shifted three-speed transmission and

hydraulic drum brakes on all four 16-inch wheels. Brake hp for theflatheadV-8wasratedat100,withtorqueratedat180lbs.-ft.Lang was able to save and restore almost everything on his Ford,

includingtheengineanddrivetrain.Hedidwindupbuyingadonorcar,however,tohelpsupplysomemissingtrimpiecesandafewotherparts.“Iwasmissingasomeofthechromeonthetrunk…Ihadit,butitwasallbentupandbeatupandthetrunkdidn’tfitright.Theseat—Idon’tknowwhattheyhadinitforaseat,sothecarthatIboughthadaseatthatfit[right].Allthechromeisoffthefirstone,exceptthechromeonthetrunk.ThesecondoneIboughthadthesunvisoronit,soItookthesunvisoroffthesecondcarandputitonthisone.“The drive train is all from the original car. We had everything

completelyrebuiltinit.Itneededit!Langdidn’t really have a timetable for his Ford restoration, and the

longerheworkedonhiscar,thehigherhisstandardsseemedtoget.Headmits he didn’t envision the car turning out this nice when he firstdraggedithome.“No,Ididn’t,notwhenIstarted,”hesaid.“Butwheredoyouquit,you

know?You get into it and you don’t knowwhere to stop, so you justkeepgoing.“Iknewitwouldbeajob,butIknewitwasn’tintheworstshape.The

floorwasgoodinit,andthey’vefixedalotworseonesthanthis.”TheshinyburgundypaintisclearlyanupgradeovertheoriginalRoyal

Maroon offered by Ford in 1946. In perhaps his biggest concession tonon-originality, Lang extended the deep red to the interior, where heused red to replace thenavyblue that hadoriginally beenpart of theblue-and-graycockpitcolorscheme—includingthesteeringwheel.The

Ford still carries its red-on-black instruments, radio and dashbrightwork. “It’s close to the original color, but it’s brighter andmoremodern,”Langsaid.“Theolderoneshadadullerenamelwithadullerfinish.Wewentwithburgundy…Ithinkwehititjustright.”

Theinteriorwasre-upholsteredinitsoriginalgray,buttheseatfabricnowhassomeredstripingtomatchthedeepredpaintinsideandout.

Even thoughheput three-plusyearsof time,effortandexpense intotheFord,Langmadesurehedidn’tturnoutatrailerqueen.Hisgoalwastohavebeautiful,dependabletoythathecouldshowoff,andthe’46hasturnedintoexactlythat.“Itwasmyfirstoneandprobablymylastone,”hesaid.“Idon’thavetheambitiontodoanotherone.I’mgoingtoenjoythisoneforawhileyet.”

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CHAPTERELEVEN1948DERHAMDODGEStoryandphotosbyDr.RogerLeir

DERHAMDODGEDREAMREALIZED

Revivingaone-offcustom1948Dodgecoupe

DerhamBodyCo.isbelievedtohavebuiltonlyoneofthese1948DodgecoupeswithaStudebaker-stylewrap-aroundrearwindow.ThecarwasfoundinVermont

in1985intoughshape.

henameoftheDerhamBodyCo.ofRosemont,Pa.,ringsafamiliarbell for those of uswho are avid car collectors. Even somewith acasual interest will recall seeing cars bodied by this famous auto

bodymanufacturer.Amongcompaniesthatbodiedautomobilesstartingin the early 1900s, Derham stood with the best, working its stylingtouchesonvehiclesuntilthelate1960s.Astimemarchedforthfromthecompany’sfounding,sodidthedesire

for custom-bodied automobiles. Derham produced many coachbuiltbodies through the 1930s and also managed to stay active throughWorldWarIIfortwomainreasons:Thecompanywasabletoskillfullytransformautomakers’factorybodiesintocustom-designedworksofart,andithadadealercontractwithChryslerCorp.

Formany years, Derham seemed to have flourished under the greatwingofChrysler,evenpriortothedealerarrangement.AfterWorldWarII ended,Derham tailored its interest tobuilding series customcars toattractthepublictopurchaseChryslerCorp.automobiles.Essentially,itbuiltcustomcarsforshowroomdisplay.In1948,DerhambuilttwocustompolowagonsattherequestofNewYorkDodgedealerC.M.Bishop. IndustrialdesignerDonaldDiskeyandEnosDerhamwerebelievedtohavebeenresponsiblefortheengineeringanddesignof theDodgeDerhams.Chrysler archives containphotosofone of the Derham-bodied polo wagons, but the actual vehicles fadedintoobscurityandwereneverheardoforseenagain.ThearchivealsoincludesphotosofaDerham-bodied1948Dodgecoupe.Unlike the polo wagons, the 1948 Custom Derham coupe survived.This car is believed to be Derham’s own design and was taken fromdealer showroom to showroom for display purposes only in order toattract public attention. Records show there was no intention byChryslertomass-producethisautomobile,althoughsomewillarguethattherewastalkofproducingalineofcustom-seriesDodges.

TherewerealreadytwoDodgecoupesinthe1948lineup,yetDerhamcreatedthisthirdstyletoaddadditionalpassengerspaceintherearseatarea.

Thecar’sinteriorincludedachromeringonthesteeringwheel,seven-buttonPhilcoradio,electricclock,two-speedwipercontrolandapassengersideheaterwithdefroster.

This very rare automobile is totally unique in its appearance anddesign. Itwasbornasa five-windowclubcoupe.Derhamremoved theoriginal top, shortened the package tray, and moved the rear seatbackward about 4 inches, giving more leg room in the rearcompartment. Derham also designed and installed a wrap-around rearwindow, similar to 1947-and-later Studebaker coupes of the era. Thewindowdesignissimilarinappearance,butinmanyways, it istotallydifferentfromtheseStudebakers.Other Derham modifications included a totally different interiordesign,dual interior lamps, custom rearviewmirror,upholstered trunkthat included a Derham-badged tool kit case and custom-designedDerhamhubcaps.AllofthetrimfromthebeltlineupwardisofDerhamdesign.Thecoachbuilderdiduseastockseven-buttonMoParradiomadeby Philco, an electric clock, two-speed electric windshield wipers, apassenger-sideheaterunitwithdefroster,backuplight,interiordecklidlight,passenger-sidetissueholderandtheusual“Derham”scriptbadges.Thedrivetrainisstock1948DodgewithFluidDrive.

Thisveryrareautomobileistotallyuniqueinitsappearanceanddesign.Itwasbornasa

five-windowclubcoupe.

After these 1948 Dodges were bodied by Derham, it appears thecompany concentrated on modifying production bodies of Chryslers,Cadillacs, Packards and Lincolns. Derham sales catalogs show that, in1967, the company was still completing custom modifications, butmainly to Lincolns and Cadillacs, having totally given up its franchisearrangementswithChryslersomeyearsearlier.This one-off Derham-bodied Dodge coupewas first sold privately to

GertrudeFisherofBrooklyn,N.Y., inJanuary1950. InApril1985, theJosephLeirMemorialAutoCollectionofMoorpark,Calif.,purchasedit.Thereisnoinformationavailableforthe35missingyearsbetween1950and1985.My father, JosephLeir,was a devout admirer ofDodge automobiles

and owned the auto collection. Themainstay of the collectionwas itsentireseriesofDodgemodelsbuiltbetween1942and1948.Itconsistedof110carsinvariousstagesofrestorationaswellaspartscarsandshowautomobiles. As collection manager, I was responsible for housing,maintainingandoverseeingtherestorationofthecars.One of my other duties was the procurement of additions to the

collection. In early 1985, I was told about this one-off 1948 DodgeDerhamcoupeandlocateditinVermont.Iwastoldthattheautomobilehad been stored outside in the severe northeastern weather for manyyearsanddeterioratedto“basketcase”condition.Icontactedtheownerandhe forwardedphotos.What Iheardabout theconditionof thecarseemedtobeaccurate.Muchof thecarhadrusted throughandpieceswerehangingonbyathread.AdealwasthenstruckwiththeownerandarrangementsweremadetoshipthecarbyopencarriertoMoorpark.Whenthecararrived,asmallcrowdhadgatheredoutsideofthemain

entrance to our museum. Most of the individuals, neighbors andcollectorsallfounditamusingthatthis“thing”wasbeingdelivered.Thevery act of unloading the car brought further damage and the loss ofrustedmetal,whichliterallyfelltothepavement.Icouldonlyguesshow

muchrustwaslostduringitstriptoCalifornia.Strangelyenough,thecarwasonallfourtiresandwheelsandrolledwithease.WepushedthevehicleintotheshopareawhereFreddie,myshop foreman, stood trying to figureoutaplanofattack.We instantlyknewthatofalltherestorations,thiswasgoingtobethemostdifficult.Itwasdecidedtostripthebodyfromtheframe,leavingtherunninggearintact. It took about a month to accomplish this task. On a Fridayevening,IreceivedacallfromFreddieaskingifIcouldstopbytheshopforasurprise.WhenIarrived,InoticedhehadtheDerhambodysittingoutsidetheshopandthattherewasachassiscompletewithengineandsteeringwheel sitting in the shop area. I soon found that thiswas theDerhamDodge’s chassis and drive train.Mynext surprisewas that hestarted the engine, idled it down to a whisper-smooth purr and thengrinnedatmewithalookofsatisfaction.

DerhamcreatedaninterioruniquetotheDodgeandenoughoriginalupholsteryremainedsoitcouldbeaccuratelyrestored.

IwishIhadtheabilitytopredictthefuturefromthatmomentonasmany sets of dire circumstances occurred in short order, including thedeathofmy father, Freddie’s death andmyownmassiveheart attack.The collection had to be sold and the only vehicle preservedwas theDerhamDodgecoupe.Ittookallofthe24yearsbetween1985and2009tofinishrestoring

theautomobile.Manyof thepartsspecificallymadebyDerhamhadtoberemanufactured,mostbythehandsofskilledartisans.Wewerealsothe recipients of somegood fortune.Therewas enoughof theoriginal

upholsterymateriallefttoobtainnew-old-stockmaterialandhavemostoftheinteriorredone.Allofthenewlyupholsteredpiecesweresealedinplasticandplacedinclosed-environmentstorageforsafekeeping.Therewas also enough of the padded top material to have a duplicate topmadewhenthetimecametore-installit.Anotherpieceofgoodfortunecame when the color Derham had painted the car was still presentunderneaththedeterioratingtopmaterial,makingiteasiertoduplicatethecolorscheme.Finally,theDerhamwascompletedinOctober2009andwasshownat

a meet by the Western Region of the Antique Automobile Club ofAmerica in La Quinta, Calif., where it won its First Junior award. Inaddition,thecarwasrecentlyshownatanotherWesternRegionalAACAmeetwhereitwonaFirstSenioraward.

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CHAPTERTWELVE1951BUICKSPECIALDELUXEStoryandphotosbyJohnGunnell

BABIEDBUICK

Eventhebatteryisoriginalonthis20,000-mile1951

This1951Buickhassatforyears—liftingtheside-openinghoodlefthandprintsinthedust.Theoriginalownerparkedthecaronboardstoallowforbettercirculationandrustprevention.

his is the storyof a true “RipVanWinkle” car—a fabulous1951Buick thatwas lovingly preserved by its original owner, in almostnew condition, for 59 years. When examined by Old Cars Weekly

after its owner recently passed away, it was found stored in a simplegarage in a small city less than 20 miles from OCW’s Iola, Wis.headquarters.Itistrulyacarthat“slept”morethanWashingtonIrving’sfictional protagonist who snoozed for two decades, a fact that can beverifiedbytheOCWstaff.The Buick Special Deluxe two-door hardtop is BuickModel No. 51-

45R,BodyStyleNo.51-4337,anditsodometerreadsjust20,391miles.

Former Old Cars Weekly Price Guide editor Ken Buttolph, who isrenowned forhis loveofwell-keptcars (especiallyBuicks), recalls thathefirstsawthisonein1955andsaysthat,eventhen,itstoodoutasa“babied”Buick.Amazingly,ithasalwaysbeenkeptinanunheated,unlitwoodengarageandisstillsittingonitsfactory-originaltires.Walter Zemple purchased this amazing car on May 25, 1951, fromWaupacaMotorSalesinWaupaca,Wis.LikemanyBuicksofitsera,thisoneisfinishedinblacklacquerpaint(appliedbythefactory)andhasatwo-tonegrayinterior.Theseatsofthisexamplehavebeencoveredwithblankets and sheets, which has helped them remain perfect. Likewise,thefloormats,doorpanels,headliner,packageshelfandtrunktrimareall as new, and the glove box still holds a key slug sticker and aninstruction sticker for the tire pressure, jacking, engine oil andtransmissionoil.The inside of the car’s wheel wells still have factory black paint,althoughthereissomeminorsurfacerust.Thechassisandotherunder-body parts have a light coat of storage rust. Meanwhile, the frontsuspensionlookswell lubricated.Thefrontbadgestillhas itsblue-and-redcoloring.This special Buick Special’s combination trunk badge and handle isfadedredwithsomeveryminorliftingofthered.Allofthechromeandstainlesstrimisinverynicetoexcellentcondition,withonlythelightestcrazingonsomepieces,probablyduetoitsKoreanWar-eraplating.Thebumperjackisinthetrunkandlooksnew.Underthehoodlooksgoodandappearstoretainafactory“X”chalkmark. The car’s straight-eight engine has original color paint on therocker arm cover, and the car has an add-on, canister-type oil filterassembly that is a correct aftermarket item for its era. Thismay havebeendealerinstalled,butitisnotlistedonthecar’soriginalbillofsale.The Buick has the standard three-speed manual synchromeshtransmission,andthe7.60×15black-sidewallU.S.RoyalAirRidetiresstillholdairafternearly60years.Otherfactoryoptionsonthebillofsaleincludeaheater,aradioandantenna, back-up lamps, a Buick Flex steeringwheel, FoamTex (foamrubber) seat cushions, directional signals, an accessory group, a spare

tire and tube. The car also has an exhaust deflector with the squareBuicklogo.

Theseatsofthisexamplehavebeencoveredwithblanketsandsheets,whichhashelpedthemremainperfect.Likewise,thefloormats,doorpanels,headliner,packageshelfand

trunktrimareallasnew.

HeavyblanketshadbeenusedtoperfectlypreservetheBuick’supholstery.

Thelasttimeoriginaldoorpanelslookedthisgoodwasina1951Buickshowroom.

When it was new, this “three porthole” Buick Special featuredsweepspearbody-sidemoldingsandstyle-sidetrimthatgaveitandotherSpecial Deluxe models an upscale look. (All two-door hardtop SpecialRivieras such as this car had the Deluxe trim.) All Specials grew inlength andhad soft-cushioned rear seatswithmore than 63 in. of hiproom.The“Special”nameappearedonthedecklid,andpricesstartedat$1,917fortheRiviera.1951 Buicks rode on rugged, X-braced chassis with a relatively low

centerofgravity.Theyusedarigidtorque-tubedrivesystem.TheBuicksalesman’sguidestated,“ThemajorsourceofBuick’sswayless,swerve-free ever-level stability comes from its solid and sure-footed chassis,givingthecarroadpoiseandasolid‘seat’onthehighway.”Anew“Push-Bar”frontendwasseenin1951.The25small,stamped-

steelgrillebarsdidnotcoverthebumperasin1950andweredesignedto “give” with the massive wraparound bumper. Blade-style bumperguardsaddedtofront-endprotection.

The 1951 Buick look was promoted as “Dreamline Styling” andfeatured tapered, car-length fenders that blended into the main bodyline. A colorful ad promoted the 1951 Buick Special as “Room WithZoom.”Buick’svolume-production linewas thecenterofattention thisyear,anditscarssoldwell.With this car’s 263.3-cid straight-eight and manual-transmissioncombination,horsepowerwasratedat120unitsat3,600rpmand215lbs.-ft.oftorque.Theenginehadfivemainbearingsandhydraulic-valvelifterswithatwo-barrelcarburetor.TheRivieracoupeintheSpecialserieswasofferedonlyintheBuickSpecial Deluxe line (Series 40D). These models had plusher interiors,full-length body-side moldings, bright window outlines, rear windowmoldings and “Special” scripts on the front fenders, just behind thewheelopeningsandabovethetipofthesidespear.Any old-car hobbyist would be impressed by Zemple’s preservationeffortsofhisSeries40DSpecialDeluxeRivieracoupe.Thecarwasevenfoundperchedonboards toallowbetter circulationof airbeneath thecar,thusreducingrust-causingmoisture.

Heavyblanketsandsheetsprotectedtheclothseatsextremelywellonthispristinesurvivor.Thesteeringwheelanddashboardlookbrandnew.

InthetrunkandintherearpassengercompartmentareNOSpartstoallowthecartobeproperlymaintainedthroughoutitslife.Zemplehadothercarsaswell,includinga1951BuickSpecialRivieracoupetoserveasapartscarforthisone.However,thereisnoindicationheeverusedapartfromitonhispristinecar.The well-preserved Buick is now in the possession of Mr. Zemple’s

heirs,whoareawareofits“special”natureandhaveagoodideaofitsrelativevalue in today’smarketplace.Theyare takingcare tokeep thecarall-originalthroughout.Before timehadmade it the exceedingly remarkable car it is today,

Zemple displayed his well-preserved Buick in the Iola Old Car Show.He’s passed away now, but perhaps his Special will someday makeanotherappearance.

N

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN1955PLYMOUTHStoryandphotosbyAngeloVanBogart

BACKFROMTHEBRINK

Ittookmorethan30yearstotakea1955PlymouthBelvederefromthesalvageyardtotheshowfield

Comparedtothe1954models,Plymouthsweredownrightwildwiththe“ForwardLook”in1955.Thiscarhashaditsownwildride,goingbackatleasttotheperioditwaspulledfrom

anOglivie,Minn.,salvageyardin1975.

ot many souls under the guillotine get a reprieve, but this 1955Plymouthwasrescuedmorethanoncefromagrimfuture.“This car has been rescued from a junk yard twice,” said Howard

Cassidy, the brave soul who rescued the featured 1955 PlymouthBelvedereconvertiblefromasalvageyardeastofOgilvie,Minn.,in1975whenhewas21yearsold.“I accidentally stumbled on it when I was looking for parts for

something else,” the Forest Lake, Minn., resident said. “Recognizingwhatitwas,Iwaskindofintriguedbyit.”The car had last been registered in 1964, according to the license

platesitwore,andCassidypictureditontheroadagain.Thatsummer,35yearsago,hepulledtherareblack-and-whiteBelvedere,oneof just8,473convertiblesbuiltthatyear,fromthesalvageyard—forthefirsttime.“The yard owner had to cut a tree off of it,” Cassidy said. “Quite alargetreehadfallenonit.Healsohadtomovesixoreightcarstogetitout. Itwasprettybadlyburiedintheyard.”Othertreesalsohadtoberemoved,andforallthatlabor,theyardownerwasn’taskingformuch.“He said, ‘If it’sworth taking out of here, it has to beworth $50,’”Cassidysaid.Hequicklyagreedtothatprice,whichturnedouttobeabiggerbargainthanheexpectedafterallthetreesandcarsweremoved.“Hereallyworkedforthat$50,”Cassidyadded.However,Cassidydidn’tgetashowcarforthat$50—thePlymouthwasaproject,ifnotless,ineverysenseoftheword.“Whenyouopenedupthetrunk,therewasnothingintherebuttheframeandthegastank,”Cassidy said. “The rocker panels were gone, the quarter panels weregone,thefrontsofthefrontfendersweregone.”Inaddition,thetreethathadfallenonthecarbrokesomeofthecar’stopbows.Mechanically,thecarwasrough,too.“Theenginewasstuck,theoilpanwasinthetrunkonthegastank,”Cassidy said. “One of the cylinders was rusted from top to bottom. Ithinktheyhadblownaheadgasketandsomeonewastryingtosaveit.“Thesadpartwas,theownertoldmeitwasinreallyniceshapewhenitarrivedintheyard.Itreallywascomplete;theonlythingIcanthinkofthatwasmissingisthesparetire.Whenwepulleditoutoftheyard,youcouldseetheimprintofwherethemufflerswere.Therewerebrownspotsofwheretheywere,buttheyweregone…rustedaway.”Although the ’55 Belvedere convertible wasn’t the first car Cassidysavedfromasalvageyard;hehadretrieveda1941Plymouthtruckfromnearby Ogilvie Iron earlier — but retrieving the convertible wasprobablytheactthatmadeCassidy’sfatherthinkhewasthecraziest.“My father thought Iwasoutofmymind,”Cassidysaid.Soonafter,however,Cassidy’sfatherjoinedthe“crazytrain”andtookstepstohelphim save the car, including rescuing it from its second stint in thesalvageyard.

“WhenImovedtoTucson,Ariz.[fromMinnesota], Iwasnotabletotake allmy carswith,” Cassidy said. “Since I didn’t havemuch in the’55,Idecidedtoleaveitbehind.IwentandaskedthemanIpurchasedthe car from if I couldput the carback in the junkyarduntil I couldcomebackandgetit.Hesaid,‘Noproblem.’SoItookthecarbacktothejunk yard and parked it in an area where not too many people wereallowed.”

Thecarhadlastbeenregisteredin1964,accordingtothelicenseplatesitwore,andCassidypictureditontheroadagain.

Finswerefully—butsubtly—incorporatedintothePlymouthsheetmetalfor1955.Theinstrumentpanelissymmetricalwiththeradioandgloveboxfrontandcenter.Duringthis

car’srestoration,theinteriorwascompletelyreupholstered.

TherearoftheSportCoupeasitarrivedatCassidy’shome.

The convertible sat in the yard for two more years until Cassidy’sparents, who had also moved to Arizona, offered to bring it back toArizonawiththemduringavacationtoMinnesota.While in Arizona during the early 1980s, Cassidy’s father located amuch more solid and relatively decent Belvedere Sport Coupe in asalvageyard.Unfortunately,theyardownerwouldnotallowCassidytobuy the car whole as Cassidy had done earlier with the convertible.Regardless,hefoundawaytogetthepartsheneeded.“Mydadfounditinthejunkyardandtoldmeaboutit,”Cassidysaid.“Forsomereason,theyardownerdidn’twantmetobuythewholecar,buthewouldsellmethebackend.WhenIgotthere,hehadthebodyofftheframeandwasreadyformetostartcutting.Hehadtheroofcutoffandheevensuppliedthetorch.Icutitdownthemiddle,infrontofthepostsbehindthedoors.”Before hewent to the salvage yard, Cassidywanted tomake sure itwouldbeworthcuttingupthehardtop,sohebegansomeprepworkontheconvertible.“I figured I would cut the convertible first, and if Imessed it up, Iwould just junk it,” he said. Fortunately, the convertible wasn’tirreversiblydamagedandtheworkcontinued.

“Iwas thrilled to findthatcoupe inTucson,andeventhen, itwasalittlerusty,”Cassidysaid.“Iputinthelowerquartersandthetrunkfloorandtherearpan[fromtheSportCoupe]inonepiecesoIhadmydadandaneighborhelpmehulkthatintotheconvertible.Ihaveaphotoofmydadwithhisheadcockedandlookingatitthinking,‘Whatamess!’”Eventually,CassidymadehiswaynorthtoMinnesotaagain.Workhad

beenstalledontheconvertiblesincethemid-1980s,butin2005,Cassidygainedmoreworkspaceandfeltcompelledtobeginworkonthecar.“I toldmywife, ‘Ifwedon’tdosomethingwithitsoon,wemightas

well get rid of it,”’ Cassidy said. “At that time, it was time to getserious.”AlthoughCassidyhadalreadyprovenhisautomotivetalentswiththe

Plymouth—inadditiontoswappingrearbodysections,hehadactuallygottenthecarrunninganddrivingwithadifferentengine—heneededprofessionalswithmoreexperiencetocompleteit.“Thebodywas still sobad, I just couldn’t finish it— itwasbeyond

me,”hesaid.“In2005,IletJackSchultzinMedford,Minn.,takeover.Hehadarotisserie.Hetookthebodyofftheframeandrebuiltthebodyanddidtheframe.He’stheonethatgotitasbeautifulasitisnow.”

HowardBoydinMankato,Minn.,completedthetopandinterior,andCassidydugintootheraspectsoftherestoration.“I did the engine and the transmission,” he said. He also spent asummer polishing and removing dents from the seemingly miles ofstainless Belvedere trim thatwraps around the sides of the top-of-the-line Plymouth. Around the trim, Cassidy decided to change the colorfromitsoriginalblack-and-whitetoared-and-whitecombination.“TherewasoneinTucsonIranintoinatransmissionshopanditwaspaintedthesamecolorasmineandthat’swhatmademepaintitredandwhite,”Cassidysaid.Also,“MyDad’sfavoritecolorwasred.Thathelpeddecidethecolor,too.”Unfortunately,Cassidy’sfatherdidn’tlivetoseethePlymouthhittheroadagainin2006,andHowardhimselfevenquestionedwhetherhe’dseeitbarreldownastretchoftwo-lane.“Ican’tevenbelieveitsometimesthatIhavebeenabletodrivethisthingbeforeIdie,”Cassidysaid.“Ijustwishmydadhadlivedtorideinit.Hehadcommentedhewantedtogoforarideinitandhedidn’t.”TheCassidyfamilyisn’taloneinitsshocktoseethePlymouthdrivingagain. Other Plymouth Owner’s Club members have shared theirdisbeliefthatCassidy’s1955Belvedereconvertiblewentfromajunkyarddogtoashowqueen.“Peopleareastonishedthat it’sontheroad,”Cassidysaid.Headdedthat 1955 Plymouths aren’t a common sight, a point other hobbyistfrequentlyacknowledge.“Oneyear,at[theIolaOldCarShow],twoguyswalkeduptothecarandsaid,‘Whenwasthelasttimeyousawa1955Plymouth,muchlessaconvertible?’”AlthoughCassidy has an eye for the rare and unusual, he’s sure hisdaysofpullingcarsoutofsalvageyardsareover.“Idon’tknowifIwouldagain,”hesaid.“Iboughttwocarsinboxes—my restored ’39Plymouth coupewas all inboxes and [myproject]Terraplane was, too. I don’t always have the energy to work on theTerraplane,andthatwasallthere.”If the right car popped up in a salvage yard or a field, we’ll bet it

would be tough for Cassidy to turn down the chance to save it. He’salready spotted a bullet-nose Studebaker business coupe in a Delano,Minn., salvageyard that’s caughthis eye.Whenasked ifhe’d considerrestoringit,heworkshardtomakehisreplysoundconvincing.“Oh,it’stoorough,it’stoorough.”Maybeitis,butthat’sneverstoppedthissalvageyardsaintbefore.

A

CHAPTERFOURTEEN1956CHERVOLETBELAIRByHaroldDrake

SAVEDFROMTHECRUSHER

Goodfortunerescuesconvertiblefromtheendoftheroad

Theauthor’s1956BelAirafteritsrestoration.

round1980,IwasrunninganerrandacrosstownwhenIspotteda1956ChevroletBelAirconvertibleinanautorepairshop.Itwasadailydriverinneedofrestoration.Istoppedandaskedifitwasfor

sale,butitwasnotandmyheartsank.Ilearneditwasinthemechanic’sshopforabrokenshiftleverhousing

onthecolumn.Ihadtheparttheownerneeded,soIwenthometofetchthepartforthecar.IfiguredifIcouldn’tbuytheChevy,Iwouldgetthesatisfactionofhelpingkeep itontheroad.But thiswasnot theendofthestory.Twomonths later, Iwent tomy favoritewrecking yard inGardena,

Calif.,andtherewasthesameBelAirconvertible.Onlythistime,itwason a forklift headed for the crusher pile! I got the fork lift operator’sattentionandmadehimstopinhistracks.HetookthecarbacktotheofficewhereIpurchaseditfor$200.

Ifoundoutthe’56ChevyhadbeenstolenandvandalizedsinceIhadfirstseenit.Theglasswasbrokenandtheignitionwaspoppedout.Ihadittowedhome,gotitrunninganddroveitarounduntilIrestoredit.Mechanically, the carwas perfect. The engine, transmission, brakes,etc.,were in fine condition. I removed the front end and undertook afirewall-forward restoration. With the front end off, I completed thebodyandpaintworkandgaveitanewinterior.IamgladIsavedthiscarfromthecrusher,andtothisday,Istillcan’tbelievethat Iwenttothiswreckingyardat theexactmomentthatthe1956Chevroletwasonitswaytothecrusher.Isoldityearsago,butIamsuresomeoneoutthereisenjoyingit.

TheBelAirwasmomentsfrombecomingscrapmetal.

O

CHAPTERFIFTEEN1957CHRYSLER300-CByRandyGuyer

ALONGWAYHOME

FormergaragecompanionswinduptogetheragainthankstoMinnesotaman

RandyGuyer’slovefor“LetterCar”Chryslersstartedwiththis1960300-Fconvertible.

ldCarsWeekly readerRandyGuyerofMinnesota felloutof theoldcarhobbyasheconcentratedonworkandfamily.Hejumpedbackin

full-borewhenhemadean impulsebidona finned1958DodgeRegalLancerata2007Barrett-Jacksonauction.Sincethen,he’sbeenhot forChrysler 300 “Letter Cars,” especially black models. Since 2007, he’saddeda1957Chrysler300-Chardtopandaspecial300-Fconvertibletohiscollection,eachfollowinghis“theblackerthebetter”mantra.Guyer’snewfoundaffinityforebonyChrysler300shasbeensharedby

collectorsontheEastCoastandinTexas.Infact,hecansayhe’ssharedtitleswithoneof thesecollectors,becausehis1957and1960Chrysler300shavesharedgaragespaceatleasttwiceasthesecarsskippedacrossthecountrysincethe1960s,leapfroggingoneanotherfromConnecticut

toTexasbeforerejoininginMinnesota.

Builtonlyascoupesstartingin1955andasconvertiblesfrom1957to1965,the“LetterCars”weresupposedtoofferperformancetotheexecutiveclass.

The following is the story of these star-crossed Chrysler 300s inGuyer’swords.

1960Chrysler300-Fconvertible

This rare Chrysler was the last 300-F convertible produced for the1960model year. After Chryslermade fourmore 300-F coupes, 300-Fproductionendedtomakewayforthe1961300-Gmodels.Builtonlyascoupes starting in 1955 and as convertibles from 1957 to 1965, the“LetterCars”weresupposedtoofferperformancetotheexecutiveclass.The competition grew to include such automobiles as the FordThunderbird and Buick Riviera in the sports/luxury class. Only 248convertibles and964 coupes in the300 serieswere built for the 1960modelyear.Thisfinal300-FwasbuiltJune7,1960,andwasshippedonJuly5toPlazaMotors,Inc.inNewHaven,Conn.,whereWallaceLinesofMilford,Conn.,wasawaitingdeliveryofthisspecialcustom-orderedvehicle.Thiscarmayhavebeenthemosthighlyoptioned300-Fconvertibleproducedthat year. Two of the rarest options on this car are its power vacuumdoorlocksandtwo-zoneairconditioning.Otheroptionsincludesix-waypower seats, power antenna, remote control outside mirror, GoldenTouchradioandtintedglass.The Chrysler’s body type is No. 845, the designation for a Chrysler300-Fconvertible,withaBB-1paintcodeforFormalBlack.ItstrimcodeisNo.353forbeige leather.Theengine is thestandardChrysler300-Fpowerplant—the413-cid“wedgehead”V-8withduallong-ramintakemanifolds, each hoisting a four-barrel carburetor. This performancepackageprovided375hp.Thetransmissionisthestandardpush-button,

three-speedTorqueFliteautomatic.InDecember1965,Linessoldthe300-FconvertibletoHarryDeSienaofnearbyStratford,justonetownaway.DeSienawasanearlyfinnedcarcollector who appreciated the styling, beauty, luxury, power andperformance of these cars, often referred to as “beautiful brutes.” HisenthusiasmledDeSienaandhiseldestsonTommytocollectcarstothepoint of near bankruptcy. Stashed away in garages and sheds near hishome,DiSiena’scollectionwouldstayhiddenawayfor40years.Allthewhile,therehadbeenrumorscirculatingaroundConnecticutofthiscar’sexistence.No one knew for sure that itwas still there, because it hadbeendecadessinceanyonehadlastseenit.The300-Fhadbecomeabitofalegend—afaintanddistantmemory.

The300-Fispicturedherebeforeitbeganitscomprehensiverestoration.This300-Fisthelast“LetterCar”convertiblebuiltfor1960.

Guyer’s1957Chrysler300-ChardtopsharedaConnecticutownerwithhis300-Fconvertiblefromthe1960suntiltheearly2000s.Unlikethe300-Fconvertible,this300-Chardtophas

relativelyfewoptions.

In 2001,DeSienadied andhis son,Tommy, assumed custodyof thecar collection.WhenTommy’shealthbegan to fail in2003,he startedselling some of the cars. He began with some of the least rare andcollectible oneswhile hanging onto themost precious ones as long aspossible.Tommydiedin2005.In2006,DeSiena’syoungestson,Richard“Rick”DiSiena,tookchargeoftheestateandcontinuedsellingthecollection.Eventually,Rickpulledthe 300-F convertible from the shed and sold it to a local automobilebroker, who immediately sold the car to a Mr. Schibley, another carcollectorinTexas.

InMay 2007, after owning the car for less than one year, Schibleytriedtosell thecaratauctioninHouston.Theauctioncompanyhadaprojectedsellpriceof$125,000-150,000,butthecardidnotsell.Laterin2007,SchibleysoldthecartoAndyBernbaum,aMoParparts

dealerandcarcollectorofnote inBoston,Mass.Bernbaumplanned torestoreitatsomepoint.InJuneof2008,IhadaphoneconversationwithJerryKopecky,acar

restorer in Iola,Wis. I told Kopecky that if he ever ran across one ofthese “banker’s hot rods” that was for sale, I might be interested.Furthermore, I wanted an original black car with lots of options,includingairconditioning.Sincetherewereonly248built50yearsagoandonly60orsoareknowntoexisttoday,IimaginemywishesmadeKopecky chuckle on the inside. However, about two weeks later,Kopecky called me to say Bernbaum’s black 300-F convertible wasavailableinBoston.Wewereinvitedtoseethecarinperson,andsooffwewentinearly

July. The car ran rough, was very complete and the metal was inrelatively rust-free condition. It was clear the car was unrestored andveryoriginal,exceptforonerepaintmanyyearsago.Inanodtoitsoriginality,theoriginal“BlueStreak”sparetireisstill

inthecar’strunk,andwhileithasbeenused,itstillholdsair.ThecaralsoretainsitsAstraDomegaugeclusterwithaspeedometerthatgoesupto150mphforareason—ithas375hpontap!TheAstraDomegaugecluster is a space-age-looking unit that gives off a beautiful glow toreduce eye strain and glare at night, due to its electro-luminescentillumination.Ontheinside,thisChryslerispureearly-’60s.AfterstrikingadealwithBernbaumforitspurchase,Itookdeliveryof

this300-Fconvertible,thelastonebuilt,inAugust2008.AlongwithitcameanoldtitledatingbacktoDecember1965,whenLinessoldthecartoDeSiena.

1957Chrysler300-Ccoupe

The 300-C was the fastest and most powerful American productionautomobilefor’57.

The300-CinthisstorywasbuiltonMay20,1957,andshippedtoA.CoppolaMotorSalesofNewHaven,Conn.Itisoneof1,767coupesand484convertiblesproducedthatmodelyear.ThebodytypeisNo.566foraChrysler300-Ccoupewithpaintcode

AforJetBlackandtrimcode60forbeigeleathertrim.Theengineisthe392-cidHemiV-8with dual quads providing 375hp andbackedby athree-speed,push-buttonTorqueFliteautomatic.

TheoriginaltitlesforHarryDeSiena’sChrysler

300-Cand300-F.

Factory options on this car include power steering, Music Master

Radio, heater and Solex (tinted) glass. Dealer A. CoppolaMotor Salesinstalled the 48-spoke Chrysler wire wheels before the buyer tookdelivery.In January 2010, a friend called to tellme that he saw an ad for a300-CofferedforsaleinCelina,Texas.HeknewthatIcollectedlate-’50sandearly-’60sfinnedcarsandthatIwouldperhapsbeinterestedinthecar.Iendedupbuyingtheunrestored48,000-mileoriginalblack300-Csight unseen over the phone a couple days later from Ryan Poulos ofCelina.The300-Cwasagood,rust-freecarthatwascomplete,butitwasnotrunning.Thesecarsareamongthemostdesirable“LetterCars”thatChryslereverbuilt,though,soIfeltitwasagoodfind.Itwasn’tuntilIagreedtopurchasethecarfromPoulosthatIlearnedthe 300-C camewith a title showing theDiSiena family had owned itsince the1960s. In fact, it hadbeenownedby the same collectors forfourdecades,andthosecollectorshadownedmy300-Fconvertiblefrom1965tothe2000s.The300-C’sConnecticuttitledatedtoJune1962whenHarryDiSienaboughtthecarfromtheStateNationalBankofStamford,Conn.Idonotknowwhythebankownedthecar,nordo Iknowthecar’sownershiphistory from 1957 until 1962.However,much of the car’s subsequenthistoryiswellknown.IlearnedthatinMarch2009,Poulosfoundthe300-CofferedforsalebyRichard“Rick”DeSienainStratford,Conn.PouloscalledDiSienaandworkedoutadealtopurchasethecar.Poulosfoundthe300-Cinsideadilapidatedshedwhere ithadbeensittingsince1969whenitwas lastdriven.Likethe300-Fconvertible,the300-ChadbeenownedbyHarryDiSiena, Rick’s father, and had been driven in the early 1960s byTommyDiSiena,Rick’sbother.The300-Cwasdirtybutrelativelyunscathedafterslumbering in theConnecticutgaragefor40years.It’spossiblethatmy300-Fconvertiblehadsatrightnexttothe300-Call thoseyearsuntil theymetthesamefate—joiningmycarcollection.Ialsofoundoutthat,in1964,TommyDiSiennatookRicktotheNewYork World’s Fair in this car, and Rick (then 8 years old) stuck asouvenir world’s fair sticker on the rearwindow,where it remains. It

becameoneofthelastcarstobesoldfromtheDiSienaestate,probablyforsentimentalreasons.

Restoringthe1960300-F

Therestorationgoalistoputthe300-Fconvertiblebacktothesameorbetterconditionthanit leftthefactory.Itwastoofargonetoavoidrestoration, and so the work began in January 2009 at Kopecky’sKlassics.Theodometer read83,922milesand remainedat that settingthroughrestoration.Duetotherarity,uniquenessandprovenanceofthiscar, Kopecky and I agreed that it deserves a complete body-off-frame,every-nut-and-bolt rotisserie restoration. I want the highest-quality carthatwecanachieveinregardstocraftsmanshipandauthenticity.Weanticipate the restoration tobecomplete in2012, thus taking3-1/2 years. This is typical for a car such as this, with its complexmechanical systemsandhard-to-findparts.Nevertheless, theseoldcarsareaperfecttimelineofAmericanhistorythatshouldbepreservedanddisplayed.

Refreshingthe1957300-C

Thefirstorderofbusinessinrestoringthiscarwastogetitrunning.Oncewe proved that the enginewould run, and the transmission andbrakesworked,wecouldthendeterminewhattodowiththebodyandinterior.Since much of an old car’s value comes from retaining its originalengineanddrivetrain,weneededtobecautiousnottoruinanything.Itwasnotassimpleaswethoughttogetitrunning.Everythingseemedtobeinplacetomakeitrun,butitrefused.Afteralotofheadscratching,wediscoveredthatunderthedash,TommyDiSienahadwiredapairofred lamps to the ignition wire when he was a teenager. These lampsweresupposedtoturnonwhenthecarwasrunningandmakeacoolredglow into the car’s interior. Surely, the chicks would dig that!Unfortunately,thelampsputtoomuchcurrentdrawontheignitionwireand itbecamehot,melted the insulationand shortedouton thedash.Thenthecarwouldn’t run,so into theshed itwent. IamsureTommy

figuredhewouldgetitgoingagainsomeday,butasoftenhappens,lifegot in the way, and it sat for the next 40 years with the rest of thecollection.Although the car was running in the summer of 2010, I decided to

haveKopeckypull the engine and transmission in thewinter of 2010-2011 and completely rebuild them. We also decided to install newexhaust, brakes, gas tank, re-chromed bumpers and new wheels andtires. To get the car into safe driving condition, all of the lampsunderwent repair as necessary. Body and interior restoration willcommenceinthenextfewyears.Whilethe300-Fconvertibleishighlyoptionedforacarifitskindand

time,this’57300-Chasveryfewoptions.Itisaverybasic,high-endcar.Itmakesapersonwonderwhysomeonewouldordersuchanexpensivecarwithout the creature comforts of air-conditioning, power seats andwindows and the like. Being the fastest production car in America in1957,perhapstheoriginalownerintendedtogoracing.

T

CHAPTERSIXTEEN1957CORVETTEByAngeloVanBogartPhotosfromMidAmericaMotorworks

ABARNGOOD‘VETTE

MikeandBlakeYageruncoverhidden1957Corvette…andleaveituntouched!

Blake(left)andMikeYager(right)ofMidAmericaMotorworksposewiththe1957Corvettetheyrecentlyunearthedfromabarnjust40milesfromtheirbusiness’corporateheadquartersinEffingham,Ill.AccordingtoMikeYager,theCorvettehadbeenparkedfor35-40yearsand,

“needlesstosay,thisthinghashadpossumssleepinit.”

hosewhodabbleincarsoccasionallygetleadsoninterestingcarsforsale.Thosewhoeat,sleepandbreathecarsinbusinessandpleasureget barraged with them. Mike Yager, “head cheerleader” for the

largestoutfitterofCorvetteparts, repairsandupgrades, fallsunder thelattercategory.“Prettyregularly,peoplesay‘IhaveaCorvetteforsale,’”saidYagerof

Mid AmericaMotorworks in Effingham, Ill. “The older it is, themore

youholdontoyourchairfortheprice—mostarenotveryreasonable.”EventhoughYagerreceivestonsoftips,mostofthemdon’tpanout.ButaleadYagerreceivedlastsummergrabbedhisattention.“AguystoppedbymyofficeafewdaysbeforetheFourthofJulyandsaidhehadaCorvette for sale,”Yager recalled. “I askedhow longhehaditandhesaid,‘35-40years.’”Aboutthattime,Yager’searsperkedupandhegrabbedontohischairashepreparedtoaskthe“big”question—howmuch?“I said, ‘Whatareyouasking for the car?’ andhe said, ‘IhavebeenlookingatthepricesofthesecarsandIknowwhatthey’reworth.’Thenhequotedmeapriceanditwasreasonable,”Yagersaid.Thethoughtofastraight-axleCorvettewasappealing,buttheideaofhuntingdownatrue“barnfind”Corvettewasirresistible.Yagerknewhehadto jumpontheCorvette—adesirable1957model—lesthe loseoutontheopportunity.Whenheaskedaboutlookingatthecarthenextday,thecar’sownersaiditwasn’tpossible.Itwouldhavetobethatday.To share in the rare experience, Yager called on his son, Blake, thecorporate director for Mid America Motorworks and a Corvetteenthusiasthimself.ThiswouldnotbethefirsttimeBlakehadboughtaCorvette with his dad, but it was one of the first times he had 100percentapprovalfromhisfather.“Well, thefirstcarthatIbought ‘withmyfather’sguidance’wasourblue 1964 [Corvette] Styling Car,” Blake recalled. “My brother and Idecidedwehad togetthiscarformydadforFather’sDayafewyearsback.Wehelpedhimbidonthecarandevenlethimwritethecheckforitintheend!”Thisexperiencewouldbedifferent.Together,theduohoppedintheircarandmadethe40-miletrektoexaminethemysteriousCorvette.TheYagers soon realized theywereabout touncovera car sowell-hidden,LouisandClarkwouldhavewalkedrightbyit.“Wepulledupinthecountryandtheweedsweregrowingup3-4feettallandIsaid, ‘Where’s thecar?’”theelderYagerrecalled.“Youcouldseeanoldhouseabout250-300feetinthewoods,thentwobarnscameintoview.”

Traversingthroughtallgrassandbrushwasn’thalfaschallengingasopeningthebarndoorwheretheCorvettewassaidtobestored.“Thedoorwasnailed shut, sowe found theprybarand itmoved2feetand ithit a tree,”Yager said. “A treehadgrownupand thedoorwouldn’topen.Onthegroundwasanoldrustysawandwepickedupthatsawandstartedsawingonthetree.Finally,thesawbrokebutthetreewentdownandtherewasthis’57Corvette.”

“Wepulledupinthecountryandtheweedsweregrowingup3-4feettallandIsaid,‘Where’sthecar?’”theelderYagerrecalled.

TheYagersplantoleavethetatteredinteriorasitis.

Theelusive fiberglass two-seaterwasasolidrepresentativeofoneofthemostpopularyearsofCorvettemodels.Itscolorswereanattractivered-and-white scheme and the white hardtop was definitely an addedbonus.Onthedriveovertoseethecar,questionswerespinningthroughtheelderYager’smind,fromtheconditionofthecartoitsoptions.Someof

thosequestionswereansweredwith theopeningof thebarndoor,butfrom its steel shed tomb, somemysteries remained. Blake’s mind alsospunthroughthepossiblesecretskeptbythenearly forgottenstraight-axleCorvette.“The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw the car was, I

wonder if this car has a race history,” Blake said. “Does it have thecorrectengine?Coulditbean‘airbox’1957?AllthestuffmostCorvetteguys will ask themselves when they find an old car that hasn’t beentouchedinmanyyears.”It would be a while before all of the Yagers’ questions would be

answered.First,theyhadtodeterminewhethertheywantedtobuythecar.Oncethequestionwasansweredwithadefinitive“yes,”ithadtobemoved,but thatwouldn’tbeaneasy task.Thecarhadbeenplaced inthebarn in the early tomid1970son ahomemade trailermade frompipe,anditstireswereflat.Tomovethecar,additionaldeviceswouldhavetobeemployed.Thenextmorning,witharollbacktowtruckathand,theYagersaired

up the trailer’s tires andmanaged to pull theCorvette from its hidingplaceofapproximately40years.“Wehadtocleardebristogetthetraileroutandwejustwincheditall

—carandtrailer—onthebackofarollbacktrailer,”MikeYagersaid.“Aswewereextractingthecar,Iwashalfexpectinganeighbortosay,‘Whatareyoudoing?’Theguydidn’thaveatitle[handy],sothewholetime,Iwaslookingovermyshoulder.’”

With the assurance the seller would produce a title, the father-sonteam had the Corvette driven to their shop so they could figure outexactlywhattheyhadbought.“Drivingdowntheroad,therewas35yearsofdirtandcrapblowingoff thecar,”Mike said.Then therewas thequestionofhowtoget theCorvette and its trailer off the back of the rollback tow truck. Theydecided tousea forklift to lift thepairing,drive the rollbackout frombeneath its load, then lower the Corvette and trailer to the groundtogether.WiththeCorvettesafelyontheground,theYagersbeganlookingforclues to the car’s past and researching its original configuration. TheylearneditwasarelativelyearlyCorvette(number1,258of6,339built)and originally carried an automatic behind its standard four-barrel-equipped283-cidV-8.Afewteethfromthegrillehadbeenremovedandtheinteriorshowedothercustomtastesofapreviousowner.“ItcamefromCalifornia,andinthe’50sand’60s,itwasverytypical

to takeyour cardown toTijuana andhave [diamond-tuft] seat coversinstalled,”Mikesaid.Fortunately,theoriginalredupholsteryappearstoremain under the 40-plus-year-old “south of the border” seat covers,althoughtheYagershavenoideawhatconditiontheoriginalseatsareinbeneath.Andtheywillprobablyneverknow.“Whenwegotthecarhome,Istartedthinkingaboutitandputiton

socialmedia[websites],”Mikesaid.“Isaidweweregoingtowashthecarandpeoplestartedresponding,sayingdon’twashthecar,leaveitasit is. We have not attempted to get the car running; we haven’tattemptedtodoanythingbutputthecarondisplay.Weneverwasheditandwearejustgoingtodisplayitasitis.”Initsdusty,dirtystate,thecaroffersendlesspossibilitiesandinspires

infinite day dreams to those who gaze upon the Illinois earth stillcovering the stainless, chrome and paint. It also allows the Yagers tosharethebarnfindexperiencewithallwhoseeit.“Weput it out at Corvette Funfest [2010] as its first public display,

andyou just stood around and listened to all the things peoplewouldsayaboutthecar,”MikeYagersaid.“It’sagreatconversationpiece.Thisonehasabetterstorywithitthanonethatisrestored.Itjustmakesthemindwonder.Thecoolthingaboutanybarnfind,youwonder,whydidtheyparkit?Whatwaswrongwithit?Whydiditgetputaway?Well,aweekturnedintoamonth,amonthturnedintoayear.“Itcanalwaysberestored,”Yagersaid.“It iskindoflikeanoriginal

—acarcanonlybeoriginalonce—anditwillonlybeabarnfindonce.OnceIwashit,itwilljustbeaclapped-out,parts-missingCorvette.”

Yageradmitsthatifthecarhadbeenanultra-rare,high-performanceCorvette, such as an airbox car or a fuel-injected car, his philosophymightdiffer.Insomeways,Yagerisfortunatethecarisarun-of-the-millCorvette.

Not only does hehave a great story, he can illustrate itwhile leaningagainst thearcheologicaldig.Bestofall, it’sastoryheshareswithhisson.“Thefunofitistellingthestory—it’slikeanyquestforsomething,”

Yager said. “I would do this everyday. You really get the adrenalinepumping. I am sure that anybody that has gone on a barn findexpeditionwouldtellyouthesamestory.Youneverknowwhatyouaregoingtofind.“Doing stuffwithyour children ispretty cool andnormally, a lot of

peoplearen’tblessedtohavetheirchildreninvolvedwiththeirbusinessand hobby, but with Blake being involved, it made it so much morespecial,”Yagersaid.“I think the barn find was greatly enhanced by being able to

experience itwithmy father,”BlakeYagersaid.“Beingable to lookatthatcarandhavethememoriesofwalkingthroughthethickweedsand

overgrowntrees,downtoarusted-outoldshedandhavingtocutatreedowntoevengetintotheshedwillalwaysbeaprettyneatmemoryinmyeyeseverytimeIthinkaboutthiscar.”

I

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN1958LANCIAAPPIAByGreggD.Merksamer

SMALLWONDER

RareLanciaAppiacomesoutofhiding

Onlyabout853LanciaAppiaswerebuiltforthe1958modelyear,whichmakesthisuniquecaranunlikelybarnfind.

fonewereseekingproofthatsheetmetalpatinahasachievedprestigeandnotjustacceptanceatoldcarshows,theywouldsurelyfinditinthe popular Barn Find exhibits featured at the Fairfield CountyConcours d’Elegance inConnecticut each September. Though the2011displayalsotouteda1931CadillacV-16,a1938BugattiType57anda1952CunninghamC-3coupe,trueconnoisseursoftheeccentriccouldn’thelpbutbeentrancedbyarelativelyhumble1958LanciaAppiaBerlinashownbyMikeSpaceofCoopersburg,Pa.IntheabsenceofsheersizeorCCCAFullClassicstagepresence,this

trim little sedan - measuring 158 inches overall with a 98.8-inchwheelbase and46.5-inch tread at each axle—derived its curb appealfromforward-thinkingdesignabettedbycarefulengineering,epitomizedby a pillar-less unibody combining easy entry/egress with the sort ofstructuralstiffnessthatstillallowedallfourdoorstoshutsolidlyafter53years and 85,000 miles (being made of aluminum, they inevitablyoutlast the steel body).Mechanically minded spectators were similarlyimpressed by the vibration-free idle of the Appia’s 1089 CC (66 cubicinch)V-4motor,whichemployedcompact,10-degreespacingbetweeneach cylinder bank and a lightweight alloy head with hemisphericalcombustion chambers and inclined overhead valves, operated by twincamshaftsmountedinthealloycrankcase.

Thecarisstillinits“asfound”condition,whichmadeitaninterestingsightforshow-goersattheFairfieldCountyConcoursd’EleganceinConnecticut.

Callingit“sometimesajob,sometimesahobby,”SpacerecalledthathestarteddabblinginBritishandItalianautosevenbeforehe’d“

barelygraduated”fromScarsdale,NewYork’shighschoolbackin1968.

Whentheoriginal“Series1”AppiadebutedattheTurinMotorShowinApril 1953, itwaspositioned - througha switch to solidbeam rearaxlewith outboard brakes - as a smaller, less-costly sibling of theV-6LanciaAurelialaunchedin1950.Space’sAppia,a“Series2”ofthesortunveiledattheMarch,1956GenevaShow,enhancedthemodelwitha3-centimenter (1.2-inch) wheelbase stretch and a slight bump inhorsepower from38 to 42. The 1959-63 “Series 3” cars had the sametrunkandbackwindowas the2nd,but theywerebothdifferent fromthe 1stseries. The Only visual difference was from the windshieldforward.While a little more than 98,000 Appia Berlinas - 20,005 Series 1s,22,424Series2s,and55,577Series3s-weresoldworldwidebeforethefront-drive, “flat” four Flavia became Lancia’s volume four-door, theywere never a common sight in the U.S., where the 1946-90 StandardCatalogofAmericanCars calculates just 853Lancias of all kindsweresoldin1958.Atthistime,anAppiaBerlina’s$2,850port-of-entrypricemade it nine dollars more expensive than a V-8 Chevrolet Impalaconvertible, but a two-for-one bargain versus a top-of-the-line LanciaFlaminia four-door costing $5,998. “Given all their over-engineering,”Spacedeclares,“aLanciaismorelikealittleMercedesthanabigFiat.”OneFairfieldspectatorwhoagreedwasJerryMcCarthy,onceemployedastheservicemanagerforaWaterbury,ConnecticutLanciadealercalledThe ImportMotors in the 1950s. “Itwas a very expensive car for thetime,” he remembered, “but the only other thing I’ve everworked onwiththesameprecisionoffit-and-finishwasaRolls.TheplaceIworkedforwasaffiliatedwithMaxHoffman’simportdealershipinManhattan.IfyoudistributedanythingofHoffman’s,youdistributedeverything.IfyouwantedaPorsche,youhadto take twoof theseand figureouthowtosellit.”Calling it“sometimesa job,sometimesahobby,”SpacerecalledthathestarteddabblinginBritishandItalianautosevenbeforehe’d“barelygraduated”fromScarsdale,NewYork’shighschoolbackin1968.“IrananA35Austinasmyfirstcar,”whichmusthaveturnedafewheadsin

spite of the inroadsmade by Beetles,MGs, Volvos andMercedes-Benzmodelsinthisaffluent,import-friendlysuburb,anditwasn’tlongbeforeaclassmatesteppedupanddeclared“haveIgotacarforyou!Itwasa1955LanciaAureliaB20coupewiththepaintpeelingoffitinthebackofaneighbor’sdriveway,”but thesheersophisticationof its60-degreehemi-head V-6, all-independent suspension and inboard rear drumbrakes-nottomentionsimple,elegantfastbackbodyworkthatseemedimpervious toaging ifnot rusting -madehima fanof themarque forlife. “Lancias are a disease that can be contagious,” he was warningFairfield Concours spectators four-plus decades later, “and it’s almostimpossibletoownonlyone.”

This latter assertion was further emphasized by the circumstancesunderwhichhisAppiawasoriginallyobtainedaround2005fromfellowLancia fan Ronendra Mukherjee, who had about a dozen differentexamplesstashed“inavastleakyshedinaveryspookypartoftheNewJerseyPineBarrens.Thiswas real ‘Warof theWorlds’ country, and I’doccasionallygodowntherewithatrailersothatIcouldbringoneofhis

carshomeandworkonitovernight.”WhenarepairbillonRonendra’sPF 2000 Flavia “far exceeded his ability to pay it,” Mike “took threeAppiasedansandabunchofpartshehadkickingaroundinpartialtradeforthework.”EvenifitsearlierhistorycouldonlybededucedfromtheAAASouthernCaliforniastickerontherearbumper,itwasobviousthisAppiastoodoutfromtheothertwoasbeing“aboutasrustfreeasanyItaliancarofthatvintagecouldbe,”since“ithadthankfullybeenstoredinanicedrycorner”ofthatspookyPineBarrensshed.“IfIrestoredit,”Mike nonetheless recalled debating as he pondered its otherwise“delightfullyratty”condition,“noonewouldknowjusthowsolidithadbeen,”ontopofwhichthefinishedcarwouldstillbe“almostworthless”and“would looklikeall theotherLanciaAppiaBerlinasyouseeeveryday.” Joking aside, the other two “hopelessly trashed” cars yielded “awealthofmechanicalandunobtainablepartsthatallowedmetorevivethispuppytoaverysweetdrivingcondition,includingonetransmissionoutofsixthatactuallyhadagoodfirstgear.”Thoughheultimately chose to trailer hisAppia to Fairfield - “Iwasoriginally going to drive this up, but I’m stillworking a few bugs outafter400miles on the road”—Mike confirmed “it’ll cruise along justfine, barring a driveshaft vibration above 65 miles an hour,” whichreally could be taken as a hint that its 80 mph-or-so top speed isapproachinganyway.BackhomeinCoopersburg,headded,“all Ihavetodoisturnleftoutofmydriveway,andI’monsomegorgeousdrivingroads,” where a column-shifted four-speed gearbox “you have to shiftwithyour fingertips”ensures“it’snotbadasahillclimber,”especiallyas the engine has been “a little souped up” by cherry-picking “all thebest parts from the Appias I had.” Even if the Aurelia B24 Spyder,Flaminiacoupe,andZagato-bodiedGTswillalwaysbetheLanciasthatcommand themostmoney incollector circles,Mikebelieves the firm’sBerlinas“aretheirbest-keptsecret, themost-solidandnicestdrivingofall the Lancias. In Italy, youmight say these are theirmost simpaticoofferings, demonstrating true sympathy and empathy between the carandthedriver.”

T

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN1961CORVETTEStoryandphotosbySharonThatcher

SADMEMORIESGONEGOOD

Happydaysarehereagainforonce-forlorn’61’Vette

GaryJanssen’s1961Corvettewasbatteredandbluewhenhepulleditfromafriend’sbarnin2002.

here is truth to theold adage that good things come to thosewhowait.Takethecaseofthe1961CorvettethatsatwastingawayinafarmshedinnorthcentralWisconsin.Ittook16yearsfortheoldcar

toseethelightofdayagain,butthankstothepatienceofoneman,therewardshavebeenplentiful. It’sbeenahappyending forboth thecarandthemanwhorestoredit.GaryJanssen,ofMerrill,Wis.,saidthecarbelongedtoafriendofhis

whenhe first saw it,but itwasn’t for sale. “Itbelonged tohisbrotherwhohadpassedaway,”hesaidofthepreviousowner.Ittookawhileforthefamilytoletgo.“Itwasamemoryandtheydidn’twanttogetridofit,buttheydidn’tliketoseeitdeteriorating.”

TheoldCorvettehadseenbetterdays,anditlostaneyeinamishapwhenitwaspulledfromitsbarn.

Thetimewasn’tright forJanssen,either.Althoughheneverstoppedthinking about the Corvette and the possibilities, his own lifewas tooconsumedwithmakingalivingandraisingafamilytoadoptanoldcarthathad98,000milesonitsodometerandneededaseriousrestoration.Still,heofteninquiredabouttheCorvetteandofferedtohelpfixitupifeverthefamilydecidedtotakeontheexpense.Then,onedayin2002,everythingfell inplace.“Afterthekidswereoutofcollege,thenitwasmytime,”Janssensaid.InsteadofsellingtheCorvette to someone who was interested in parting it out, the owner

decidedtosellittoJanssenforrestoration.Bythen,thecarwas16yearsolderandinsaddershapethanthefirsttime Janssen had laid eyes on it. “It had chicken manure in thecarpeting, fruit jarsallover it and tractor tires leaningon it,”he said.Still,toJanssenitwasabeautifulsight.Hisfarmerfriendhookedontothecarwithhistractortopullitoutoftheshed,whenJanssen’sjoywassuddenlydimmedbycalamity.Asthecarwasbeingpulledfromthebarnwithachain,itbegantorollforwarddownaslightembankmentandcollidedwiththebackendofthetactor,damagingthecar’spassenger-sideheadlightassembly,grilleandbody.Disappointed, but not deterred, Janssen trailered the car home andimmediately began the restoration process. “I started it in 2002,” hesaid.“Wefinishedin2004-2005,”explainingthatthe“we”includedhisson Cliff. “Cliff helped a little bit when he could be here. He was incollege and he’d come back and we’d tackle it together.” Gary’s wifeCindywasastrongsupporter,“andshepaidthebills.”Janssensetonegoal forhimselfwhenhestartedtheproject:“Isaid,onceIstartit,Iwanttocontinue.Ididn’twanttostop,becauseyouseesomanyprojectsthatgetstartedandthengetputinacorner.They’reinthecornerandthenyoufalloutoflovewithit.”To avoid the corner, he set up one ground rule. “I said to myself,‘WhenIgointothegarage,Ihavetodoonething;itdoesn’tmatterhowmuchorhowbigathing,evenifit’sjustpolishingonestainlesspart,doonething.’”Heliveduptohisvow,andheneverfoundthecornerandheneverfelloutoflovewithhisproject.EventhoughtheCorvettewasthefirstcarJanssenhadeverrestored,hewasbynomeansatotalrookie.“I’manelectrician,butyearsagoIwasamechanic—awelder,”he said.Hehadalsobeena farmerandknew a thing or two about machinery. The Internet, magazines andfriends in the car hobbywere also invaluable resources. “We touchedeverynutandboltaboutfourtimes,”hefigures.

The’Vettereceivedatotalrestorationandanewcoatofwhitepaint.Itwasn’tthefirsttimethecarhadbeenrepainted!

The1961CorvetteasitLookstoday.

Perhapsthebiggestsurpriseduringtherestorationwasthediscoveryofthecar’soriginalcolor.“Thecolorwaswhiteoriginally,”Janssensaid.“Ithoughtitwasgreenbecausewhenwestartedtosandtheblueawaytherewasgreenunderneath.Ithadbeenpaintedtwicebefore.”The Corvette was returned to its original white with the blue sidecove.“Weresearcheditanditwasanoption,sowejustflewwithit,”hesaid.ThepaintjobwasdonebyaprofessionalinnearbyWausau.Thecarwasauthenticallyrestoredwithafewexceptions.Becauseofakneereplacementafewyearsback,Jansseninstalledadifferentshifter.Intheinteriorisanewdashpadtoreplacetheoldsun-crackeddash.“Ialsoputdiscbrakesonbecausetheoriginalsingle-cylinder[mastercylinder], even though I rebuilt it, the rubber was going bad,” heexplained. “This allowsme a dual-cylinder braking system. You’ve gotallthismoneyinvested,ifyoutraileritfromshowtoshow,it’sdifferent;andIrespectthoseguyswhodo,buttheyhavetorespectmeaswell.”Underthehood,there’sanewradiator.“Afriendofmineisaradiatorguyandhesaidtheoldradiatorisfine,butit’s40-someyearsold.Ifyouwanttodriveit,doyouwanttobebrokedownbythesidetheroad?”Butmoreimportantly,andmorepronetodebate,isthe350-cidcrateengine installed to accommodate today’s lower fuel octane ratings.Heknows it disappoints some purists. “A lot of Corvette guys don’t agreewith what I did,” he said, “But I have the original radiator and theoriginalmotorinthegarage,soifwedidwanttochangeit,itonlytakes

acoupleofhourstochangeit,butwejustenjoygoingoutwithitandwewanttobesafe.”

Thecardoes indeedgoouta lot.TheJanssens take it toseveralcarshowsthroughoutthesummerandhaveaddedabout11,000milestotheodometersincefinishingtherestoration.“Itdoeshaveitsdingsnow,”headmits,“butweenjoyowningitandthefunpartisdrivingit.”New,Janssen’scarwasatthelow-endpriceforaCorvette.“Thiswas

a Plain Jane,” he said. “A solid white car with a [230-hp] 283, four-barrel—the smallestV-8youcouldput intoaCorvette. Itdidhavearadio and a heater. I think they ran about $3,200-$3,400.” Roughly9,600werebuiltfor1961.Backwhen thecar satneglected ina farmshed, itmayhavebeena

PlainJane,buttoday,Janssen’sCorvetteisanythingbutawallflower.Itgets plenty of looks and plenty of trophies. “I don’t go for trophies,”Janssen said about car shows. “I enjoy talking to people and it justhappens;thetrophiesjustseemtofollowmehome.”

B

CHAPTERNINETEEN1965CADILLACByBrianEarnest

SEEINGTHELIGHT

After27yearscoupedupinacrampedFloridagarage,thisamazing1965Cadillachasneverlookedbetter

In2011,BobMayerbecamethesecondownerofthis1965CadillacSedanDeVille.Thecarhadn’tmovedsince1983,buttodaythelow-mileagesurvivorisbackontheroad.

obMayermakes no bones about it: he loves original automobiles.Low-mileage,unrestored,intactcarsarerightinhiswheelhouse.Thewell-known,retiredMiamitelevisionnewsmanhashadhisshare

ofsuchcars in thepast,buthe’sneverhadonethatwasasstunninglyoriginalasthesweet1965CadillacSedanDeVillethatheuncovered—literally—lastspring.He’salsoneverhadacarthatwasasdirtyand…uh…aromaticas thehulkingCaddy.Fortunately,Mayerdoesn’tmindputtingupwithalittlecleaningandelbowgreasewhenitcomestohiscars, especially when the diamond that needs to be polished is as

flawlessashis’65DeVille.

“Butfortheoriginalowner,thiswasnotjustacartohim.Hedefinitelybabiedit.Heonlydroveitontheweekend.Hehadanothercarthathedroveforworkandduringtheweek.”

“Well,itwasfilthy,butI’vealwaysbeenabletoseethroughdirtandsee throughdetailing,” saidMayer.“IknewIcouldmake thiscar lookgood.”

Ofcourse,itisn’toverlysurprisingthatacarwithonly24,000originalmilesontheodometercouldbeinfantasticshape.Thequestionishowsuch a beautiful car sat untouched in a cramped garage for 27 yearswithoutmovinganinch.TheslumberwassolengthyandsostrangethatitalmostscaredMayerawayfromevencomingtolookatthecar.Almost.“Well,Isawtheadforthecar,butIdidn’tgolookatitatfirst.Iletitsit there for, I dunno, a month or 6 weeks because I was just neverinvolvedingettingacarthatdidn’trun,”Mayersaid.“Anditwasmadeclearthatthiscardidn’trunin27years.ButIkeptseeingthead,andIsaid, ‘You knowwhat, I’m going to see if I can call this guy and seewhere he is and if maybe I can get somebody to look at the car. …[Finally)Idecidedtogolookatthecar,andItookabatterychargerandjumper cables and compressor to blow up the tires— I took awholebunchofstuffwithme.“Whenhe took the car, openedup thegaragedoor and itwasdankandsmellyandyoucouldtellthatnoonehadbeenthereinalongtime.Thehousetherewasempty.Theman’smomhadlivedtherebutshehadbeenput innursinghome…Whenheopened thegarage, therewasastrongmildewsmell.Butthenheturnedonthelightanditlookedlikeabrandnewcar!…Itwasinthiscrampedgarage.Ithadbarelyhad2or3inchesclearancearoundthecar.IaskedifIcouldgetthecaroutside,sothetwoofuspushedthecarback,gotitoutsideandmyjawdropped.Itwasjustspectacular.”Withina fewminutes,Mayerhadthe jumpercableshookedupfromhiscartothetiredoldCadillacsohecouldchecksomeoftheaccessoriesandthecar’selectricalsystem.“Ididn’t try tostart thecar,whichwasprobablyagoodthing,butIhookedupthebatterytothebatteryonmy’06 Cadillac and we started testing things, and to our astonishment,everything worked! We were both totally astonished. I turned on theradio and it turned right on. I couldn’t get a station, but then Irememberedthestationtuner—ifyoupusheditintheantennagoesup.SoIpusheditinandwall-lah,theantennagoesup,anditstartsplaying!Thesix-waypowerseatsworked,theturnsignals,everythingworkedonthecar.AndatthispointI’mstartedtogetexcited.”

ThisCaddy’sbig429-cidV-8wasn’tstuck,butitneededhelpafterit’slongslumber.

The original owner of the car was no doubt excited about the carwhenhefirstlaideyesonit,too.ThebigsedanwasorderedinOctoberof1964andpickedupasa“VIPdelivery”attheCadillacheadquartersin Brooklyn, N.Y., on March 15, 1965. The car’s window price was$6,898.65, but the first owner paid only $6,086— perhaps getting adiscountbecauseofthelongdelay.Aftersuchalongwaitforhiscar,theman apparently showed great restraint in his use of the Caddy,accumulatingjust24,000milesoverthenext17yearsbeforehediedin1983.“TheseVIPpurchases,ifyouknewsomebody,youcoulddobackthen.

Youcouldpick thecarupat the factory,”Mayer said. “In theowner’smanual,whereitlistssellingdealer,itsaysCadillacMotorDivision.Butfor the original owner, this was not just a car to him. He definitelybabiedit.Heonlydroveitontheweekend.Hehadanothercarthathedroveforworkandduringtheweek.”

TheexterioroftheCaddyremainsinnear-perfectcondition.

And when the man died, his widow was clearly in no hurry to letanybodyelsehavehiscar.“Shehadthebatteryremovedanddidn’tletanybodynearthecar,”Mayersaid.The lovelyblueandwhiteCadillacwasoneof45,535hardtop four-door DeVilles built for the 1965 model year. The DeVilles were alsoavailable as four-door sedans, two-door hardtop coupes and two-doorconvertibles,withthetwohardtopmodelsbeingbyfarthemostpopularwithnewcarbuyersoftheday.TheCadillacsreceivedsomedramaticstylingchangesfor1965.Gonewerethelastvestigesofthetailfinsthatoncedefinedthecars.Thebodylinesweremoresharplydefined,thebodieswereslightlywider,andthe

enginesweremovedforwardsixinchesonnewperimeterframes.And up front was perhaps the most obvious change— the stacked

headlights.Theverticalarrangementwasallnewandwouldlastforfourmodelyearsbeforetheside-by-sidelookreturnedfor1969.TheDeVillescontinuedwithawheelbaselengthof129.5inches,and

theholdover429-cid,340-hpfour-barrelV-8wasbackunderthehood.The1965modelyearmarkedthe16thyearforthenameplateinthe

Cadillac menu. In 1965, Series 62 was discontinued and the DeVillebecamepartoftheCalaisseries,restingbetweenthebaseCalaisandtop-endFleetwoodlineup.Mayerhadneverowneda1965DeVillebefore,buthehaddefinitely

found one he wanted. The question then was howmuch was the carworth? It definitely wasn’t drivable, and the effects of such a lengthyslumberwereunknown.“I pulled the gas cap and whoa! That was probably the strongest

varnishsmellIeversmelled,”Mayersaid.“Ofcourse,thisdidpresentanewsetofproblems,becauseIknewthatsomeotherthingswouldhavetobedone.“I tried to buy the car real cheap, but he wouldn’t hear of it. So I

waitedacoupleofweeks,andinthemeantimeItalkedtomymechanic…Hesaidhewasn’tconcernedaboutgettingthemotorrunning.Thosebig429motorsshouldbefine,butherattledoffalotofthingsIwouldhavetodotoit,startingwiththegastank.Hereadoff justa litanyofparts and labor scenarios.But Idecided to tryagain tobuy the car. Ithad been on eBay, but he didn’t get a single bid on it. People werescaredoffbecauseithadn’truninsolong.“I finally told theguy, ‘This is amagnificent car, but it hasbeen so

neglected.Ican’tgiveyouwhatyouraskingforit’…butweeventuallyworkedoutadeal.”Fortunately,theenginewasnotfrozen,andMayer’smechanichadthe

carrunninginshortorder.“Wehadtouseagascanforthegas,becauseoftheproblemswiththegastank,butitreallyranprettynicelybeforehedidanythingelse.Eventhecarburetor—itwasonthelistofthingstodo—buthebasicallyjusthadtocleanit.Wedidn’tevenreplaceit.”

Theoriginalownerofthecarwasnodoubtexcitedaboutthecarwhenhefirst

laideyesonit,too.

Mayerhadabattleonhishandstoridthecarofamoldysmell.

Mayereventually replaced the radiator core,gas tankand fuel lines,sendingunit,brakeandwheelcylinders,mastercylinder,allofthebeltsandhosesand the tires. “Iwasable to save theA/Choses—theyarestill original,” he said. “And the compressor is actually the originalcompressor.Itstillhadachargeafter27years!Notmuch,butithadacharge.Now,it’sblowingicecoldair.”Oneofthebiggestchallenges,hesaid,hasbeenriddingthecarofthe

moldysmellthathadsettledinaftersomanyyearsinatinygarage.TheCadillaclookslikeanewcar,butdoesn’texactlysmelllikeone.“Atthispoint, I’m open to suggestions,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve literallywashedthecarpetthreetimestotrytogetthesmellout,andgetridofthat‘mist’thatsortofsettlesontheinterior.”Mayerhasreplacedsomerubberaroundthewindows,buthedoesn’t

foreseeanyotherrepairsintheCaddy’simmediatefuture.He’shadthecarontheroadforseveralmonthsnow,andsofar ithaspassedeverytest.“MywifeandIdroveitdowntoHomesteadforbreakfasttheotherday. Driving it was just like going back in time!” he said. “I’ve beencollectingcarsfor30-plusyears.I’vegotsevencarsandI’veneverhadacar thisoriginalandthisnice. It’s justamazing. It runs just likeanewcar.”“AndthiscarisprobablythemostdocumentedcarI’veeverhad.Eventhough[theowner]died27yearsagoandeventhoughshewasalittleover the top about letting anybody near the car, she saved all thedocumentation.I’vegotthewindowsticker,alloftheowner’smanualsand paperwork, the protector plate with the father’s name on it …EverythingthatyoucouldpossiblygetwhenyougetanewCadillacwasinafolder,andIlovethatkindofstuff!Thisthingisapassionofmine.If I’m not working, I’m busy with my cars. I don’t do any majormechanicalwork,butIlovebeingwithmycars.Mayer is planning on another special trip soon — back to see thefamilythathadwatchedthecarsitforsolong.“IcalledhimandsaidIwasgoingtocomeupandtakehis familyout. I’msure they’llbeveryexcitedtoseethecar,”hesaid.“Thiscarwasalwaysinhislife,soitwasan emotional thing to let this car go. I’m gonna take the guy and hisfamilyouttobreakfastsotheycanseeitagainbackontheroad.”Mayer figures the carwillmake its big showdebutnot far fromhishome in Homestead, Fla., for the AACA Winter Meet March 4-5. Hedoesn’t usually get toohungupon showawards, but admitshehopesthejudgesappreciatetheCadillachalfasmuchashedoes.“I’mlookingforwardtoenteringthiscar in theSurvivorClass,”hesaid.“I’veneverenteredacarintheAACANationalsinSurvivor,andIthinkthiscarisashoe-in to get an award in this category. The only things that aren’toriginalarethetires!“I’vetoldthestoryofthiscaramilliontimes,butit’skindofexcitingto tell people that I brought it back. I get to feel responsible forresuscitatingthiscarandgivingitlifeagain.”

V

CHAPTERTWENTY1965PLYMOUTHByGeoffStunkard

SOLIDGOLD

TheGoldenCommandos’65Plymouthaltered-wheelbasecarsurvives

MikeGuffey’sresearchshowedthePlymouthworesteelwheelsalmostallseasonin1965.BFGoodrich7.1×15Lifesavers,newoldstock,areupfront;10.0M&HRacemasterslicks—alsovintage—areontherear.Detailsabound,includingthebigpinwingnuts,vintagedecalremnants,rearwindowhold-downstrapsandtune-upspecspaintedonthefirewall.

intage race cars often lead hard lives. After whatever fame theyattainedfortheirowner,thesegenerallywell-usedmachinesbeganaslowdownward spiral. Indrag racing, thatoftenmeansalterations

orupgradesdesiredbysubsequentowners,changesthatleftmuchofthesurviving history on the scrap pile. After they were no longercompetitive,theywouldbepartedoutfortheircomponentsandparkedsomeplacewhere the elements and time slowly returned them to dirt.Oncelocatedbysomeonewhounderstandswhatthehulkis,thedesiretosimply“rebody”theentirevehicleisoftenaserioustemptation.Fewdragcarsareaswidelydesiredastheoriginalaltered-wheelbase

hardtopsChryslercreated in1965.ThatwasaseasonwhentheMoPar

troops were protesting NASCAR rules on the Hemi, and money wasredirectedtowardthequarter-mile.Byradicallychangingthewheelbasebeneaththevehiclestomovetheweightforward,the11creationsbyaDetroit subcontractor named Amblewagon under factory directionbecamethebasisfortheterm“funnycar.”

Theengineisavintage1966HemimillwithaluminumheadsandallthecorrectpiecesfortheHilbornfuelinjection,includingatwo-gallonEelcotank,oversizefuelfilterandfactory-

approvedbelt-drivenpump.

Fewdragcarsareaswidelydesiredastheoriginalaltered-wheelbasehardtopsChrysler

createdin1965.

Thosecarswent toselectdriversnationwide.ThePlymouth featuredherewaspresentedtotheGoldenCommandosteam,whichconsistedofPlymouth factory engineers, with former corporate lawyer Al “TheLawman” Eckstrand as the driver that year. The team traveled fromDetroit only for the largest events, including the notorious first-ever1965 Super StockMagazine Nationals in York, Pa., that August. NHRAconsidered thiseventa literal“dragstripriot,”withmore than25,000fansalongtheapronoftheair-landing-strip-turned-race-tracklongpastmidnighttoseesomeofthesport’sbiggestnamesdukeitout.Whenthefinal for Unlimited Fuel was called, it was none other than Eckstrandagainst the noted Dodge of “Dandy” Dick Landy. Eckstrand beat thefearedLandy’sDodge,aholeshot-assisted9.67secondstoalosing9.58.The following year, at the same event (held at New York NationalSpeedway in Long Island), it was Commandos team member JohnDallifor driving this car. He won the heads-up 2,700-lb. Fuel title onSaturday and then went three rounds in the handicap-style SuperEliminatorrun-offsonSunday,clockingaveryfast9.06onnitroduringthe losing run. The well-used altered 1965 Plymouth went to a newownerlatein1966whentheteamproducedanewBarracudaforfunnycarracing.The car showed up around Detroit strips painted red and blue as“Mission:Impossible”andthendisappearedforoveradecade.CollectorSteveAtwelleventuallymeta localDetroit-areaSuperStockracerwhomentioned his brother owned “a funny-wheelbase car.” Atwell saw itandverifieditwasindeedreal“gold,”andthenspenttwoyearsworkingoutawaytobuyit.HeinturnsoldittothelateDickTowers,anotedhistorianfromSantaAna,Calif.IfirstsawthiscarinSouthernCaliforniaasahulkalmost20yearsagoatTowers’shop.DickwasaformerClassicLincolnexpertwithapassionforMoPardragracing.Liketheothersinthatbatch,thePlymouthhadbeen acid-dipped, weakening the body and unitized frame. The floorslooked like wrinkled brown paper bags evenwhen new, the roof hadnearly fallenoff fromrace fatigue,and I-beamswereweldedon topofthe team’s ca.-1965 subframe connectors. Between his growing photoarchive and prewar restorationwork, Towersworked on itwhen timeallowed,buthewascarefulnot to takeanymorehistory from thecar

than necessary. However, it was Mike Guffey, one of Dick’s closestfriends,whofinallyfinishedthecar.

DickTowerssitsbehindthewheelofthecarthathecaredforduringa20-plus-yearownership.Here,heisjoinedbythecrewthathelpedbringhisoldcarbacktothetrack.Dick’ssonRichardTowersisnexttothedoor.DickTowerspassedawayjust

weeksafterthisphotowastaken.

“WhenMike came around and began talking about wanting it, andwaswillingtopaymewhatIfeltthiscarwasworth,Iknewitwastimeto let it go,” saidTowers shortlybeforehisdeath in late2009. “Someotherguyshadbuggedmeaboutit,butIknewtheywouldhavewantedtorebodyit;MikewasoneoftheonlypeopleIwouldhavesoldthiscarto.”Guffey is an Indiana race car collector whose willingness to go to

extremestomaintainoriginalityislegendary.Guffeyhadsoldthe1965LandyDodge,andusedsomeofthatmoneytobuytheCommandoscaranddoitright.Today,all thevintage fiberglass isoriginal, as is thewindshieldand

rearwindow.Ittook10hourstocarefullycuttheI-beamsoutandgrindthewelds off thepaper-thin floor.After the carwaswrecked in1966,thepassengersidedoorhadbeenpatchedshutwithnowindowframe;Guffyandhisguysdidre-createthat,puttingnewsideglassinthecaraswell.Foamwassprayedintotheroofarea,butit’sstilloriginal.

The original single low-back driver’s seat was still intact, thoughsomeone had begun adding button-tuft upholstery to it. KramerAutomotiveSpecialtiessuppliedcorrectcarpet;GaryBallReproductionssuppliedtheseatskin,headlineranddoorpanels;andGuffyandfriendTroy Fairchild didmost of the installationwork themselves in Guffy’sshop. Indianapolis’ TommyMitchell is responsible for the paint,whileJimStudinski,asignguyandpinstriperwhooncedidworkforLoggheinDetroitduringthe1960s,expertlyappliedthegoldleafandlettering.Race car expert Erik Lindberg of Liberty Performance in Minnesotareceivedthecarafterastaticdebutin2008attheAll-HemiReunioninOhio; he built and installed a solid short-blockwith a correctHilbornoutfit and rare 1965 K-series aluminum heads from Guffey’s stash, areversevalvebodyTorqueFliteanda4.56rearpumpkin.Itlookedgreat,and Towers, who had been diagnosed with an untreatable form ofcancer,finallygotachancetoactuallyrideintherarecar.DuringtheFlatlanderFlinginNebraskain2009,Lindbergstrappedinas thepilot,andTowers rodeasapassenger in theshotgunseatwhilethecarwasdrivenhardforafew60-footlaunchesatKearneyRacewayPark.Thecar,fragileandoriginal,willneverhavetoproveitsworthbyrunningthroughthe lightsat speed.Toevensee itunderpowerwasatruly memorable experience. Thanks to the collectors involved, theGolden Commandos 1965 Plymouth is as original as any altered-wheelbaserestorationcanbe,asurvivingreflectionofthegoldenageofdragracing.

F

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE1969PONTIACFIREBIRDByAngeloVanBogart

OUTOFTHEBOTTLE

‘IDreamofJeannie’Barriscustomappearsagain

Aperiodshotofthe1969PontiacFirebird400usedintheTVshow“IDreamofJeannie”afterGeorgeBarrismodifiedthecarforitsreturnappearanceinthefinalseasonof1970.

ewvintagecarshaverubbedtireswithasmanyHollywoodhotshotsand hobby heroes early in life as the 1969 Pontiac Firebird 400convertibleco-ownedbyChadBrousseauofSalem,Iowa,andCurtis

JuddofBrandon,Fla.Likemosthulksofironinthatsmallfraternity,thepartners’ Firebird was thought to have fallen into history like the TVshowinwhichitwasfeatured.“Everybody has heard of the Munster Mobile cars and the

MonkeeMobile, and this car is one of those that just faded away,”Brousseausaid.“Alotofpeopleneverevenheardofit.”Of the unknown number of Firebird 400 convertibles built for the

1969modelyear,justonewasusedasMajorRogerHealey’srideinthe1960sTVshow“IDreamofJeannie.”MajorHealeywasplayedbyBill

Daily,whoco-starredontheprogramaboutanastronaut(LarryHagmanasMajorNelson)who secretly found a genie (Barbara Eden) and keptherbottledupinhishome.Besidesitsspaceyplot,theshowwasknownbygearheadsforthecoolPonchoszippingintothescreen,allsubtlyandintentionallyplacedbyPontiac.

“Major Nelson drove a lot of GTOs, but by 1969, he went to aBonneville convertible, but Major Healey was driving this Firebird,”Brousseausaid.Brousseau’s Firebird joined theNBC cast in early 1969 through JimWangers, the legendary ad man and marketing genius behindperformance at General Motors, especially while with Pontiac in the1960s. Wangers then helped put the Firebird 400 into the hands ofGeorge Barris, the King of Kustomizers before it finally went into thepersonalgaragesoftwodifferentHollywoodtypes.“It’s basically only ever had two owners,” said Brousseau. Thoseownersweren’t registered until after the Firebirdwas donemaking itssmall-screenappearancesattheendof“IDreamofJeannie,”whichranfrom1965to1970.“[Major Healey] drove it around as the ‘orange car’ for numerousepisodes,”Brousseausaid.“ThenPontiacactuallycommissionedGeorge

Barristodoaone-offonthiscar,soyouwouldthinkitlookslikea’69TransAm convertible— it has side scoops on the quarters, it has thethree-piecespoilerontheback—butBarrispainteditanditwentfromthe original [Carousel Red] to a color close to Chevy Rally Green, areallydeepmetallicgreencolor,withwhite stripes.Then itwentbackontheshowforacouplelittlebriefspotsasthe‘greencar.’”

“MajorNelsondrovealotofGTOs,butby1969,hewenttoaBonnevilleconvertible,butMajor

HealeywasdrivingthisFirebird.”

Through this conversion, and even earlier, Wangers worked behindthescenestopreparetheFirebird400forthesmallscreen.“In those days, the cars turned over to the shows came out of theadvertising and sales promotion budgets,”Wangers said. “And so thatwouldbeadecisionthatwouldbeapprovedbytheadmanager,andinthiscase,thegeneralmanager,JohnDelorean.”Since Wangers worked closely with Delorean on marketing matterswithPontiac,healsoremembersplacingPontiacsonthe’60sTVshows“MyThreeSons”and“Surfside6.”OfallthosePontiacs,the“IDreamofJeannie” Firebird 400 stands apart because of its flashy Carousel Redcolor.“Iamresponsible forgetting[the ‘IDreamofJeannie’ car]CarouselRed,”Wangerssaid.“WewerebuildingthatCarouselRedcolorfromthestartofproductionin1969,becausethatwastheChevroletcolorHuggerOrange. We were building all the Firebirds and Camaros out of theNorwood plant near Cincinnati. Because they were on the sameproduction line, for a veryminimal cost,we couldbuild a carusing aChevroletcolor.”AsWangersexplainedit,anyonecouldorderaCarouselRedFirebirdorFirebird400,butfewpeopledid.Asaresult,the“IDreamofJeannie”Firebird400convertiblewassomewhatunique.“Itwas as clear as the nose on your face on the order form, exceptnobodyreadthem;thesalesmandidn’tevenreadthem,”Wangerssaid.“Wedidahellofalottohelp[thecolor]whenweputthecaronthat

show. We were very proud, because there weren’t many Firebirdsaroundinthatcolor.”TheuseofCarouselRedon the “IDreamof Jeannie”Firebirddid a

smallbutnotablepart topreviewaspecialPontiacGTOthatwouldbereleasedinApril1969bearing“TheJudge”name.TheJudgewouldbeheavily promoted in Carousel Red, but offered in any color Pontiacoffered.Inanticipationoftheupcoming“TheJudge”editionofthe1969GTO,WangerssaidtheuseofCarouselRedonFirebirdswassuspendedinearly1969sothecolorwouldbeexclusiveinthePontiaclinetoTheJudge.

“Asafactory,wedidnotwanttoputaTransAmon‘Jeannie,’becausewehad thatCarouselRedFirebird thereand thatwashelpinguswithpromotingTheJudge,whichwassoidentifiedwiththatCarouselRed.”Keeping Major Healey behind the wheel of a new Firebird became

complicated in late1969.AsWangers tells it, thedelays ingetting the1970CamarosandFirebirdswerepartiallyresponsibleforhavingthe“IDream of Jeannie” 1969 Firebird 400 freshened for the 1970 showseason.

TheinterioranddrivetrainofthePontiacwereleftstock,includingthe330-hp,400-cidV-8.

“Weturned itover toGeorgeBarris,whohadbeenknockingonourdoortodobusinesswithus,”Wangerssaid.“Weactually‘stole’thecarattherequestoftheproductioncompany.WhenthecargotturnedovertoBarris,hestartedtocustomizeit.”Carousel Red was no longer offered on The Judge in 1970, sochangingthecolornolongeraffectedPontiac’spromotionalefforts.ThatallowedBarris to borrow styling features from the1969PontiacTransAm,acarPontiacchosenottofeatureearlierontheTVshow.“[Barris]didanice littledeviationonthestripesoffa ’69TransAmandthenthatcargot involved inquitea fewconfigurations,but Iwasnolongerinvolved,”Wangerssaid.NotallofBarris’inspirationforthemodificationsundertakenonthe“IDreamofJeannie”Firebird400datetothe1969TransAm.AsWangersalsorecalls,afewofthecar’sfeaturesdateto1968,whenBarrisbuiltarunofspecialFirebirdsforanotherTVprogram.

“Therewas a TV showdone in ’68 (‘Sounds of ’68’) and they did aSuperteenFirebirdgiveawayand[Barris]builtthreeSuperteenFirebirdsfor it with a similar kind of hood and a similar spoiler, but a moreradicalfrontend[thanthe‘IDreamofJeannie’Firebird].”ComparedtotheSuperteen1968Firebird400sbuiltbyBarris,the“I

Dream of Jeannie” 1969 Firebird 400 is closer to stock, lacking theelectronics in the backseat of the Superteen cars, which featured atypewriter,televisionsetandtapedeck.Brousseaufindsthelackofsuchcomponentsinthe“IDreamofJeannie”carasaplus.“The nice thing about this car is the interior is left stock and [its

modifications are limited to] the outside bodymods,” Brousseau said.According to one source, Brousseau said the relatively minormodifications performed by Barris on the “I Dream of Jeannie” cartotaled$130,000,aheftysumforthetimeandenoughtobuyafleetofmorethan25similarlyequippedFirebird400convertibles.At the conclusion of Barris’ work and then the show, Brousseau

learnedthemildlycustomizedFirebird400wasboughtbytheshow’sartdirectorforhisdaughteratalosstoPontiac.“Shedroveitforawhile,andIguesstheylivedinanareaofBeverly

Hills,”Brousseausaid.Fromthere,itcaughttheeyeofthesonofmovieproducerMaceNeufeld,associatedwithsuchfilmsas“ClearandPresentDanger”and“TheOmen.”“[Neufeld’s] son had known the car and had ridden by the house it

wasstoredinonhisbicycle,andhestoppedinandaskedthemaboutthecar,andhegothisdadtobuyitin1977,”Brousseausaid.“Itwashiscarinhighschoolandcollege.”Any Pontiac Firebird 400 convertible makes an enviable ride on

campus, especially a carwith touches by a famous customizer. But by1986, theshinehadwornoff the four-wheeled formerTVstar.At thattime,Neufeld’s son,nowa respectedHollywood type inhisownright,bottleduphis special Firebird 400 convertiblewherever he could findstorage.In2009,heplacedthecarforsaleonanInternetsite.Brousseauandhispartnerspottedthecarforsale,buttherewereno

photographswiththead.LikemanyofthePontiacfanseyeingthecar,Brousseauandhispartnerspeculatedonwhetherthecarwasauthentic.

Eventually, the ad disappeared until spring 2011when it re-appeared,thistimewithpictures.Withinanhourofspottingit,Brousseauandhispartner jumped on the car and began the process of authenticating itwithPontiacHistoricServices.“When I sent off for the PHS documentation, I got a phone call the

next day,” Brousseau said. “In all my years of sending in PHS VINnumbers,IhavenevergottenacallfromJimMattisonthenextday.”Brousseau learned the Pontiac is unusual because it has three build

sheets:thefirstshowsthecar’sassemblydateanditslonglistofoptions:special-order Carousel Red paint,wood steeringwheelwith power tiltfunction,powerantenna,powersteering,powertop,powerdiscbrakes,console, Rally II wheels, remote mirror, power windows, deluxe seatbelts,airconditioning,Rallygaugesandmore.Thebuildsheetshowedatotalpriceof$4,877reflectingnearly$1,800inoptionstotheFirebirdconvertible’s$3,083price.“ThefirstinvoiceisdatedJanuary1969,andhaditbilledtothezone

office inMichigan,”Brousseau said. “Then it hada secondbuild sheetdirectingittothezoneofficeinLosAngeles,andfromthere,itwenttotheproductioncompanyof‘IDreamofJeannie.’“Whentheshowended,thethirdbuildsheetisactuallydatedthevery

endofJulyof1970,so likeayearandahalfafter itwasproduced, itwasstillownedbyPontiac.TheMSOwasissuedin1970,andthereisachargedlosstothisaccountandthefinalinvoiceisadollar.”In addition to numerous build sheets, the Firebird 400 has endured

additional coats of paint over its body. ByBrousseau’s count, it sportsthreerepaintsoveritsoriginalCarouselRed,startingwithBarris’green-with-white-stripes scheme to theblue-with-white-stripes job for theartdirector’s daughter to the white-with-blue-stripes scheme for theproducer’s son.Amazingly, theBarrisadditionsremainunder thepaintlayers,fromtheuniquenon-functionaldual-snorkelhoodtothequarter-panel scoops to the three-piece rear spoiler. Unfortunately, the Barrispaint scheme, which included painting the tail panel white, is buriedunderthemorerecentrepaints.The fact that theFirebird spent its life inCaliforniacertainlyhelped

keepitthesolidandintactspecimenthatitremains,althoughBrousseau

notesitdeservesarestoration.Whenhefoundit,thecarhadbeenstoredoutdoorsafterthesellerloststorageinhisfather’sgarageandafriend’sbuilding.IfBrousseaudidn’talreadyhavea1970PontiacGTORamAir455 hardtop under restoration, he would probably keep the uniqueFirebirdforhisowncollection.Butit’sjustnotinthecards.“Iwouldlovetohaveit,butacarlikethat,aone-offcar,itneedstobe taken to someone and be totally restored into a trailer queen,”Brousseau said. “It’s worth a lot of money, and I would really ratherdrivemy’70Impalaandhitawaterpuddleandnothavetocringe.”In themeantime,Brousseau ishaving funauthenticating thecarandpiecingtogetheritshistory.“Itiskindoflikeatrifecta,”Brousseausaid.“Itwasaspecialcarbuiltby Pontiac, then it was a TV car, then it was a one-off George Barriscustomcar.”Rarelydoesitgetbetterthanthat.

TheraisedtwinhoodscoopswerepartoftheBarrisbodymod’s.

I

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO1969PONTIACGTO‘THEJUDGE’StoryandphotosbyLarryBell

JUDGEMYTHISDISROBED

ReaderfindslocallyfamousGTOrightunderhisnose

Afterthis1969GTOTheJudgedisappearedfromthestreetsofNewCastle,Ind.,in1972,rumorspersistedaboutitsfate.

nMarch1969, Iwas17yearsoldanddrivinganewVerdoroGreen1968 Pontiac GTO convertible with a four-speed. I felt I was the“coolest cat”on the street.One latenight,while “cruisingBroad” insearchofgirlsoralate-nightstreetrace,InoticedanotherGTOpullupbehindmeasIsatataredlight.This GTO was orange, but I wasn’t aware Pontiac made an orange

GTO.Then,as the lightwasreadytoturngreen, thedriver lungedthecarupbesidemeatthelight,blippedthethrottleandproceededtogivemethe“let’sgo”sign—hewantedtorace.Iwassostunnedbythecar

—itsaid“TheJudge”onthefender—thatIfroze.Hetookoff,smokingthetiresofthebright-orangeGTOTheJudge,andIwasleftsittingatthelight. Feeling like yesterday’s news, I turned right andwent home, allthe while wondering what The Judge was. The next day, I found outwhataGTOTheJudgewas,butIneverlaideyesonthatparticularcarforanother40years.In1983,Iwasworkingoutatalocal gymwhenayounggirl noticedmyGTOT-shirt and she toldmeabout her uncle’s Judge. Apparently, he had parked it in 1972with abad clutch andnever drove it again. The girl also toldmeher uncle’snameandwheretheylived,butafterquiteafewattempts,Iwasneverabletocontacttheowners.Manymoreyearspassedandby this time, thisparticularTheJudgewasbecominga localurban legend, aghostof sorts. Stories about thecar circulated for decades,most saying it had been sold, destroyed orwas stored at the edge of town in a shack and guarded by a pack ofwolves.NooneseemedtoknowwheretheelusivePontiachadvanishedtoallthoseyearsago,andtheownersapparentlyweren’ttalkingeither.InApril2009,IwassittinginalittledinerIownandhavingbreakfastwith a friend of mine when three older women sat down at the nextbooth.TheHighway38Diner is car-themedand thewallsarecoveredwithpicturesofmycars,bothcurrentandpast.Oneoftheladiesaskedif thecarsonthewallweremineandIsaid,“Yes,mostof them.”Theladythenaskedme,“Howmuchisaone-lady-owned’69GTOTheJudgewithafour-speedworth?”

OCWreaderLarryBelleventuallyfoundithiddeninalocalgaragein2009.

In1983,IwasworkingoutatalocalgymwhenayounggirlnoticedmyGTOT-shirtand

shetoldmeaboutheruncle’sJudge.

Inearlydroppedmyforkandsaid,“YouhavegottobeDonna.”Shesaidyes,shewas,andshewasinterestedinthevalue,becausesomeonehadrecentlyapproachedhertobuythecarfor$8,000.Donnasaidshethoughtthepricewaslow,anditwas. I toldherwhatIwouldpayforthecarsight-unseen,andshethankedmeforbeinghonestintellingherwhatIthoughtitwasworth.IalsotoldDonnahowIhadseenthecaronce—40yearsago—andhadsearchedforitunsuccessfullyfor25years.IsaidIwouldlovetoaddit tomycollection.Shemade itplain thecarbelonged toher,notherhusband, and how she paid for the car herself and drove it off theshowroom floor at Wells Pontiac in Richmond, Ind., in 1969. It wassolelyherdecisionwhattodowiththecar.Twodays later, she left amessage at thediner forme to call her. Iimmediately called andmade an appointment to look at the long-lostTheJudgeassoonasIgotovertheflu.Shetoldmenottoworry,thecar

wasmineifIwantedit,butwestillhadn’tagreedonaprice.Afterafewagonizingdays,Iwashealthyenoughtogetmyfirstlookatthis“urbanlegend”inmorethan40years.AnditturnsoutthisstoriedcarwasjustsixblocksfrommyNewCastle,Ind.,home!WhenIlaideyesonTheJudgeforthesecondtime,itwasparkedin

thesametinygaragewhereithadbeenleftsince1972andhadnotseendaylight since. The car had a little more than 40,000 miles on theodometer, new tires, new exhaust and a 1972 Indiana State SafetyInspectionsticker.DonnaandIagreedonapriceinamatterofminutesandthelong-lostTheJudgewasfinallymine.ItookacrewtoexamineTheJudge,andwewereallamazedathow

wellthecarhadsurvivedthedecades.Wefilledthefourflattireswithair, liftingitoffofcanofhousepaint,thenwiggledtheHurstshifterafewtimesandpulleditoutofthegarageandontoatrailer forashorttriptoafriends’restorationshoptoseewhatwehad.Afterafewdaysofcleaning,itcamebacktolifecosmeticallyandbegantolookasitdidin’72.Thegastankwasemptied(itwasascleanasnew);thecarburetorwas

rebuilt; the plugs, plug wires and points were changed; fresh oil waspouredinthecrankcase;thebatterywaschanged;andwithafewotherminoritems,TheJudgestartedrightup.Italsoturnsouttheclutchwasfineafterall.After 37 years of hiding, The Judgewas alive again, purring like a

tiger.Ihavetakenittoacouplelocalshowsinthelast18monthsandeveryoneremembersthecarandhasastorytotellaboutit.Itisatruesurvivorandwillneverberestoredorsold.

Today,the40,000-mileTheJudgelooksasfineaswhenitwasparkedin1972.

FlashyJudgecouldhandoutswiftjustice

Anymusclecarinspiredbythe“HereComedaJudge”skitsonRowan&Martin’s“Laugh-In”TVshowwassuretobeabitcrazy,andtheGTOTheJudgewascrazyinaveryfastway.AsCarLifemagazineonceputit,“Pontiacinspiredthesupercarforthisgeneration…andTheJudgeisoneofthebest.”The new model of GTO was designed to be what Car and Drivermagazinecalledan“econoracer.”However, theendproductbecameaheavily optionedmuscle car priced atmore than$300over theGTO’sstickerandstillprovidedalotofmuscleforthemoney.Itwasamachinethatcouldrace“asdelivered,”andforalotlessmoneythanapurpose-builtdragracingcar.PontiacMotor Division’s release of the “The Judge” option packagewasmadeonDec.19,1968.Atfirst,“TheJudge”cameonlyinCarouselRedwith tri-color striping, but it was latermade available in the fullrangeofcolorsthatwereavailableforother’69GTOs.Specialstandardfeatures of The Judge package included a blacked-out grille, Rally IIwheels (minus bright trim rings), functional hood scoops and “The

Judge”decalsonthesidesofthefrontfendersand“RamAir”decalsonthe hood scoops. At the rear of the car there was a 60-inch-wide“floating”decklidairfoilwitha“TheJudge”decalemblemontheupperright-handsurface.Thestandard“TheJudge”enginewas thePontiac-built400-cid/366-

hpRamAirIIIV-8.Itcamelinkedtoathree-speedmanualtransmissionwith a floor-mountedHurst T-handle shifter and a 3.55:1 rear axle. Atotalof8,491GTOsandJudgesweresoldwiththismotorandonly362ofthemwereconvertibles.Themorepowerful400-cid/370-hpRamAirIVenginewasinstalledin759carsinthesametwolinesand59ofthesecarswereconvertibles.“TheJudge”optionwasadded to6,725GTOtwo-doorhardtopsand

only 108GTO ragtops. The editors ofCar Lifemagazinewhipped TheJudge through the quarter-mile at 14.45 seconds and 97.8 mph.Supercars Annual covered the same distance in a Judge with TurboHydra-Matictransmissionandrackeduparunof13.99secondsat107mph!

D

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE1978CADILLACELDORADOByBrianEarnest

FITFOR‘THEKING’

Pristine1978Eldoradohasbeenlockedinthedarksincethedayitleftthedealer

Thisloaded1978CadillacEldoradoCustomBiarritzwasparkedthedayitleftthedealershipwith145milesontheodometer.ItnevermovedagainuntilDaveEvans

ofAshburn,Va.,boughtthecarrecently.

aveEvans’uber-fancy1978CadillacEldoradoBiarritzisn’tjustacarfitforaking.Itwasacarbuiltinhonorof“TheKing”himself.Elvis Presley left us back in August of 1977, and not long after his

passing,aTennesseewomanwhoapparentlyworshippedthelegendarycrooner decided she needed a Cadillac to remember him by. Actually,shedecidedsheneededapairofthem,sosheorderedtwoloaded-to-the-gills 1978 Eldorado Biarritz Customs — a brown one and a brilliantwhitecarwitharedinterior.After getting the keys fromBill Gatton Chevrolet-Cadillac in Bristol,

Tenn., thewomantook thecarsdirectly to the inspectionstation, thenstraighthometohergarage.There,sheparkedthewhiteEldorado,with

145milesonitsodometer.

TheCustomBiarritzEldoradoshadaCabriolet-stylerooftreatmentthatwasdifferentfromotherEldorados.Therearwindowsweresmaller,operalightswereplacedbehindthequarterwindowsandstainlesssteeltrimmoldingsranacrossthetopsofthedoorsandunderthebottomedgeofthevinylroof.Redaccentstripes

decoratedthefendersanddoors.

“It’sunreal.Thecarhasonly145originalmiles.Itdrovefromthedealertothe

inspectionstation86miles,thentothehouse.Itstillhasthedealerstickersonthewindowandtherewasneverevenaplateputonit.”

Andthecarnevermovedagain.“Therewas86milesonthecarwhenshedidtheinspection,andthentheytookthecarhomeandparkedit,”Evanssaysincredulously.“Thatwasthelasttimesheeverdroveit.Everybodyhastoldmethecarnevermovedagain—herkidsandeverybody.Nobodyeverdrovethecar.“Itactuallybelongedtomyex-girlfriend’sparents,”Evansadded.“Theladydiedbackin1995…andlastyearthefatherwasdyingofcancer,andtheyweretalkingaboutthiscarinthegaragetheyneededtosell.Iasked if I could see it, and it was great! I couldn’t believe it! It wasscheduledtogotoauction,butIsaidIwantedtobuythecar,soIgotitbeforeitgottothepublicforauction.“It’s unreal. The car has only 145 original miles. It drove from thedealer to the inspectionstation86miles, then to thehouse. It stillhasthedealerstickersonthewindowandtherewasneverevenaplateputonit.”With itsoriginaloil in theengine, coolant in the radiatorandair inthetires,thecarwasshippedtoMooresCadillacinChantilly,Va.,wheremechanics have been “TLC-ing it for about threemonths,” Evans said.The car still hasn’t been started, but the old radiator core has beenreplaced,aleakingbrakecaliperhasbeenfixedandaplasticfillerpiecebetween thepassenger-sidequarterpanel and frontbumper thatbrokewhen the car wasmoved is being replaced. The car hasn’t even beencleanedupyet,butEvans said serious scrubbing isn’t reallynecessary,evenafter33years.“Justsittingthere,itlookslikeitdoesn’tevenneedwashing,”hesaid.“Thesticker—Ican’tbelieveitwasnevereventakenoffthewindow.It’sstillgotthepaperfloormatsonthefloor.”Evans, a resident of Ashburn, Va., will never know for sure if theowner had planned to just keep the car as some kind of an expensivekeepsake,or ifsheactuallyplannedtodrive it,butwhenshewentcarshopping,shewentrightforthetopshelf.TheEldoradowasasgoodasthings got among American luxury cars at the time, and the Custom

Biarritzpackageaddedahostofhigh-class goodies to analready ritzymachine. The Custom Biarritz groupwas available from 1977-’79 andincludedspecialcolorcombinations,accentstriping,apaddedvinylroof,specialBiarritzbadgingandextra-plushinteriors.ExteriorpaintoptionswereCotillionWhite,ColonialYellow,RuidosoSaddle,CarmineRedandMediterranean Blue Firemist. Interiors were available in white, lightblue,lightyellow,mediumsaddleanddarkcarmine.

TheCustomBiarritzincludedluxurious“pillowed”styleleatherorvelourupholstery.Thiscarwasorderedwitharedandwhiteinteriortomatchitsexteriorpaintscheme.TheoriginalownerwasabigElvisPresleyfan,accordingtocurrentownerDaveEvans,andsheorderedtwoCustomBiarritzEldoradosafterPresley—a

Cadillacfanhimself—diedinAugustof1977.

The quarter windows and rear window were different from otherEldorados, there was special stainless-steel accent moldings thatstretched horizontally along the tops of the doors and rear quarterpanels,andspecialaccentstripingranunderthemoldings.Specialoperalamps were mounted behind the rear quarter windows and specialdecorativewheelcoverswerealsopartofthepackage.Alloftheseextrastacked$1,865ontothepriceofanEldoradoin1978.Not that the regular Eldorados weren’t fancy enough. Standard

equipment includeda425-cid,180-hpV-8witheither fuel injectionorcarburetor, four-wheel disc brakes, front-wheel drive, electronic levelcontrol, automatic climate control, power windows and door locks,

cornering lamps, six-way power seat, three-speed wipers, Freedombattery,lampmonitors,tripodometer,wide-whitewallsteel-beltedradialtires, Soft-Ray tinted glass, accent striping, remote control left-handmirror, vanity mirror, lighters, bumper impact strips and a stowawaysparetire.A revised crosshatchgrillewithheavierhorizontal barswas seenonthe front of 1978 Eldorados. The four-row peaked checkerboard grillewas flanked by quad rectangular headlamps.Amber parking lamps satlow on the bumper. Large chrome vertical bumper ends extendedupwardaroundtheauxiliarylamps.OptionssuchasAM/FMstereowithtapeplayerandCBradio,tilt/telescopingsteeringwheel,cruisecontrol,rearwindowdefogger,trumpethornandtrunklidreleaseranthefinalbill on Evans’ car to $15,511. “That’s a pretty hefty price back then,”Evansnoted.“Fifteen-thousanddollars,andthenjusttoparkit?”Cadillac’sluxurycoupecameonlyasatwo-doorandwasbasepricedat$11,921 in1978.Atawhopping4,906 lbs., theEldoradoswere theheaviestcarsintheCaddylineup.Atotalof46,816werebuilt,puttingthem fourth in line in popularity among Cadillacs behind the deVillecoupeandsedan,SevillesedanandFleetwoodBroughamsedan.About2,000EldoradoBiarritzes also received the “Classic” package,whichincludedapowersunroofor“Astroroof”fromAmericanSunroofinSouthgate,Mich.AhandfulofthecarswerealsooutfittedwithspecialslidingpowerT-topsfromAmericanSunroof.SomesourcessaysevenoftheseT-topcarsstillexist.It’sasafebetthatEvans’Eldoradoisthemostpristine1978exampleontheplanet.“It’sstillgotthestubbiesonthetires,”helaughs.“Itjustsatinthegarage,andthegaragewasbuiltintothesideofamountain.Itwasallbrick,withstoneforthegaragefloor.Itwasjustpitchblackinthereandnobodyeverwentinthere.“The lady that bought the car, she heard that Elvis had a whiteCadillacwitharedinterior,andshehadtohaveacarjustlikehis.Shewas just crazy about Elvis, I guess. She even bought the same kind ofcasketElvisPresleywasburied in!…Shedied in1995,and the familydidn’tdoanythingwiththecar.[Herhusband]decided, ‘No,we’renotgoingtodoanythingwithit,it’sjustgoingtositthere.’Nobodywanted

it.Thekidsdidn’twant the car,nobody in the familywanted it, but Idid!It’snoShelbyMustang,butit’sstillcoolandreallyunique.“After I bought it, it sat there for about six months because it was

snowed in in themountains,andwhenIgot it to[MooresCadillac in]Chantilly,themechanictherewasjustbesidehimself.Everythingonitisjustamazing.Theleatherisperfect—itlookslikeabrandnewcar.Therooftop,thepaint—it’sallperfect.TheguysfromCadillacjustcouldn’tbelievethecarsatthatlong.”EvanssaidheputinanewbatteryintheCadillacandturnedthekey

justenoughtoseeifthestarterwouldturnover,andeverythingseemedtowork.Hehasnothadthecarrunningyet,butplanstodososoon.“IwanttobetherewhenwestartitsoIcanhearitrun,”hesaid.“Rightnow, I justwant toget itoperational.We’re justdoinga littlebithereandalittlebitthere.Theplugwiresarestillsoft.Thebeltsandradiatorhosesareallstillsoft.Wehaven’thadtoreplaceanyofthat.We’rebeingrealcautiouswithwhatwedo.”More thananything,Evans saidheknewheneeded togetaholdof

thecarsoitwouldn’tendupwithsomebodywhodidn’tfullyappreciatetheEldorado’sunmolestedcondition.“Ijustsaid, ‘Wow,Ihavetohavethiscar…Isawitandsaid,‘Thiscannotwindupinthewronghands.’I’mnotsurewhatwillhappenwithit.It’supintheair.There’snowayI’lldriveit.Ijustcan’tseedrivingthiscaratthispoint.I’dbetooafraidsomethingwouldhappentoit,withmyluck.“It shouldprobably go to a collectorwhowill hangonto it in a big

warehouseorcollectionsomewhereandnotdriveit.”

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