McCormick’s, Palm Springs, CA, February 23–25, 2018
GAA, Greensboro, NC, March 1–3, 2018
Bonhams, Amelia Island, FL, March 8, 2018
Gooding & Co., Amelia Island, FL, March 9, 2018
Motostalgia, Amelia Island, FL, March 10, 2018
RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island, FL, March 10, 2018
Mecum, Kansas City, MO, March 16–17, 2018
Search This Issue
Page 6
CAR COLLECTOR
Volume 7 • Issue 39 • May–June 2018
The Scoop
CORVETTE
1957 CHEVROLET
CORVETTE 283/270
$80k / GAA
The dual-four 283 ’Vette is
a great value vs. its Fuelie
siblings — Tom Glatch
Page 52
GM
1970 OLDSMOBILE 442
W-30 2-DOOR HARD TOP
$74k / Bonhams
An excellent example
sneaks in under the money
— Dale Novak
Page 54
Eight Sales That Define the Market
MOPAR
1998 DODGE VIPER
GTS-R COUPE
$91k / Bonhams
Under-median money for a
lightly used GTS-R
— John L. Stein
Page 58
FoMoCo
1993 FORD MUSTANG
SVT COBRA
$21k / GAA
A barn-fresh Cobra brings
proper money for its miles
— Sam Stockham
Page 56
AMERICAN
™
8 AmericanCarCollector.com
Keith Martin's
Page 7
HOT ROD
1920 FORD T-BUCKET
$22k / Leake
A bunch of hot-rod fun for
the dollar — John Boyle
Page 60
AMERICANA RACE
1936 FORD DELUXE
CABRIOLET
$45k / Bonhams
What’s next for this classic
Ford — keep it stock or rod
it? — Ken Gross
Page 62
1959 KELLISON J-4R
COUPE
$28k / Bonhams
The cheapest first-class
ticket you’ll ever buy
— Jeff Zurschmeide
Page 64
TRUCK
1978 INTERNATIONAL
SCOUT II TRAVELTOP
$31k / GAA
Twice the money for half
the engine — B. Mitchell
Carlson
Page 66
Cover photo: 1970 Oldsmobile
442 W-30 coupe
Courtesy of Bonhams
1959 Kellison J-4R coupe, p. 64
Courtesy of Bonhams
May–June 2018
9
Page 8
The Rundown
COLUMNS
12 Torque: A Mustang joins the ACC garage
— Jim Pickering
44 Cheap Thrills: 1974–78 Chrysler New Yorker
— B. Mitchell Carlson
46 Horsepower: Get out and drive your old car
— Jay Harden
48 On the Market: Zigging and zagging into Model A
ownership — John L. Stein
50 Featured Perspective: How a single truck can
turn into an inadvertent collection — Elana Scherr
134 Surfing Around: Must-have automobilia
— Carl Bomstead
FEATURES
20 Good Reads: GTO Data and ID Guide,
The Definitive Chevelle SS Guide, 1001 Corvette Facts
and the Standard Catalog of American Muscle Cars
— Mark Wigginton
24 Desktop Classics: 1932 Chrysler Imperial
Speedster — Marshall Buck
26 Snapshots 1: Images of American iron from Amelia
Island — Chad Taylor
28 Snapshots 2: Teaching the next generation of car
lovers — Jim Pickering
83 Market Moment 1: 1972 Ford Maverick Grabber
2-door sedan — Chad Taylor
88 Market Moment 2: 1957 Chevrolet 210 Custom
4-door 4x4 — Jay Harden
126 Junkyard Treasures: Desert Valley Auto Parts,
Part II — Phil Skinner
USEFUL STUFF
14 What’s Happening: Car events of note
16 Crossing the Block: Upcoming auctions
22 Parts Time: Aftermarket pieces for your car
24 Cool Stuff: Items to protect your investment
10 AmericanCarCollector.com
30 Wrenching: Replacing a worn original timing set in
a 289 Ford
38 Your Turn: Goofs, Ford bias, and more trucks
40 Readers’ Forum: What car should you have kept?
70 Buy It Now: Station wagons 1960–69
— Chad Tyson
122 One to Watch: 1984–87 Pontiac Fiero
— Chad Taylor
124 The Parts Hunter: Tracking down rare parts and
pieces on the market — Pat Smith
128 Showcase Gallery: Sell your car in ACC’s
classifieds section
130 Resource Directory: Get to know our advertisers
133 Advertiser Index
AUCTIONS
68 Market Overview
Top 10 auction sales and best buys, and the market
tries to shake off the winter blues
— Chad Tyson
72 GAA — Greensboro, NC
A $13.5m total for 405 cars sold in North Carolina
— Mark Moskowitz and Jeff Trepel
84 Leake — Oklahoma City, OK
256 cars sell at this year’s OKC auction, bringing $6.7m
total — B. Mitchell Carlson
96 McCormick’s — Palm Springs, CA
346 cars sell at the 64th annual auction, bringing in more
than $6.3m — Carl Bomstead
106 Mecum — Kansas City, MO
Springtime in KC brings $6.3m on 308 of 510 cars sold
— Brett Hatfield
116 Roundup
American vehicles from Gooding & Company,
RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams and Motostalgia in Amelia
Island, FL — Pierre Hedary and Elaine Spiller,
Carl Bomstead, Mark Moskowitz and Jeff Trepel,
and John Hoshstrasser
Page 10
Torque
Jim Pickering
ACC’s New Horse
O
n March 26, 1966, Glenn and
June Anderson jumped into
their 1959 Ford Thunderbird
and cruised from their home
in Tarzana, CA, to Cutter Ford
Sales in North Hollywood. Waiting on the
lot for them was a Wimbledon White 1966
Ford Mustang, which had been assembled
just a month earlier in San Jose and shipped
to the dealership via truck convoy.
Sticker price on the new Mustang was
$3,525. The couple traded in their T-bird and
bought the factory-fresh Mustang, which
was optioned with the base-level 2-bbl,
200-hp 289, C4 automatic transmission with
console, black vinyl top, power steering, air
conditioning, AM radio, deluxe seat belts and
California emissions equipment. The couple
then had the dealership add power brakes and
replace a set of Styled Steel wheels with some
steelies with wire wheel covers.
The car then spent the next 36 years in
SoCal with the Andersons. June drove the
car sparingly. At some point the passenger’s
side fender and door were damaged and
replaced — including an obvious fix to the
door jamb — and the car was resprayed in
its original color.
In the early 2000s, a college kid named
Thomas, who was dating June’s daughter
at the time, bought the car. At the time, the
Mustang was still totally stock, down to its
wire wheel covers.
Thomas brought the car to Oregon. Over
a few years, he added stainless headers
and exhaust with a GT-style rear panel and
trumpets, a 4-bbl intake and carburetor,
chrome valve covers, an aluminum radiator,
Styled Steel wheels and disc brakes up front.
He also had a local Mustang shop lower the
car an inch all around and fit sway bars front
and rear. He kept up with June, sending her
pics and info about what he was up to with
the car until her death.
This past March, Thomas listed the
56,000-mile Mustang for sale on Craigslist
for $19,500. I saw the ad — and then saw the
Mustang, nestled in the garage Thomas built
for it.
A new home for a horse
I’d been hunting Mustangs for a while,
as ACC’s garage was short of something
interesting to drive and fix after the $52,000
sale of our Dodge Viper on Bring A Trailer.
While early Mustangs are common, it’s
12 AmericanCarCollector.com
surprisingly hard to find one that’s more or
less solid throughout. At least here in the
Northwest, these cars all tend to rust in the
same hard-to-fix areas. Semi-hidden rot
ruled out at least two cars that appeared to be
decent at first. I also didn’t want a 6-cylinder
car, and I didn’t want to convert a six to a
V8, either. That made things a little harder,
as most of the decent untouched originals I
found were low-option six-bangers.
Thomas’ car, however, looked solid, and
the documentation proved why. This car
lived most of its life in the North Hollywood
area, and as it was a 56,000-mile car, it
clearly saw only light use when it was there.
The condition I could see — original quarter
panels with no rust, clean chassis that had
been undercoated from new — was backed
up by the documentation that came with the
car and spelled out its story. We made a deal,
and $17,000 later, the Mustang came to the
ACC garage. We’re its third owner.
The power of documentation
It’s funny how original documents
change your perspective of a classic car.
Knowing where our Mustang was sold, and
to whom, gives the car more weight over
other examples in similar overall condition.
Because June saw fit to save everything,
from the original sales invoice to the window
sticker, business cards, insurance card,
original stock tag, warranty plate, key tag
and more, we’ve got a great picture of just
what this car was when new — and through
History plays a big role in car valuation — and our Mustang
is no exception
June
Anderson
and her
1966
Mustang.
Now her
history is
part of our
history
the preservation of what many would have
thrown away, a good idea of what this car
meant to her.
We have photos of June with her beloved
car.
The market translates these docs, relics
and photos to value — even on a lower-horse,
non-GT example like ours. We at ACC value
them because they’re cool and real.
We could go in several directions here,
from returning the car to stock and restoring
it all the way to changing fundamentals,
such as the engine, transmission and suspension
in the name of modern drivability.
Ultimately, it’s a tough call — this car is
mostly stock, but it’s not completely stock.
It’s low-miles, but not minty. It’s nice, but by
no means perfect. It’s optioned, but not rare.
So what’s next? What’s the best value move?
Our plan is to clean up the car where
needed and to make it a better overall driver
without losing what’s still original about it.
To that end, we’ve already started — this
month we installed a roller timing set in
place of the original worn unit. See the story
on p. 30. And we’re working on preserving
the original documentation, too, using
RideCache’s online services (see “Cool
Stuff,” p. 24).
At the end of the day, our goal for this
classic Mustang is to make it a great driver
with a great story and the right paperwork to
back it all up.
AI think June would have liked it that way.
Page 12
WHAT’SHAPPENING
Let Us Know
About Your Events
Do you know of American-car-related events or happenings that we should publicize? Contact
us at: American Car Collector, P.O. Box 4797, Portland, OR 97208 or online at comments@
americancarcollector.com.
L88 Cor
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hope their car i
to win a covete
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Award or the
top-of-themountain
Benchmark
Award. This is m
than a judging e
has dozens of C
area, driving t
(IN)
1969 Chevrolet
L88 Corvette
AACA Grand National Meet
in Pennsylvania
The AACA Grand National Meet rolls
into Greensburg, PA, from May 31 through
June 2, with a “Gathering of the Best of
the Best” AACA Senior Award and Grand
National Award cars.
The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg
is hosting the event.
Don’t miss the self-drive tours to private
Shelby Cobra
CSX2409
McPherson College Motoring Festival and Car
and Motorcycle Show
The world-famous McPherson College Automotive Restoration Program and the school’s
C.A.R.S. Club will feature the Shelby Cobra CSX2409 at their Motoring Festival and the
19th Annual Car and Motorcycle Show.
Graduates of this program help keep our old cars running! Professors and students will put
on technical displays. The day also features shop tours and bands.
More than 275 cars and thousands of gearheads will arrive on campus on May 5 to
celebrate the Automotive Restoration Program. McPherson is the only college in the United
States to offer a bachelor’s degree in the restoration of classic and antique collector cars.
There will be a downtown cruise-in on May 4.
Students organize and run this event, and the McPherson College Campus, at 1600 E.
Euclid Street, McPherson, KS, is the place to be. The show is free to all, but entering your car
for judging costs $20. For more information, visit www.mcpherson.edu/autorestoration/cars
(KS)
14 AmericanCarCollector.com
car collections, the judging school or the
barbecue picnic.
Admission is free to the public, but you
must be a member of the AACA or the CCCA
to enter a car in the show. Visit www.aaca.
org for more information. (IN) A
Page 14
CROSSINGTHE
Upcoming Auctions (Images are courtesy of the respective auction houses unless otherwise noted)
BLOCK
Bonhams
Where: Greenwich, CT
When: June 3
Web: www.bonhams.com
Last year: 89/90 cars sold / $7.3m
Leake
Where: Tulsa, OK
When: June 7–10
Web: www.leakecar.com
Last year: 356/525 cars sold / $8.2m
Star Car: 2006 Ford GT at RM auctions in auburn, In
May
Vicari
Where: Nocona, TX
When: May 3–5
Web: www.vicariauction.com
RM Auctions
Where: Auburn, IN
When: May 10–12
Web: www.rmsothebys.com
Last year: 237/343 cars sold / $9m
Featured cars:
Silver
Where: Missoula, MT
When: May 12
Web: www.silverauctions.com
Lucky Old Car
Where: Tacoma, WA
When: May 12–13
Web: www.luckyoldcar.com
Last year: 98/185 cars sold / $1.1m
• Star Car: 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle
LS6 convertible
• 1941 Lincoln Zephyr
• Star Car: 2006 Ford GT
• 1965 Pontiac GTO convertible
VanDerBrink
Where: Stillwater, OK
When: May 19
Web: www.vanderbrinkauctions.com
Mecum
Where: Denver, CO
When: June 8–9
Web: www.mecum.com
Last year: 411/598 cars sold / $11.4m
Featured cars:
• 1971 Ford Bronco
• 1939 Chevrolet Street Rod coupe
• 1957 Ford Thunderbird
Russo and Steele
Where: Newport Beach, CA
When: June 8–10
Web: www.russoandsteele.com
VanDerBrink
Where: Mansfield, SD
When: June 9
Web: www.vanderbrinkauctions.com
Featured cars:
• 1946 Hudson pickup
• 1956 Buick Roadmaster 4-door hard top
• 1958 Ford Ranchero pickup
Dan Kruse Classics
Where: Midland, TX
When: May 26
Web: www.dankruseclassics.com
Last year: 67/138 cars sold / $1.3m
Featured cars:
• 1916 Paige Ardmore roadster
• 1964 Lincoln Continental convertible
• 1956 Chevrolet Nomad wagon
Featured cars:
• 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
• 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 coupe
• The Golden Sahara II
16 AmericanCarCollector.com
Mecum
Where: Indianapolis, IN
When: May 15–19
Web: www.mecum.com
Last year: 1,218/1,671 cars sold / $54.3m
June
Mecum
Where: Las Vegas, NV
When: June 1–2
Web: www.mecum.com
Wheeler
Where: Norman, OK
When: June 1–3
Web: www.wheelerauctiongroup.com
Carlisle
Where: Carlisle, PA
When: June 16
Web: www.carlisleauctions.com
VanDerBrink
Where: Basehor, KS
When: June 16
Web: www.vanderbrinkauctions.com
Mecum
Where: Portland, OR
When: June 22–23
Web: www.mecum.com
Last year: 282/462 cars sold / $8.3m
Featured cars:
• 1961 Chrysler 300G
• 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS
RM Auctions
Where: Hampton, NH
When: June 23–24
Web: www.rmsothebys.com
Featured cars:
• 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 SCJ
• 1979 Pontiac Trans Am
• 1950 Cadillac Series 62 convertible
Southern Classic
Where: Murfreesboro, TN
When: June 30
Web: www.southernclassicauctions.com A
by Chad Tyson
GOODREADS by Mark Wigginton
GTO Data and ID Guide: 1964–1974
by Peter C. Sessler, CarTech, 192 pages, $24.46, Amazon
The introduction of the GTO by Pontiac in 1963 was a pivotal
moment in American car culture — the creation of the muscle car
(oh, don’t start with me, Olds Rocket 88 fanboys). The notion was
simple: stuff a big motor in an
intermediate sedan and sell
performance. The reaction was
so strong it created a brand-new
market segment.
Coming at the same time
as the introduction of the
Mustang, the popularity of the
fast intermediate-sedan market
took off. By the end of the 10year
run, more than 500,000
GTOs left showrooms. And
now those same cars have
a strong presence in the
collector-car world.
If you need help, Peter
Sessler has the answers with
his essential guide for a potential
buyer. It’s less written
than collected, with every
number and code you need
to make sure the car you are
tire-kicking is what you expect it to be, along with
some helpful tips for buyers and rebuilders. If you are on the hunt,
this belongs in your pocket.
Lineage:
(
Fit and finish:
is best)
1001 Corvette Facts
by Steve Magnante, CarTech, 360 pages, $24.95, Amazon
Steve Magnante is a popular fixture at Barrett-Jackson auction
coverage, and his command of facts, from mundane to obscure,
makes him the leading
contender in the inevitable
B-J/“Jeopardy” mash-up
show. 1001 Corvette Facts
s exactly what you expect,
especially in context of his
similar books on Mustangs
and muscle cars, plus other
books in the line from
other authors.
Organized by model,
from C1 to C7, each
chapter is replete with
the arcane details that
so delight the Corvette
crowd. Pick a page, any
page, and prepare to
learn something, even if
you never use it again.
It’s all fascinating stuff,
from design dead ends to
contemporaneous awards
and enthusiast magazine
coverage. And no pesky
narrative, so you can pick
it up and put it down at your whim and enjoy it every time.
Lineage:
Fit and finish:
20 AmericanCarCollector.com
Drivability:
Drivability:
Lineage:
Fit and finish:
The Definitive Chevelle SS Guide: 1964–1972
by Dale McIntosh, CarTech, 192 pages, $33.44, Amazon
If the Chevelle Super Sport is the apple of your eye, this guide by
Dale McIntosh will keep you on the straight and narrow. Although
the SS designation was only an option package (rather
than its own series)
starting in 1969, that
doesn’t diminish its
appeal.
The Chevelle
turned out to be a
huge success for GM,
being built in at least
five different factories
in an ever-changing
series of mid-year
modifications.
It’s a nightmare of
record keeping and
historical detective
work to find out if a
particular car coming
to market now is a
“right” car. McIntosh
is your patient teacher,
showing you how to
decode the codes and
make sure your SS
started out that way —
or was, uh, enhanced. Plenty of data and tips for the collector, plus
great photos, is a great combo.
Drivability:
Standard Catalog of American Muscle Cars:
1960–1972
by John Gunnell, Krause Publishing, 320 pages, $38.25, Amazon
This book came out in 2006, and I wanted to include it because it is
a handy, basic reference for the editors of American Car Collector.
Author John
Gunnell set about to
create a list of the truly
muscular of the muscle
cars, rather than a
complete list of all the
cars merely wearing
muscle shirts. This
means only the hottest
need apply. Each car
gets a page, with image,
tightly written history,
basics on numbers, and
a rundown on engines
and options. Like other
books in the series, it
uses a standard, repeatable
format.
To tell you how use-
ful it is, when I slipped
it off the shelf here at
ACC Central, somehow
the Boss knew it was
missing and wanted it back. So, all I really need to say is, “ACC tested
and Pickering approved.”
Lineage:
Fit and finish:
Drivability:
Page 20
PARTSTIME by Jim Pickering
New Products to Modernize Your S
All in the Details
POR-15 Detail Paint provides a
professional-grade finish that reproduces the
original look of cast parts. It’s perfect for
water pumps, intake manifolds and master
cylinders. Designed to protect against rust,
it’s available in several colors, all of which
have a low sheen and will not yellow. It’s
formulated to provide maximum corrosion
resistance and protect metal substrates
against weather, sunlight, oil and water.
Use it on bare metal, or for the ultimate
protection, use over POR-15 Rust Preventive
Coating. $27.20 at www.por15.com.
The Right Spindles
Scott Drake’s new 1964–66 F s
Ford’s original (and longtime discontinued) units. They’re built of forged JIS S45C-grade
steel, and the spindle snouts have been heat treated via induction hardening. From there,
all surfaces are precision machined. It’s a critical component and a vital upgrade for those
of you who want to drop a V8 in your original 6-cylinder car. Available in May from
www.drakeautomotivegroup.com for $199.95 per side.
Tri-Five Vent Windows
Got a shoebox Chevy with vent-window
That M/T Look
Holley’s bringing back that Day Two look with their old-school M/T valve covers.
These vintage-style units are made of cast aluminum and offer knock-out plugs for the
stock PCV system. They’ll look just right under the hood next to a set of white-painted
headers and a Holley double pumper. Pair these with a set of steel-core rubber valvecover
gaskets and kiss your oil leaks goodbye. Available for small-block Chevy ($129.95)
and big-block Chevy ($149.95) at www.holley.com.
22 AmericanCarCollector.com
woes? Classic Industries now sells a complete
vent-window assembly for hard-top,
sedan, wagon and convertible models. The
units come complete with inner frame, outer
frame, rubber seals and the vertical division
bar, all assembled and ready for installation.
Available with clear, green tinted or smoked
glass. Sold individually. $279.99 each at
www.classicindustries.com.
Page 22
COOLSTUFF
Finishing Touches
A period-correct license
Digital Documentation
Our classic cars all have history. Discovering that history is a big
task, but can add value to your car. RideCache is a software system
created to help you keep all that information organized and protected.
The program allows you to upload and organize historic documents,
magazine articles and appraisals. You can also upload photos of
restoration, track awards the car has won, and record maintenance
that has been performed, plus so much more. The software starts at
$50 per year, allowing you to manage eight vehicles with options to
manage up to 100. Get all the information at ridecache.com.
Under-Hood Helper
How many times have you been
draped over the fender of your car,
searching for a free spot to set all of your
tools and parts until your hands are free? E
the Moroso Carburetor-Top Tool Tray. This is a 10-by13-inch
tray that sits on top of your carburetor. Made of aluminum,
the tray will accommodate 16 spark plugs, eight plug wires, and any
tools you need. Plus you can make sure nothing is dropped into your
car’s intake. Pick up yours from summitracing.com for $103.97
Car-Cover Conundrum
Generic car covers can scratch paint — especially outside in the
wind. But there’s a better solution available from CoverCar Concepts.
Made from anodized aluminum tubing, plastic connectors, and a
cover that is breathable, SPF protected and water resistant, CoverCar
is a free-standing car cover. Simply drive your car under it and slide
the cover back to protect it. The cover comes in two sizes and starts at
$879. The full-time outdoor version is coming in the summer of 2018.
Find out all the details at covercarconcepts.com.
DESKTOPCLASSICS by Marshall Buck
1932 Chrysler Imperial Speedster
This is a fabulous miniature of the one-off
car originally built for Walter P. Chrysler.
It was also the Best of Show winner at the
Pebble Beach Concours in 1991.
The model replicates the car as-restored.
This was the first release from the USA-
based model specialist B&G Historic Line,
and was produced in Ukraine, where each
model was hand-built by true craftsmen.
The fidelity of detail is phenomenal.
Perfect fit and finish, exact match of the
custom-color paint, with delicate little parts
everywhere: leaping-ram mascot, correct engraved Chrysler font on the wheels’ center caps, and cables attached
to the windshield-wiper motors. All plated parts are made of brass — then nickel plated and polished.
These are also true limited-edition models. The run was split between top-up or -down versions. They
were never widely marketed, hence a few are still available from B&G.
24 AmericanCarCollector.com
Detailing
Scale: 1:43
Available colors: Chestnut
Quantity: 250 (125 open,
125 closed)
Price: $325
Production date: 2007
Web: msbash@gmail.com
Ratings
Detailing:
Accuracy:
Overall quality:
Overall value:
is best
plate is just the thing for
your freshly restored classic
— especially at your local
car show. Acquiring a true
original in good condition,
however, can be difficult. Get
a new license plate with that
vintage look at LicensePlates.
tv. There are many state license plates available in a number of different
years, or you can create a custom plate specific to your car. Make
a custom license-plate frame to match. The state plates start at $95
with near-endless options. Find or create the exact plate you need at
licenseplates.tv.
by Chad Taylor
Page 24
SNAPSHOTS
Photos by Chad Taylor
Images from Amelia Island
an attention-getting barn-find 1967 Shelby 427 Cobra crosses the block at Gooding & Company, eventually selling for $1m
1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Le Mans Racer at the amelia Island Concours d’elegance
26 AmericanCarCollector.com
Page 25
a 1972 Dodge Charger awaits a new home at Bonhams,
eventually selling for $42,560
ed “Big Daddy” Roth shop truck: 1956 Ford F-100 restored
by Galpin Motors of Van nuys, Ca
1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt concept car
1963 “Mysterion” replica by Galpin Motors at the amelia
Island Concours
2004 Shelby Cobra concept at the amelia Island Concours
May–June 2018 27
Page 26
SNAPSHOTS
Shop Class Reborn
World of Speed is teaching the next-generation car enthusiast
Story and photos by Jim Pickering
I
t’s not a stretch to say that the vast
majority of car people got their start
in the hobby during their high-school
days — back when they could learn
how to do an oil change or adjust a set
of valves right on campus.
Most of today’s kids don’t have that op-
tion anymore because of a lack of funding, a
shift of focus, or both, in today’s schools.
World of Speed, the motorsports museum
in Wilsonville, OR, is changing that.
The building that houses World of
Speed used to be a Chrysler dealership.
Renovations turned most of the inside
space into the museum — but the servicedepartment
layout, complete with auto lifts,
remained.
The education program, which uses that
space and instructors from the museum and
nearby Clackamas Community College,
kicked off in fall 2015, with just 22 students.
Today, 10 area high schools are involved,
with more than 130 students busing, driving
or skateboarding to the museum for a few
hours of shop time each week.
Courses cover Automotive
Fundamentals, General Auto Repair and
Small-Engine Repair, and they’re offered at
no cost to the student via funding from other
sources, including local school districts.
Fridays are open-shop days, where students
can work on their own cars with assistance
from the staff and their friends in the
program.
And it’s not just for fun. These kids earn
both high-school and college credits through
the auto courses taught at World of Speed.
“Kids with good GPAs are often first
considered for this program,” said R. Lewis
Ferguson, World of Speed’s Director of
Education. “But we find that it’s the kids who
are having trouble with traditional subjects
who often benefit the most from the program.
Some who were struggling to graduate have
actually turned their grades around here.
Some are even graduating early.”
That level of dedication from the
students is clear. “I love it here,” said Lucas
Bachman, leaning over the engine in his
Toyota as he pulled the #3 spark plug to
perform a leakdown test with the help of his
instructor. “It adds time to the school day,
but to get to do this stuff… it’s worth it.”
Learn more about the program, and
ways that you can get involved, at www.
worldofspeed.org.A
28 AmericanCarCollector.com
Kids can work on their own cars during open-shop Fridays
“We find that it’s
the kids who are
having trouble
with traditional
subjects who often
benefit the most
from the program”
— R. Lewis Ferguson,
World of Speed’s Director
of Education
Page 28
WRENCHINGHOW-TO
KEEPING TIME
in a Classic Mustang
A
If your low-miles V8 engine still has its original
plastic-tooth timing set, it’s a ticking time bomb
by Jim Pickering and Chad Tyson
CC’s 1966 Mustang has only 56,000 original miles.
Under the hood it looks mostly original, save for a few
aftermarket additions. Overall, it sounds and feels like
a low-miles 289 should. But low-mile engines can be
deceiving.
In the 1960s, the Big Three used plastic-tooth timing sets in a
number of engines. The reasoning behind it? To eliminate noise
caused by metal timing gear sets.
These plastic sets needed to be replaced within about 60,000 miles.
Let one go too long, and you’d potentially have a stretched, worn chain
that easily could skip a tooth on the timing gear and break pieces off.
This could lead to any number of problems, from plastic shavings
blocking the oil-pump pickup tube to a catastrophic meeting of pistons
and valves. As such, timing-set replacements on these cars were common
in the 1970s and 1980s, using longer-lasting all-metal parts.
Fast-forward to 2018, where low-miles cars are sought-after in the
30 AmericanCarCollector.com
classic market. Any lightly used car from that era probably missed
the era of common timing-set replacements, and since most engine
builders have used metal gears since the 1980s, you might not even
realize that your no-miles prize has a plastic gear and stretched chain
driving its valvetrain.
And now, that plastic gear — which was already frail — is aged
well past its expected service life. Since your original engine is a key
component to the value of your original car, that gearset needs to go
before it fails.
Fortunately, this job is a straightforward one. We tore into our
original 289 to see how bad our gears and chain were, and using
parts from Scott Drake and Summit Racing, we replaced it with a
modern roller-style steel timing set. Scott Drake has a great selection
of Mustang restoration parts, and Summit Racing stocks the entire
Drake catalog, making these parts even easier to get. Here’s how we
did the job.
Page 29
SCOTT DRAKE PARTS LIST (www.scottdrake.com)
P/N C5ZZ-6268-RK, Cloyes roller timing set, $55.95
P/N C4OZ-6020-A, timing-cover gasket set, $34.95
P/N C6ZE-8260/86-B, 1966 concours-correct radiator hoses for 289,
$27.95
P/N C5ZZ8287-8 2-65, date-coded V8 hose clamp set, $21.95
P/N C2DZ-8597-A, coolant bypass hose, $5.95
SUMMIT RACING PARTS LIST (www.summitracing.com)
P/N WMR-W89711, harmonic balancer installer/puller, $69.99
P/N WMR-W136P, three-jaw gear puller, $14.97
P/N LUC-10679-1, Lucas Oil 10W30, $35.97
P/N MOF-FL1A, Motorcraft oil filter for 289, $3.97
OTHER PARTS
Super Clean, 1 gallon, $18.25
Evapo-Rust, 1 gallon, $19.06
Permatex Right Stuff, 5 oz., $21.49
Prestone antifreeze, 1 gallon, $18.34
Loctite thread sealant, 4 oz., $9.17
TIME SPENT:
Five hours
DIFFICULTY: J J J
(J J J J J is toughest)
1
aside from an aftermarket 4-bbl intake, carb, openelement
air cleaner and some other minor service replacements,
our 289 is an all-original mill — complete with
its original timing set.
2
Before starting the tear-down, we elected to
degrease the engine using a 50/50 mix of Super
Clean degreaser and water. The idea here is to limit
what might fall into the oil pan when removing the tim-
ing cover — but to not damage any original finishes. We covered
the alternator with a plastic sheet and sprayed the front of
the engine down with a spray bottle, let it sit, and then rinsed it
with water. We repeated this several times and then let it dry.
3
The water pump has to come off to access the timing
cover, so after disconnecting and removing the battery, we
drained the cooling system in preparation for the tear-down.
May–June 2018 31
Page 30
WRENCHINGHOW-TO
4
next up were the upper and
lower radiator hoses, and this
crossover hose. Even with the
system drained, be ready for a
mess, especially when you remove the
lower hose. If new hoses are part of your
plan, these can be sliced lengthwise at each
end with a razor blade for easier removal.
5
The alternator belt, alternator,
and its associated brackets
were next — just a few bolts
held everything in place. We
elected to not disconnect the alternator’s
wiring. Instead, we just set it aside and out
of the way. We used plastic sandwich bags
and a Sharpie to sort and label the hardware
as it came off the engine.
6
Four 7/16-inch bolts held the
fan to the water pump. It’s easiest
to remove these with the powersteering
belt in place but loose
— pushing on the belt stopped the fan pulley
from rotating, which let us loosen each
bolt.
7
9
after removing the remaining a/c brackets, we removed
the power-steering pump from the front of the
engine. Three bolts held it to the cylinder head and the
water pump. We then strapped it to the fender to keep it out
of the way.
Before going any further, we
wanted to make sure the engine
was at top dead center.
Doing so gives a reference point
for both the cam and the crank, which is
vital in making sure the engine is positioned
properly for the new chain and
gears. We rotated the engine by hand
using a ½-inch-drive ratchet, watching for
the timing mark on the balancer to line up
with the pointer (1) and making sure that
the distributor rotor was also pointing at
the #1 spark-plug wire on the cap (2). The
#1 spark plug on a Ford is the passenger’s
side front.
32 AmericanCarCollector.com
8
2
1
10
Our lower pulley had been on
the car since February of
1966. A little extra help from a
pneumatic impact wrench broke
the bolts loose, and a few taps with a rubber
mallet popped it off the front of the harmonic
balancer.
With the heater hose disconnected, the water pump bolts
were next, and then the water pump itself, followed by the fuel
pump.
Page 32
WRENCHINGHOW-TO
11
after removing the 15/16-inch retainer bolt at the front of the crank, we needed to remove the balancer. Summit
Racing sells this Performance Tool universal harmonic-balancer removal and installation tool. For $70, it’ll handle just about
any engine, including our 289.
12
pulling a few more bolts freed the timing cover,
which then exposed the chain. Note the visible slack
in the chain — nearly an inch of play. We also stuffed a
rag in the coolant port on the driver’s side of the block, as
it was dribbling antifreeze down into the open oil pan.
15
14
ment.
34 AmericanCarCollector.com
In addition to the sloppy
chain slack, note the missing
plastic teeth on the cam gear.
This set was ripe for replace-
This
Perfor-mance
Tool gear puller
(p/n WMRW136p,
$14.97) is
just the right size
to pull the lower
timing gear off the
crankshaft if it’s
stuck in place.
Ours slid right off
by hand.
13
With the fuel-pump eccentric unbolted and out of
the way, the upper gear is next. It can be walked off
carefully with a pair of prying tools. We also stuffed clean
rags in the oil-pan opening to eliminate debris entering the
oiling system.
Page 34
WRENCHINGHOW-TO
16
With our parts removed, it was time to think about
whether to break out a can of Ford Blue paint.
Here’s why we didn’t — note the difference in color between
new paint and the old paint. We may restore this
engine compartment at a later date, but it won’t be done piecemeal.
For now, we chose to leave our remaining factory finishes intact.
17
The timing cover was coated in years-thick sludge,
so more Super Clean was in order — this time with an old
toothbrush to get into the hard-to-reach areas.
18
Our factory timing cover cleaned up well (right), but
many originals become pitted and leaky over time.
If you need it, Scott Drake’s got you covered with an OEstyle
replacement (P/N C4AZ-6019-B, $125.95, left). A
concours-correct version is also in the works, available in a few
months.
20
next up
was the
freshly
cleaned
fuel-pump eccentric
and bolt, which we
torqued to 35 ft-lbs.
We also refitted the original
oil slinger in front of
the lower gear. Note the
cleaned-up block and
pan mating surfaces —
a razor-blade scraper
made quick work of
gasket remnants, and
some brake cleaner on
a rag finished off the job.
We then lubed up the
chain with assembly
lube.
36 AmericanCarCollector.com
19
The heart of this project is the Cloyes Roller timing
set. The lower gear has three keyways, with one advanced
setting, one retarded setting, and one straight-up
setting. We installed ours straight up, aligning the pointers
at the upper and lower gear.
21
The original
cover, fitted
with a new
crank seal,
was next. The Scott
Drake timing-cover gasket
set came with replacement
oil-pan
corner gaskets, which
we elected not to use in
favor of a thick coat of
gasket maker. Permatex
Right Stuff is our preferred
sealant, as it dries
quickly and is thick,
making it easy to work
with. We used a healthy
amount and made sure
to run it into the corners
at the block to eliminate
any possible oil leaks.
Page 35
22
24
early Ford 289s don’t have alignment dowels that center the timing cover
at the crank, so before tightening down the timing-cover bolts, and before installing
the four that come up from the oil pan, the harmonic balancer must be reinstalled
to center the cover with respect to the oil seal at the crank. We then
tightened down the cover bolts, reinstalled the four that come up from the oil pan, and used a
razor blade to cut off the excess sealant that squeezed out from the cover.
A quick
coat of
Right
Stuff
on the waterpump
gasket
helped seal it to
the timing cover
and the water
pump, and a little
Loctite thread sealant
kept the bolts
that pass into the
engine’s water
jacket from becoming
sources of
coolant leaks.
23
Our rusty water pump was
next, and rather than replace
it, we elected to clean it.
Evapo-Rust is a biodegradable,
non-toxic, non-corrosive rust remover that’s
really easy to use. An hour under EvapoRust-soaked
paper towels was all it took to
make this pump presentable again.
25
Re assembly is easy if you bagged each component’s
bolts and marked them correctly. We took
extra time to clean everything as we reassembled.
26
Scott Drake’s concours
upper and lower radiator
hoses have all the proper
markings of the originals.
Pairing them with their reproduction datecoded
hose clamps finishes off the look for
OE cars. Since our plan is to go back to
stock with this car over time, they were a
great fit for us.
27
With the cooling system refilled
and the battery reinstalled,
all that’s left is a quick
oil change to eliminate any cool-
ant that might have found its way into the oil
pan. For an original flat-tappet engine,
Lucas Oil’s Hot Rod and Classic Motor Oil in
10W30 is just the thing — it has high levels
of zinc and phosphorus, which flat-tappet
engines require to reduce wear.
28
A quick once-over for leaks
was the last step before firing
up the Mustang, which went
into a nice, high idle. No more
timing worries here — the roller chain
should help keep that original engine run-
ning for years to come.
A
May–June 2018 37
Page 36
YOUR TURN
Tell Us What’s On Your Mind
Goofs and Goofy
Commentary
Thanks for a great magazine. Maybe
I’m looking forward too much to finding
goofs instead of just enjoying American Car
Collector, but the March–April 2018 issue had
me puzzled here and there. We have the ’64
Studebaker Hawk on p. 112 “one of only 1,548
V8s produced that year.” Since all GT Hawks
were V8s, I would’ve appreciated knowing
which 289 it was, presumably not an R2 or R3,
because the car’s not listed as supercharged.
More strange is the commentary on the ‘69
GTX, p. 100. Why is it compared to a VIP?
The two models were in completely different
market segments; the only thing they had in
common was that they were both Plymouths.
The writer states that the GTX “would give the
top-end Fury VIP a run for its money” only to
double-down with “[T]here’s no doubt that the
GTX would easily outrun the VIP.” If he were
saying a ‘65-’66 GTO could/couldn’t outrun a
‘65-’66 2+2, that would make for an interesting
discussion; but his points about the Plymouths
don’t add up.
In the very next listing, of the lime-green
‘70 Challenger, there’s another meandering
discussion. This time it involves the fact that
this car, unusually, has a bench seat. His
comment that a bench made cuddling easier is
right. But he follows that up with “nevermind
that seat-belt-use enforcement didn’t exist back
then.” Then another long sentence on belts.
Since motorists didn’t have to use belts in that
era, why “nevermind” that they didn’t? It’s
as though he implies that people were getting
away with something that wasn’t illegal.
I can figure out what the commentator(s) is
getting at, but, with space so limited on each
car covered, I would rather have opinions,
which, no matter whether I agree or not, at
least focus on the car, rather than observations,
which seem to lead the narrative further afield.
In fact, skipping the italicized comments
altogether and adding to the descriptions might
be a better use of space.
I was intrigued by the Studebaker “Ice
Princess” on p. 122. But again, an apt description,
with an obscure commentary. Well, what
is it? A Studebaker show/dream car, a mid-’50s
custom, or something cooked up much later?
The Elvis, Liberace, Timothy Leary stuff is
kind of funny, but, as in the other commentaries
I’ve griped about, the writer has more the
perspective of a bemused reader rather than
the expert that he surely is.
I only bring up these issues because of
the care taken with your arrangement of
words and pictures that artfully express the
collector-car experience. — David Carniglia,
Placerville, CA
Chad Tyson, Auction Editor, responds:
38 AmericanCarCollector.com
Contact us at: American Car Collector, P.O. Box 4797, Portland, OR 97208
or online at comments@americancarcollector.com
lightweight built by Holman-Moody and raced
by Jack Sears in the 1963 British Saloon Car
Championship. It sold at Bonhams Goodwood
in the U.K. for $623,561 (ACC# 6852258) last
September.
As for any Ford bias, I should point out
that Chad Tyson, our Auction Editor, is a trueblue
Ford man. Also, check out our new ’66
Mustang on p. 12.
1950 Studebaker “Ice princess.”
Well, what the hell is it?
Thanks for the extensive note, David. I’m glad
you’re reading carefully. I can appreciate
the need to gobble up every little scrap of
automotive knowledge, but I also see the need
to entertain while informing.
B. Mitchell Carlson, target of your goofy-
commentary remarks for the Plymouth and
Dodge, covers half a dozen or so auctions a
year for us. He brings a wry perspective to
his coverage that works for some more than
others.
Regarding the Ice Princess: You’re right,
we should have mentioned it was built in the
late-’80s by Richard Fletcher, a Barris-type
custom-car maker.
Thanks for your thoughts. It’s always a
fine-tuning process, and you’ve helped us in
doing so.
Anti-FoMoCo Bias?
I have a real problem with Morgan
Eldrige’s coverage of this year’s Mecum
Kissimmee auction (March–April 2018, p. 82).
A 1964 Ford Galaxie convertible (Lot
F117) sold for $225,000, which has to be a
world record for a Galaxie. If that doesn’t rate
coverage, can you tell me what does? In addition,
he covered only three FoMoCo offerings
out of the 18 summaries. Sounds like bias to
me.
Other than that, Automotive Investor
Media Group’s publications are excellent and I
eagerly await my next issue of ACC. Keep up
the good work. — Terry Mason, Seattle, WA
ACC Editor Jim Pickering responds: Hey
Terry, thanks for the note. When covering auctions,
our reporters often pick the cars they’re
going to cover during the auction preview. As
such, they don’t know what the sale price will
be, or even if a car will sell, before they start
writing it up.
An auction such as Kissimmee has
thousands of cars on offer, and while our
contributors can usually identify what’s going
to be important and expensive when they see
it, we can’t cover everything.
That Galaxie was indeed expensive, but
it wasn’t a record. The most expensive one
in our database was the 1963 NASCAR-spec
Keep on Truckin’
Wow! Am I a very happy guy. I just got
ACC #38 and holy cow! Look at all the nice
things y’all said about trucks!
I feel like Sally Field the year she won her
Oscar: “You like me, you really like me!”
To have the issue, basically, be about
trucks, well, I was just thrilled! I especially
liked reading Keith Martin’s Publishers Note,
“Welcome to Truck World.”
That cracked me up as it’s been “truck
world” for me, and thousands more, for a very,
very long time.
Then the “Snapshots” piece on Chevy
Trucks Turning 100 was fantastic. A two-page
spread seemed a little light, but I’m just being
biased. The “Readers’ Forum” was a nice read,
although I had to take Bill Warner’s comment
with a little grimace. And John Boyle’s backhanded
compliment also left me cold.
I guess we’re destined to stay the “Rodney
Dangerfield” of collectors — no respect, no
respect at all. Half of me likes that. We’ll stay
within a certain range, and the over-the-top
restored, highly optioned trucks will command
a larger piece of the pie.
And then the other half of me thinks, “We
spend a great deal of time, money and sweat
building and caring for these trucks, so why
can’t we have the same return as a Tri-Five or
Camaro pricing?” But I guess it’s just as well.
If these were to get into the upper range, then
more young guys would be priced out and
our trucks would wind up being “just another
high-dollar vehicle I can’t afford.”
That ’72 Cheyenne from the B-J auction
was just amazing! I’d like to have seen the
original SPID too, because as we both know,
we could add those “options” via catalogs all
day. There are trucks out there that would have
all these options, but as far as I know, they’re
few and far between.
Great issue. Thanks! — Gary Binge, via
emailA
Oops
In the March–April 2018 issue of
ACC, our Truck Profile on the “Fall
Guy” replica (p. 64) misidentified the
vehicle as a Chevrolet in the headline. It
was actually a GMC.
Page 38
READERS’ FORUM
Crowdsourcing Answers
to Your Car Questions
Contact us at: American Car Collector, P.O. Box 4797, Portland, OR 97208
or online at comments@americancarcollector.com
The Ones That Got Away
This month’s Readers’ Forum question:
Everybody has a story about a car they shouldn’t have sold.
I’d bet most of us have several.
Looking back, what’s the one car you should have kept?
What prompted you to sell it, and what did you get for it at sale
time? What was so great about that specific car? Would you
buy it back today if given the chance to do so?
Readers respond:
n n n
Without question the car I should never have gotten rid of was
a 1969 Mustang Mach I with the 428 Cobra Jet. The car was six
months old when I bought it and was a perfect example.
The problem came when I got the insurance bill for the car.
Insurance cost more per month than the car payment. I kept it a little
over a year and finally had to give in and trade it as I simply could not
afford the insurance. But there has never been a question in my mind
— that was the one I should have kept! — Dave Hollen, Glasgow, PA
n n n
In 1981, I purchased my first car, a 1968 Pontiac Firebird, from
a little old lady in Pasadena. Literally. She was selling her deceased
husband’s car for $1,200. There it was in the backyard, oxidized baby
blue with a perfect body and chrome. The interior was original and in
perfect condition, as were the rims, rear-view mirrors and emblems.
I will never forget that beautiful old muscle-car smell. I sat in the car
for half an hour, surrounded by tall grass, and fell in love with it.
I immediately put four new bias-ply tires on it and drove the car
straight up the 101 to Pismo Beach, onto the sand, and took photos
with the car the very same day. Its overhead-cam six ran perfectly
there and back to my home in West Los Angeles.
Eventually, I purchased a LeMans 350 from a junkyard and
dropped it into the car, added a 4-barrel carburetor, headers, a mild
racing cam, turbo shifter, dual turbo mufflers and three-inch pipe. I
set off car alarms no matter where I went by simply idling. I attracted
the cops quite a bit simply by revving the engine. I beat everyone who
tried to race me from a red light or on the highway.
I painted the car dark brown with slight metal flake. Everywhere
I went, older men would try to buy the car from me for $7,500 to
$10,000 — a lot of money back then, and I wouldn’t give in.
I should have kept my first car, and definitely the original
overhead-cam engine. I’ve seen them offered at auction and by
private treaty for as much as 35 times what I paid that little old lady
from Pasadena back in 1981.
Over the next decade, I owned four more 1968 Firebirds and two
1967 Firebirds with hood tachs, most of them hard tops, plus two
convertibles. I plan to purchase another 1967 or 1968 convertible
Pontiac Firebird over the next year and I will probably have it until
the day I die. My bucket list includes taking my two grandkids on a
road trip in one, because words cannot describe the feeling. It must be
experienced firsthand.
Early American muscle is deep in my veins, so representing ACC
is a perfect fit for me. — Cindy Meitle, ACC Advertising Executive
40 AmericanCarCollector.com
A 1958/59 Corvette, which I bought from a lady who was re-
cently widowed. She said she hated the car and wanted it gone.
It was sitting in her garage with garden tools and other garage
stuff on and around it. At the time, I was buying, fixing and selling
classics, trying to accumulate enough money for my dream car — a
classic Shelby.
I met the bargain price on the Corvette and got it home. I bought
an early Corvette data book and started getting it ready to sell. It was
already in good shape with no flaws in the fiberglass and the interior
was good. Mostly just mechanical work needed to get it ready.
The problem was that the dash was more like a ’58 in the data
book, with a 160-mph speedometer, and the engine compartment had
the generator on the wrong side.
The only ID on the car was a tag attached to the door pillar with
one screw, which identified the car as a 1959. I knew this Ford guy
was in over his head, so I made a special trip to a Corvette meet about
100 miles away armed with some pictures and a blank look. Those
nice folks gave me some excellent information, and when I got home
I was able to determine that I actually had an early 1958 fuel-injected
Corvette. Sounds good, you think? What I actually had was a rare car
without a good title that could have been stolen.
I asked the police department for help and they did a computer run
on it without anything showing up, but I still had a car without a good
title. I let the car sit in my shop for months, not knowing what to do.
Finally, a Corvette collector I had met at a swapmeet bought the car
from me for what I had in it. — Robert Bailey, Lebanon, MO
n n n
1953 Bosley. The person I sold it to became a very close friend
over the years. Road & Track did a seven-page article on the car in
1994. In 1996 it was invited to Pebble Beach, were it took first in the
sports car class. I flew out for that weekend; things were great. I can
still tell people that I used to own a car that took first place at Pebble
(unfortunately, not when I owned it). — Bill Hebal, via email
Page 39
Two of Dale hartzfeld’s four: 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 (left) and 1967 Buick GS 400
n n n
If I had to narrow it down, it would be my first four cars.
My first car was a used 1964 Chevy Impala SS — white with
red interior, 327 automatic. Very nice and practical for a new (1966)
college graduate.
Had a new job with GM, had money and needed more speed. Also
wanted a car that not everybody had, so my second car was a 1967
Buick GS 400.
Ordered it new. Four-speed, fun to drive, a lot faster than the au-
tomatic 327 and best of all, everyone didn’t have one. Within the first
six months, it blew its first water pump, and then another one, and
finally, the third or fourth pump went out late one Saturday night in
downtown Detroit (about 50 miles from my apartment). Got to go car
shopping. The day I traded it in, I found out that a friend who worked
at Buick had made arrangements to have some Buick engineers take
a look at the car to find out what was wrong. Still would like to know
what they would have found.
Then I found a dark blue 1968 Chevy Chevelle SS 396. A 350-hp
automatic (on column) with a bench seat. Installed headers with
custom-made asbestos header gaskets (regular gaskets kept burning
out). Again, it was a faster car.
But next year I’m reading an article about the upcoming 1969
Hurst Olds (390-horse 455). Called my local Olds dealer, who happened
to be getting two of them. He said I could buy the first one if I
would agree to let him have it in the showroom for a couple of months
(until his second car arrived). Put down a deposit and paid full sticker
price. It finally arrived and after only two weeks, the dealer called me
to come pick it up since he could not keep people out of the car and
he was afraid something might happen to it. Most fun car I ever had.
It really stood out and it definitely was a car that no one else seemed
to have.
What put a stop to buying muscle cars? Instead of going to
Woodstock, I got married that weekend. — Dale Hartzfeld,
Waterford, MI
n n n
Originally, it was dark blue-green (code 48) with a Camel interior.
After a couple of years, I decided to have it painted in Porsche Guards
Red. It was a stunner in so many of the late-’70s ways — eventually
I installed 70-inch sidepipes, a Jensen sound system and even a CB
radio.
Life gets in the way, and when I was transferred out of New York,
I sold it for a $9,000 down payment on my very first house. I have
regretted it ever since. I heard through the grapevine that the new
owner wrapped it around a telephone pole at a local high school, but I
could never verify that story. I have been looking for it ever since.
I would buy it back in a second. I now have a 1978 Z/28 in Dark
Camel with 2,900 miles on it. It’s a survivor down to its original
Goodyear Steelgard tires. But while it does everything well, it isn’t
the car I purchased at 23 years old.
Sometimes, the very best cars from your past are not the most
expensive cars today. This car, my 1978 Z/28, was the best car I ever
had. — Ralph Gilson, via email
n n n
1970 T/A Challenger. On paper I was the first owner. Daddy
owned a Dodge dealership and gave it to a classmate for her 17th
birthday, added dealer a/c and power windows. She was terrified of
the car (stick shift), so he gave her a 340 Dart after a few months and
the car sat in back. I made an offer and he took it.
The car had a 3:55 Posi. I put a Doug Nash 5-speed in it, some
I really miss the 1971 Torino Cobra with a 429 CJ and 4-speed that
I once owned. Never should have sold it! —Steve Janczyk, via email
n n n
My 1978 Chevy Z/28 was a great car for more reasons that I can
remember: looks, T-tops, power accessories, I could go on and on.
suspension mods, etc. Had that thing for 29 years. I always told my
daughter I wanted to be buried in it.
With proper tires, I could run with most of the pricier imported
toys up to about 150 mph. After that, the front end lifted. It wanted to
fly.
My wife got sick and I had to sell it. There are probably still
Porsche and Ferrari guys who run backroads in the Sierras wondering
what the hell that orange car was. — Mike Storm, via emailA
May–June 2018 41
But this was my first really “expensive car.”
I bought it in 1979 from the first owner. After a light negotiation,
I paid $5,500. It seemed like a lot of money at the time — and it was
to someone young and just starting out. The first owner told me it was
the best car he ever owned, and it did not disappoint.
Page 42
Cheap Thrills
B. Mitchell Carlson
BIG-BLOCK
ap Thrills
B. Mitchell Carlson
BIG-BLOCK
The
The New Yorker was
Chrysler’s last stand for
big, cheap horsepower
1977 Chrysler
New Yorker
Brougham
h
on the dragstrip, but anyone who espouses the credo of “Mopar or no
car” will tell you that the 440 was the one to beat on the street.
One could almost call the 440 “Mopar Performance for
T
Dummies” — unlike the Hemi, it was cheap, plentiful, and made
reliable power all the time, with the added bonus of gobs of torque on
the bottom end.
Introduced in 1966, it was offered for
more than a dozen years in Chrysler cars,
and it was the option choice to make as
the muscle car era went from wild to mild
to malaise. However, the final car version
wasn’t shoehorned in a muscle car — it
was under the hood of the Chrysler New
Yorker Brougham.
Bad timing
To put it mildly, 1974 was not a good
year to introduce a new full-sized car.
The OPEC oil embargo that year made any
44 AmericanCarCollector.com
2-door hard top
Cheap Thr
Cheap Thr
Cheap Thr
Cheap Thr
Cheap Thr
Cheap Thr
Cheap Thr
lls
B. Mitchell Carlson
BIG-BLOCK
The New Yorker was
Chrysler’s last stand for
big, cheap horsepower
1977 Chrysler
New Yorker
Brougham
h
on the dragstrip, but anyone
hrills
B. Mitchell Carlson
BIG-BLOCK
The New Yorker was
Chrysler’s last stand for
big, cheap horsepower
1977 Chrysler
New Yorker
Brougham
h
on the dragstrip, but anyone who espouses the credo of “Mopar or no
car” will tell you that the 440 was the one to beat on the street.
One could almost call the 440 “Mopar Performance for
T
Dummies” — unlike the Hemi, it was cheap, plentiful, and made
reliable power all the time, with the added bonus of gobs of torque on
the bottom end.
Introduced in 1966, it was offered for
more than a dozen years in Chrysler cars,
and it was the option choice to make as
the muscle car era went from wild to mild
to malaise. However, the final car version
wasn’t shoehorned in a muscle car — it
was under the hood of the Chrysler New
Yorker Brougham.
Bad timing
To put it mildly, 1974 was not a good
year to introduce a new full-sized car.
The OPEC oil embargo that year made any
44 AmericanCarCollector.com
2-door hard top
(Fury),
(Fury), Dodge (Monaco), Chrysler (Newport and New Yorker) — in
4-door sedan, 2-door and 4-door hard tops, plus a wagon. It was
also used for the last two years of the Imperial (Crown). All could be
optioned with the 440. The latter two models (Chrysler New Yorker
and Imperial Crown) had the 440 standard.
In 1976, Chrysler introduced the Lean
Burn electronic ignition control system for
the 400, which made it to the 440 in 1977.
Known in some circles as the Valve Burn
system, the technology was well intended
and usually worked, but the electronics
weren’t quite up to snuff for long-term reliability.
The final year for the Dodge Royal
Monaco, Plymouth Grand Fury and all
wagons was also 1977, with a 440 available
until the end. For 1978, when the full-sized
Chrysler went it alone, the 400 was standard,
while the 440 moved to the options list.
Page 43
Driver or donor
For decades, nobody seemed to love these cars. The big Mopar
was the beater du jour for demolition derbies at county fairs throughout
the land. That is, if the motor didn’t get yanked by someone
0 Roadrunner out of a 318 Satellite.
ry few of the big Mopars for the 21st century.
ow moved up (albeit slowly) to the point that
gine donor candidate” have been removed from
t in rough-and-rusty cases. There are a few of
r someone seeking a 440, this is still a possible
. But since these engines are fitted with the
, it’s not exactly an engine out/engine in swap
scle car — it’s a core to build up a big block to
river or donor
For decades, nobody seemed to love these cars. The big Mopar
was the beater du jour for demolition derbies at county fairs through-
out the land. That is, if the motor didn’t get yanked by someone
0 Roadrunner out of a 318 Satellite.
ry few of the big Mopars for the 21st century.
ow moved up (albeit slowly) to the point that
gine donor candidate” have been removed from
t in rough-and-rusty cases. There are a few of
r someone seeking a 440, this is still a possible
. But since these engines are fitted with the
, it’s not exactly an engine out/engine in swap
scle car — it’s a core to build up a big block to
n
n addition to increased interest in 1970s-era
s in general, big luxobarges are feeling the
ove from the “Hooptie car” movement in urban
culture, too. The uptick there is for someone
looking to shift a lesser example. A car that
might falter at a collector-car auction can now
find eager buyers looking for a stylin’ ride on
he cheap to serve as a canvas for big wheels
other mods.
o look for
t bet, as with any car, is to get the best example
d and afford. These cars are beyond daunting
mplate restoring, due to tons of power-assisted
d extinct trim — all of which was made when
g to get by on the cheap.
Being a unibody, rust-out is fatal. If anything, the powertrain
is relatively easy to deal with — especially if you’re not in an area
where you have to worry about emissions controls. That 440 is capable
of making real horsepower with careful parts swapping. That’s
somewhat true of the standard 400 too, but it needs to take a trip out
of the car to go to rehab first.
While these have increased in value, they’re still below the radar
compared with contemporary Cadillac DeVilles, Fleetwoods and
Lincoln Continentals. Yet like the other two makes, 2-doors only
command a slight price premium here — a lot of folks would rather
have two doors per side than one huge door that they can’t open in
their garage. Finally, thanks to
torsion-bar front suspension,
you’ll find that these things
actually handle surprisingly
well considering their mass
and girth — especially compared
to the competition.
So before you yank that 440
Detailing
out of late Uncle Leroy’s 52kmile
New Yorker Brougham
and put it in a ’69 Charger
that had a 318, consider that
medium- and heavy-duty
Dodge trucks also used the
440 until 1978, including vans
and motor homes. Find a rusty
beat-up one of these in a junkyard,
score your 440 there, and
let the big-block Mopar yacht
sail another day. A
Years produced: 1974–78
Number produced: 36,497
(1978 New Yorkers)
Original list price: $7,715
Current ACC Median
Valuation: $4,825
Tune-up cost: $250
Distributor cap: $20
VIN location: Base of the
windshield
Clubs: www.chryslerclub.org,
www.imperialclub.com
Alternatives: 1973–78 Lincoln
Continental, 1970–76 Cadillac
Fleetwood Brougham,
1975–78 Mercury Grand
Marquis, with optional 460
ACC Investment Grade: D
May–June 2018 45
Page 44
Horsepower
Jay Harden
TheHOT ROD
CHALLENGE
It’s time for your classic
to be about the drive,
not the destination
evening for the Beaches Cruise-In (http://beachesrestaurantandbar.
com/community/cruisin/) — a laid-back show-n-shine that takes
place alongside PIR’s Wednesday night bracket racing.
On the last Wednesday of this past September, we were treated to
T
an exceptionally beautiful afternoon — cool, but not cold, and without
a single cloud in the sky. The brisk air and the low sun and the
faraway smell of a wood fire was everything one could hope for when
wrapping another summer up and retiring it for the winter. I spent the
majority of last year’s sunny months underneath my ’69 Chevelle, so
my boys and I were chompin’ at the bit to get some seat time.
I left work early that afternoon, and when I pulled up at the house,
the boys were jumping around shirtless in the front yard like a couple
46 AmericanCarCollector.com
he Pacific Northwest isn’t exactly well known for being
a hot-rod hot spot, but Portland International Raceway
hosts what must be one of the best weekly cruise-ins in the
country. From June to September, hundreds of classic and
collectible cars converge at the racetrack every Wednesday
Dave Tomaro
of miniature headbangers in the middle of a mosh pit of two. I was
pretty excited as well.
With my wife double-checking that we had enough supplies in
the car to last us through the winter, I herded the boys into the back
seat while they reminded me a minimum of 45 times that we were: A)
Going to the car show, and B) That the “Vlachelle” is super-fast like a
rocket. But not a space rocket — just a ground rocket. But that’s okay
because ground rockets are still pretty fast.
With all the windows down and the 4-barrel opened up, a quick
glance in the rearview proved that at least three of the four of us had
nowhere else we’d rather be.
Cruisin’
When we pulled up at the entrance to the track, row upon row of
hot rods, restorations, four-bys, stockers and race cars were sprawled
out across the grounds. We would later hear over the loudspeakers
that more than 1,000 cars were in attendance, and that number was
Page 45
easy to believe. We weren’t late, but we certainly weren’t early either,
so we chugged our way through a crowd mostly wearing the same
goofy grin that the boys and I were. No one in front or behind was in
a rush to get anywhere. Idling aimlessly never seemed so purposeful.
Later, as we chomped on hot dogs and pretended the sun wasn’t
sinking, I couldn’t help but wonder why I had spent so many afternoons
not doing this. And, more importantly, why had I allowed
myself to get to the point where a cruise-in was a necessary destination.
And what about everyone else? I’m constantly driving all over
town, and I hardly ever see Bel Airs in grocery store parking lots, or
Galaxies in the drive-thru at Wendy’s, or Deuce Roadsters at Home
Depot. Why not?
Are we all so petrified our cars will break down on the freeway?
Are we all so paranoid that we’ll get a door-ding and want to fistfight
a stranger? Have we become so concerned with potentially risking
the monetary value associated with our vehicles that we’re unwilling
to use those vehicles for their intended purpose?
What’s the point of owning an old car that never gets used? We
jump in our appliance-mobiles to save wear and tear on the oldies,
but all that means is that we spend all our time driving appliancemobiles!
The oldies then sit. Batteries go dead, gaskets dry out and fluids
begin to leak. Now we have real issues. The best way to make sure
your car is roadworthy is not to guess at what’s wrong, but to drive
the heck out of it and dial it in as you go.
Personally, I had resolved myself to just about every excuse
available over the past couple of years. I was too busy or too tired or
too lazy to fix what I needed to fix. The weather wasn’t cooperating.
Moving car seats is a pain. Traffic is too soul-crushing. Gas is too
expensive. Pathetic excuses, all of them.
So right then and there, with a mouth full of hot dog, I decided,
“To hell with this.” My old Chevelle has flaws, for sure, but it also has
a big-block, sounds tough, and can burn the tires off as long as you’re
willing to stay in it. That should be enough.
A challenge is born
The next day, I sent Editor Pickering a picture of my car idling in
the driveway, and then a second with my oldest in the backseat, ready
for a ride to school. Thus, the Hot Rod Challenge was born.
What exactly is the Hot Rod Challenge? Well, it’s a work in
progress, but it might as well be called the “Quit Making Excuses
and Drive Your Car Challenge.” I’ll now challenge you just like I did
Pickering a few months back to get that old car of yours fired up and
on the road. I’m making up the rules of the Challenge as I go here, but
here are the basics:
• Only driving to non-car events counts for credit. No cruise-ins,
no car shows. Get in that thing and go to the grocery store. And
then the hardware store. And then to dinner. The more stops, the
better.
• Bonus points awarded for each passenger.
• Double points if the passenger was born in a different generation.
• Double points for each child seat.
• Add another point if it’s raining.
• Two more for hitting rush hour. Want to know how that cooling
system will hold up? Here’s your chance.
Challenge yourselves to get out there. Allow that old rig to remind
you why you were so willing to part with your hard-earned cash to
own it.
Being remembered for driving a cool old car is very different from
being remembered for owning one. What kind of experience are you
searching for? Send your challenge stories to comments@americancarcollector.com.A
May–June 2018 47
Page 46
On the Market
John L. Stein
JOINING
theA-TEAM
You can have your $50k GTO and your $3m Hemi ’Cuda
convertible. Next time, I’m getting a Model A
A like-minded friend
Unbeknownst to me, my friend Scott Young, who
lives just a few miles away, did bid. Even though the
auction closed with the bidding not meeting reserve,
he later worked a deal with the selling dealer and secured
the car for $8,200. The car’s now in transit from
Pennsylvania to the Left Coast. “Wow,” I thought. “A
running, drivable 89-year-old American classic for
the price of a bad month’s credit card bill.” (Or close,
anyway. The last time our dog visited the vet, the tab
was nearly $5,000.)
This made me think. Model As and Model Ts have
been stuck in the mud in terms of value for as long as I
can remember. Essentially, for the same price as a used
Kia Soul, a guy can go visit our American motoring
early days for as long as he likes, have fun with an
easily and infinitely repairable car, and then sell it on
for about the same price later. Put another way, how
could you not adopt an early Ford — or some other
affordable 1920s or 1930s car?
This 1929 Ford Model a Tudor provided a tempting target in the $7,000
range on Bring A Trailer
$50k GTO Judge at auction that we badly want but can’t afford. It’s the neighbor’s
Mustang Boss 429 once advertised in the local paper for a song, but now worth
$300,000. Or that Hemi ’Cuda convertible of our youthful dreams, today a $3
million car. It seems “Who Moved My Cheese?” isn’t just one man’s problem, but
everyone’s who finds that just-out-of-reach car, well, perpetually just out of reach.
Last week, I discovered a black-ops workaround for the constantly moving auto-
I
motive “cheese”: Zig when the others zag. Zig-zagging worked for the British Royal
Navy in World War I, and it can work for us today. Here’s how.
Last week, as usual, I perused Bring A Trailer to see what tempting old cars,
bikes or boats might be on offer. There, amidst the high-priced jobs, was something
of a rarity for the site — a 1929 Ford Model A Tudor. Although offered on reserve,
the bidding was reasonable — in the $7,000 range near the auction’s end. I checked
daily, and it never got much past that until the final minutes, when it hit $7,500. The
car looked nice, honest and authentic. Being busy and already having a full garage, I
didn’t bid.
48 AmericanCarCollector.com
n the immortal words of Dr. Spencer Johnson, “Who Moved My Cheese?” In
Spencer’s popular book, the cheese represents an elusive quest (e.g., money,
career, relationship or possessions in real life) shared by four characters in a
mouse maze.
We car guys know the scene all too well. It’s that glorious Carousel Red
Functional fun
The BaT Model A buyer found it irresistible. “I
could have had one of those things my entire life but
never had a reason until now,” Young says. “What
triggered me was Jonathan Klinger’s blog about driving
a Model A for a year. It was fascinating to me.
He’d drive it to the airport and leave it, drive it to see
his parents in the winter for the holidays, and take his
girlfriend out. He had problems with the car, but fewer
than you would think.”
An advertising agency partner, Young was actually
looking for a 1959 T-bird, a Bullet Bird or maybe a
GTO — in his words, “A ‘functional collector car’ that
I can drive.” Like many of us, he looks at BaT every
day. “I thought the Ford looked cool and it was scruffy
and neat, and bidding was very cheap. I looked at it
three or four times over the week. On the last day, I
thought, ‘I can easily afford this, and if something
else comes along I can sell it and move on.’ And at
the price I got it for, I can keep it stock or modify it
to make it more useful, such as with ‘juice’ brakes —
whatever I want. This will be the oldest car I’ve ever
owned, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Page 47
From models to Model A
Longtime friend John Jaeger, a lifelong enthusiast who loves building cars to
his tastes, bought a needy 1931 Ford 5-window coupe for $5,000 several years ago
with the intention of creating the hot rod he always wanted. He quickly dispatched
the frame, engine, transmission and rear axle — essentially keeping just the body
— and then ordered a new 1932 Ford frame from So-Cal Speed Shop, its main rails
pinched to fit the ’31 body’s narrower firewall. Then he found a 327 V8 from a 1967
Camaro for $1,500, a rebuildable TH350 automatic for $200, and a Ford nine-inch
axle for a bit more.
“It’s the makings of a traditional daily-driver hot rod,” Jaeger explains. “It will
have the skinny wheels and tires, no fenders and a chopped top. The engine won’t be
fancy — just the small-block Chevy with a mild cam and three deuces.”
Jaeger’s interest in building an old Ford started in his early teens, as he converted
plastic model kits into hot rods with a hot knife, vision and ingenuity. “Getting my
driver’s license led me to racing sports cars and Formula cars at Road America, and
the hot-rodding side of things went dark because of that interest,” he notes. “But
now I’m glad to say I’m finally building the real version of the car I always liked and
created as a kid.”
Budget time machine
Already the owner of a 2007 C6 Corvette and a fuel-injected fiberglass hot-rod
replica, retired print gallery owner Earl Brinkman bought a fully done 1930 Model
A 5-window coupe for $17,000 last year. A friend’s dad had lovingly built it up
decades ago from parts, and it needed nothing but to be loved and driven. After seeing
it tucked away in the friend’s garage, he bought the Model A on the spot. It is the
earliest car he’s ever owned.
“When I grew up, these were throwaway cars, and you could buy them for $15
or so,” Brinkman explains. “In high school, I ran around with wealthy kids who
had everything, but this was the only kind of car I could afford.” Brinkman readily
admits buying the Model A basically for nostalgia. “I was born in 1929 and the car
is a ’30, and so having it has really brought back my high-school years,” he says. “At
John Jaeger
a used Kia Soul, a guy can have fun
with an easily and infinitely repairable
car, and then sell it on for about
the same price later.
$17k it was not expensive — but the experience means
the world to me.”
Zigging and zagging: Navy ships, running backs,
sheepdogs and lawyers all do it, so why not us car
guys too? And so you can have your $50k GTO, your
$300k Boss 429 and your $3m Hemi ’Cuda. Sure, I’m
jealous! But next time, I’m joining “The A-Team”
instead.A
Essentially, for the same price as
May–June 2018 49
Page 48
Featured Perspective
TOO
MANY
TRUCKS
Somehow I ended up with seven old trucks.
How did this happen?
by Elana Scherr
people who deny needing a truck are just a yard project or a movingday
away from being a great annoyance to their truck-owning friends.
Truck ownership is even more crucial if you own a classic car,
W
because there comes a day (perhaps long from now, perhaps with
regularity) when you will need to retrieve that car from somewhere
where it has ceased to do car things and reverted to a static work of
art.
You’re probably nodding your head now, saying, “Yes, Elana, we
are all in the same faulty-wired, what’s-that-knocking-sound boat.
We all own a truck and trailer. Why are you telling us these things we
know so well?”
Hang with me here. If you have a classic truck, it is subject to the
same eventual breakdown as a car, and the only thing that can tow
a truck is another, bigger truck, so obviously you need two trucks.
I expect that alone is enough explanation for how the 1993 Dodge
50 AmericanCarCollector.com
e have a lot of trucks. In our household of two people,
there’s a good seven haulers on the property. One for
every day of the week.
It’s a well-known fact that everyone needs a truck, and
Ramping up
Here’s where things start getting out of control.
Do you remember when the famous drag racer Don “The
Snake” Prudhomme found and restored the Hot Wheels “Snake and
Mongoose” Funny Car haulers? They went to Barrett-Jackson in
January 2014, where they sold for $990,000 as a package with two
Funny Cars (ACC profiled them in issue No. 14).
Curses on The Snake, because those trucks lit a fire in our household
and nothing would do but to find a Dodge D700 ramp truck of our own.
Which we did. It ended up being the Dick Landy Dodge Super Car Clinic
hauler from the racer’s 1970 Pro Stock season. Price: $3,000.
The acquisition of that truck is a story all its own, so let’s just
say it involved a stuntshow vampire, many men with nicknames like
“Rocket,” and “Hemi,” and an agricultural pest lesson about gypsy
moths. Also, so much rust.
So much rust and some butchery in the intervening years between
Landy’s ownership and ours led to the need for another 1968 cab to
repair all the holes, so that brought us up to 3.5 trucks in the yard.
Photos by Elana Scherr
W250 Cummins turbo diesel and the 1978 Dodge Adventurer dually
came to live in our driveway. So far, pretty sensible, right?
Page 49
a screw loose? naw, elana just loves old trucks
Parts for big 1968 Dodges were surprisingly easy to come by,
but in some cases, buying an entire truck proved cheaper than
buying bits, which is how a $1,500 1968 D800 dump truck rumbled
and backfired 60 miles from Pomona, CA, to our house in the San
Fernando Valley.
Once we got the D800 home, we were so pleased with it, we
couldn’t bear to strip it down. Now it sits in the backyard, lording it
over the other trucks like a full-size Tonka toy and greatly entertaining
my niece and nephew when they visit.
Elana’s home for trucks
Once word of our growing truck rescue got out, trucks started to
find us. At no point was a 1965 Ford F-350 tow truck on our to-do list,
but when the original owner of one offered it to us for free, “Only
take it home — I can’t bear to scrap it,” what were we to do?
I’ll admit that the enormity, both literal and financial, of the ramp
truck might have been overwhelming us, and it was lovely to have a
project that needed only points, a new seat, a brake job and a water
pump. Sometimes you need a mid-project project to revive your
enthusiasm for your main project.
Can you see how things are starting to get out of hand? They’re
starting to get emotional, which is the best and worst approach to car
collecting. Something has to be done. Something has to be sold. Did
I mention the 1978 Datsun 620 I bought a few years back to teach
myself how to drive a manual? I didn’t know how, and the turbo
diesel seat didn’t go far enough forward for me to learn. Anyhow, I
learned, and I sold it and that cleared up exactly half of one trucksized
parking space, which clearly meant that we should purchase a
1968 D800 dump truck — cheaper whole than its parts
clean, low-mile 1978 crewcab Dodge dually out of the Auto Trader,
which we did, for $10,000.
You can stop me again here. “Elana, didn’t you start off by saying
you had a 1978 Dodge dually?” Yes, but we had a brown clubcab and
this was a custom-painted yellow crewcab. A crewcab! And it came
with a Lionel Richie cassette tape. Who could resist?
For sale?
At this point, even we felt we were heading into hoarder territory,
so plans were made to sell the brown ’78, but then the transmission
on the ’93 broke, and we had to tow it home with the brown truck, as
the new yellow truck wasn’t yet roadworthy, and the Ford wrecker,
well, they are called “wreckers,” for a reason. You don’t really want
to hook up to them if you can help it. At least, I don’t want to hook up
my own car. I’ll happily tow yours with it.
Where were we? Ah yes, brown ’78 is put into daily truck duty
and the diesel is undergoing surgery, which takes us away again from
ramp truck and the new yellow ’78. The dump truck is supervising.
Our yard is getting crowded.
All this diesel wrenching revives a long-held desire to do a diesel
swap into something. The yellow truck maybe? Next thing you know,
there’s a $3,000 1989 diesel dually puffing and smoking its way into
our lives. This time we harden our hearts. We will not be tricked into
adopting this one, even if it is a really nice, clean first-gen. No! Tear it
down. Start the swap.
Then we’ll sell the remnants, and the other brown dually, and get
down to a nice normal number of trucks, like five. One for every day
of the work week. A
1978 crewcab Dodge dually — with Lionel Richie cassette!
In for surgery: 1989 Dodge D350 Cummins turbo diesel
May–June 2018 51
Page 50
PROFILE CORVETTE
1957 CHEVROLET CORVETTE 283/270
Value and Performance
I’ve always
thought the
270-hp ’57s
have been a
great value
compared to
the Fuelies.
It seems
the rest of
the world
is starting
to believe
likewise
52 AmericanCarCollector.com
52 AmericanCarCollector.com
VIN: E57S105900
by Tom Glatch
• Fresh body-off restoration from an NCRS vice
chairman
• Matching-numbers, 283-ci, 270-hp, dual-quad
engine
• 4-speed manual transmission
• Wonder Bar radio
• Heater
• Windshield washers
• Parking-brake alarm
• Two-tone paint
• New chrome
• BF Goodrich Silvertown wide whitewalls
• Painted to meet current NCRS judging
ACC Analysis This car, Lot FR0247, sold for
$80,250, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at GAA Classic Cars’ Spring Sale auction in
Greensboro, NC, on March 2, 2018.
The 1957 Corvette has always been one of
America’s favorite collector cars. It’s one of those rare
automobiles that hits that sweet spot between design
and performance. That’s why the ’57 Corvette is on
so many collectors’ bucket lists — it appeals to more
than just Chevy or Corvette enthusiasts.
Of those ’57s, the fuel-injected cars have com-
manded top dollar, at least since the 1970s. They
should; they’re the ultimate, right?
Certainly the 1957 “Fuelies” are rare, as just 756
of the 283-hp cars were built out of 6,339 Corvettes
total. They were supremely powerful, too, hitting that
magic one-horsepower-per-cubic-inch mark. Just
as important, they performed at a world-class level,
winning the GT class at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and
dominating the SCCA B Production class.
Carbs vs. injection
But perceptions can be less than accurate.
Engineer John Dolza created the famed mechanical
fuel-injection system not for additional horsepower —
although these engines were rated at 13 more horses
than the top carbureted engine — but to prevent fuel
starvation and flooding in high-performance roadrace
conditions. It was a condition most carburetors
experienced, and rather than use the expensive
Italian Weber carbs preferred by Ferrari and other
European makers, GM came up with their own solution.
It worked great on the racetrack and was rushed
into production as an expensive option on Pontiac
and Chevrolet sedans and Corvettes at the urging
of Harlow Curtice, GM Executive Vice President of
North America.
But on the street, the system was hard to start when
hot and only a few mechanics knew how to properly
maintain or tune it. Many street Fuelies were converted
back to the dual 4-barrel setup of the 270-hp
Corvettes, although in fairness to GM, within a few
Buyavette, courtesy of GAA Classic Cars
Page 51
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Detailing
Year produced: 1957
Number produced: 6,339
(1,621 270-hp)
Original list price: $3,756.47
Current ACC Median
Valuation: $97,500
(270 hp)
Club: National Corvette
Restorers Society
years they were able to iron out the limitations of the
Rochester “Ram-Jet” fuel injection system and make it
a fine street performer.
For street use, the carbureted Corvettes were just
fine, and for those looking for serious performance (or
just an impressive show under the hood), the optional
dual-carburetor engines delivered either 245 hp or
270 hp without the temperament of the fuel-injected
cars, and with at least a $300 savings on the sticker.
Sports Car Illustrated magazine (forerunner of
Car and Driver) drove both and reported: “The cold
figures, available for your inspection, are pretty phenomenal.
Injected and carb-fed Corvettes are closely
comparable in performance, and both qualify as the
fastest-accelerating genuine production cars SCI has
ever tested. In fact, up to 80 they’re not so far from the
data posted by the Mercedes 300SLR coupe, which
is generally regarded as the world’s fastest road car.
In low, the Corvettes zoomed up to 55 mph in a shade
over five seconds, and in another nine they surged to
95 in second with very exciting verve.” But when SCI
drove their fuel-injected Corvette hard, then tried to
restart it, “Nothing happened; the starter ground on
and on and the engine didn’t even cough. So we tried
treating it like a flooded carbureted engine and put the
throttle on the floor. The engine caught within three
spins.”
The numbers and the look
True 270-hp RPO 469C Corvettes are a compelling
option for someone looking for a ’57 to both show and
drive, like our feature ’Vette. Onyx Black was the most
popular color by far in 1957, and with the code 440
“Two Tone Paint” option (a $19.40 upgrade), you can
see why.
This Corvette does not have either of the necessary
pedigrees for maximum value: Bloomington Gold
certification or a Top Flight award from the National
Corvette Restorers Society, but the fact an “NCRS
Vice Chairman” restored the car implies it might be
near the level of accuracy needed to attain either of
those honors.
The seller wisely included photos of the undercar-
riage, which, along with the engine compartment,
looks to be at or near the 95% of factory-original
condition that both awards mandate.
The seller also states the Corvette is “numbers
matching,” which doesn’t necessarily signify originality,
but it does show the restorer made the effort
to have all major castings and components dated
within a reasonable timeframe of when the car was
assembled. Altogether this seems like a first-class
Corvette.
A fine value
Maybe it’s my frugal and pragmatic Midwestern nature,
but a Corvette like this really appeals to me. It’s
not a 283-hp fuel-injected model — the pinnacle of
Corvette perfection in 1957 — it’s just a notch below
that, and for that reason, the 270-hp ’57s have historically
been a fine value compared to the Fuelies.
It seems the rest of the world is starting to believe
likewise. The 2018 ACC Pocket Price Guide shows
the median sale price for a 1957 fuel-injected 283-hp
Corvette at $92,500, while the 270-hp model’s median
is $97,500. As these are median prices (where the
number displayed is the middle in a series of values
arranged from smallest to largest), the recent data
suggest there have been more sales of high-dollar
270-hp cars than of high-dollar Fuelies. Either way,
the recent trend in prices has shown these options to
be close to each other in terms of value.
Though our feature Corvette doesn’t seem to
have any history or documentation, it is a very
well-restored example and logically would command
at least the median, which it failed to achieve at its
$80,250 sale price. But this sale wasn’t this Corvette’s
first rodeo; it was sold via the same auction house on
July 28, 2016, for $58,300.
I’m assuming the seller made significant improve-
ments to the quality of the Corvette’s condition in
that time, and that certainly helped the price, but it’s
doubtful that he recouped his restoration costs. That
makes this 270-hp Corvette not only a great value, but
for the buyer, it was very well bought. A
(Introductory description courtesy of GAA Classic
Cars.)
May–June 2018
53CC
53
1957 Chevrolet Corvette
283/270
Engine # location: Pad on
front of block below right
cylinder head
Tune-up/major service: $250
Distributor cap: $19.99
VIN location: Plate on driver’s
side body-hinge pillar
Web: www.ncrs.org
Alternatives: 1957 Chevrolet
Corvette 283/283, 1957
Ford Thunderbird E-code,
1958 Chrysler 300D
convertible
ACC Investment Grade: B
Comps
1957 Chevrolet Corvette
283/270
Not sold at $65,000
Lot S134, VIN: E57S104153
Condition: 3+
Mecum Auctions, Kansas City,
MO, 11/30/2017
ACC# 6856427
Lot S98.1, VIN: E57S105395
Condition: 2
Sold at $86,400
Mecum Auctions, Kansas City,
MO, 4/25/2015
ACC# 264774
1957 Chevrolet Corvette
283/270
Lot 431, VIN: E57S101033
Condition: 2Sold
at $137,500
Barrett-Jackson, Palm Beach,
FL, 4/19/2015
ACC# 265002
Page 52
PROFILE GM
Unrestored Bargain
1970 OLDSMOBILE 442 W-30 2-DOOR HARD TOP
Courtesy of Bonhams
We are
seeing a
torpedo shot
in valuation
movement
on great,
original 442s
— meaning
that you need
to lead the
target a good
bit to own a
really nice
example
VIN: 344870M182832
by Dale Novak
4-speed, the W-30 package and Twilight Blue paint
over matching vinyl interior.
Gaganis took meticulous care of his Olds, driving it
O
about 75,000 miles in total. In 1998, he sold it to James
Voight. During Voight’s tenure, the engine was rebuilt
and fitted with hardened valve seats. From there, the
car moved to the Wisconsin collection of well-known
muscle car enthusiast Colin Comer. Comer reported
the car to be “the finest original W-30 I have ever
seen.” The car later came west to the Calabasas, CA,
collection of Vic Preisler before being acquired by the
studious Texas collector Jim Fasnacht. It was driven
fewer than 500 miles during Fasnacht’s ownership.
The present vendor acquired the car in November
2016.
The paint is understood to be largely that which
was applied at the factory, and the interior has also
remained largely untouched. The numbers-matching
engine sits under the hood. It has covered only 6,000
additional miles since coming out of the care of its
original owner.
ACC Analysis This car, Lot 122, sold for
$73,920, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Bonhams’ Amelia Island Auction at the
Fernandina Beach Golf Club on March 8, 2018. It was
offered without reserve.
The Oldsmobile 442 was first introduced as an option
package on the 1964 F-85 and Cutlass. The idea behind
it was to compete with the new-for-1964 Pontiac GTO,
54 AmericanCarCollector.com
rdered from Olympic Oldsmobile in
Chicago on October 1, 1969, Mr. Vilinis
“Vil” Gaganis optioned this car with
the G80 performance axle package,
heavy-duty radiator, the M21 close-ratio
in an attempt to keep the brand-loyal Oldsmobile buyer
within the Oldsmobile family of cars.
Oldsmobile buyers had a tendency to fit in a more
well-heeled demographic. So the idea of a performance
2-door hard top was more of a conceptual
stretch than for a typical Chevrolet or Pontiac buyer.
Even with some great performance added to the
package, Olds buyers were more inclined to demand a
higher trim level than a Chevelle or GTO buyer.
The name came from the original 442 performance
configuration of a 4-barrel carb, 4-speed gearbox and
a dual exhaust system. Beginning in 1968, the 442 was
no longer an option package, but its own model. That
run lasted from 1968 to 1971.
The W-30 secret weapon
Beginning in 1966, 442 buyers could step up to
the already spunky high-performance L69 360-hp
400 engine by adding the RPO (Regular Production
Order) W-30 “outside air induction” engine package.
This created the most potent weapon you could put
under the hood of a factory-built Oldsmobile.
By 1970, the W-30 option package was now a
“gloves off” beast of American iron and perhaps the
most underrated muscle car on the street, with a massive
455 V8 putting out 370 hp and a monstrous 500
foot-pounds of tire-shredding torque.
Not only was the 442 W-30 fitted with a beast of an
engine, it truly was a case of “father knows best.” All
sorts of performance modifications were included,
such as a fiberglass hood with a wicked dual-snorkel
functional air-intake hood (one of the coolest musclecar
hoods ever designed), weight-saving bright
red plastic inner fenders, special camshaft, heads,
distributor and carburetor. There even was a special
aluminum differential housing. With the right tuning
Page 53
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Detailing
Years produced: 1968–71
Number produced: 3,100
Original list price: $3,900
Current ACC Median
Valuation: $83,500
Tune-up/major service: $300
VIN location: Base of windshield,
driver’s side
Engine # location: Partial
VIN on block pad, driver’s
side front, below cylinder
head
Club: Oldsmobile Club of
America
and a good hook-up, the “not your father’s” W-30
1970 Oldsmobile 442 could score a 13.7-second run
in the quarter mile. That’s pretty impressive for a
muscle car that wrapped the driver in a luxurious,
well-appointed interior.
All things 442
The market for the best years of the brutal-yet-
dignified Oldsmobile 442 has been on fire as of late.
Just about anything out there with a 442 badge on it is
doing very well.
In recent years, the 442 market has been hot and
cool and hot again. During the big muscle car run-up,
it took a while for the 442s to catch on. But once they
did, their values shot up quickly, especially for the
W-30 convertibles.
Today, we are seeing a torpedo shot in valua-
tions — meaning that you’ve got to lead the target a
good bit to own a really nice example. I’ve personally
witnessed very nice 442 W-30s moving up the ladder at
a fairly brisk pace. Even well done clones (especially
convertibles) compete for very strong money on the
auction block.
The ACC Pocket Price Guide reflects this push on
the values. We are currently at plus-13% over the last
guide, and that is a very strong indicator of the rush
back to the auction block to grab one while you can —
and values are responding accordingly.
Valuing the hot Olds
Our subject car is about as good as you’ll ever find.
The ownership chain includes plenty of well-known
collectors, and that certainly adds additional credibility
to the condition and value dynamics. This car last
sold at Mecum’s Dallas, TX, sale in November 2016
as part of the Jim Fasnacht Collection, for $110,000
(ACC# 6814167).
Today, a well-sorted 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30
2-door hard top can easily swing from about $70,000
to $100,000 or more. Some of the best cars out there
usually will have an asking price north of $110,000.
These are the best of the best — with very little repopped
catalog parts on them — those with the original
drivetrains, plenty of OEM parts and a full jacket
of documentation. Air tight, no stories, no excuses, no
asterisks.
This is one of those cars, and true comparables are
nearly impossible to find. I think it may be fair to say
that this could be the best example of an unrestored
W-30 442 that’s actually been driven.
We could all Monday-morning-quarterback this and
come up with all sorts of speculative answers as to
why the car sold for $110,000 in November of 2017 and
$73,920 in March of 2018. Granted, the Amelia Island
sales, in general, are not the epicenter of American
iron muscle-car sales. They’re more wine and cheese
than beer and jalapeño poppers. But given the past
owners and the probability that the car could sell for
$100k, you can’t really pick on the venue. You needed
some deep-pocket buyers, and they are stumbling over
each other at Amelia.
There are always a few cars that fall through the
cracks at auctions — always. This one did, and the
new owner should be overjoyed by it.
The math here isn’t hard to do. With our median
value pegged at $83,500 (without the bump for the
4-speed), a recent past sale of the car at $110,000, and
values on the rise, this fantastic W-30 was an incredible
buy on an incredible car.
And I think Mr. Vilinis “Vil” Gaganis, the original
owner, deserves a special acknowledgement for
preserving the old gal for future generations. Well
done. A
(Introductory description courtesy of Bonhams.)
Web: www.oldsmobileclub.org
Alternatives: 1970 Chevrolet
Chevelle SS 454 LS6,
1970 Plymouth ’Cuda 440
Six Pack, 1970 Pontiac
GTO Judge Ram Air III
ACC Investment Grade: B
Comps
1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30
2-door hard top
Barrett-Jackson, Uncasville,
CT, 6/21/2017
ACC# 6839562
Lot 722, VIN: 344870M277583
Condition: 1Sold
at $66,000
1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30
2-door hard top
Lot S737, VIN:
344870M271171
Condition: 2+
Sold at $165,000
Russo and Steele, Scottsdale,
AZ, 1/18/2017
ACC# 6817045
1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30
2-door hard top
Lot 422, VIN: 344870M374974
Condition: 2
Sold at $77,000
Barrett-Jackson, Palm Beach,
FL, 4/12/2014
ACC# 243169
May–June 2018 55
Page 54
PROFILE FOMOCO
Barn Snake
1993 FORD MUSTANG SVT COBRA
YAZTEC Automotive, courtesy of GAA Classic Cars
I too find
mystery in a
barn-stored
427 Shelby
Cobra that
last raced
in the ’60s
and still
sits under a
canvas cover
with a busted
gearbox.
Sorry,
Mustang
fans, this
Cobra isn’t
the same
56 AmericanCarCollector.com
56 AmericanCarCollector.com
VIN: 1FACP42D3PF136958
by Sam Stockham
• 1993 Mustang SVT Cobra with Vortech
supercharger
• 60k actual miles
• Owner’s manual and two sets of original keys
• Number 378 of 4,993 built, with certificate from
Ford
• Parked in a barn since 2005, brought back to life
with new fuel tank, fuel pump, alternator, water
pump, radiator, drilled and slotted rotors, shocks
and struts, tires and sport exhaust
ACC Analysis This car, Lot FR0079, sold for
$20,865, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at GAA’s auction in Greensboro, NC, on March
2, 2018.
If there is one thing I have learned in life, it’s that
trends are cyclical. Without fail, what was really cool
to everyone one day is garbage to the same group the
next day. Some trends are so popular that they create
their own market and the public watches in amazement
as the trend behaves in defiance of common
logic. Remember Beanie Babies? If you invested in
them, I’d bet you do.
Another little nugget of knowledge I have kept with
me is to not take the investment advice of people who
are spouting overheard rhetoric. This is the equivalent
of the kid with the shine box giving advice on stock
picks. Please don’t listen, because that is a sure sign of
a trend bubble getting ready to burst.
The other day, a friend sent me an ad for buckets of
genuine barn dust for the wise-investment sum of $500
per bucket. The ad instructs you to take a $5,000 car,
dump dust all over it, and voilà — you have a $25,000
car. How could you lose? This reminds me of another
life lesson — logic-defying trends often bring out the
scoundrels on their way to becoming a trend bubble
getting ready to burst.
Barn-fresh
Scoundrels have little to do with the recent sale of a
nice-looking barn-find 1993 Mustang Cobra. In fact,
I am rather pleased with the presentation of the car,
considering it could have been completely exploited as
a barn find.
For the record, I don’t care for the barn-find trend.
Being dirty, neglected and covered in owl droppings
does not raise the value of a car, especially if it was
mass-produced. The risk of rat-borne hantavirus lurking
within the musty confines of a dormant interior is
in no way appealing to me. Maybe I’m a germaphobe,
but I have to always question the person willing to pay
a premium for these attributes.
Before you get your ink pot and quill out to yell
at me, I too find mystery in the likes of a barn-find
Ferrari 250 GT California found under boxes in
France or a 427 Cobra that last raced in the ’60s and
still sits under a canvas cover with a busted gearbox.
Sorry, Mustang fans, this isn’t the same.
I like patina too, but I like clean patina, and there
is a difference. That brings us back to the ’93 Cobra,
which the seller washed prior to the auction. Oh dear!
Did they devalue that poor car? No, they gave it a
much-deserved bath to present it in its best light at
auction.
Page 55
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Detailing
Club: SVT Cobra Mustang
Club (SCMC)
Engine # location: Partial
VIN stamped on rear
of block, behind intake
manifold
Foxes on the rise
If you haven’t noticed, the depreciation curve of the
Fox-body Mustang is no longer flat. If you assumed
that it was, I would assume that you live under a rock.
1979–93 Mustangs are going up.
In typical form for any model, leading the charge
are special-edition cars. Among Ford’s factory-built
Foxes, the Cobra is king. I specify Ford-built because
tuners such as Saleen, whose cars were sold in Ford
dealerships, are well ahead of the typical Fox Mustang
appreciation and have seen more of an exponential
curve with regard to their appreciation.
The 1993 Cobra was the last hurrah for a model
that was getting old. The basic unibody design of the
Fox platform dated back to the mid-1970s and suffered
from the noise, vibration and harshness that were
quickly becoming engineered out of other modern
chassis of the day. As the public became more acutely
aware of the civility that modern cars were capable
of, the limitations of the Fox platform became evident.
Ford realized that subframe connectors and sounddeadening
material can only go so far.
The ’93 Mustang Cobra utilized the best pieces
from the Ford Motorsport catalog, which had been
rebranded as SVT in 1993. As a result, the ’93 Cobra
became the first production Mustang to actually have
a horsepower increase from the 225 horsepower spec
that the 5.0 engine had put out since 1987. GT-40
heads, a different cam (not custom and not the E-303
like many think), 1.7-ratio roller rockers and a cast
intake that looked eerily
similar to what was on the
V8 Explorer was good for
a reported 10 horsepower
increase to 235. Today it
doesn’t really seem worth
the effort, but SVT needed
something to market.
Rear disc brakes were
also standard, but the car
did not get the five-lug conversion
kit. Therefore, the
Thunderbird wheels of the
same era will not work on a
stock Cobra. Make sure the
original Cobra wheels are
not marred too much when
looking for a nice example.
Custom valving was also
used on the shocks and front
struts, and the Cobra-spec
factory units are all but impossible
to find anymore, so
if concours judging is your thing, check to make sure
your potential purchase still has factory units.
Not a stock time capsule
There are items detracting from this particular
car. Obviously, the Vortech supercharger kit sticks
out. The aluminum radiator, the red plug wires and
distributor cap, and the caster plates at the top of
the shock towers are mentionable because they’re
non-original items, and with minty cars, anything that
detracts from originality also pulls away value. Then
again, some Mustang circles see these mods as tasteful
and needed. Either way, if done right, none of it should
sway values here based on mileage and overall condition,
which I peg at #3.
While the 1993 Cobra was conceived as a special
edition, they are not really rare. Ford made 4,993 of
them. There are still plenty out there that are lowmiles,
garage-fresh cars that will lead in price, but it’s
pretty easy to find a bargain-basement junker, too.
The price paid was reasonable in the current mar-
ket, but the car was certainly not stolen off the block.
I think the seller did just fine. If the price feels high,
just wait. Hopefully, Fox Mustang values increase at a
reasonable rate as to not attract scoundrels, buckets
of dust and kids offering free Fox-body investment
advice with a shoeshine. For now, this was a good
deal for all involved. A
(Introductory description courtesy of GAA Classic
Cars.)
Year produced: 1993
Number produced: 4,993
Original list price: $18,505
Current ACC Median
Valuation: $27,500
Tune-up/major service: $200
VIN location: Door tag,
driver’s door; plate at base
of windshield on driver’s
side
Web: www.svtcobraclub.com
Alternatives: 1989 Chevrolet
Camaro 1LE, 1989 Pontiac
Trans Am Turbo 20th
Anniversary, 1994 Ford
Mustang Cobra
ACC Investment Grade: D
Comps
1993 Ford Mustang SVT
Cobra
Lot 281, VIN:
1FACP42D7PF176220
Condition: 2Sold
at $14,850
Dan Kruse Classics, Austin,
TX, 9/27/2014
ACC# 252409
1993 Ford Mustang SVT
Cobra
Lot 2415, VIN:
1FACP42D3PF176036
Condition: 2Sold
at $13,750
Leake Auctions, Dallas, TX,
4/25/2014
ACC# 243389
1993 Ford Mustang SVT
Cobra R
Lot 2195, VIN:
1FACP42D6PF169212
Condition: 1Sold
at $42,350
RM Auctions, Kensington, NH,
6/10/2006
ACC# 42191
March–April 2018
May–June 2018 57
57CC
Page 56
PROFILE MOPAR
Hyper Viper
1998 DODGE VIPER GTS-R COUPE
Courtesy of Bonhams
In a sense,
the GTS-R
is a
modern-day
version of the
Cobra 427
S/C, with
race-bred
features
grafted onto
a street-legal
chassis
VIN: 1B3ER69E4WV401030
by John L. Stein
• Well-preserved second-generation Viper
• One of 100 GTS-R specification cars
• About 10,000 miles
• 488-ci, overhead-valve V10 engine
• Electronic fuel injection
• 460 hp at 4,600 rpm
• 6-speed manual transmission
• Four-wheel independent suspension
• Four-wheel disc brakes
• Aerodynamic package
• White with blue stripes
• Racing harnesses
ACC Analysis This car, Lot 166, sold for
$90,720, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Bonhams’ Amelia Island auction at the
Fernandina Beach Golf Club in Amelia Island, FL, on
March 8, 2018.
When it launched for the 1992 model year, the
Dodge Viper was just like America at its best — big
and brash. Akin to the Terminator on four wheels, it
boasted a huge 8-liter, truck-derived V10 engine and
a pugnacious roadster body that just barely covered
the enormous engine and wheels. Unlike today’s
sophisticated supercars, the original Viper was miles
away from offering any semblance of balance between
performance and civility.
Instead, it was all performance. With the big
engine’s reported 465 foot-pounds of torque (later
upgraded to 600 ft-lb) and a lack of today’s ubiquitous
stability control, one clumsy jab of the right pedal
could turn the Viper around, giving occupants an
58 AmericanCarCollector.com
58 AmericanCarCollector.com
excellent view of where they’d just been. And the ride
quality was little better, delivering a kidney punch
over every pothole and a karate chop over every pavement
crack.
We owe a lot to that original, untamed Viper. It
put Dodge on a pathway that now rewards us with
cars like the Challenger SRT Hellcat and Demon.
Like Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” album, after
decades of assault on American might by overseas
competitors and governmental regulations, it flew the
flag for unabashed, 1960s-style Yankee performance
once again. And the Viper also represented a viable
U.S. competitor for Corvette, whose creators had recently
launched the “King of the Hill” ZR-1. Although
in truth, the Viper was a far less sophisticated piece.
One giant leap for Viperkind
I have never heard anyone describe the original
Viper roadster as pretty, or even nice-looking. But that
changed in 1996 when the Viper GTS coupe arrived.
The goofy, Halloween-pumpkin face remained, but
replacing the roadster’s awkward mid- and tail sections
was a svelte hard-top structure that, spiritually,
seemed to have been lifted straight off of Peter Brock’s
lovely Cobra Daytona coupe.
All of a sudden, the Viper was a GT racing con-
tender. And contend it did in many series, most notably
at Le Mans with the French Viper Team ORECA.
During this time, the ORECA Viper coupes battled
with the Pratt & Miller-built factory Corvette C5-Rs.
As a side note, a highlight of my car life was at Le
Mans in 2000, standing in the hot pits at night, when
Page 57
COLLeCTOR’S ReSOuRCe: You can easily track a car’s value over time with the ACC Premium Auction Database, featuring more
than 125,000 American cars searchable by year, model, VIN and more. Sign up for just $59 at www.americanCarCollector.com!
Detailing
Club: Viper Club of America
Web: www.viperclub.org
Alternatives: 1971 Chevrolet
Corvette LS6 coupe,
1987 Buick GNX, 2012
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Centennial Edition
Engine # location: Lower
right-front cylinder block
the Viper and Corvette came in simultaneously while
battling for the GTS class lead. Possessing 18 heathen
cylinders and displacing some 15 liters between them,
they were like giant gladiators waging a deadly battle
amongst an array of field mice. Incidentally, Viper
won that contest, and the FIA GT World Championship
five out of six years.
Real racing aero
Fast-forward two years, and Dodge created 100
race-replica GTS-R Viper coupes, one of which is
featured here. In a sense, they were a modern-day
equivalent of the Cobra 427 S/C, in that they featured
various racing-derived modifications fitted to a streetlegal
chassis.
This wasn’t just for show, as including these com-
ponents homologated the Viper for additional racing
series. Aerodynamic mods included a front splitter,
plus canards reminiscent of the Chaparral 2C of 1965.
Naturally, a rear wing was fitted, as were special rear
ducts. The rear diffusers now common on performance
road cars (and even EVs and hybrids!) were not yet in
vogue. Appropriate for the time, replica BBS racing
wheels were fitted.
Finished in Stone White with Viper Blue stripes, this
GTS-R logically channels the Team ORECA Vipers,
and also the long-ago 1953 Cunningham C-4RK.
But the GTS-R wasn’t just for show, as subtle engine
upgrades bounced the output up to 460 horsepower
— a 2% gain over the standard 450-hp Viper GTS.
Meanwhile, inside, the GTS-R served notice of its serious
intent with multi-point racing harnesses and even
a fire bottle.
Bargain or blunder?
Nearly 20 years have rushed by since this Viper
GTS-R was sold to the first of four owners. However,
even after such a long time, its $90,720 sale at Amelia
Island shows a gain of just 6.5% above the original
$85,200 MSRP.
It’s interesting to compare this with other American
exotics, most particularly the four-cam 1990 Corvette
ZR-1 and the supercharged 2005 Ford GT. Originally
listing for $58,995, the first-year C4 Corvette ZR-1
is valued at a mere $21,000 today — a 64% loss. In
contrast, the 2005 Ford GT retailed for $149,995, and
now trades for about $305,000 — more than double its
original MSRP.
This quick balance sheet shows the one-year-only
Viper GTS-R occupies a flat “middle zone” in return
between the deserving but still unrecognized ZR-1 and
the strongly appreciated and valued Ford GT.
How come? Here’s how I see the strikingly differ-
ent long-term returns for the Corvette, Ford GT and
Viper.
First, the Corvette. The ZR-1 came to market
like Chuck Norris entering a biker bar wearing a
tuxedo — well-dressed and fully equipped for the fight.
Nonetheless, the aluminum block, 32-valve, Lotusdesigned
and Mercury Marine-built V8 engine was
a far-out proposition for the Corvette faithful at the
time. And besides, it was expensive. Its sales suffered
then, and its value continues to suffer today.
The Ford GT traded on historic provenance, thanks
to Ford’s four consecutive Le Mans wins from 1966 to
’69 — especially the magical ’67 event with the Ford
GT40 Mark IV, which was powered by an American
427 engine and was driven by Americans A.J. Foyt
and Dan Gurney, ran American tires and was fielded
by Shelby American. The reincarnated Ford GT of
’05 thus hit the salesroom floor running, saw price
bumps immediately, and never faded. Although not
every Ford GT is a $400,000 car today, gaveling at
$300,000-plus is a common result.
And that brings us back to the well-kept, 10,000-
mile Viper GTS-R sold by Bonhams. This model has a
lot going for it, including racing-derived bodywork, a
factory power boost, the distinction as a oneyear-only
offering, and very limited production.
The 2018 American Car Collector Pocket
Price Guide pegs the car at a median value of
$97,500 — a price this car missed hitting by
7%. Considering that the sale price was well
less than a third of a 2005 Ford GT’s value and
well under the MSRP of the final-year 2017
Viper GTS, the 2018 Corvette ZR1 and even the
2018 Tesla Model S P90D, I’ll call this classic
snake well bought. A
(Introductory description courtesy of
Bonhams.)
May–June 2018
May–June 2018 59
ACC Investment Grade: B
Comps
Year produced: 1998
Number produced: 100
Original list price: $85,200
Current ACC Median
Valuation: $97,500
Tune-up/major service: $200
VIN location: Plate at base of
windshield
1996 Dodge Viper RT/10
Carroll Shelby roadster
Lot 1016, VIN:
1B3BR65E4TV100682
Condition: 1Sold
at $88,000
Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale,
AZ, 1/13/2018
ACC# 6857942
2002 Dodge Viper GTS Final
Edition
Lot K236, VIN:
1B3ER69E72V102920
Condition: 1
Not sold at $65,000
Mecum Auctions, Kissimmee,
FL, 1/5/2018
ACC# 6857868
1996 Dodge Viper GTS
coupe
Lot F2, VIN:
1B3ER69E7TV200055
Condition: 2+
Sold at $59,400
Mecum Auctions, Kissimmee,
FL, 1/5/2018
ACC# 6858077
Page 58
PROFILE HOT ROD & CUSTOM
1920 FORD T-BUCKET
E HOT ROD & CUSTOM
1920 FORD T-BUCKET
Unlike
Unlike the
radically
altered
customs of
the day, you
didn’t have to
be a budding
George Barris
with access
to a full shop
to build a
T-bucket
60
AmericanCarCollector.com
VIN: RX140061
by John Boyle
• Chevrolet 350-ci V8
• GM Turbo 400 automatic transmission
• Disc brakes
• Jaguar limited-slip IRS
• Extended front end
• Part of the Rolland Collection
ACC Analysis This car, Lot 501, sold for
$22,000, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Leake’s auction in Oklahoma City, OK, on
February 24, 2018. It was offered without reserve.
In the beginning, Ford created the Model T. From it
sprang the American hot-rod and custom-car culture
— and later industry. Cheap and plentiful, Henry’s Ts
(as well as As and their various ’30s siblings) were the
blank canvas upon which generations of custom-car
builders would practice their art.
The birth of the bucket
Pinpointing the birthdate of custom Model Ts is dif-
ficult, as many Ts were modified while they were still
in production, with owners fitting speed parts in an
attempt to coax more than the stock 20 hp from their
four cylinders. Bucket-seat speedster and torpedostyle
fenderless racers weren’t far behind, but what
we know as the T-bucket came about shortly after
World War II, when V8s were dropped into T roadsters
(Runabouts, in Ford-speak).
As you might expect, the Ford flathead V8 was
often used, but all manner of engines found their way
into the cars — Cadillacs, Olds, Nailhead Buicks,
Chryslers, etc. It didn’t take long after 1955 for the
then-new small-block Chevy to find its way into a T.
The genre was popularized when cars by drag
racer “TV” Tommy Ivo and pioneer rod builder Norm
Grabowski were featured in magazines of the day.
And proving that nothing helps a car quite like film
exposure, when Grabowski’s T-bucket was featured on
TV’s “77 Sunset Strip” as the “Kookie Car,” the Fords
became the thing to have.
Any way you like it
In the automotive landscape of the 1950s, with
chrome-laden Detroit behemoths and wild chopped,
channeled and candy-colored customs, T-buckets
stood out due to their basic nature. A roadster body —
usually fiberglass after the late ’50s — was placed on
a ladder-type chassis. The chassis might be from a T,
A, Deuce or similar. The amount it differed from stock
usually depended on what the builder had at hand and
what he could afford.
The choice of drivetrain and virtually everything
else came down to availability. Massive blowers were
common, but so were various carb arrangements. But
the basic shape was set: hoodless, fenderless, and with
narrow tires up front and wide rubber on the rear.
Courtesy of Leake Auction Company
Page 59
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Detailing
Years produced: 1908–27
Number produced: 995,498
(all 1920 Model Ts);
15,007,033 (all Ts,
1908–27)
Many retained their factory trunk/turtledeck, but
another popular style was to replace it with a small
pickup bed just large enough to hold the cylindrical
fuel tank and a cooler. Some had soft tops, but a tall
windshield was always part of the look. A T radiator
shell — a brass/chromed pre-’15 unit or painted ’20s
piece — did its best to keep the engine cool.
Interiors consisted of a basic bench seat. Paint
finishes ran the gamut of simple one-color finishes to
complex Ed Roth-style pinstripes, lace patterns, “endless”
tape designs or faded panels, depending on the
era of the build.
In short, here was a custom the average car guy
could build. Unlike the radically altered customs
of the day, you didn’t have to be a budding George
Barris with access to a full shop to build one.
Newer build, “old-school” looks
This recently built example presents as a car you
might have seen in the mid-’60s, with nothing too
extreme or dated. The body-color small-block Chevy
features a blower-style intake scoop atop an AFB
carburetor and all the accessories are chromed or
polished. I don’t think they had color-matching sparkplug
wires back in the day, but they’re here and help
the car’s clean appearance.
The firewall is polished, and a modern electric
fan shows this was meant to be more than just a
showpiece. The wheels are key to giving the car its
mid-’60s look: in front, narrow chrome wires with
faux knockoffs, and in the back, wide chrome reverse
units with Baby Moon hubcaps. Likewise, the interior
is bench-seat basic with only newer (and nicer than
available in-period) antique-looking gauges and nice
leather to belie its age.
Likewise, this chassis looks the part of a high-end
build. The stretched frame features the ubiquitous
dropped front axle and transverse leaf spring, but its
showpiece is tucked under the bucket.
Hot-rod lore says some guys in the Bay Area were
the first to put a Jaguar independent rear suspension
under a rod in the mid-’60s. The unit, with limited-slip
differential and four coil-over shocks, gave the cars a
much nicer ride and better handling than solid axles.
The inboard disc brakes reduced unsprung weight
but came at the expense of turning a simple brake job
into an all-day affair. The good news was the ringand-pinion
gears were Dana/Spicer parts and readily
available.
Performance aside, the unit looked great, and when
chromed, became as much a showpiece as the engine.
Hot-rod historian and author Pat Ganahl describes
their appeal: ”When chromed and fully exposed at
the rear of a T-bucket, watching the axles twirl and
suspension work was almost mesmerizing, especially
at night.”
A great buy
At $22,000, this car, with fewer than 300 miles, was
well bought. Coming out of a prominent race-themed
collection, it was clearly a well-built, well-equipped
car and easily outsold the other two T-buckets on offer
by the same consignor ($11k and $12k, respectively) at
the same sale.
As you might guess given their nature, T-buckets
are generally affordable. While comparables are thin
on the ground in the ACC Premium Auction Database,
the high-dollar outliers are well-known period builds
with magazine and show history. A check of the
Internet shows plenty available.
As I write this, one classified website has 26 on offer
with prices ranging from $9,500 to $43,000, with most
around $20k. And being a rod, if you find one and
it’s not quite what you want, you’re free to change it
without concern for authenticity.
If you can’t find the one you want, an online speed
shop sells nearly complete kits with fiberglass bodies,
frame, SBC and TH350 tranny, wheels, interiors and
lights — but without paint, glass and various small
items, for $19,715, highlighting the value of this car.
A slice of history
Like the A and the Deuce, the T-bucket holds a
special place in rod/custom history. I’ll let Ganahl
have the last word (from his book Lost Hot Rods II):
“They’re not as comfortable as a coupe or even a
’32–’34 roadster. But they’re better than a motorcycle,
and at least as exciting. That’s what T-buckets are all
about: wind, noise, spinning tires, everything hanging
out in the breeze — pure, essential hot rod.” A
(Introductory description courtesy of Leake Auction
Co.)
May–June 2018 61
1923 Ford T-bucket
1926 Ford T-bucket
Lot 325, VIN: 14314622
Condition: 4
Not sold at $8,000
ACC# 117710
Silver Auctions, Reno, NV,
8/2/2008
Club: Goodguys Rod &
Custom Association
Tune-up/major service: $150
VIN location: Varies
Engine # location: Pad on
front of engine block,
below passenger’s side
cylinder head (SBC)
Original list price: $618.20
(1920 Runabout with
starter)
Web: www.good-guys.com
Alternatives: 1927–31 Ford
Model A hot rod, 1932–34
Ford hot rod
ACC Investment Grade: D
Comps
1923 Ford T-bucket
Lot 23, VIN: OR66300
Condition: 1Sold
at $15,120
Petersen Auctions, Salem,
OR, 2/1/2014
ACC# 232357
(with helicopter jet turbine)
Lot 755, VIN: NOVIN755
Condition: 1
Not sold at $70,000
Silver Auctions, Reno, NV,
8/2/2008
ACC# 117718
Page 60
PROFILE AMERICANA
1936 FORD DELUXE CABRIOLET
Stock or Rod?
Courtesy of Bonhams
The buyer
can keep
this cabriolet
just as-is, or
perform a
few discreet
mechanical
upgrades
and probably
not lose any
money
VIN: 182583480
by Ken Gross
• Desirable open-top ’36 cabriolet model with
rumble seat
• Elegant black with Apple Green pinstripe
• 221-ci Ford flathead V8 with dual exhaust
• Classic styling and reliable engineering
ACC Analysis This car, Lot 118, sold for
$44,800, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Bonhams’ Amelia Island Auction at the
Fernandina Beach Golf Club on March 8, 2018. It was
offered without reserve.
Early Ford V8s, built from 1932 to 1948, have a
strong following today. They are delightful cars to own
and drive in stock form, as this example was, and they
offer great potential as rods or customs.
A banner year
1936 was a terrific sales year for Ford Motor
Company. Despite the mid-Depression economy, Ford
outsold its archrival Chevrolet — although a strike at
Chevy probably helped.
The ’36 Fords were basically face-lifted 1935
models, updated with a more modern vee’d grille,
refreshed hood vents and reshaped rear fenders. Steel
disc wheels replaced traditional wires. Cabriolet models,
like this car, carried two passengers inside and
two outside in a rumble seat. In 1936, that model was
joined by the new Club Cabriolet, which had a trunk
and enclosed all four passengers inside.
62 AmericanCarCollector.com
62 AmericanCarCollector.com
When World War II ended in 1945, brand-new cars
were in high demand and short supply. Detroit’s OEMs
quickly tooled up for new cars — Ford built the first
of its 1946 models in July 1945, and Harry Truman
received the first completed Tudor sedan. Pent-up
demand (civilian car production had ended in February
1942) and the challenges of converting “The Arsenal of
Democracy” from guns, tanks and bomber manufacturing
back to civilian-appealing automobiles meant that
although independents like Studebaker and Hudson
offered all-new cars in 1947 and 1948, the Big Three
waited until 1949 before releasing their all-new models.
A matter of style
Hot-rodders and customizers in the early post-war
period typically modified pre-war cars. Readily
available and relatively inexpensive, 1934 and earliermodel
cars were hot-rodded and often modified with
fenders removed to make them lighter and faster.
Generally, 1935 and later cars were customized. Their
bodies were restyled and reshaped. Chopped tops and
even sectioned bodies yielded sleeker, lower silhouettes
and a more expensive appearance.
Some shops, like the Berardini Brothers, in South
Central LA, did a thriving business fixing up late models
in the ’50s. They reconditioned Fords, did semicustom
work and resold them. Pat Berardini said, “We
sold beautiful Fords — ’36s, ’39s, ’40s, mostly coupes.
We’d lower them, add fender skirts, install duals — I’d
Page 61
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Detailing
Year produced: 1936
Number produced: Ford sold
4,616 cabriolets and Club
Cabriolets in 1936
Original list price: $675
Current ACC Median
Valuation: $37,400
Tune-up/major service:
Estimated $150
Engine # location: On
bellhousing
buy grilles by the dozen. We did nosing, decking, and
removed the excess trim. Then I’d repaint them in
lacquer. The most popular color was a Ruby Maroon
shade. We did a lot of cars in black. One of the most
popular colors was metallic Tokay Beige — kind of
an off-white shade. Guys could buy one of our used,
mildly customized cars all ready to go. They paid more
for our cars than for clean stock models — but they
were worth it.”
In contrast, George and Sam Barris, the Ayala
Brothers, Clay Jensen and Neil Emory at Valley
Custom, Gene Winfield and other LA area greats created
full-on custom cars, both for street and show use,
with major body restyling. The customizing principles
and techniques they established are still in use today
in the rod and custom community.
Rod it or not?
So here’s a cute little ’36 Ford cabriolet that sold
for about what these are worth today in clean, stock
condition.
The most popular ’36 Ford body styles to modify
are the roadster and the three-window coupe. While
other ’36 Ford models, like 5-window coupes, have
been customized, they’re just not as cool. Roadsters
have a rakish bolt-on windshield that’s begging to be
chopped. The ’36 Ford 3-window coupes resemble
7/8ths-scale Lincoln-Zephyrs. Both these body styles,
when hammered, stretched a bit, lowered and modified,
are really attractive. The cabriolets like this one,
not so much.
If this were a ’36 roadster, you could chop the wind-
shield three inches, fabricate a padded, Carson-style
top, lower it considerably front and rear (or give it a
taildragger-style rear bias), de-chrome the body, fit
fender skirts and ’38 DeSoto ribbed bumpers, fair in
the headlights and taillights, and you’d have a serious
’40s-era custom. Add a modified ¾-race flathead crate
motor from H&H or another top builder and you’ve
easily spent $50k to $60k. Now you have a $100,000
early Ford custom, with no previous custom history,
but you could still get $75,000, recouping some of your
“investment” if you sold it.
Not so fast
But this is a cabriolet. They’re simply not as desir-
able. If it were mine, I’d replace the “push and pray”
mechanical brakes with later Ford hydraulic drum
brakes — that’s basically a bolt-in procedure — dress
up the flatty with headers, an Eddie Meyer dual-carb
manifold and finned high-compression heads for
21-stud V8s, install a vintage Columbia 2-speed rear
axle, and lower the car three inches all around with
a dropped front axle with reversed spring eyes and
slightly longer shackles in back. That work would cost
about $7,500, and you’d likely get that money back
when you sold it.
At $44,800, this ’36 Ford cabriolet was a good
deal for the buyer and the seller. An identical car
was offered in March in the AACA magazine for
$48,000. The buyer can keep this cabriolet just as-is,
or perform a few discreet mechanical upgrades and
probably not lose any money. The Early Ford V-8
Club of America even has a “Touring Class” that
welcomes mildly modified cars with period-style
improvements.
The new owner can have his or her choice —
either way, this is a right-money ’36 Ford they can
love.A
(Introductory description courtesy of Bonhams.)
1936 Ford DeLuxe roadster
Lot 162, VIN: 1830322721
Condition: 2+
Sold at $85,000
Silver Auctions, Coeur
d’Alene, ID, 6/17/2017
ACC# 6839414
VIN location: Stamped on
frame in front of firewall,
driver’s side
Clubs: Early Ford V-8 Club
of America, Goodguys,
National Street Rod
Association (NSRA)
Web: www.earlyfordv8.org,
www.goodguys.com, www.
nsra.com
Alternatives: Other mid-’30sera
period Ford V8s
ACC Investment Grade: C
Comps
1936 Ford DeLuxe cabriolet
Lot 39, VIN: 1908742
Condition: 2Sold
at $52,250
Worldwide Auctioneers,
Montgomery, TX, 5/3/2014
ACC# 243577
1936 Ford DeLuxe cabriolet
Lot 113, VIN: 183200770
Condition: 1Sold
at $126,500
RM Auctions, Amelia Island,
FL, 3/8/2014
ACC# 239235
May–June 2018
63CC
63
Page 62
PROFILE RACE
1959 KELLISON J-4R COUPE
Fiberglass Flash for Less Cash
Courtesy of Bonhams
If you’ve
been sitting
in the stands
because you
can’t afford
to put an
expensive
and
irreplaceable
car at risk
on the track,
maybe it’s
time to think
again
VIN: 3970020
by Jeff Zurschmeide
signals and a windshield wiper were all installed to
meet compliance.
It has since been impeccably maintained and has
T
taken part in the New England 1000, among other
events. It has a full SVRA Group 4 logbook and is
ready to compete in vintage events or road rallies.
ACC Analysis This car, Lot 180, sold for
$28,000, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at Bonhams’ Amelia Island Auction at the
Fernandina Beach Golf Club in Fernandina Beach,
FL, on March 8, 2018.
Most American boys born in the 20th century have
doodled designs for low-slung, wicked-looking race
cars, usually inside a schoolbook. More than a few
conceived something very much like a Kellison J-Series
coupe. The squat stature and muscular shape must be
part of some shared cultural memory, because you don’t
even have to squint to see the influence on the Dodge
Viper coupes that arrived several decades later.
The Kellison coupe is a true original. It’s also one
of the best deals going if you want a bargain-priced
first-class ticket to the highest levels of vintage racing.
What is a Kellison?
Jim Kellison was a serial entrepreneur. Contrary to
many published reports, he was never a fighter pilot
in Korea, but he later stated that he drew inspiration
from the jet planes he had observed while stationed
64
AmericanCarCollector.com
his particular Kellison was purchased new by
SCCA Executive Director Don Rodimer. In
2001 the car passed to its current owner. As
he wished to use the car in driver events, the
car was made fully street legal. Lights, turn
stateside in the Air Force. He was honorably discharged
in 1954 at the age of 22, and went to work first
in an auto body shop and then as a civilian employee
at Travis Air Force Base before starting his customcar
business in his own garage.
By 1958, Kellison had designs for both a coupe and
a roadster body, made in sizes to fit cars as small as
a Crosley and as large as a Corvette. The J-4 model
was the first to get some media attention, when Motor
Trend magazine got a hold of one for a test. “From
any angle you look at it, it’s a brute,” Len Griffing
stated in the magazine’s December 1959 issue.
According to the story, the body was mounted on
Motor Trend’s tired and much modified “workhorse”
1956 Corvette chassis, which had horrible oversteer
issues. Nevertheless, California racer Andy Porterfield
bravely drove the prototype Kellison in a couple of
races while they worked out the kinks.
Once the body was placed on suitable platforms,
Kellisons started winning races. Kellison credibly
claimed his cars could achieve 170 mph on the fast
straights at Riverside and Vacaville, and speeds up to
132 mph in drag races. A racer named Nolan White
took a Kellison K-3 up to 224.477 mph at Bonneville
in 1966.
That all led to Kellison becoming a respected name
in the racing world, but it didn’t lead to financial
success. In the original production run in 1958–59,
it’s estimated that about 350 J-4 bodies were made.
Kellison created the larger J-5 in 1960, and the J-6 in
1962, but money troubles forced Kellison to take on
Max Germaine and his Allied Fiberglass company as
a partner in 1961. Allied continued to make the J-4,
J-5 and J-6 bodies, but branded them as Astras.
Kellison later parted ways with Germaine and made
Page 63
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Detailing
fiberglass parts for everything from Model T Fords
to dune buggies. Both Kellison and Allied Fiberglass
made additional J-4 bodies until at least 1969, so
exact production numbers are unknown.
A storied J-4
The subject car was originally purchased in 1959
by Don Rodimer, who was a founding member of the
Northern New Jersey Region SCCA. When Rodimer
passed away in 1985, racer and writer Rich Taylor
inherited the car. He restored it for vintage racing and
documented the process.
“As you might expect from a car that sat untouched
in a barn for 25 years, our Kellison J-4R was a
mess,” Taylor wrote in the June 1987 issue of Popular
Mechanics.
One thing to mention — there’s not really any
such thing as a J-4R. That name was retroactively
applied to J-4 cars used for racing. Kellison sold a J-4
“Competition Body” or “Kit B” that was only a shell,
without dashboard, firewall, seat buckets or inner
fender panels. None of the available catalogs from
1958 to ’70 list a J-4R as an option.
Taylor brought the car up to mid-’80s vintage specs
with an entirely new frame, driveline and running
gear, spending about $20,000 in the process. He then
went vintage racing at Sebring, putting the Kellison on
track against a large field including Stirling Moss in a
Birdcage Maserati and Peter Sachs in a Ferrari Testa
Rossa. The Kellison finished 3rd.
“I’m not pretending to be racing against Stirling
Moss,” Taylor wrote, “I am racing Stirling Moss.”
“Exotic-car chump change”
That right there is the magic of a Kellison. Even
in 1987, the cars that Taylor was racing against cost
hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he was racing
for less than the price of a new Corvette.
“When was the last time Augie Pabst came over to
compliment you on your car and bench race about
Scarabs for a while?” Taylor asked.
When Taylor sold this Kellison in 2001 (ACC#
27992), the car went for $36,300. The sale made the
pages of ACC’s sister publication, Sports Car Market,
where Pat Braden wrote, “The real value of this car
is the entry it provides to exclusive venues for what
amounts to exotic-car chump change.”
Since that time, this car was made street legal to
run classic-car rallies as well as the vintage-racing
circuit. It’s got a built small-block engine good for
almost 500 horsepower and 463 foot-pounds of Oh My
God torque, mated to a close-ratio 4-speed transmission
in a 2,650-pound package, and it’s all fully sorted
and ready to race.
Bonhams’ estimate for this sale was $35,000 to
$55,000, and the car is certainly worth every penny
of that. Yet the car sold for just $28,000, making this
vintage racer very well bought indeed.
But before we boggle too much at that low price,
consider that other condition 1 and 2 Kellisons have
seen auction bids top out at about $38,000, with lessdesirable
cars selling far lower. Furthermore, Kellison
prices have been more or less static since 1993. The
craziest thing is, this sale wasn’t that far out of the
mainstream.
The obvious takeaway lesson here is “consider a
Kellison for your race car.” But more than that, take
a close look at who’s running up front in Vintage
contests. It’s not always the high-dollar machinery.
If you’ve been sitting in the stands because you can’t
afford to put an irreplaceable car at risk, maybe it’s
time to think again. A
(Introductory description courtesy of Bonhams.)
1969 Kellison Astra GT
Lot 367, VIN: DRF90525
Condition: 2+
Sold at $38,500
Barrett-Jackson, Las Vegas,
NV, 9/27/2014
ACC# 6711513
Club: Kellison Registry
Web: www.kellisoncars.com
Alternatives: Any vintage
kit-sourced car, including
Devin and Kurtis
ACC Investment Grade: C
Comps
Current ACC Median
Valuation: $31,900
Tune-up/major service: $225
VIN location: Firewall
Engine # location: Varies
by engine, pad on front of
block below passenger’s
cylinder head (SBC)
Years produced: 1958–69
Number produced:
Unknown, at least 350
Original list price: $6,700
(turn-key)
1969 Kellison Astra GT
Lot 55, VIN: DRF90525
Condition: 1Sold
at $27,500
Petersen Auctions, Roseburg,
OR, 7/7/2012
ACC# 4774689
1962 Kellison J-4
Lot 248, VIN: 208675114231
Condition: 3
Sold at $33,000
RM Auctions, Monterey, CA,
8/17/2007
ACC# 1570610
May–June 2018 65
Page 64
PROFILE TRUCK
1978 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT II TRAVELTOP
Scouting With Half an Engine
While the
196 proved
to be an
adequate
engine
(rated at 86
horses in our
example),
today’s
vintage SUV
buyer isn’t
shopping for
adequate
66 AmericanCarCollector.com
66 AmericanCarCollector.com
VIN: H0062HGD28434
by B. Mitchell Carlson
• Bought new in Hickory, NC
• The original build sheet is still in glovebox
• Fold-down windshield
• Removable full-length hard top with all the
original plastic inside covers
• Rallye stripe package
• 4x4
• New 31x10.50x15 BFGoodrich T/A tires
• Factory AM radio
• One repaint
• Garage-kept
ACC Analysis This truck, Lot FR0269, sold for
$31,030, including buyer’s pre-
mium, at GAA Classic Cars’ Spring Sale auction in
Greensboro, NC, on March 2, 2018.
Last of the line finally gets respect
After 1976, the Scout II had to go it alone as
International Harvester’s sole light-duty truck. Sure,
they introduced the Terra pickup and Traveler 2-door
wagon that year, but they were, for all intents and
purposes, long-wheelbase Scout IIs.
Mechanically and cosmetically, the Scout II
remained generally consistent until what proved to be
its swan-song year of 1980. For that year, there were
a number of cosmetic changes (such as large rectangular
headlights) and mechanical changes (a turbocharged
diesel engine). However, a UAW strike from
November 1979 through April 1980, plus a downturn
in the U.S. economy, spelled disaster for the company.
The last Scout II was built in October 1980.
For three decades since, Scout IIs have been the
bastard children of the older used-SUV market. There
have always been Scout loyalists, but for the general
public — especially the younger generations that have
become interested in older off-roaders more recently
— it’s a little hard to sell them on a vehicle that they
never realized was built.
Yet within the past eight years, vintage SUVs of all
stripes have taken off in value. In the span of a few
years, the Scout IIs that you couldn’t give away for
$3,500 are now seeing $35k and upward when well
equipped and either well restored or original.
With the uptick in interest, it seems that the limelight
is on those SUVs that are equipped the way most buyers
want — namely with a V8 under the hood. What
they seem to forget is that for the entire production
run of Scouts and all but two years of Scout IIs, they
Moore’s Auto Sales, courtesy of GAA Classic Cars
Page 65
COLLeCTOR’S ReSOuRCe: The easiest way to track a car’s value over time is the ACC Premium Auction Database, featuring
more than 125,000 American cars searchable by year, make, model, VIN and more. Sign up at www.AmericanCarCollector.com.
Detailing
Years produced: 1971–80
Number produced: 26,369
(1978)
came standard with a four-banger that was actually
half of a V8.
Block cutting for cost cutting
The slant-four engine was a child of 1961 — as
it was the powerplant in both Pontiac’s and
International’s all-new vehicles (the Tempest and
Scout, respectively). Working independently, but with
SAE research papers providing some guidance, each
company developed an inline four that was essentially
the right bank of one of their existing V8s. This made
development costs far less than a new inline four from
scratch.
International initially halved their 304-ci V8 for
a 152-ci four. As production continued through the
early 1960s, performance (or lack thereof) became a
growing customer complaint, so they turbocharged
the 152 for 1965. The better solution was to halve the
heavy truck 392-ci V8 to create the 196-ci four, which
at least had some semblance of low-end torque.
Even with various IH- and AMC-made gas 6-cylin-
ders and the later Nissan diesel engines that became
available in Scouts, the 196 soldiered on through 1980
(although they weren’t available in 1973 and ’74).
While the 196 proved to be an adequate engine (rated
at 86 horses in our example), today’s vintage SUV
buyer isn’t shopping for adequate.
Rallye ’round the Line Setting Ticket
Since data automation came to the automotive
world, most domestic manufacturers used some sort of
build sheet for vehicle production at assembly plants.
The amount of information varies between manufacturers,
but one supplied gross intimate detail beyond
even what the Big Three provided.
International Harvester’s truck division used what
they called a Line Setting Ticket (LST) for all truck
manufacturing in the post-World War II era. Not only
did this show basics like the ordering dealer, the sales
zone it was in, which powertrain and options went
into it, and how it was to be shipped, it also showed
additional components needed as part of an option
(such as different springs for different axle assemblies)
and additional labor to install some components
(especially involved assemblies). The reasoning for
this level of detail lies in IH’s catering to the whims
of truck fleets to spec out one or a fleet of trucks to
exactly what the customer wanted.
Thanks to the Line Setting Ticket (which, if it wasn’t
still with the truck, is still available for all IH trucks
after 1954 from the Wisconsin Historical Society
or parts vendors through them), we can prove this
Scout II was made into a wannabe Rallye after it was
repainted.
First and foremost, the $795 Rallye Package (code
10969) doesn’t appear on the LST. Even without
the LST, the Rallye stripes don’t match the original
production units. OE units had a different font for
“rallye” and the hash marks were all within the door.
As such, these aren’t even the correct reproduction
graphics.
Still, it did have the Deluxe Exterior Trim Package
(code 16835), which got you chrome bumpers and
lower body-side moldings. In addition, the spoke steel
wheels (known as “wagon wheels” back in the day)
have also been added post-production. The LST shows
the standard disc wheels with H78-15 tires.
Four cylinders, less interest
While this Scout II has a somewhat unusual combi-
nation of equipment and is in good shape, as a 4-cylinder,
the list of interested buyers is markedly thin.
The vast majority of buyers for Scout IIs want a V8
— the bigger, the better. The consignor also knew this,
as there were zero references to the engine (in fact,
more mention was made of it still having its original
AM radio). Even the diesels generate more interest
today than the four-banger.
Indeed, one can also be certain that the pool of
potential buyers includes those who’d pick it up cheap
if they could and then drop a V8 into it — either to
keep that way or for a quick flip.
On top of that, with the repaint, stripes, wheels,
plus some reupholstery work, it’s not the minty virgin
survivor that some may hope it to be. Hopefully, the
bidder knew this and was buying on the rising tide and
not on this one’s originality — and hopefully he looked
at the left side of the engine compartment — otherwise
there might be one helluva surprise when it gets to its
new home. “This thing runs out like it only has half of
an engine.” Well sold. A
(Introductory description courtesy of GAA Classic
Cars.)
May–June 2018
67CC
67
1976 International Scout II
Lot F64, VIN:
F0062FGD39628
Condition: 3
Sold at $17,050
Mecum Auctions, Portland,
OR, 6/17/2016
ACC# 6803698
1973 International Scout II
Lot 2027, VIN:
3S8S8CGD40477
Condition: 3
Sold at $22,550
Auctions America by RM,
Auburn, IN, 5/11/2017
ACC# 6835894
Clubs: National International
Harvester Collectors
Club Inc.
Engine # location: Driver’s
side front of the block
Web: www.nationalihcollectors.com,
https://oldihc.
wordpress.com
Alternatives: 1974–83 Jeep
Cherokee, 1966–77
Ford Bronco, 1973–80
Chevrolet Blazer/GMC
Jimmy
ACC Investment Grade: C
Comps
Original list price: $6,409
Current ACC Median
Valuation: $20,350
Tune-up/major service: $200
VIN location: Driver’s side
frame rail, aft of the bumper
bracket; weight-rating
plate on the edge of the
driver’s side door
1978 International Scout II
SS-II replica
Lot 290, VIN:
H0062HGD17192
Condition: 1Sold
at $43,990
Smith Auctions, Overland
Park, KS, 10/21/2017
ACC# 6852416
Page 66
MaRKeT OVERVIEW
The Market Isn’t Frozen, It’s Stable
Late winter sales, from North Carolina to California,
pick up right where they left off
QUICK TAKE
Car auctions during the few
pre-war Fords from the Gary Copeland Collection earned respect and high bids at Gaa’s 2018 auction
by Chad Tyson
G
AA kicked off their classic-car sales year on March 1–3 with an impressive pull of $13,479,250
from 404 cars sold. That total was a touch down from their 2017 spring sale, but only by
$172,189 and with 19 fewer cars sold. Mark Moskowitz and Jeff Trepel give their report from the
Piedmont of North Carolina, where the overall high sale was a 2006 Ford GT reaching a marketcorrect
$301,740.
Leake presented their first auction under new owners, industrial auction veteran Richie Bros., in
Oklahoma City, OK, on February 23–24. Veteran analyst B. Mitchell Carlson noted they instituted a few
structural changes, such as taking two auction turntables down to one and eliminating the Sunday portion of
the sale. None of it seemed to change the results much on a per-car basis. The sell-through rate topped 70%
for the seventh year in a row, and, while total cars offered dropped by 195, the per-car average increased by
$615. All in all, 256 cars sold for $6,738,710.
The February 2018 edition of McCormick’s Palm Springs sale held pace with previous years’ efforts,
bringing in $6,370,035 on 346 cars sold. That total is actually up, by $538,746, over last year’s auction. Carl
Bomstead shows us the good, the odd, and the deals to be found in the California desert resort.
Mecum stops by Kansas City twice a year. This year’s spring KC auction, on March 16 and 17, reached
nearly $6.3m in car sales. Brett Hatfield crossed the Missouri River to cover the event, noting that of the 510
vehicles offered, 308 found new addresses by the end of the two-day affair.
This issue’s Roundup report shares select American highlights from the Amelia Island sales of RM
Sotheby’s, Bonhams, Motostalgia and Gooding & Co.A
BEST BUYS
1951 hudson hornet Brougham
convertible, $72,800—RM
Sotheby’s, FL, p. 122
68 AmericanCarCollector.com
1956 Cadillac Series 62 convertible,
$39,375—McCormick’s,
Ca, p. 98
1973 Jeep Jeepster Commando
SuV, $14,850—Mecum auctions,
MO, p. 114
1954 hudson hornet Brougham
convertible, $62,720—Bonhams,
FL, p. 123
1965 Shelby Cobra Superformance
replica roadster, $57,750—
McCormick’s, Ca, p. 102
months after the Arizona Car
Week extravaganza, where
winter recedes at different
paces around the U.S., tend
to reflect the momentum (or
lack of it) gained during those
bustling days in Scottsdale.
It affects, to a larger degree,
the sales weeks in Paris and
Amelia Island, but it can also
impact market confidence as
far from Scottsdale as North
Carolina.
After several years
(2010–15) of ever-increasing
totals and sell-through rates,
the past few years have been
more of a mixed bag. Not many
companies are crowing about
recent record-setting sales
totals, but the tried-and-true
auction arenas are still filling
with consignments, buyers and
people just wanting to look at
some cool cars.
The auctions featured in
this issue of ACC follow a
similar theme from Arizona —
stability. Some were up a little,
some were down a little, but it
was good enough for everyone
to come back again. And we’ll
do it all over next year.
— Chad Tyson
Page 68
MaRKeT OVERVIEW
TOp 10
SALES THIS ISSUE
Buy It now
What to purchase in today’s market — and why
1 1967 Shelby Cobra
$1,045,000—Gooding &
Co., FL, p. 118
2 1932 Stutz DV-32
$544,000—RM Sotheby’s,
FL, p. 116
3 2005 Ford GT
GAA, NC, p. 82
4 1969 Dodge
coupe, $301,740—
top, $247,500—Leake,
OK, p. 95
roadster, $158,400—
Motostalgia, FL, p. 118
roadster, $144,450—
GAA, NC, p. 80
vertible, $112,000—
Bonhams, FL, p. 116
8 1967 Mercury
Daytona 2-dr hard
5 1965 Shelby Cobra
CSX continuation
6 1965 Shelby Cobra
CSX continuation
7 1937 Cord 812 SC
Sportsman con-
sedan, $107,000—GAA,
Greensboro, NC, p. 82
9 1942 Oldsmobile
convertible, $95,200—
Bonhams, FL, p. 117
10 1970 Chevrolet
98 Custom Cruiser
vertible, $88,275—GAA,
Greensboro, NC, p. 76
70 AmericanCarCollector.com
Chevelle SS conComet
202 2-dr
convertible,
Station Wagons 1960–69
You won’t find as many 1960s wagons at auction these days as you will versions from the 1950s, as a
quick perusal through the following pages will reveal. But manufacturers pumped out hundreds of thousands
of wagons in the 1960s, so finding one in your budget is as easy as pulling up your Web browser.
The best thing about wagons, other than a business-in-the-front, family-in-the-back vibe, is that every
manufacturer made some version of one. There’s a flavor for all the brand fans. GM offered a wagon not
only in most every brand, but within many model lines within each make. In 1963, Chevrolet made a wagon
for every series of Nova, plus one for Biscayne, Bel Air and Impala.
We can’t leave out the Town & Country series of wagons dotted throughout the Chrysler lineup. If you
want a wagon from Ford, you can pick from pretty much any model, except the Mustang and Thunderbird.
Even then, customizers can help make that a reality.
Traditional wagons stand out in today’s world of jellybean crossovers, and good originals are going to get
harder to find. If you want one, now’s the time.
— Chad Tyson
Auctions and Totals in This Issue
$35.8m
$10m
$15m
$20m
$25m
$30m
$35m
$40m
$5m
$0
February 23–24, 2018 February 23–25, 2018
Oklahoma City, OK
Leake
Palm Springs, CA
McCormick’s
Greensboro, NC
March 1–3, 2018
GAA
Amelia Island, FL
March 8, 2018
Bonhams
Amelia Island, FL
March 9, 2018
Gooding & Co.
Amelia Island, FL
March 10, 2018
Motostalgia
Amelia Island, FL
March 10, 2018
RM Sotheby’s
Kansas City, MO
March 16–17, 2018
Mecum
$27.6m
427 roadster,
$13.5m
$6.7m
$6.4m
$2.4m
$13.2m
$6.3m
Page 70
GAA // Greensboro, NC
GAA Spring 2018
The highest-selling muscle car was a real rarity, a 1967
Mercury Comet 202 with the Super Cyclone 427 at $107,000
GAA
Greensboro, NC
March 1–3, 2018
Auctioneers: Eli
Detweiler, Ben DeBruhl,
Ricky Parks, Mike
Anderson
automotive lots sold/
offered: 405/531
Sales rate: 76%
Sales total:
$13,507,605
High sale: 2005 Ford
GT coupe, sold at
$301,740
Buyer’s premium:
7%, $700 minimum,
included in sold prices
near-unicorn R-code 427 Comet, one of 22 — 1967 Mercury Comet 202 2-door sedan, sold at $107,000
Report and photos by Mark Moskowitz
and Jeff Trepel
Intro by Jeff Trepel
Market opinions in italics
ACC 1–6 scale
condition rating
for vehicles in
Market Reports
1. perfect: National
show standard
2. excellent: Club
show-worthy, some
small flaws
3. average: Daily driver
in decent condition
4. Meh: Still a driver,
with some visible flaws
5. Questionable: A
problem-plagued beast
that somehow
manages to run
6. Lost cause:
Salvageable for parts
G
72 AmericanCarCollector.com
AA Classic Cars is an affiliate of a group
of new-car dealerships and Greensboro
Auto Auctions, which sells late-model
dealer and fleet consignments. Its
footprint covers many city blocks, and
its jewel is The Palace, a modern, bright facility
that can accommodate 350 cars. Apart from Keith
McCormick’s operation out west, I cannot think of another
major American auction company that conducts
all of its auctions in a single, dedicated location — a
dramatically different business model from the major
auction houses. As a result, GAA has less national
exposure, but its costs are predictable and controllable.
No astronomically expensive tent setups, no flying the
staff and equipment around the country to high-cost
venues. GAA’s sales commission to both consignors
and buyers is 7% for most cars, appreciably lower than
that of other major auction houses.
Another predictable characteristic of each GAA
Classic Cars auction is that the high sale will likely be
a Ford GT selling for around $300,000. True to form,
a low-mileage 2005 GT, yellow with black stripes,
sold for $301,740 (including premium), the top sale of
this auction. Several C2 Corvette Sting Rays sold in
the over-$100,000 range, including a beautiful Elkhart
Blue 1967 427 coupe from the Davis Collection for
$139,100. An aluminum-bodied Shelby Cobra continu-
ation car sold for $144,450, far more than your typical
fiberglass Cobra replica. The high sale in the musclecar
category was a real rarity, a 1967 Mercury Comet
202 with the Super Cyclone 427, one of 22 built for the
model year, selling at $107,000. Most of us have never
seen one — I certainly had not. On the Bowtie side of
the ledger, another rarity, a 1967 Camaro Z28 Rally
Sport, sold for $90,950, and a red 1970 Chevelle SS
396 L78 (4-barrel carb) convertible found a new home
at $88,275.
The number of pre-war cars offered at GAA (and
elsewhere) seems to be dwindling, so I was happy
to see that pre-war Fords from the Gary Copeland
Collection earned respect and high bids. There were 14
1930s Fords offered at no reserve, along with a 2009
Shelby GT500 with nine miles on the odometer. Most
were 1932 and 1934 models in a variety of body styles.
These ranged from stock restorations, to lightly modified,
to a couple of outright rods. Two of the 1934 cars
sold for over $100,000, and all garnered substantial
bids.
At the other end of the date spectrum, late-model
American sports cars were represented by a near-perfect,
very low-mileage 2008 Dodge Viper SRT/10 in
outstanding colors, selling for $81,320, and two 2016
Corvettes, which sold for $70,620 and $80,250. We can
expect to see more late-model sports cars and semiexotics
at GAA, in keeping with the national trend.
We will look for them, and hopefully a still-sizeable
representation of earlier models, at the July sale.
If you’ve never attended a GAA auction, I suggest
putting one on your list. A
Page 72
GAA // Greensboro, NC
GM
#ST0176-1931 CADILLAC 355A 7-passenger
sedan. VIN: 83570. Black/blue
cloth. Odo: 7,714 miles. Apparent older restoration
holding up well. Superb door shut
and panel fit, probably as when new. Older
good-quality paint doesn’t look new but
doesn’t warrant repaint either. Same with
plated parts. Painted wire wheels and hubcaps
show age and could be improved. Inside,
cloth seats, door panels and headliner
are very nice, but carpet looks incorrect and
stuffing underneath is coming up in front.
Pedals very worn with no pads. Jump seats
in cavernous rear compartment make this a
7-passenger car. Cond: 3+.
or mottling. Inside, I had to look hard to find
some minor wear to a few soft trim pieces,
and a floppy driver’s sun visor. Engine compartment
excellent and not over-restored.
Just a few small steps from perfection.
Cond: 1-. NOT SOLD AT $120,000. Only
630 1957 Bonnevilles were produced, one
per dealer and all fuel-injected. The high bid
here was much too light for the quality of
the car, but if I was a bidder at this price
level, I would want to see more documentation.
SOLD AT $33,170. I don’t think I’ve ever
seen an 87-year-old car with less documentation
or provenance than this Cadillac, i.e.,
zero. Perhaps the car speaks for itself. It
was good to see this example without blingy
chromed wheels and whitewalls. Painted
wheels and blackwalls were much more
typical for how these sedans were equipped
when new. I worry about the future market
for this kind of old dowager. Gigantic, closed
pre-war cars are generally not bringing
much money, as evident here, but I am glad
that someone loved it enough to pay threequarters
of the price of the much-more-common
1934 Ford sedan (Lot ST0106). I still
think some semblance of documentation
would have helped.
#ST077.1-1957 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE
convertible. VIN: P857H36313. White/
white canvas/red & white leather & vinyl.
Odo: 52,957 miles. 347-ci fuel-injected V8,
auto. Equipped with power windows, seat
and antenna and Wonder Bar radio. Stated
to have undergone a frame-off restoration,
and still looks great, but utterly no detail
given as to where or when. Flawless paint,
clear glass and well-fitted white canvas top,
with clear rear window. A few chrome
pieces inside and out show light scratching
#FR0190-1961 CHEVROLET PARKWOOD
wagon. VIN: 11635N125212. Tuxedo Black
& Ermine White/red vinyl. Odo: 56,098
miles. 283-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Heavily optioned
with factory a/c, power steering and
brakes, tinted glass, seat belts and more.
Frame-up restoration at unspecified time
and place—at least several years ago.
Miles claimed to be original. Older highquality
repaint still presentable, but with numerous
minor flaws. Chrome decent, but
not new-looking. Inside, the seats and carpets
excellent, but the cargo-area vinyl
looks aged and some interior chrome pitted.
Light cracking in steering wheel. Underhood
is neat and clean with correct finishes, but
not detailed. Cond: 3+.
lent U.S. mags, with relatively new 17-inch
Nexen low-profile tires. Cond: 3+.
NOT SOLD AT $26,500. One year ago, this
might have been the right price for a smallblock,
automatic Chevelle convertible in this
condition, but the lower end of the market is
hot, and I believe the seller will be rewarded
for waiting for a future sale.
#FR0166-1966 CHEVROLET IMPALA SS
2-dr hard top. VIN: 168376N145567. Marina
Blue/black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo:
24,321 miles. 283-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Neatas-a-pin
Impala looking sharp in Marina
Blue, with a surprisingly nice black vinyl top.
Slight orange peel here and there. Decent
chrome ranges from original to older replated.
Equally sharp bucket-seat interior
with accessory factory tissue dispenser the
only unusual option. Allegedly removed
from “20 years of storage,” per windshield
card, but not one word on post-storage condition,
or what work was done to the car and
when. Very neat and tidy underhood.
Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $28,355. The Parkwood was
Chevrolet’s middle station-wagon trim level
for 1961, equivalent to a Bel Air. Attractive,
original North Carolina wagon highly evocative
of 1960s suburbia. Restoration unraveling
a bit but remains rather delightful.
Bidders must have agreed, as the sale price
was about $4k higher than I expected. Well
sold, but also a good-quality, fun acquisition
for the buyer.
#ST0047-1966 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE
Malibu convertible. VIN: 136676B179606.
Lemonwood Yellow/black vinyl/black vinyl.
Odo: 46,158 miles. 283-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto.
Said to have been painted approximately
eight months ago. Even paint, but some
inclusions and orange peel noted. Some
overspray on chrome and rubber. Panels
are straight and fit is good. Most chrome
and trim above average; some fit problems
along rear fender wells—and trim dented
along right front fender well. Beautiful replacement
seat covers and carpet. No pitting
of dash. Steering wheel very good.
Door chrome shows some age. Engine repainted
in car. Replacement chrome brake
servo for new front discs. Spark-plug wires
very long, and other wiring not neat. Excel-
74 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $19,260. This lightly optioned,
mild-283, Powerglide Impala won’t get you
any bragging rights, but if you don’t care
about high performance, it’s a real headturner,
which will draw a lot of looks at the
local cruise-in. Not much in the way of documentation
or provenance with the car, but
the quality of the car speaks for itself to
some degree. The price here was quite
modest, somewhat below price-guide values,
and a good deal for the buyer.
#FR0198-1967 OLDSMOBILE 442 convertible.
VIN: 338677Z112980. Red/black
canvas/red vinyl. Odo: 27,032 miles. 400-ci
V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Factory AM/FM, no a/c.
Presented as having had a ground-up restoration,
but doesn’t say when. Passenger’s
side door fit not great. Very good paint, but
chrome ranges from below average to
merely decent. Excellent soft top. Inside,
Page 74
GAA // Greensboro, NC
the vinyl bucket seats are rock hard, but
look good. Steering wheel nice—except for
crack in hub. Minor cracks in dashpad. Tach
reads 500 rpm with engine off. Very nice
factory-type Magnum 500 wheels on Redlines.
Extra-clean under the hood. Cond: 2-.
via a 4-bbl carb, dual exhausts and the H.O.
side stripes. You might infer that the farmore-rare
Firebird would be worth more
than a Camaro SS, but that does not appear
to be the case. The high bid here was
about what I expected this car to bring, and
slightly above price-guide values for a condition
2 example. Yes, it’s rare, but I am not
sure the owner is going to find more money
elsewhere.
NOT SOLD AT $40,000. This 4-speed convertible
is the most desirable 442 configuration.
3,080 442 convertibles were produced
for 1967. This was a very nice presentation,
but perhaps not as great as consignor
seemed to think. Previously sold at RM’s
2006 Monterey auction for $38,500 (ACC#
1567230). According to information presented
there, it was restored in 2004. Apparently
only driven 682 miles in the 12
years since that auction. (Come on, people,
drive the cars!) High bid here likely represents
a profit to seller of less than zero, but
I think it was pretty close to market. Perhaps
a few thousand more possibly can be found
at another time or place.
#FR0088-1968 PONTIAC FIREBIRD H.O.
coupe. VIN: 223378U124300. Verdoro
Green/black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 70,461
miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Attractive second-year
Firebird in iconic Verdoro Green.
Nice sub-show-quality paint, good panel
fit—except hood up slightly on left. Chrome
shows general mild cloudiness. Slight delamination
on edges of windshield glass.
Small, subtle Firebird emblems on side
glass a nice touch. Very tidy inside with
good-looking, but rock-hard, vinyl seats;
especially nice steering wheel. Claimed rebuilt
matching-numbers engine with optional
4-sp (3-sp on the column was standard!).
Power steering and brakes, no a/c. Very
nice driver and local show winner. Cond: 2-.
#ST0046-1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO
Z/28 coupe. VIN: 124379N657676. Dusk
Blue/blue vinyl. Odo: 80,228 miles. 302-ci
V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Presented as an unrestored,
four-owner, matching-numbers X77
(base) Z/28. Signs of wear from polishing,
or from car cover rubbing on fenders, front
and rear. Much of the rest of the paint intact
and attractive, with rare scratches and some
parking-lot paint loss on right door. Vinyl on
dash and seats extremely well preserved.
Carpets clean, and with consistent color,
but thinned in certain areas. Engine compartment
relatively clean, but shows wear.
Aftermarket electronic ignition, modern yellow
spark-plug wires, headers, and carburetor
a replacement Holley. Valve-cover
extensions—suggesting altered rocker
arms. Factory bellhousing and fan are in the
trunk, with Lakewood bellhousing mounted.
Power steering, power brakes and 12-bolt
4.10 rear end. Cond: 3.
SOLD AT $52,430. Cloning it seemed to
raise the price, but not to the level of a real
Hurst/Olds. It seemed a fair price for buyer
and seller—although further appreciation is
not anticipated.
#ST0113-1970 CHEVROLET
CHEVELLE SS 396 convertible.
VIN: 136670K123620. Cranberry
Red/ black vinyl/red vinyl. Odo: 1,042 miles.
396-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Stunning red paint
without flaw. Trunk fit slightly off. Excellent
chrome and window trim. Panels are
straight. Lower portion of dash appears to
have been restained in red, and it’s not the
same quality as rest of interior. Door panels
and seat upholstery excellent. Detached
clutch pedal cover. Faded console cover.
Two holes drilled in right side of console.
Engine is immaculate and well detailed, with
factory chalk marks. Loose relay behind left
headlight. Options included special instrumentation,
L78 396, Positraction, power
convertible top and power steering. Accompanied
by original window sticker. Cond: 2.
10
SOLD AT $51,360. It will take some work to
bring the engine compartment to stock configuration,
but a great foundation and a potential
show-stopper. The morning before it
appeared on the block, it had commanded
740 views. Camaros typically garner approximately
400 views on the GAA website.
Bought at Mecum Kissimmee for $45,360
three years ago (ACC# 6775476). Buyer
and seller should both be happy.
NOT SOLD AT $33,250. GM built about
235,000 1968 Camaros and about 107,000
1968 Firebirds, but there are probably 10
Camaros for every Firebird at auctions and
shows. This extra-rare 350 H.O. bridged the
gap from ordinary 350s to the Firebird 400,
76 AmericanCarCollector.com
#ST0049-1969 OLDSMOBILE 442 convertible.
VIN: 344679M124134. Cameo
White & Firefrost Gold/white vinyl/white vinyl.
Odo: 27,133 miles. 455-ci V8, 4-bbl,
4-sp. Clearly presented as real 442 convertible
cloned to the Hurst Package. Later
(likely 1970) W-30 heads and intake. Paint
smoothly applied without inclusion or run. A
few scratches touched up. Panels and gaps
okay. Chrome taillight surround and interior
console and handle chrome is pitted. Excellent
upholstery, soft top and engine compartment.
F41 suspension. Upgraded sway
bars. Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $88,275. Interesting that Chevrolet
sold half as many L78 Chevelles in 1970
as they did the bigger, more-powerful and
more-famous LS6-equipped models, although
I doubt the fact confers value for the
smaller-displacement Chevelle. Did not sell
a week earlier at Leake’s Oklahoma City
sale for an $89k bid (ACC# 6863606). A bit
above SCM’s median value for these Grade
B collectibles, but with the increased action
in quality sub-$100k cars, the price seemed
right, even if it was under the bid from a
week before.
#TH0065-1970 BUICK WILDCAT convertible.
VIN: 466670X128148. White/black
canvas/black vinyl. Odo: 86,997 miles. 455ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Second attempt to sell
this Wildcat at GAA, following a no-sale in
November. Noted then that the car was surprisingly
dirty, but it looked somewhat less
dingy this time. Very nice convertible top,
although never shown in the down position.
TOP 10
Page 76
GAA // Greensboro, NC
Still with LeSabre grille insert and missing
tri-shield emblem on front bumper. Heavily
optioned, but missing the famous Buick
road wheels, which might make the bland
color combination pop a bit more. Decent
paint, okay chrome, very nice bucket seats,
decent interior and restored engine compartment
make for an appealing driver and
local-show car. Cond: 3+.
CORVETTE
SOLD AT $14,445. By 1970, its last year,
the Wildcat had become rather tame, with
little but trim variations to distinguish it from
a LeSabre 455. This is a rare car, one of
only 1,244 Wildcat convertibles for 1970. In
November the car was a no-sale here at
$11,500 (ACC# 6852516), but it eked out a
bid of $2,000 more this time—enough to
meet reserve. Even accounting for the grille/
bumper issue, this still seems like a very
good deal for the buyer, provided there are
no major mechanical problems. I thought it
might bring at least another $2k–$3k, but
the market has spoken.
#FR0195-2002 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS
Brickyard Edition convertible. VIN: 2G1FP32G022159662.
Sebring Silver/black canvas/
black leather. Odo: 4,663 miles. 5.7-L
fuel-injected V8, auto. Said to have transported
Tony Stewart and Linda Vaughn. No
chips. Excellent paint and graphics. Minimal
interior wear. Engine and bay dusty.
Cond: 2.
#FR0244-1960 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
convertible. VIN: 00867S103102. Roman
Red & white/white canvas/red vinyl. Odo:
5,786 miles. 283-ci 290-hp fuel-injected V8,
4-sp. Stated to be a matching-numbers
290-horse Fuelie model, and indeed some
sources list a 290-hp version. In any event,
only 859 1960 Corvettes (out of over 10,000
units produced) were Fuelies. Good panel
fit for a C1; paint a bit thick, with light orange
peel all over. Chrome decent but
older. Interior finishes done well, although
the fabrics are clearly not new. Uncomfortable
seats look good, but vinyl is squeaky.
Small cracks in steering-wheel spokes. Seat
belts, Wonder Bar radio and (wait for it!)
working clock. Convertible top shows age
and slight shrinkage, no sign of a hard top.
Used but very serviceable and authentic
appearance under the hood. Massachusetts
inspection stickers from 1960 and 2018.
Cond: 2-.
NOT SOLD AT $115,000. One of 60 Corvettes
offered at GAA this weekend. Little
documentation appeared with this car. I
suspect that’s what held back the bidding.
Show it, grade it and document it, and expect
a better price next time.
#ST0143-2016 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
Z06 coupe. VIN: 1G1YS2D61G5605741.
Red/black leather. Odo: 527 miles. 6.2-L
650-hp supercharged V8, auto. Offered with
little paperwork or info. No option list present.
An auction representative said, “The
wife did not enjoy driving it.” As mileage
suggests, the car is near new. Cond: 1-.
NOT SOLD AT $90,000. Most Corvette
sources show two fuel-injected 283 engine
choices for 1960, with 275 hp or 315 hp
(with higher compression and solid lifters).
The windshield card stated “In show condition,
ready for Bloomington Gold or NCRS
judging.” Sure, ready to receive a middling
score. Not a bad C1 Corvette, but certainly
not a great one, either. Even so, the high
bid here was probably rather light for a fuelinjected
car, so appropriate for seller to wait
for another day.
NOT SOLD AT $23,000. Last year of the
fourth generation of Camaros, and one of
57 Silver Brickyard Pace Cars built. The
Z7D designation was used to add 35th Anniversary
wheels to the package. Bid to an
acceptable, and perhaps optimistic, amount
for a low-mileage, 16-year-old SS Camaro
convertible. The flashy graphics and exclusivity
of the package do confer value, and
might bring the car attention at a local show.
And in four years, it will be a great car for
AACA tours. Prices of these vary, and on a
very good day one might find a Tony Stewart
fan who offers 25% more.
78 AmericanCarCollector.com
#ST0097-1967 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
convertible. VIN: 194677S106724. Sunfire
Yellow/black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 57,543
miles. 427-ci 435-hp V8, 3x2-bbl, 4-sp.
Product of a frame-off restoration, said to
cost over $120k. Lovely Sunfire Yellow
paint smoothly applied, without obvious
flaw. Panel fit excellent. Perfect chrome,
interior. Telescopic steering column, power
steering, power brakes, power windows.
Sidepipes. Trim and VIN tags appropriate.
Part of Davis Collection. Cond: 1.
SOLD AT $70,620. These cars listed new
for $79,400. Some documentation might
have helped the sale. The day before, another
automatic Z06, with more miles, paperwork
and the 3LZ package, received a
$9,000 higher bid! The auction house
seemed to do well for both sellers.
FOMOCO
#ST0107-1934 FORD MODEL 40 coupe.
VIN: 18595521. Black/black composite/
brown mohair. Odo: 55,178 miles. Said to
be the product of a five-year-old restoration
of an all-steel Henry Ford body. Glossy
black paint with random pits and inclusions
on fenders, roof, trunk and especially on the
left side of the hood. Panels straight.
Chrome excellent, with occasional polishing
marks. Missing windshield wiper. Beautiful
mohair upholstery. Multiple cracks of correct
steering wheel. Accessory gauges. Floor
covering and pedals are pristine. Wood surrounding
windows is excellent. Engine block
dirty with peeling generator paint and areas
of oxidation. Cond: 2-.
SOLD AT $58,850. Part of a collection of
multiple 1930s Fords offered at no reserve.
It was among the closest to stock of the
Page 78
GAA // Greensboro, NC
group. This is not a hot segment, and the
auctioneer worked extremely hard for the
last $10,000. Well sold.
#ST0106-1934 FORD V8 Deluxe sedan.
VIN: 18967920. Black/tan cloth. Odo: 223
miles. Looks stock, but has a 1948 Ford
flathead V8, hydraulic brakes and a 12-volt
electrical system. Several accessories including
greyhound hood mascot, fan on
steering column, and clock in rearview mirror.
Per catalog, had a frame-off restoration
in 2010. Excellent panel fit. Smooth paint,
better than some other cars in this collection.
Most chrome excellent, but headlights
and spotlights not as good. Charming interior
with only minor stains on the door panels
to detract. Mohair seats under clear
plastic covers—which are not very pleasant
to sit on but provide protection. Engine compartment
very clean but not detailed.
Cond: 2+.
SOLD AT $50,290. This is a step down
from the top-of-the-line Crown Victoria. An
attractively colored car from a year of attractively
colored cars. It would be difficult to
reproduce for this price; yet sale was well
above current valuation. Well sold.
#FR0252-1957 FORD FAIRLANE 500 Sunliner
convertible. VIN: E7RC208526.
Starmist Blue & Dresden Blue/blue canvas/
blue vinyl. Odo: 312 miles. 312-ci V8, 2x4bbl,
auto. Quality restoration at an unknown
time and place. Heavily optioned with factory
a/c and power steering, brakes, windows
and seats. Not sure which of those
were original. Even more loaded down with
period geegaws like spotlight and fender
skirts. Mercifully free of Continental kit,
though. Very nice paint—a touch thick in
places, but showing little deterioration.
High-quality, well-fitted convertible top.
Signs of age are pitting chrome and yellowing
whitewalls. Interior also nice, but dash
chrome showing age. Driver’s side door
handle falling off. Cond: 2-.
vested, I am not certain more will be spent
to buy it in the future.
#ST0128-1963 FORD GALAXIE 500 XL
2-dr hard top. VIN: 3W68R155115. Heritage
Burgundy/black vinyl. Odo: 57,422
miles. 427-ci V8, 2x4-bbl, 4-sp. Actually a
1963½ R-code Galaxie. Said to have been
in storage since restoration at Dennis Carpenter’s
museum. Paint, trim, wheels, interior
and engine are just impressive.
Appropriate chalk markings noted. Cond: 1.
SOLD AT $40,125. The only 4-door sedan
in the Gary Copeland Collection of pre-war
Fords. Ford was one of the best-looking
cars in 1934, even in common 4-door guise,
plus it had a V8 engine. Now 4-door sedans
are more rare. This was a fine example with
desirable modifications for touring. Not
100% stock, but certainly not a resto-rod.
Bidders apparently appreciated the quality
of this charming car, as it sold for at least
$5k more than I anticipated. A good result
for all parties.
#ST0057-1956 FORD FAIRLANE Victoria
2-dr hard top. VIN: P6LV167455. Meadow
Mist & Colonial White/Light Green vinyl &
Medium Green cloth. Odo: 6,061 miles.
312-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Said to have undergone
nut-and-bolt, frame-off restoration by
well-respected restorer in 2017. Straight
panels, excellent paint. Some dents in trim
around driver’s side door; other trim as-new.
Spotless interior and engine compartment.
Power steering, dual exhaust. Cond: 1-.
SOLD AT $61,525. There were at least
three 1957 Fairlane 500 convertibles at this
auction. This was an attractive and welldone
car, as reflected in the price realized,
well above price-guide values. Quite well
sold, but buyer can be happy too. There’s
life in the Fabulous ’50s yet.
#ST0076-1957 FORD FAIRLANE Sunliner
convertible. VIN: D7UC103850. Black/
black canvas/black & white vinyl. Odo: 1
miles. 312-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Exceptional
restoration followed by museum storage.
Paint, trim and interior as flawless as one
can reasonably expect, as is the engine
compartment. Appears to be factory air, but
I am not certain it was original to the car.
Power steering, windows and seats. Dual
exhaust. Cond: 1-.
SOLD AT $73,830. Dennis is a well-known
Ford parts supplier, and most things from
his shop are among the best of the best.
Two years ago this was bid to $87,000 and
not sold. As it plainly states in the GAA
Terms & Conditions, “The auctioneer has
the right to place a bid for consignor up to
the reserve amount,” so an $87k bidder
may not have been in the audience. A
$69,000 bid was accepted for probably
among the best of the 3,857 1963½ Galaxie
R-code hard tops in existence. A solid deal
for both, with a nod to the buyer.
#ST0149-1965 SHELBY COBRA
CSX continuation roadster. VIN:
CSX4259. Yellow/black leather.
Odo: 2,920 miles. 468-ci V8, 4-bbl, 5-sp. A
continuation Shelby with an aluminum
Kirkham body and a stroked 427. Presentation
is professional with excellent paint, interior
and engine compartment. It rides on
Goodyear Eagle track-day tires. Cond: 1-.
6
NOT SOLD AT $68,000. An outstanding
restoration of a mid-level car. Two 4-barrel
and supercharged engines were available in
this body. While I am sure more was in-
80 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $144,450. As a continuation car,
it commands more than the average 427
Cobra replica. Recently listed at RK Motors
for $229,900. The tires make me want to
evaluate this car a bit more than the standard
auction format allows. If the engine
checks out as healthy, then considering the
low mileage and great presentation, the
Cobra was bid to a market price and appropriately
sold.
TOP 10
Page 80
GAA // Greensboro, NC
8
miles. 427-ci V8, 2x4-bbl, 4-sp. Could be
your granny’s base Comet, with a 289 or
even a six, with poverty caps and whitewalls
to fool the masses. Then you see the 427
emblems on fenders and the 4-sp shifter
inside. “Three year nut & bolt restoration,”
according to windshield card; accompanied
by Marti Report, with owner history. Several
interesting options for a drag racer, including
AM radio, tinted glass, remote left mirror
and power disc brakes. Good panel fit and
smooth paint, except for some orange peel
on the roof. Chrome mostly good but rear
trim appliqué and emblems dull. Excellent
interior looks almost new. But it’s what under
the hood that counts with this car.
Cond: 2+.
#ST0146-1967 MERCURY COMET
202 2-dr sedan. VIN: 7H01R546391.
Black/red vinyl. Odo: 13,996
McIntosh stereo, stripes and BBS wheels.
Cond: 1-. SOLD AT $301,740. One of auction’s
featured cars. Probably fewer than
200 yellow Ford GTs made throughout production,
but is that important? Probably
not—although Heritage colors seem to
make a difference. Bought and sold at market.
MOPAR
SOLD AT $107,000. Talk about a sleeper!
Near-unicorn R-code 427 Comet, one of 22
for 1967. Two 427 variants were available,
one with a single carb and this Super Cyclone,
with dual carbs and 15 more horsepower.
The Comet 202 weighed about 300
pounds less than the Cyclone, so this car
must be absolutely ferocious to drive. Apparently
was known as “The Earthshaker II”
during brief 1967–68 drag racing career. A
difficult car to value, but the price guide
says to add $20k for a 427 in a Cyclone.
More than that was added here. Given the
Comet’s extreme rarity, and excellent restoration
and documentation, I would say this
was a fair deal for a muscle-car collector.
#ST0062.1-2005 FORD GT coupe.
VIN: 1FAFP90S15Y401681. Speed
Yellow/black leather. Odo: 4,543
miles. 5.4-L supercharged V8, 6-sp. Paint
and stripes are flawless. Gaps are appropriate
in a relatively untouched new car. Polishing
scratches on door sills and some
scuffs on console cover, otherwise interior
is pristine. Engine compartment excellent.
Wheels without curb rash. Black calipers,
3
#FR0255-1956 CHRYSLER WINDSOR
Newport 2-dr hard top. VIN: W5663461.
Sand Dune Beige & Rosewood/Sand Dune
Beige & Rosewood cloth & vinyl. Odo:
42,442 miles. 331-ci V8, 2x2-bbl, auto. Little
history given, but evidently received a highquality
restoration at an unknown date.
Panel fit mediocre by today’s standards, but
probably better than in 1956. Smooth paint,
with a little orange peel around the drip
rails. Chrome mostly excellent, with slight
scuffing and pitting here and there. Clear
glass. Inside, cloth seat inserts are lovely,
but vinyl parts are very hard. Uncracked
steering wheel, handsome dash. Oil-change
stickers from 1950s. Non-original KelseyHayes
wire wheels look great, but Chrysler
Pentastar emblem on wheel centers is from
10 years later. Has dual carbs and batwing
air cleaner, but a single Carter carb would
be correct for this model. Engine compartment
near show-quality. Cond: 2.
become a ferocious 413 Ramcharger Max
Wedge Dart, a formidable competitor in
early 1960s drag racing. Said to have undergone
a “complete rotisserie restoration.”
Ultra-bright red paint perhaps a bit too
glossy. Door fit a bit off on both sides. Original
glass with mild delamination in places.
Inside, convincing but incorrect bucket
seats replace the original bench. Dog-dish
hubcaps on steel wheels a good look. In
addition to the 413 Max Wedge engine and
a 4-sp (only a 3-sp manual was available in
1962), this car has power steering and disc
brakes. Underhood, the chromed alternator
stands out against blingy red paint, otherwise
reasonably authentic. Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $46,010. The second year of Virgil
Exner’s 100 Million Dollar Look, which
preceded the dart-shaped 1957 Forward
Look models. The Newport was the fancier
of two Windsor 2-door hard tops for 1956.
This was a very appealing, partially original/
partially restored car, which would still show
well at AACA meets, but would also be
great to drive. I could not find any direct
comparable sales, but this Windsor blew
through price-guide values and sold at a
price at or close to values for a 1956 300B.
Together with the price for the ’57 Fairlane
500 convertible three lots preceding
(FR0252), this sale makes me wonder if we
are seeing an uptick in prices for colorful
’50s cruisers.
#ST0136-1962 DODGE DART 330 custom
2-dr sedan. VIN: 4122160345. Red/red
vinyl. Odo: 15,965 miles. 413-ci V8, 2x4-bbl,
4-sp. First digit of VIN indicates this car
started out life as a lowly Slant Six. Now it’s
82 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $37,450. Too cool for school! Full
disclosure: I’m one of probably fewer than a
dozen people in the U.S. who think this
body style is quite good-looking. In the early
1960s, Chrysler couldn’t decide what size
car the Dodge Dart should be. In 1960–61 it
was a full-size car, but on 118-inch wheelbase
(same as Plymouth Fury)—four inches
shorter than the big Polara. In 1962, Dart
and Polara became mid-size cars, with the
big car renamed Custom 880. In 1963 and
thereafter, the Dart name was affixed to a
senior compact derivative of the Valiant,
and the midsize car carried only the trim
level names of 330, 440 and Polara. This
1962 car is properly called a Dart 330.
Mods to this car were thoughtfully conceived
and executed, so that it’s the next
best thing to a real (but unobtainable) 1962
Ramcharger. Sold strongly here, but I think
the buyer made out well, too. One of my
favorite cars in the auction.
#ST0044-1970 DODGE CHALLENGER
T/A 2-dr hard top. VIN: JH23J0B308798.
F4 Lime Green Iridescent/black vinyl/black
vinyl. Odo: 67,761 miles. 340-ci V8, 3x2-bbl,
auto. VIN codes out to a genuine T/A. Low
mileage quite believable. Very nice repaint
in tasteful, if not very exciting, original
green. Vinyl top claimed to be original and
in remarkable condition. Chrome bumpers
okay, but other shiny bits, like door handles
and window surround trim, quite dull and
dingy. Cheap and dark Mopar interior fittings
of the era surprisingly well preserved.
Tear in headliner. Extra-clean underhood,
although not quite show-quality. A fine presentation
overall. Cond: 2-.
TOP 10
TOP 10
Page 81
GAA // Greensboro, NC
MARKETMOMENT
1972 Ford Maverick
Grabber 2-Door Sedan
NOT SOLD AT $52,000. The 1970-only
Challenger T/A was a limited-production
homologation special built to legalize the
Challenger for SCCA Trans Am racing.
Along with the AAR ’Cuda, the T/A was
Chrysler’s response to the Camaro Z/28
and Mustang Boss 302. About 2,500 were
built at a base price well above other Challengers.
The T/A boasted a 340 V8 Six
Pack, with three 2-barrel carbs. The high
bid on this car was short of what it deserved
by at least $10k. Maybe most buyers want
Hemis, 4-speeds and bright colors. Often
taking a car to a different auction makes no
difference, but in this case I would try. The
right buyer for this rare and desirable Challenger
is out there.
#ST0069-2008 DODGE VIPER SRT-10
convertible. VIN: 1B3JZ65Z88V201410.
Viper Blue/black cloth/black cloth & leather.
Odo: 1,867 miles. 8.4-L fuel-injected V10,
6-sp. Little discussion of condition required,
as this is essentially a brand-new fourthgeneration
2008 Viper convertible. Accessories
like front license-tag holder and extra
key fob still wrapped in plastic. Hopefully
1,800 miles in 10 years is enough to keep
everything lubricated. Looks great in Viper
Blue, with silver stripes, perfect for Carolina
Panthers fan (or player). Cond: 1.
SOLD at $18,190
GAA, Greensboro, NC, March 1–3, 2018, Lot TH0047
VIN: 2X93F244297
Roger’s Used Cars, courtesy of GAA Classic Cars
but there is a whole niche market looking for something outside of
the norm.
Launched in the middle of 1969, the Ford Maverick was created to compete with the increas-
Mustangs and Camaros may be the heartthrobs of muscle cars,
ing number of small, efficient import cars. Based on the aging Falcon chassis, the new model
was given a mini-muscle-car look, but was originally only offered with a 170-ci or 200-ci
6-cylinder, which kept it from performing like its larger brethren.
In 1971, FoMoCo decided to up the ante and offer the Maverick Grabber, complete with a
302 V8. The engine used a 2-barrel carb and sent 210 hp to the rear wheels. Though improved,
this still kept the Maverick at an entry-level price and away from the holy ground of the
Mustang.
When we dream about cars from the 1960s and ’70s, the Maverick is not going to be the first
thing to pop into our heads. But that does not mean there is no market for them. Take this 1972
Medium Lime Metallic Maverick Grabber selling for over $18k, for instance. In addition to that
302, this car came complete with the chrome window surrounds, black grille, special graphics,
and unique hood with scoops — all Grabber-specific. Additionally, the car was accompanied by
a Deluxe Marti Report and build sheet. If you were looking for a Maverick, this was the one to
buy.
In my mind, the Maverick is only slightly up-market from a Gremlin or Pinto and a sub-
$10k car at best. When looking at previous sales, however, this result lands about in the middle.
Mecum has sold five of these since 2016. The lowest sale was $9,350, while the high was
SOLD AT $81,320. One of 712 Viper convertibles
for 2008, one of 30 in Viper Blue.
The fourth-generation Viper (ZBII) was far
more refined than earlier Vipers, but retained
the towering performance—which
still impresses 10 years later. Vipers
seemed to be out of favor the past few
years, along with poor sales of new Vipers.
Perhaps the end of Viper production in 2017
is now generating an uptick of prices for
excellent examples such as this one. Very
well sold at a level well above price-guide
values and comparables I found, but buyer
has an unrepeatably new Viper. A
$29,150 for a modified car. Two sold for about $20k and look very comparable to our subject
car, making this sale seem market correct.
To some, this may seem like absurd money for a Maverick, but for those wanting something
a little more offbeat, something like this will stand out from the Pony Car crowd and still have
a Ford 302 ripe for modification.A
— Chad Taylor
May-June 2018
May-June 2018
83
Page 82
LEAKE // Oklahoma City, OK
Leake Oklahoma City 2018
A 1969 Dodge Daytona, born with a 440 and now sporting
a Hemi, is the top American car sold, at $247,500
Leake
Auction
Company
Oklahoma City, OK
February 23–24,
2018
Auctioneers:
Jim Richie, Dillon Hall,
Clint Cunningham
automotive lots sold/
offered: 256/354
Sales rate: 72%
Sales total:
$6,738,710
High American sale:
1969 Dodge Daytona
2-door hard top, sold at
$247,500
Buyer’s premium:
10%, included in sold
prices
Mopar big-fin and big-wing performance — 1959 Chrysler 300e and 1969 Dodge Daytona prepped and
ready for the block
Report and photos by B. Mitchell Carlson
Market opinions in italics
ACC 1–6 scale
condition rating
for vehicles in
Market Reports
1. perfect: National
show standard
2. excellent: Club
show-worthy, some
small flaws
3. average: Daily driver
in decent condition
4. Meh: Still a driver,
with some visible flaws
5. Questionable: A
problem-plagued beast
that somehow
manages to run
6. Lost cause:
Salvageable for parts
L
84 AmericanCarCollector.com
eake Auction Company’s annual Oklahoma
City auction tends to get a fair amount of attention,
as it’s one of the few auctions between
the Arizona auction mêlée in January and
Amelia Island in March — both figuratively
and literally. This year, there were a couple of new
twists.
First and foremost, this was the first auction
they conducted as a subsidiary of their new owners,
industrial-equipment auctioneers Ritchie Bros. While
there were several familiar faces that were no longer
there, by and large you’d be hard pressed to tell that
there was a change of ownership unless you were
bidding online, as they were selling with a larger Webbased
audience.
The second major change this year was that the
auction was conducted on one ring — rather than
the traditional two rings — and only on Friday and
Saturday, with no-reserve Sunday going by the
wayside. One would think that this would make for
two very long days, but with significantly fewer cars
consigned this year (down by 195), each day ended
between 6 and 7 p.m.
While there were fewer consignments, the general
percentages were consistent overall. The sell-through
rate only dropped 1.4% from last year (73.7% vs.
72.3%), and the per-car average actually increased by
$615. Still, it’s fewer cars, and that’s been a trend here
for the past three years. That’ll explain the overall
total drop from last year’s $10.4m to this year’s $6.7m.
Some of the big dollars came by way of a couple of
high-quality collections offered here — most notably
the Rolland Collection of performance and race cars.
It was originally slated to be offered at no reserve at a
stand-alone event in Southern California on December
9, but due to the wildfires in close proximity at a that
time, everything was relocated to OKC. While it may
seem to be an odd change of venue, especially with
the logistics of moving it halfway across the country,
in today’s online-auction world you can pretty much
conduct an auction at any remote area of the country
with a DSL connection and be successful, such as
Pierce, NE.
The top sale of an American car here was actually a
post-block deal. The 1969 Dodge Daytona — a 440 car
as built, but with a Hemi now under the hood — originally
failed to sell on the block at $200k. Yet later on
Saturday, it was announced from the block that a deal
had been done and it was moving on to a new home.
While Oklahoma City may be off the radar as a
collector-car center for most folks, Leake has made
this a notable venue for what would otherwise be a
drab winter month between two major events in the
collector-car industry. A
Page 84
LEAKE // Oklahoma City, OK
GM
#297-1957 CHEVROLET 3100 pickup.
VIN: 3A57K137481. Maroon/maroon vinyl.
Odo: 2,094 miles. 235-ci I6, 2x1-bbl, 4-sp.
Lightly modified, with fuel tank relocated to
under the back of cargo box (and stock
filler-neck hole filled in). After the cab modification,
bodywork got a better-quality repaint
but now shows a few light scratches
from use over past few years. Light chipping
on door and edges from previous alignment
issues. Chrome, trim refurbished at same
time truck was redone—now starting to lose
some luster. Aftermarket high-gloss varnished
wood bed, with a flush, stainless
fuel-filler cover. Interior appears stock except
for modern a/c ducts under dash. Engine
has an Offenhauser dual-carburetor
intake manifold, split exhaust system, castaluminum
valve cover, a one-wire alternator
and rotary a/c compressor. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $32,450. Looking at any Impala
that’s purported to be an original 425-hp
car, I usually get the feeling that something
just isn’t right, and this one more so than
most. With the reserve being dropped at
$28,500, that didn’t ease any of my concerns,
either, yet it took a couple more bids
to sell to someone braver than me. At least
at this price, it’s a good cruiser—regardless
of which 409 is under the hood, and if it’s
correct or not.
SOLD AT $24,200. I rather liked that the
modifications done looked subtle at a casual
glance (with the hood shut), and that
they were done more to enhance drivability.
That, and I also liked that they kept a perfectly
good Stovebolt six under the hood,
and gave it some period mods to enhance it
rather than to attempt to make it a performance
car that it isn’t. The period growl
from the split manifold makes it worth it.
With the reserve lifted when the bidding
dried up, I feel that the new owner should
feel like it’s worth it, too.
#446-1964 CHEVROLET IMPALA SS 2-dr
hard top. VIN: 41447R121371. Ermine
White/red vinyl. Odo: 62,920 miles. 409-ci
V8, 2x4-bbl, 4-sp. Stated to have correct
boxed rear frame for a factory-installed 425hp
409 V8. Also equipped with ps, tachometer,
tilt steering column and a/c—although
there’s no a/c hardware underhood. Decent
trim-off repaint, with some overspray on
chassis (that is, where a fresh layer of undercoating
didn’t cover it). Mostly original
red SS interior, with heavier soiling in pleats
and seams, plus lightly mottled surface on
vinyl. Selective interior trim replacement,
but mostly original. Hurst shifter. Somewhat
clean underhood. Chromed intake manifold
and alternator. Modern aftermarket carburetors,
headers, and cast-aluminum valve
covers. More-robust-than-stock exhaust
note. Cond: 3.
86 AmericanCarCollector.com
#448-1966 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE Malibu
convertible. VIN: 136676K126247.
Red/black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 9,168
miles. 283-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Originally Sandalwood
Tan with Fawn Beige vinyl benchseat
interior. Factory a/c, ps and power top.
Trim-off repaint, with light coverage at top of
windshield frame and some clear-coat layer
issues on hood. Doors need a concerted
effort to latch properly. New replacement
windshield, likely done in concert with repaint,
as there are no masking lines around
framing. Mostly reproduction emblems and
trim, with economy-grade bumper replating.
Steering column and wheel appear to have
been painted with rest of car. Well-fitted
replacement seat upholstery and carpeting.
Clean and generally stock underhood.
Newer engine repaint, but already starting
to burn off, and has some fuel staining.
Routing of a/c lines a bit haphazard.
Cond: 3+.
V8 powering it. Currently has a YN-code
250-hp 326 V8, with aftermarket induction.
Engine somewhat clean and sort of stocklooking,
but the all-black rattle-can fender
aprons and radiator support have a ton of
fisheyes. Average repaint, but they did a
good job of squaring up the door-to-cowl-tohood
gaps. Mix of polished original and reproduction
brightwork. All-reproduction
interior soft trim—expertly fitted and showing
no appreciable wear. Aftermarket triplegauge
pack mounted below dash. Paint on
rear parcel shelf sloppy. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $19,250. Faking a LeMans?
C’mon, how desperate are you to flip a
Tempest Custom? I’d be far more impressed
if they made it a fakey-doo Tempest
Sprint with the OHV six. In Verdoro
Green. As the old saying goes: Every butt
has a seat, and this one managed to convince
someone to spend just shy of $20k to
park theirs on a pair of buckets. Reserve
was off at $17k, and car managed one more
bid before hammering sold. I really won’t be
surprised to see this as a faked GTO—like
the rest of the surviving examples of
these—at one of my next auctions down the
pike. And people have to wonder why
pickup trucks are becoming more popular
than muscle cars with younger buyers.
SOLD AT $27,500. Credit where credit is
due, at least it’s not a fakey-doo SS 396. It
should be just fine as a local cruiser as-is—
nothing more, nothing less. The reserve
was dropped when the bidding dried up, for
a fair-enough sale for all involved.
#437-1967 PONTIAC LEMANS replica
2-dr hard top. VIN: 235177B113089.
White/red vinyl. Odo: 89,172 miles. 326-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Originally a Regimental Red
Tempest Custom (the lowest-trim-level hard
top) with a black vinyl bench-seat interior,
which at best could’ve had a 285-hp 326-ci
#252-1968 PONTIAC GTO convertible.
VIN: 242678P330494. Medium blue metallic/
white vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 72,048
miles. 400-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Originally Solar
Red. PHS documentation shows it was
originally equipped with a/c, headlight
doors, ps, pb, tilt steering column, remote
trunk release, center console and wheel
covers. The latter have given way to repop
Rally II wheels on radials. Evidence visible
in trunk that it was hit hard in right rear at
one time. Okay color-change repaint in recent
years. Endura nose sits canted forward.
Hood alignment isn’t all that great,
either. Mediocre door fit. Newer seats, door
panels and carpeting. Repainted engine
and very select ancillary detailing. “Hurst
Equipped” badge on deck lid, Dual-gate
shifter in console. Cond: 3+.
Page 86
LEAKE // Oklahoma City, OK
MARKETMOMENT
1957 Chevrolet 210
SOLD AT $32,450. I get the general impression
that the last half century for this
Goat was not one of being coddled—more
like thrashed and bashed. As such, it sold
very well.
Custom 4-Door 4x4 Sedan
SOLD at $21,450
Leake Auctions, Oklahoma City, OK, February 23–24, 2018, Lot 531
VIN: B57K132434
#471-1970 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE SS
396 convertible. VIN: 136670K123620.
Cranberry Red/black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo:
1,041 miles. 396-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. L78 engine
with L89 aluminum heads. Other factory-installed
options on original Monroney
sticker include a/c, full tinted glass, Strato
buckets with center console, Cowl Induction
hood, Comfortilt steering wheel and AM
radio. Recent professional restoration, leaving
no stone unturned (or not removed from
undercarriage). Body fit, paint prep, paint
application and brightwork sheen better
than original build quality. Driver’s door
cants down and out ever so slightly, trunk
lid slightly bowed, but otherwise all panels
fit well. Concours-quality detailing
underhood and under body. All correctly
restored interior, to include Muncie shifter
and how-to-use tags on all five seat belts.
Cond: 1-.
Courtesy of Leake Auction Company
bying just about anything with wheels, but this conglomeration falls
way short of its potential.
First off, if you’re going to drop an iconic American classic, 4-door or not, onto a 4wd chas-
This is going to be difficult. On the one hand, I’m a fan of four-
sis, elevating said chassis with puny 31-inch “light duty” rubber simply will not abide. It’s like
wearing boot-cut Calvin Klein jeans to a rodeo — you’re trying to look country, but not that
country. Step with pride, my friend. The builder
should have ponied up the cash for some 40s, minimum.
Then we’d be speaking the same language.
Also, I’m always a little wary of any vehicle
rocking cheap blue wire loom and a fake Fuelie
hat under the hood. What was the builder trying to
convince me to not look at? Now I’m distracted.
And confused.
Some of you may argue that my nitpicks are
easy fixes, and you’re not wrong, but that ship
sailed $15,000 ago. If this thing had hammered at
$5k, we’d be having a very different conversation:
I’d be hootin’, you’d be hollerin’, the wives would be
crying and the neighbors would be calling the cops.
Best day ever.
But at just shy of $20,000, I’m ready to stage an
intervention — unless our buyer was an Arab sheik
or Warren Buffet. Money doesn’t grow on trees, ya
know.
I’m sure this thing will be a hoot to drive and I
really do like it, but $20,000 is just way too much
for me to justify, no matter how red my neck may
be. Calling this old girl well sold may be the understatement
of this relatively new year. A
88
AmericanCarCollector.com
AmericanCarCollector.com
NOT SOLD AT $89,000. Stated that this
was one of 13–15 Chevelle SS 396s with
L89 aluminum-head option. Add that to a
real-deal red-on-red drop-top, restored to
the nines, and one can expect a top-dollar
sale. As such, it was no surprise that it
failed to sell at $89k when it crossed the
block, with the announcer’s statement that
“it takes $100,000 right now.” There were
rumblings of a post-block deal, but car was
still listed unsold in the final results from the
auction company.
— Jay Harden
#292-1971 CHEVROLET C10 Cheyenne
pickup. VIN: CE141A613883. Dark green
metallic & white/dark green vinyl & nylon.
Odo: 96,866 miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto.
Service ID label on glovebox door removed
when it was chrome plated (and not tightened
down when reinstalled). Recent highquality
base/clear repaint. Replated
bumpers, plus essentially all reproduction
trim and emblems. New non-OEM windshield
in a new gasket, plus new door and
glass seals. Reproduction seat upholstery,
with aftermarket armrest/cup holder belted
to center. Reproduction dashboard with tachometer,
door panels, and carpet—latter
starting to show moderate wear. Aftermarket
induction from manifold to air cleaner,
Page 88
LEAKE // Oklahoma City, OK
headers, HEI distributor and radial a/c compressor.
Light surface rust on wheels.
Cond: 2-.
SOLD AT $28,050. There wasn’t much
done on this Chevy to hurt the value on it,
with the possible exception of the quasi
cowl-induction hood. Even at that, more
folks are likely put off by the green and
white color than the hood. Lightly tweaked
for eye appeal and drivability, it reflects
what drives most buyers of 1967–72 Chevy
pickups (and to some extent GMC buyers,
too), so the builder pretty much hit the 80th
percentile for marketing it. With lots of interest
and bidding activity, the reserve lifted
when the bidding ceased; it’s hard to argue
otherwise.
#284-1981 CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28
coupe. VIN: 1G1AP87L6BL112827. Blue
metallic/blue velour. Odo: 59,387 miles.
350-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Factory-optional a/c,
tilt steering column and cruise control. Base/
clear repaint, with some light orange peel.
Decent job of masking off inner-door data
tags. Doors need some effort to latch properly
(due in some part to new door and
glass seals), but rattle (can’t blame that on
the seals). Original windshield has heavily
delamination at base of passenger’s side.
By and large, correctly restored underhood.
Some additional electrical wiring added, and
some is a bit scruffy (like the cruise-control
module). Reproduction engine-bay decals.
Underside of hood rusty, and all insulation
gone. Correctly reupholstered seats. Most
hard-plastic interior trim redyed, and not all
matches. Cond: 3+.
#270-1985 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN
K1500 Silverado SUV. VIN: 1G8EK16L0FF153940.
Desert Sand & Doeskin/Saddle
Tan velour. Odo: 94,469 miles. 350-ci V8,
4-bbl, auto. Rear dual-barn-door configuration.
Factory options include ps, pb, pw, a/c,
AM/FM/cassette stereo, tilt steering column,
power door locks, privacy glass and Rally
wheels. Mostly original paint, but heavily
buffed out to the point that there’s cutthrough
on hood and cowl, plus less sheen
as it got closer to window seals. All six
doors fit well. Undercarriage a bit scruffy
and corroded, plus it’ll need a new exhaust
system in the not-so-distant future. Good
original interior, although front seat has
moderate sun fade. Recent wash-up of engine
bay. Bone-stock engine and shows
regular maintenance. New NAPA radiator
hose (tag still on it) and battery. Cond: 3.
NOT SOLD AT $63,000. This could be one
of 390 Arctic Blue ’56s made—the secondrarest
color that year behind Cascade
Green. The consignor made a big deal out
of the record player, but since it’s not GM
marked (or one of its subsidiaries—looks
like it could be an Audiovox), it’s more of a
sideshow to anything about the car—on top
of making a very uncomfortable ride for any
passenger older than 8, as there’s minimal
leg room (which will be consumed once unit
is opened up). Best bet is to pull it from the
car and sell it, then add an MP3 interface to
original AM radio. Not to sound like a broken
record, but the car was sufficiently bid.
Seller should have let it go.
SOLD AT $10,750. Of all the vehicles that
ran across the turntable, this is the one that
killed its motor. Granted, they had it barely
parked on it, so it did throw off the weight
balance. But still, it does give some impression
on how much of a big beast a 4x4 Suburban
is (and this was only the half-ton—a
¾-ton may have crushed the podium). Considering
that it’s basically a driver that looks
good at 10 feet, selling price shows how
heavy they also are in the current marketplace.
Actually, this was a reasonably decent
deal, if a tow rig to go with your 1984
Airstream is what you’re looking for, or taking
the whole neighborhood with you on
vacation.
CORVETTE
SOLD AT $14,300. It’s interesting to note
that in this last year of the second-gen Fbodies,
the biggest engine Pontiac could
muster up for the Trans Am was the Chevy
305-ci small block (with their turbo and naturally
aspirated 301 also available), while
the Z/28 came standard with the 5.7-L (350ci)
V8. When it looked like all this example
could muster beyond the $10k opening bid
was $13,000, the consignor cut it loose for a
nearly immediate sale.
90 AmericanCarCollector.com
#459-1956 CHEVROLET CORVETTE convertible.
VIN: E56S003355. Arctic Blue &
silver/beige vinyl/beige vinyl. Odo: 8,457
miles. 265-ci 225-hp V8, 2x4-bbl, auto. Unlabeled,
period 45-rpm record player
mounted below dashboard on passenger’s
side. Engine pad has been overstamped,
with the most logical combination indicating
that it could be a 225 hp with Powergilde.
Otherwise stock dress for a 225-hp, dualquad-induction
283, with light soiling. Good
older repaint holding up well. Doors protrude
slightly from body. Trunk gap could be
better or worse. New aftermarket windshield,
with reproduction 1959 NHRA National
Drags participant sticker on driver’s
side. Driver’s door panel separating from
door at the top. Early 1960s-style modernproduction
seat belts added. Bias-ply whitewalls
starting to yellow. Cond: 3+.
#457-1965 CHEVROLET CORVETTE convertible.
VIN: 194675S103279. Red/red
hard top/black vinyl. Odo: 21,305 miles. 350ci
V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Aftermarket a/c system,
the plenum of which is mounted up against
body and VIN tags, so neither can be seen
without disassembly. Mediocre paint job in
recent years, with less-than-expert masking
in door jambs. Some reinforcing over rear
wheelwells added. 1960s-era GT-1 decal on
hard top’s cloudy backlight. Windshield
scratched where wipers had gone from being
wipers to scrapers. Decent door gaps
and brightwork. Engine repainted not long
ago, and somewhat clean. Newer carburetor,
with a stainless-steel heat shield between
it and intake manifold. Rats’ nest of
additional wiring. Ignition shielding gone,
replaced with modern silicone wires. Newer
seats and door panels, older carpeting
showing some wear and fading along transmission
tunnel. Cond: 3.
SOLD AT $47,300. I’m hoping that the folks
who do the VIN checks here either had a
good-enough mirror to see the tag behind
the a/c plenum, or that they found the serial
number on the chassis. Originally a no-sale
across the block at $39k, this was an eventual
post-block deal—with someone who
Page 90
LEAKE // Oklahoma City, OK
has vastly more faith in the car than I ever
would.
#469-1969 CHEVROLET CORVETTE convertible.
VIN: 194678S413499. Cordovan
Maroon/black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 7,999
miles. 427-ci 435-hp V8, 3x2-bbl, 4-sp. Concours-quality
restoration completed almost
a decade ago. Excellent body prep and
paint application, with period-correct sheen.
Better door gaps and fit than stock, even if
they do sound hollow. Bumper replating
better quality than original, yet not over-thetop
show chrome. All-reproduction emblems.
Authentically detailed engine bay, to
include smog pump and all ancillary plumbing.
Replacement top and interior soft trim
still look freshly installed. Fitted with teakwood
steering wheel and AM/FM radio.
Stock exhaust system generally bright, and
balance of undercarriage is quite clean, but
also has all uncoated steel surfaces flashrusted.
Cond: 2.
actual, and that the car is essentially original,
aside from battery and fluids. Retains
original window sticker from when it sold
new by Gordon Chevrolet/GEO of Tampa,
FL. Bloomington Gold-certified in 2014, although
certification states that owner then
declared the motor as being a replacement.
Grand Sport Registry and Missouri inspection
decals on windshield. Well-cared-for
paint, with just a hint of GM orange peel.
Near-show-quality engine-bay presentation.
Cond: 2-.
heads. Single-pod instrumentation in center
of dash, with a small-diameter billet banjo
steering wheel. Custom leather seating and
carpeting barely worn. Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $66,000. Recent NCRS shipping
report states that it was sold new by Malcolm
Konner Chevrolet of Paramus, NJ.
With hit-or-miss build quality 50 years ago
when these were built for first year of the C3
generation, there’s no doubt that this is a
better car than when it was new. While 435hp
C3s have trailed 435-hp C2s in value,
the gap is tightening up. Reserve here was
lifted when bidding dried up at this point, for
a deal that the consignor should be pleased
with and yet the buyer didn’t do too badly
on, either—especially if they were keen on
a maroon C3 convertible near the top of its
game.
#519-1996 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
Grand Sport coupe. VIN: 1G1YY2254T5600567.
Admiral Blue/black leather. Odo:
9,215 miles. 5.7-L 330-hp fuel-injected V8,
6-sp. Optional Selective Real Time Dampening
and Preferred Equipment Group 1.
Consignor states that indicated miles are
“
NOT SOLD AT $38,000. One of 206 Grand
Sport coupes with black leather and active
suspension. To me, at least, if you get a
Grand Sport, it should have the unique—albeit
gaudy—red leather seats instead of the
blah-black leather like most every car from
1996 and since. As the C4 at the top of the
pecking order for desirability and value, this
should’ve sold for the final bid. Yes, that’s
partially due to the black seats, but also
since 9k miles is almost considered high
mileage for the genre—which can be readily
found mint and in the box on the original
MSO.
FOMOCO
#494-1933 FORD MODEL 18 custom
roadster. VIN: 18403399. Copper red
metallic/tan cloth/brown leather. Odo: 3,549
miles. Modern-production street-rod body
by Zipper, along with their windshield support,
frame, suspension and quick-change
rear axle. For what little bodywork is here,
it’s well painted and expertly fitted, with
frame-rail cladding painted to match. Mostly
chromed suspension, the balance being
silver powder coated. Also powder coated
silver: grille and a set of Woodlite headlight
shells retrofitted with LEDs. Tightly fitted
bikini top, may or may not be foldable.
Small-block Ford V8 (stated to be 4.6 L),
mostly painted black, yet with aluminum
As the C4 at the top of the pecking
order for desirability and value, this
should’ve sold for the final bid.
1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport coupe
92 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $25,300. With a non-conforming
VIN statement, one wonders if there’s actually
any 1933 Ford in this. I get the impression
that there’s more original Woodlite than
’33 Ford, since the VIN tag is freshly minted
and pop-riveted to the frame. An interesting
build, selling at no reserve in close proximity
to the cost of the parts—and not on the
black side of the ledger, either.
#517-1958 FORD FAIRLANE 500 Skyliner
retractable hard top. VIN: G8RW150690.
Sun Gold & Gunmetal/light yellow vinyl &
gray nylon. Odo: 65,775 miles. 352-ci V8,
4-bbl, auto. Originally built at San Jose Assembly
Plant in solid Sun Gold, with black
and white interior, powered by a 332-ci V8.
Sold on Arkansas rebuilt title. Decent trimoff
paint job. Heavily faded original plastic
emblems, dull gold-tone Skyliner scripts on
C-pillars. Newer engine repaint with better—but
not entirely accurate—detailing.
Driver’s side exhaust manifold looks
patched in a couple of places before recent
coat of dressing. Reproduction door panels,
seats and dashpad. Noticeable yellowing of
plastic dash knobs. Modern seat belts
added, front and rear. Dingy undercarriage,
with a rusty single exhaust system. Old
Remington bias-ply tires. Cond: 3+.
”
SOLD AT $28,600. One can almost make
the argument that this is a worst-case scenario
for a restored ’50s Ford retractable.
1958 is the least-liked year of just about any
Ford in history, the Style-Tone color scheme
and engine are not original, and it has a
branded title. What could possibly go
wrong? As such, it’s more of a surprise that
bidders continued on after the reserve was
met at $25k. Yet it looks good, and the top
does cycle with the car on a flat surface.
Just don’t expect to make anything on it,
especially on a quick flip, but even in the
long term.
Page 92
LEAKE // Oklahoma City, OK
#223-1965 MERCURY MONTEREY convertible.
VIN: 5Z45Y565731. Palomino
Red/white vinyl/red & white vinyl. Odo:
25,099 miles. 390-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Optional
power front seat and power top. Repainted
quite well in recent years, but just
as a trim-off respray. Modern, non-authentic
tape pinstriping. Decent shut lines, but
doors rattle. Front bumper chrome a bit dull,
back one replated recently, and rest of
brightwork is pretty decent. Heavier wear on
side glass seals. Well-fitted replacement
top. Reupholstered seats and door panels,
somewhat along the lines of the original
pattern, but not quite there. Recent superb
engine detailing; actually went a bit over the
top, as stamped Mercury script and lightning
bolt on valve covers now highlighted in
white paint. Dingy, but solid, undercarriage.
Cond: 3+.
NOT SOLD AT $85,000. While this was one
of 224 Shelbys for Hertz in 1968, it’s all but
a moot point, since one could easily just call
this a resto-mod and be done with it. By
rights this should’ve sold for this bid, but
there was no way the consignor was going
to taper off his reserve when a reality TV
personality was bidding on it, as was the
case here.
NOT SOLD AT $20,000. Back in 1965, a
Mercury was far more than a Ford with lock
washers and different badges. Only The Big
M had a 2-bbl version of this example’s
standard 390-ci FE block, in addition to the
Mercury-only optional 410-ci V8 (which was
not the same 410 used in the 1958 Edsel
Corsairs and Citations). Certainly not a car
you run into at every auction, yet mid-market
brands (such as Olds and Buick) tend
not to sell much better than their basic and
originally better-selling Ford and Chevy
brethren. Reran late on Saturday, to $500
dollars less. Original offer should’ve made
the car get a new ZIP code.
#479-1968 SHELBY GT350 H fastback.
VIN: 8T02J14939101190. Lime Gold/black
vinyl. Odo: 4,288 miles. 347-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. Marti Report states this was a Hertz
Rent-A-Racer, optioned with power steering,
front-disc power brakes, a/c, tach, Interior
Décor Group, Visibility Group, wheel-lip
moldings and AM radio. While it retains the
original 302 block, it’s been rebuilt in recent
years—bored out to 347, along with being
fitted with alloy heads, serpentine-belt system,
MSD ignition system, rotary a/c compressor,
tube headers and aftermarket
induction. Original C4 swapped with an
AOD. Also has rack-and-pinion steering,
aluminum radiator with electric fans, and
Strange 9-inch rear end, with adjustable
shocks. Good repaint, but not spectacular.
Retro-look replacement gauges throughout,
in addition to a billet tilt steering column and
modern AM/FM/aux input sound system.
Good workmanship on the repop seats,
door panels and carpeting. Cond: 2-.
94 AmericanCarCollector.com
#212-1977 FORD F-100 Explorer Custom
Series pickup. VIN: F10HUY06508. Black/
black vinyl & red nylon. Odo: 23,973 miles.
302-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Equipped with the
Explorer “C” package, which added a/c to
the power-steering- and auto-transequipped
Explorer “B” package. Recent
low-budget repaint, with dust in it, and no
attempt at wet sanding. More and better
effort put into applying reproduction stripes
than body prep and paint application.
Spray-on bed liner in whole box. Wheelcover
inserts custom painted to match
stripes (best paint job on truck), with wheels
fitted with economy-grade radials. Redyed
dashpad and lower seat-belt plastic guide,
but belts are original and heavily faded. Rattle-can
FoMoCo Blue on valve covers and
air cleaner (although latter was originally
silver). Matte black sprayed on most everything
else around engine. Cond: 3.
Explorers. By 1977 those covers were a
generally available option. They’re attached
with dummy lug nuts, which were frequently
destroyed by dummies who either used an
air wrench to spin them off (thinking it was a
styled steel wheel), or broke the cover when
trying to pry it off. Also worth noting that the
bed-top trim rails—which came with all Explorer
packages—are missing here. Despite
consignors claiming they “have 18 grand
into it”—by the looks of it, $15k of that was
cases of Keystone Light—the reserve was
met at $7,700 and the car got a few more
bids. That fact that this sold this well says
more about how the market for 1970s-era
pickups is exploding than about whether
this Explorer is really worth this.
MOPAR
#555-1959 CHRYSLER 300E 2-dr hard
top. VIN: M591100657. White/blue leather.
Odo: 9,722 miles. 413-ci V8, 2x4-bbl, auto.
Optional a/c, Auto-Pilot cruise control and
rear-window defogger. Imperial/Chryslerstyle
wire wheels and radials on the ground,
while stock wheel covers are in trunk. Very
old repaint, but presents quite well on outside.
In door jambs, sloppy masking around
original seals and light overspray on door
panels and window trim. Mostly original interior,
with replacement pinchweld moldings
and some redying done over the years—yet
not on door-panel armrests, as they have
most of their dye worn off. Old matte black
engine paint job, with rest of motor not really
detailed but somewhat cleaned up.
Overspray on horns, yet has an original inspection
stamp on driver’s fender apron.
Taped-off a/c lines. Modern chambered
mufflers on a bland undercarriage. Cond: 3.
“
SOLD AT $8,910. The wheel covers, first
used on the mid-1975 Explorer package,
became something of a signature piece for
SOLD AT $64,900. The fifth year into the
300 model, this was the first to not be powered
by a Hemi, yet final year for body-on-
The reserve was met at $7,700 and the
car got a few more bids. That fact that
this sold this well says more about
how the market for 1970s-era pickups
is exploding than about whether this
Explorer is really worth this.
1977 Ford F-100 Explorer Custom Series pickup
”
Page 93
LEAKE // Oklahoma City, OK
frame Forward Look generation—making
’59s somewhat unusual. Also somewhat
unusual was its condition. Most are either
high-buck restorations or ratty (albeit potent)
runners, so this one is essentially a family’s
second car that’s had some work done on it,
comes off looking original, and looks presentable
but a long way from being a show
queen. We could actually use a few more
like this out there, to make them more accessible
to the hobby rather than perfectly
restored artwork for the wealthy that never
get used. Yet with the $45k reserve easily
passed by like they kicked in both 4-bbl carburetors
on this Mopar, the seller should be
quite pleased.
#530-1969 PLYMOUTH ROAD RUNNER
2-dr sedan. VIN: RM21N0E125322. Dark
green metallic/two-tone green vinyl. Odo: 1
miles. 383-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Factory-optional
a/c, ps and Road Runner Décor
Group. Body obviously painted at a different
time than trunk, hood and plastic fittings,
due to slight shifts in hues. Still, panel fit is
at least as good as original build quality.
New generic door seals spliced to original
ends. Replacement door panels not fitted
with the best workmanship, and doors show
holes from previous use of screws to keep
the panels on. Replacement seats, dashpad
and carpeting are far better fitted—along
with showing appreciable wear. Belts and
hose clamps are only non-OEM components
underhood—even the battery is a
Mopar replica. Cond: 2-.
num 500 wheels on Redline radials. Per
body tag, retains power steering, front-disc
power brakes, Trak Pak with 3.54 Sure Grip
differential, tach and solid-state AM radio.
Professional, state-of-the-art restoration in
recent years, showing minimal use since.
Modern OEM windshield, surrounded by
professionally refurbished trim. Better-quality
bumper replating and reproduction emblems.
Undercarriage paint as good as on
rest of car, correctly detailed with inspection
markings. Replacement 1968 Hemi correctly
trimmed to look authentic for this setting,
with exception of a modern coil. New
dashpad to go with new seats, door panels
and carpeting. Replacement headliner wrinkling
around rear window. Cond: 2+.
Heavier wrinkling in replacement door panels,
while seat covering installation done far
better. Heavily faded speedometer face.
Generally clean and kinda looks stock
underhood, despite horn brackets having
overspray halfway up. Cond: 3+. NOT
SOLD AT $46,000. The 500 was the midmarket
Charger with slightly better appointments
(wood-grained interior trim, two-tone
bucket seats, clock, and wheelwell trim
moldings), but without the standard engine
upgrade of the R/T. A month earlier, it was
at Barrett-Jackson, selling for $45,100
(ACC# 6862524). Not certain if this was a
fresh car for this consignor, who was thinking
it could be flipped for more (which rarely
works when you buy from an auction house
that consistently sells at retail-plus), or if this
was a B-J no-reserve that was bought back.
Either way at either event, this potential poseur
was bid more that it deserved.
AMERICANA
SOLD AT $247,500. One of 503 winged
warriors made for 1969. Since this is actually
one of the 433 that were originally built
with a 440, the Hemi underhood neither
helps nor hurts the value much—if at all. It
ends up being more of a case of a bidder
deciding definitively yes or no for even bidding
on it, versus bidding on it if the price is
right. When it crossed the block, it was a
no-sale at a somewhat light $200k, which
seemed to make sense in the big picture of
current Mopar values. However, Leake announced
publicly from the block, near the
end of the auction, that they reached a postsale
deal on it, making this the top-selling
domestic car here this weekend. Which also
seemed to make sense for everyone concerned.
NOT SOLD AT $31,000. The consignor
mentioned to me that he was told that this
was possibly one of several identical Road
Runners bought by the U.S. Army for recruiting.
The story is that they competed at
local dragstrips against blue Chevelle SS
396s that U.S. Air Force recruiters had. This
was news to my Mopar-centric assistant,
who was with me at OKC, and who had
joined the Marines by the time this car was
built, and I had never heard of this before,
yet my time in the Air Force was a little over
a decade later. It’ll take a better story—and
better-quality paint and assembly—to make
this worth more than what was sufficiently
bid for it.
4
miles. 426-ci V8, 2x4-bbl, 4-sp. Originally a
440-powered car with a black interior. Mag-
#905-1969 DODGE DAYTONA
2-dr hard top. VIN: XX29L9B410786.
White/red vinyl. Odo: 37,951
#585-1970 DODGE CHARGER 500 2-dr
hard top. VIN: XP29G0G207812. Vitamin
C/black vinyl/burnt orange vinyl. Odo:
84,462 miles. 440-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Retrolooking
modern 16-inch Magnum 500-style
alloy wheels on radials. Originally equipped
with a 318-ci V8. Since body tag is AWOL,
we can only speculate on what else is correct
or changed. Currently fitted with ps, pb,
rear window defogger and push-button AM
radio. Average repaint could stand one
more session of wet sanding. Doors rattle,
since stop bumpers are missing. Wider forward
door gaps, on both sides of car.
#508-1950 KURTIS-KRAFT MIDGET
racer. VIN: N/A. Off-white & brown/black
vinyl. 134-ci fuel-injected I4. Has a brass
Kurtis-Kraft builder’s tag on dashboard, but
serial-number pad blank. Powered by a
modified Ford 134-ci OHV four, with a direct-drive
gearbox. Consignor speculates,
but can’t definitively prove, that car may
have been driven by Johnny Rutherford
during 1963 season. Decent older repaint,
in colors of last driver/team. Chromed tube
bumper customized with initial of last name
of last owner. Alloy 12-inch knockoff wheels,
with equal-sized rear tires and smaller left
front than right front for dirt circle-track work.
Engine repainted not too many years ago,
and is generally clean. Magneto ignition
system. Sold on a bill of sale, no title. Cond:
3+.
SOLD AT $14,850. Kurtis-Kraft was one of
the pre-eminent builders of Midget racers
back in the day. This was especially true in
the early post-war era when this example
was built. This was one of several Midget
racers here that were part of the Rolland
Collection, most of which were fitted with
somewhat mundane powerplants like this
Ford. That, combined with the niche appeal
of dirt-track Midget racers and not much use
for anything else aside from garage ornamentation,
kept the selling prices close to
what this one garnered. A
May-June 2018 95
TOP 10
Page 94
MCCORMICK’S // Palm Springs, CA
McCormick’s 64th
Collector-Car Auction
One of the better buys from the sale proved to be
a 1956 Cadillac Series 62 convertible
McCormick’s
Auctions
Palm Springs, CA
February 23–25,
2018
Auctioneers:
Frank Bizzarro, Jeff
Stokes, Rob Row, Gary
Dahler
automotive lots sold/
offered: 346/529
Sales rate: 65%
Sales total:
$6,370,035
High sale: 1965 Ford
Mustang GT fastback,
1965 Chevrolet
Corvette Fuelie convertible,
both sold at
$78,750 each
Buyer’s premium:
5%, included in sold
prices
ACC 1–6 scale
condition rating
for vehicles in
Market Reports
1. perfect: National
show standard
2. excellent: Club
show-worthy, some
small flaws
3. average: Daily driver
in decent condition
4. Meh: Still a driver,
with some visible flaws
5. Questionable: A
problem-plagued beast
that somehow
manages to run
6. Lost cause:
Salvageable for parts
96 AmericanCarCollector.com
What a deal — 1956 Cadillac Series 62 convertible, sold at $39,375
Report and photos by Carl Bomstead
Market opinions in italics
no fluke, shortly after the conclusion of their 64th auction,
Keith and Delsey celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary.
The latest auction, held February 23–25, was
K
exceptional. The offerings were greatly enhanced,
and as a result, the revenue was up by $538,746 over
last February’s event, and up by $249,007 over the
November 2017 sale. This is an accomplishment as the
Arizona auctions, as a general statement, were off, so
the increase in revenue goes against current trends.
Now, that’s not to say that they did not have a few
quirky items cross the block — they always do. When
was the last time you had an opportunity to acquire a
King Midget? It sold for $5,250, and I sincerely doubt if
the new owner will get in any trouble with it, as a ninehorsepower
motor powers it. Two well-restored tractors,
a 1939 John Deere and a 1940 Farmall, sold for $4,515
and $3,570, respectively.
Packards were the special of the day, with six being
offered. They ranged from a 1929 640 Town Car, which
eith McCormick and family have produced
their semi-annual collector-car auction in
Palm Springs for 32 years, which has got
to be some sort of record for an auction
company. Proving that their longevity is
failed to sell when bid to $50,000, to a 1958 Hawk that
was Packard’s swan song. It also failed to sell when bid
to only $22,000, but many view it as just a Studebaker
with an ugly guppy nose. An exceedingly rare 1950
Custom Eight convertible sold for $52,000. It was one
of only 85 produced, and they rarely change hands.
The top American-made sale was a tie between a 1965
Ford Mustang GT fastback and a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette
Fuelie convertible, both achieving $78,750. A wonderful
1961 Corvette brought $63,000, while a 1955 Chevrolet
Bel Air 2-door sedan reached $67,200 — providing some
pushback to the narrative that the prices for those cars are
in a free fall. One of the better buys from the sale proved
to be a 1956 Cadillac Series 62 convertible — selling for
nearly half of the ACC Pocket Price Guide median.
If you want to be entertained, then you should arrive a
little early for Friday’s auction, as the auctioneers, led by
Jeff Stokes, warm up the audience. For example, Stokes
will ask how many people are from out of town, and
when they raise their hands, he counts it as a bid. A little
corny, but worth the price of admission, which is free on
Friday. McCormick’s 65th auction will be on their traditional
weekend before Thanksgiving, and, as in the past,
will bring out some interesting and desirable collector
cars, with a few other quirky offerings thrown in. Well
worth the visit to Palm Springs in mid-November.A
Page 96
MCCORMICK’S // Palm Springs, CA
GM
#309-1954 CHEVROLET 3100 pickup.
VIN: H54K022929. Aqua/black vinyl. Odo:
84,038 miles. 235-ci I6, 1-bbl, 4-sp. A very
impressive restoration with a grille painted
white. An aftermarket radio sits in dash.
Converted to 12 volts. Interior in good order,
and paint—although not an original hue—is
very attractive. Cond: 1-.
nal-seeking radio. New paint in need of fluffand-buff
to really sparkle. Interior in good
order. Brightwork acceptable. One of only
about 8,000 built in 1956. Cond: 2.
price of restoration. Well bought and properly
sold.
SOLD AT $39,375. If Sonic Blue is a favored
color, then this is a heck of a deal.
The ACC Pocket Price Guide Median Value
is $77,000, and the condition of this example
justifies numbers near that value. As
such, this was well bought.
NOT SOLD AT $24,500. The 3100 half-ton
pickup was restyled for 1954. It had a onepiece
windshield and a new grille. Price bid
was close, but considering the quality of the
restoration, it fell short. I think $30k was
closer to the number, and with the current
popularity of pickups, I also think he should
get his number next time out.
#307-1954 CHEVROLET 3100 pickup.
VIN: 0869218F54X. Red/tan vinyl. Odo:
61,914 miles. 235-ci I6, 1-bbl, 3-sp. A restyled
3100 half-ton pickup that’s well restored.
Owned by same family for over 60
years. It had been converted to 12 volts.
There are a few bubbles in the original
glass. Grille painted an attractive but incorrect
beige that complements the red. Interior
crisp and engine bay clean and tidy. Not
your average go-to-the-dump pickup.
Cond: 1-.
#209-1958 PONTIAC STAR CHIEF 2-dr
hard top. VIN: C858H3476. Light blue/light
blue leather. Odo: 26,302 miles. 370-ci V8,
4-bbl, auto. Trunk and rear-window trim
dented. Plastic horn button trashed. Engine
bay filthy. Attractive recent respray. Leather
interior a no-cost option; other choice was
Lustrex. Not-so-white whitewall tires.
Cond: 3+.
#201-1966 CHEVROLET CORVAIR Monza
convertible. VIN: 10567W107382. Light
blue/white vinyl/white vinyl. Odo: 34,705
miles. 164-ci H6, 2x1-bbl, 4-sp. This one
was tucked away for many years before
being brought back to life—including new
base/clear paint. The Monza package has a
stylized badge on lower front fender, bucket
seats and full wheels. Owner states engine
has 15k miles after rebuild. No real issues
noted, but nothing special, either. Cond: 2.
NOT SOLD AT $25,000. Advertised as
“something really special” in Pontiac’s brochures,
the Star Chief had four stars in the
concave rear insert panels and stardustpattern
carpeting. For 1958 Pontiac advertised
92 color combinations available for the
model. Considering all I’m looking at here
was a quick respray, I can’t see where this
is worth a whole lot more than was bid here.
I think the seller made an error.
SOLD AT $22,575. Not the pickup for the
purist (sorry, B. Mitchell), but an attractive,
fun driver. Price paid was very realistic in a
market that favors pickups. New owner
needs to get out and about in this new toy.
Blue/white vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 70,069
miles. 365-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. A recent
respray with overspray. Slight delamination
of passenger’s side window. Has Autronic
Eye automatic headlamp dimmer and sig-
#482-1956 CADILLAC SERIES 62
convertible. VIN: 5662060612. Sonic
98 AmericanCarCollector.com
#227-1960 CHEVROLET IMPALA convertible.
VIN: 01867B232620. Roman Red/
white vinyl/red houndstooth, white vinyl.
Odo: 28,075 miles. 348-ci V8, 3x2-bbl, auto.
A stunning example of a 348-ci Tri-Power
convertible. Fitted with all the goodies, including
skirts and dual aerials. Striking Roman
Red with white top—that fits properly.
Interior as good as new. Great color combination
and restored to the nines. Cond: 1-.
SOLD AT $39,900. Last seen at Russo and
Steele’s August 2011 Monterey sale, where
it realized $47,300 (ACC# 6765786). The
market has shifted, and the price paid here
is now market-correct. Buyer has a noquestions
example at a cost below the
SOLD AT $15,488. The Corvair was introduced
in 1959 and continued until 1969,
when Ralph Nader’s 1965 book effectively
killed the car’s market. Motor Trend named
it their Car of the Year in 1960. Fair price for
a rather plain Corvair, but it is a convertible
and perfect for top-down driving in the desert
sun. All should be happy here.
#295-1966 PONTIAC CATALINA 2+2 convertible.
VIN: 254676R131946. Black/black
canvas/red vinyl. Odo: 35,649 miles. 421-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Vertical air slots behind
doors, twin-lens taillights, special badges
and the 421 motor with Hurst linkage transmission
highlight the Catalina 2+2 package.
PHS certified. Aftermarket mag wheels.
Black paint sparkles in SoCal sun. A banker’s
hot rod. Cond: 1-.
SOLD AT $39,900. The Catalina 2+2 was a
separate series for 1966, and Pontiac produced
a total of 6,383—4,175 with the Hydramatic.
An aggressive price, but a most
desirable example. You would be quickly
upside down bringing a lesser example to
BEST
BUY
Page 98
MCCORMICK’S // Palm Springs, CA
this level. Better to pay a bit too much and
have a no-questions car that will bring the
thumbs up.
CORVETTE
#340-1954 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
roadster. VIN: E54S0003089. Polo White/
beige canvas/red vinyl. Odo: 67,232 miles.
235-ci 150-hp I6, 3x1-bbl, auto. A very average
example with a long list of needs. Now,
these were not a quality build when new,
but this one has gone down the slippery
slope. The paint is badly scratched around
the headlamps, and the rest needs some
attention. The top fit is horrible and the hood
fit is way off also. Interior about average.
Cond: 3.
miles. 283-ci 230-hp V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Finished
in Jewel Blue, which was only offered
in 1961, and only 855 cars were done in this
shade. Luggage rack mounted on trunk,
with matching suitcases. Trim fit around
headlamps to usual poor standard. First
year for four taillamps, which became a
Corvette trademark. New interior properly
installed. Engine clean and tidy. A solid
package. Cond: 2+.
SOLD AT $78,750. I watched this cross the
block at McCormick’s November 2017 sale,
when it failed to meet seller’s expectations
when bid to $72,500 (ACC# 6856677). Another
few grand made the difference, and it
sold this time around. An exciting example
at a realistic price even in a slightly depressed
Corvette market. Fair all around
here, with a slight edge to the buyer.
SOLD AT $57,750. Price paid was market
correct, if a little under, for a rather basic
Corvette. The unusual Jewel Blue hue
added to the package, but the base engine
sure didn’t. Now get those wheels on the
road and have some fun.
NOT SOLD AT $56,000. The ACC Pocket
Price Guide states the median price for a
’54 Corvette is $77,000. I think it would take
at least $20k to bring this one up to that
level, so the bid does not look that out of
line. Problem is no one believes their child
is unattractive, so the seller ends up unwilling
to accept reality here.
#458-1961 CHEVROLET CORVETTE convertible.
VIN: 10867S103450. Jewel Blue &
white/white vinyl/blue vinyl. Odo: 38,433
#233-1965 CHEVROLET CORVETTE convertible.
VIN: 194675S100927. Rally Red/
beige vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 41,197 miles.
327-ci 375-hp fuel-injected V8, 4-sp. An
exciting Corvette that was a 2016 Top Flight
award winner. Equipped with original castaluminum
knockoffs that were only ordered
on 1,116 Corvettes. First-year four-wheel
disc brakes were standard, and last year for
fuel injection, until the throttle body introduced
in 1982. One of only 771 L84 Corvettes
produced in 1965. A very desirable
Corvette. Cond: 1-.
#483-1967 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
Grand Sport replica roadster. VIN:
FLA40057. Red/black vinyl. Odo: 43,162
miles. 427-ci 490-hp V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. A replica
of the famed Grand Sport with 427-ci
motor—stated to produce 490 horsepower.
Has the bruises of use, but also appears
well cared for otherwise. Titled as a 1996.
Would be a hoot to drive, but no idea what
or where it is eligible to run. Lot of explaining
to do. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $26,250. If this were the real
thing, the price would be seven figures,
but—as it sits—it’s a conversation piece.
Would be fun for a few hot laps, and perhaps
the new owner has access to a track.
Other than that, it’s sure to keep the neighbors
awake when buyer is working on the
motor in the late evening hours.
FOMOCO
#287-1946 FORD DELUXE wagon. VIN:
79A1090677. Red/black vinyl/red vinyl.
Odo: 42,994 miles. 239-ci V8, 2-bbl, 3-sp.
100 AmericanCarCollector.com
Page 100
MCCORMICK’S // Palm Springs, CA
Someone took a number of liberties here,
as red was never used on ’46 Ford woodies.
Also, tan leather is the correct interior,
rather than red vinyl tuck ’n’ roll. Fitted with
later taillights. Dash trim and horn ring pitted.
Has radio, sun visor and heater.
Cond: 3+. NOT SOLD AT $40,000. If only
the owner of this Ford woodie had restored
it correctly, the price bid would have been
more to his liking. In this case, it will cost a
bunch to right the wrongs. The value as it
sits is about what was bid here.
#457-1951 MERCURY EIGHT convertible.
VIN: 51ME24838M. Yellow/blue fabric/ yellow
vinyl. Odo: 92,041 miles. 255-ci V8,
2-bbl, 3-sp. The iconic Merc convertible.
One of few that has not been turned into a
hot rod. Finished in bold shade of yellow.
Interior also yellow with blue piping. Paint
with a few minor issues, but still respectable.
Chrome and stainless in good order.
Blue fabric top continues color theme.
Cond: 2+.
but the market has changed the last few
years and he just may regret this decision.
#219-1956 FORD FAIRLANE Sunliner
convertible. VIN: P6FC359066. Coral
Mist/white vinyl/black & white vinyl. Odo:
36,728 miles. 312-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. An
attractive Sunliner that is finished in Coral
Mist. Powered by the P-code Thunderbird
Special V8. Brightwork very respectable,
with issues in only a couple areas. Power
top inoperative. Fuel and temp gauges also
inoperable, but new ones with car. Decent
interior. Cond: 2+.
Africa and motors installed by dealers. This
one had the 427-ci V8 that was estimated at
512 horsepower. A well-done replica.
Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $57,750. I found several of these
advertised for much closer to $100k, so this
was well-bought indeed. A handful to drive
with that much power under the hood, but
for the sake of journalistic integrity, I’m willing
to give it a try.
SOLD AT $26,775. If seller goes to the
trouble to buy the necessary parts, I don’t
understand why they don’t install them and
eliminate any questions. As a result, this car
sold under the money, as buyers just might
wonder what else the seller did not take
care of. Buyer may have a bargain, or he
may have his hands full with repairs. A roll
of the dice.
NOT SOLD AT $55,000. This was last seen
at Mecum’s February 2015 Vegas sale,
where it realized $56,160 (ACC# 6792073).
Seller wasn’t willing to take a small hit here,
SP2253. Sunset red/black leather. Odo:
3,447 miles. 427-ci V8, 4-bbl, 5-sp. A
Shelby Cobra replica produced by Superformance,
and, as such, licensed by Carroll
Shelby Licensing. Body hand built in South
#220-1965 SHELBY COBRA Superformance
replica roadster. VIN:
SOLD AT $30,975. Would not take much to
bring this up a notch, but why worry about
it? Just drive and enjoy. Sure to get prime
parking at your favorite dining spot—if the
parking spot is big enough. Price paid was
on the money, at just slightly under the ACC
median value.
#257-1971 FORD MUSTANG Mach 1 replica
fastback. VIN: 1F02H144027. Grabber
Green/black vinyl. Odo: 78,484 miles. 351ci
V8, 2-bbl, auto. Equipped with a/c, power
steering and AM radio. Documented with
Marti Report, but it is a clone (or whatever),
as VIN indicates it is just a regular
SportsRoof ’Stang. Paint in good order, with
no noticeable issues. Interior clean. Rides
on Magnum 500 wheels. Also fitted with
rear spoiler. A very desirable example.
Cond: 2.
#270-1967 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL convertible.
VIN: 7Y8G821289. White/white
vinyl/tan leather. Odo: 98,869 miles. 462-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Rides on a 124-inch chassis.
Leather interior standard. Equipped with
six-way power seat, a/c and radio. Door
handles are pitted, and a few rust bubbles
pop up on the body. Otherwise, body
straight with no dings or nicks on the slab
sides. Tan leather interior in good order.
Cond: 2.
102 AmericanCarCollector.com
BEST
BUY
Page 102
MCCORMICK’S // Palm Springs, CA
SOLD AT $21,000. The Mach 1 for 1971
had new bumpers and grille, and the nonfunctional
hood was standard equipment.
Price paid here is difficult to understand, as
this is a replica that sold close to the price
of the real deal. Also wondering what the
advertised Marti Report has to say, but it
wasn’t with the car. Hope the buyer knew
what they were buying, as this was an overthe-top
amount for a made-up car. Similarly,
it was well sold.
MOPAR
#402-1969 DODGE DAYTONA replica
2-dr hard top. VIN: XS29L9B228695.
Bright green/black buckets. Odo: 1,926
miles. 440-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. The Daytona
had an 18-inch nose cone attached to the
front of the car and a high wing mounted on
the rear. The VIN tells us that the 440 motor
is correct for this car, but no proof that this
is one of the 503 real Daytonas. Fortunately,
the auction company didn’t even try,
calling it a Charger R/T in the catalog. This
much green is an acquired taste. Cond: 2-.
NOT SOLD AT $57,500. If this were a real
Daytona, we would be looking at serious
money, but as such, there was not a lot of
interest here. The nose and wing were a
tough sell in the era, and a made-up example
is even more difficult today—which
continues the narrative for this car: no-sales
at Mecum L.A. in February at $45k (ACC#
6865411), Mecum Las Vegas November
2017 ($60k, ACC# 6854501), and Mecum
Monterey 2017 ($60k, ACC# 6846951). It
did, however, sell at Mecum Portland 2017
for $60,500 (ACC# 6839453). I think it’s
pretty obvious what the market thinks this
replica is worth.
AMERICANA
#311-1961 RAMBLER AMBASSADOR
4-dr hard top. VIN: H135782. Jasmine
Rose & Fireglow Red/red vinyl. Odo: 82,602
miles. 327-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Has Flash-OMatic
push-button transmission and
Weather-Eye climate control air. Numerous
rust bubbles to note on hood and paint
badly chipped. Rust on wheels. Trim pitted.
Features fold-down rear seat that is the
envy of any red-blooded high school student.
Problem is car looks like someone
lived in it. Cond: 3-.
SOLD AT $4,988. We watched this cross
the block at McCormick’s February 2015
event, where it failed to sell when bid to
$5,500 (ACC# 6772820). At their November
2014 sale, it also failed to sell when bid to
$7,950 (ACC# 6711225). One low bid, who
knows. Two could be a coincidence, but the
third certainly marks a trend. Seller finally
realized he was headed in the wrong direction
and took what was offered before it got
even worse. As we have said before at auction,
often the first offer is the best offer. A
104 AmericanCarCollector.com
Page 104
MECUM AUCTIONS // Kansas City, MO
Mecum Kansas City Spring 2018
An honest 1970 RS/SS Camaro sold at $33,550,
representing the continued rise of second-gen Camaros
Mecum
Auctions
Kansas City, MO
March 16–17, 2018
Auctioneers:
Mark Delzell, Jimmy
Landis, Matt Moravec
automotive lots sold/
offered: 308/510
Sales rate: 60%
Sales total:
$6,299,150
High sale: 2018
Dodge Challenger SRT
Demon coupe, sold at
$130,900
Buyer’s premium:
10%, $500 minimum,
included in sold prices
Originality backed-up with documentation — 1970 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS coupe, sold at $33,550
Report and photos by Brett Hatfield
Market opinions in italics
ACC 1–6 scale
condition rating
for vehicles in
Market Reports
1. perfect: National
show standard
2. excellent: Club
show-worthy, some
small flaws
3. average: Daily driver
in decent condition
4. Meh: Still a driver,
with some visible flaws
5. Questionable: A
problem-plagued beast
that somehow
manages to run
6. Lost cause:
Salvageable for parts
I
106 AmericanCarCollector.com
f you wanted to find a unique collector car, you
needed to look no further than Mecum Auctions’
Kansas City Spring 2018 event. Everything
from Alfa to Zimmer was present, with some
exceptional examples and a few true bargains.
There were lots of domestics: Mustangs, Corvettes,
Chevelles, GTOs, pickups, hot rods and all the things
you would look for at your average Saturday night
cruise. Also present were Astons, Bentleys, BMWs,
Mercedes, Porsches, and other offerings from around
the world.
Muscle cars and custom builds have long been a
hallmark of the Mecum KC auctions, and this one was
no exception. A 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 coupe,
with a claimed 4,100 original miles, sat amongst the
featured lots. It was a stunning example, and would
have to be among the lowest-mileage, first-generation
Camaros anywhere. It didn’t sell at a $61k high bid. An
honest 1970 RS/SS Camaro sold at $33,500, representing
the continued rise of second-gen Camaros. A 1932
Ford custom-bodied roadster — featuring and all-aluminum
427 and stunning job in black with old school
flames — crossed the block at $57,500, but failed to
find a new owner. A 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT
Demon, Mopar’s brand-new dragstrip terror and one
of two at this sale, went to a new home for a staggering
$130,900. This was quite a premium over the base
window sticker price of $84k. There was a spotless
2005 Ford GT, resplendent in Quick Silver Metallic,
which was a no-sale at $300,000. As rare as Ford GTs
supposedly are, I cannot remember an auction in the
past few years that didn’t feature at least one.
The Kansas City sales are always rich with
Corvettes. Consignors brought in 60 of America’s
original sports cars this time. Jack Wallace, owner
of local dealership Vintage Vettes, claimed to have
entered more than 30 Corvettes in the two-day sale.
There were quite a number of returning lots and
unsold offerings from previous Mecum auctions. Many
of those had been seen at multiple Mecum evens in
the past several months. One could be forgiven for
wondering if it had anything to do with Mecum’s
new transportation service and a possible discount on
unsold cars being taken to the next auction location.
Of 510 lots offered, 308 found new homes, with a
60% sell-through rate, pulling in a $6,299,150 total
take. This is down from the December 2017 KC auction,
which saw a sell-through rate of 66%, yielding
$8,220,833 and February 2017, where 309 of 496 sold
for $7,364,900. Was this a sign of a softening collector
car market, a lack of higher-end offerings (only five
lots in the entire sale bid to over $100,000), or just collectors
slow to wake from a dismal winter? Only time
will tell, and there is plenty of time until the next KC
sale in December. A
Page 106
MECUM AUCTIONS // Kansas City, MO
GM
#F114-1948 BUICK SUPER convertible.
VIN: 14931012. Regency Blue/tan cloth/red
leather. Odo: 81,801 miles. 248-ci I8, 2-bbl,
auto. Paint looks as if it’s more recent than
the balance of the exterior. It is glossy with
some minor marks in it that have to be
caught in the right light to be seen. The
stainless and chrome are both showing
more patina, with haze and pitting present.
Red leather bench seats have mild creasing.
Interior trim is in good nick, save for the
steering wheel. Driving lights and spotlights
add to the appearance. Some work would
really make this pop. Cond: 3.
time and funds to create a next-level car. As
the prices for the best examples are only in
the mid-$20k range, it’s likely the owner
couldn’t justify the outlay. As it sat, this was
a lot of car for not a ton of money. Well
bought, especially considering how close
this is to a Bel Air.
#S76-1957 CHEVROLET BEL AIR 2-dr
hard top. VIN: VC57N191541. Inca Silver/
black & silver cloth. Odo: 10,444 miles. 283ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Great care toward prep
shows in this brilliant Inca Silver finish.
Panel gaps consistent throughout. Chrome
and stainless in near-new condition. Tires
are wide-white radials but look as they
should against the polished stock hubcaps.
Fender skirts and Continental kit, combined
with all the correct gold-tone Bel Air emblems,
help complete the look. The engine
compartment looks showroom fresh. Interior
appears as-new, with no untoward signs of
wear. Glass clear; weatherstrip new. Only
flaws present are a speedo lens that shows
light patina, and three small nicks on the
outside band around the spare on the Continental
kit. Cond: 2+.
NOT SOLD AT $32,000. Offered at the
Mecum auction in Kissimmee, FL, in January,
this example was a no-sale at $32,000
(ACC# 6859084). This was a sharp car despite
needing some attention. The state of
the brightwork did detract from an otherwise
handsome package. With high values more
than double what was bid here, it seems a
bit of investment may have garnered a better
return. Still, two bids in three months at
the same price should tell the consignor
something.
#S140.1-1955 PONTIAC CHIEFTAIN 2-dr
hard top. VIN: C755H15291. Turquoise
Blue & White Mist/blue & white vinyl. Odo:
84,728 miles. 287-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Older
restoration that is beginning to show its age.
Chrome around headlights and stainless
could stand to be polished, as the driver’s
side-mirror chrome is pitted and hazy. Paint
still decent, with a few chips scattered
about. Glass is good. Interior chrome shows
similar patina. A little TLC could preserve it
for a time, but it will need more effort to truly
shine. Cond: 3+.
offered. Classic trucks have been on the
rise, and as such, the owner was smart to
hold out for more.
#S128.1-1966 CADILLAC ELDORADO
convertible. VIN: E6127265. Red/white
vinyl/black leather. Odo: 57,425 miles. 429ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Bright red paint probably
not a factory color, at least not in any book I
found. Prep is decent, however. Lots of eyeball
despite some buffer swirl. Chrome
showing its age, with light pitting and haze
throughout. Stainless could stand to be
buffed. Engine compartment largely stock,
which means a maze of wires and hoses for
all the power accessories. Black leather
interior shows appropriate patina without
being overly worn. A great Saturday cruiser.
Cond: 3.
SOLD AT $47,300. This restoration had to
represent double or triple the high bid. I
hated to give it a 2+. The flaws were small,
and the rest of the car really was that good.
The Inca Silver was a nice change from the
usual reds and blacks. The price was a bit
above median, but it was certainly worth it.
Well bought.
SOLD AT $15,400. This one had lots of
appeal. Some light cleaning and polishing
would have improved the appearance, but it
would have taken a serious investment of
108 AmericanCarCollector.com
#S33-1959 CHEVROLET APACHE pickup.
VIN: 3B59J101859. Maroon & white/maroon
vinyl. Odo: 12,409 miles. 235-ci I6, 1-bbl,
3-sp. Good-quality paint and nicely refurbished
oak bed are held back a bit by
chrome and stainless trim that have advancing
patina. Delaminating quarter windows
help remind you this is a nearly
60-year-old truck. Interior bench appears
fairly recent, while the steering wheel shows
every day of the truck’s age. A tidy engine
compartment rounds out a truck that is too
nice to use for chores but still needs a bit for
shows. Cond: 3. NOT SOLD AT $17,000.
This Apache was a sharp looker that just
needed to be finished up. A bit more time
and effort would have produced something
special. What had been done looked to
have been done well. With that said, this
was worth more than the bid
NOT SOLD AT $28,000. This massive
Caddy was beginning to show advancing
age. The chrome looked to be going downhill,
as more haze and pitting was taking
hold. This would have been a great sunny
day/cool evening/wash-and-shine car, but
appeared it was soon going to need real
cosmetic attention. The high bid was a bit
higher than its previous sale price at the
McCormick’s Palm Springs auction two
years ago ($26,250, ACC# 6798819). Given
the upcoming needs and the bid just over
median value, the owner should have reconsidered.
#F44-1966 CHEVROLET CORVAIR convertible.
VIN: 105676W127045. Marina
Blue/white vinyl/blue vinyl. Odo: 45,012
miles. 164-ci H6, 2x1-bbl, auto. Marina Blue
paint has been poorly executed, with plenty
of inclusions, runs, overspray. Radio antenna
looks to have been hastily masked
rather than removed. Stainless is dull,
chrome pitting. Interior is fairly clean, without
excessive wear. Good from afar, but far
from good. Cond: 3-.
Page 108
MECUM AUCTIONS // Kansas City, MO
needs present. Interior shows only slight
wear on the driver’s side seat piping. Engine
bay shows only the lightest bit of dust,
likely stirred up at the auction. Cond: 2+.
SOLD AT $7,975. Claimed to be original
miles. The paint job really pulled this one
down. It could be a fun little sunny-day
driver, but a quality re-shoot would make all
the difference in the world. Sold well below
book value, for obvious reasons.
#S86.1-1967 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE
2-dr hard top. VIN: 136177A143821. Medium
blue metallic/black vinyl. Odo: 68,554
miles. 350-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Sharp and
shiny from five feet away, but closer inspection
reveals some shortcomings. The paint
has good gloss, but there are some drips
and signs that prep could have been better.
Panel gaps at trunk are bit off, and trunk
doesn’t sit flush. Stainless around windshield
and on wiper arms needs to be better
polished. Aftermarket Torq Thrust wheels
look sharp wrapped in bias-ply Redline
tires. Glass shows minimal pepper. Engine
compartment features a generic 350. Interior
is clean, with a teak-style steering
wheel. Cond: 3+.
comparable examples with so few miles.
This same car reached a high bid of $70k at
the Mecum Kissimmee auction in January
(ACC# 6859320). Can’t say I blame them
for trying again, but the price is trending the
wrong way.
#F161-1970 CHEVROLET CAMARO RS/
SS coupe. VIN: 124870N516926. Astro
Blue/blue vinyl. Odo: 61,685 miles. 350-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. Paint is glossy, with the only
flaws a couple of small bubbles in the driver’s
side rain tray. SS stripes are painted,
not stickers. Engine compartment is correct
but a little dusty. Stainless trim could be
shined up a bit. Chrome bumpers are shiny,
with minimal buff marks. Blue vinyl is a nice
departure from the standard black, and
shows little wear. Cond: 2-.
NOT SOLD AT $80,000. Accompanied by
heavy documentation, this professionally
restored 442 W-30 was packed with highperformance
factory options. As equipped,
this Olds has an ACC Pocket Price Guide
value just over $100k. Having reached a
high bid in the mid-$80k range on three recent
outings (Mecum Harrisburg 2017,
ACC# 6844301; Louisville 2017, ACC#
6850896; Kissimmee 2018, ACC#
6861210), it is clear the seller is wisely holding
out for more. It might get a little shopworn
before then, however.
#S53-1970 PONTIAC GTO The Judge 2-dr
hard top. VIN: 242370B120377. Green
Metallic/Parchment vinyl. Odo: 54,107
miles. 400-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. An excellent
quality restoration. Paint, chrome, stainless
all clean and shiny. Interior is nearly new,
with light creasing on the driver’s side seat
bottom. Steering wheel looks to be from
1970s or ’80s Trans-Am. Hurst T-handle on
shifter. Engine bay is clean and correct.
Cond: 2+.
SOLD AT $21,450. The blue looked sharp
on this, the interior was better than average,
wheels added a little style, and the paint
was fairly shiny. All this combined for an
attractive cruiser. It was sharp enough to
turn heads, but not so nice you’d be afraid
to take it out on a sunny day or worry about
the miles. Nobody got hurt here.
#S154-1968 CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28
coupe. VIN: 124378N447670. Matador
Red/black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 4,151
miles. 302-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Panel gaps
consistent throughout. Paint glossy with
great execution. Brightwork shiny, nicely
polished. Black vinyl interior shows little
sign of use. Engine compartment is as-new.
Beautiful car. Cond: 1-. NOT SOLD AT
$61,000. Claimed mileage was a scant
4,151 from new. With one repaint that appears
to have been done to a high standard,
this Camaro is as original and clean
as one could ever ask. The high bid was
well above book value, but it is tough to find
110 AmericanCarCollector.com
SOLD AT $33,550. Generous documentation
supported claims of originality. This was
an honest car with nothing to hide. Secondgeneration
Camaros are on the rise, and
this one was a solid, numbers-matching car
for a sale price that was a few thousand
below book. Well bought.
#S119-1970 OLDSMOBILE 442 W-30 2-dr
hard top. VIN: 344870M248299. Twilight
Blue metallic/blue vinyl. Odo: 87,497 miles.
455-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. The overall condition
here is outstanding. Paint, chrome, stainless
and glass are all excellent with no
“
NOT SOLD AT $50,000. Shows up in ACC
Premium Auction Database as purchased
for $53,900 at the Mecum Harrisburg auction
in August 2017; this GTO has been an
auction queen ever since. Offered at three
This was an honest car with nothing to
hide. Second-generation Camaros are
on the rise, and this one was a solid,
numbers-matching car for a sale price that
was a few thousand below book.
1970 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS coupe
”
Page 110
MECUM AUCTIONS // Kansas City, MO
different Mecum auctions since September
of last year, but the high bid never got high
enough to match the price paid (although it
was within $2k at Mecum Louisville, ACC#
6850936). Most recently sold at Mecum
Kissimmee 2018 for $46,200 (ACC#
6861407). This example was in great condition
with heavy documentation. The buyer
may have to hope for an uptick in prices or
a GTO fan looking for an above-average
restoration.
FOMOCO
#S126-1932 FORD STREET ROD roadster.
VIN: 181765334. Black/black cloth/
black leather. Odo: 41 miles. Fresh build
shows great effort. Consistent panel gaps.
Obvious attention to paint prep, with resulting
excellent deep-gloss paint. Flame job is
first-rate, with old-school colors and blue
outline. Glass and chrome are both new.
Lots of polish on exposed front suspension.
Polished billet vented drum brakes on all
four corners. Engine compartment is very
shiny throughout, with lots of chrome and
billet to complement the paint. Interior exactly
what you would expect from a fresh,
high-quality custom build. Almost too nice to
drive. Cond: 1-.
NOT SOLD AT $50,000. I’ve always liked
the look of ’40 Fords. The restoration has
held up nicely, and probably would be good
for several years to come. This was not a
show winner, but a tidy example just beginning
to show its age. It has been featured at
two other Mecum auctions in the past few
months, garnering high bids ranging from
$45k to $57k without finding a new home.
This represented the middle of the price
range for this car.
#F93-1955 MERCURY MONTEREY
wagon. VIN: 55ME82758M. Canyon Cordovan
Red/red & white vinyl. Odo: 83,019
miles. 292-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Paint is shiny,
with light buff marks. Chrome on bumpers
and hood emblem is bright, without pitting.
Red vinyl seats look to have been nicely
re-upholstered. Black rubber floor mat is
dirty. Plenty of patina on interior chrome.
Stainless sill plate is dull. Wavy door panels.
Cond: 3.
on the radiator top hose. Cond: 1-.
NOT SOLD AT $80,000. Claimed to be the
subject of a $93k frame-off rotisserie restoration,
this heavily optioned Skyliner looked
every inch the part. The mocha color contrasted
beautifully with the light pastel pink.
The attention to detail throughout was stunning.
The seller was wise not to let go at
this time.
#F60-1964 FORD THUNDERBIRD convertible.
VIN: 10704412051318. Rangoon
Red/black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 37,367
miles. 390-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Chrome wire
wheels in decent condition. Older repaint
could stand to be polished. Same for
chrome and stainless. Panel gaps are inconsistent,
particularly around the rear of
the car. Taillights are hazy. Black vinyl seats
each have a small seam split at the top of
the seat backs. Much patina to be found on
the interior. Things are beginning to let go.
Cond: 3-.
NOT SOLD AT $57,500. This thing was
cool from every angle. The paint was swimming-pool
deep, with one of the best flame
jobs I’ve ever seen. The polished vented
drum brakes were stunning, but you had to
wonder if they would be enough to scrub off
the speed generated by the aluminum
block/aluminum head, dual-quad-topped
427. The build quality here could not be
denied. There was no good reason to own
this, which is exactly the reason you would
want to own it. This wasn’t the right venue
for the car, as the high bid of $57,500
couldn’t have been half the build cost.
#S132-1940 FORD DELUXE convertible.
VIN: 185263227. Maroon/white vinyl/red
vinyl. Odo: 11,156 miles. An older restoration
that is just beginning to show signs of
patina in the chrome and stainless. Paint is
shiny, with signs of buffer swirl present. The
rubber-covered running boards look like
they could stand to be cleaned. The white
vinyl soft top is in good nick, with minimal
wrinkling. The vinyl bench seat shows little
wear. A clean old ragtop with that great prewar
Ford style. Cond: 3+.
112 AmericanCarCollector.com
NOT SOLD AT $21,000. This Mercury
wagon last changed hands at the Auctions
America Auburn, IN, sale in August of 2014,
for $17,600 (ACC# 6710928). The exterior
cosmetics were in good shape, but the interior
needed more attention. A good cruiser if
you have kids/stuff to haul. High bid was
right at average for the model. More money
out of this likely requires more money invested.
#S95.1-1957 FORD FAIRLANE 500 Skyliner
retractable hard top. VIN: D7KW168770.
Pink & mocha metallic/mocha
metallic/pink & mocha vinyl. Odo: 24 miles.
312-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto. Paint, chrome, stainless,
glass, weatherstrip, engine bay and
interior all appear in remarkable condition.
Tons of time and money invested here has
made this Ford better than new. Next to
nothing to fault here, save the white residue
NOT SOLD AT $25,000. I wanted to like
this T-bird, as these years always looked so
cool, but this one was needy. With median
Thunderbird ragtop prices around $28k, the
needs this car had would exceed the return
on investment. The seller would have been
wise to let this one go here.
#S53.1-1969 MERCURY COUGAR XR-7
convertible. VIN: 9F94H510213. Dark Ivy
Green Metallic/tan vinyl/Medium Saddle
leather. Odo: 725 miles. 351-ci V8, 4-bbl,
auto. A striking color combo. Paint, engine
compartment and interior are all in superior
condition. The paint seemed to have just a
touch of blue to it, looking like a deep aqua
that contrasted beautifully with the tan top
and interior. This is an older restoration that
is holding up very well. Complete with heavy
documentation and a Deluxe Marti Report.
Cond: 2+. NOT SOLD AT $26,000. A quick
online search for the VIN revealed a dealer
who was asking around $34k. This Cougar
has been to three other auctions that we
have tracked in the past couple of years
Page 111
(ACC# 6832401, 6854808, 6865609). The
most recent was Mecum’s Los Angeles auction
in February, where it garnered a high
bid of $29,000. With the high bids all hovering
around median value, and the fees for
shipping accumulating, maybe the seller
should have sold.
#S146.1-1971 FORD RANCHERO pickup.
VIN: 1A47H187695. Green metallic/black
vinyl. Odo: 43,778 miles. 351-ci V8, 2-bbl,
auto. Shiny green paint has several runs.
Stainless could be better polished, but
chrome is bright. Black vinyl tonneau cover
on bed in good condition. Black vinyl bench
seat shows very little wear. Carpet looks
recent, but the driver’s side seat belt is dirty
and twisted. Engine compartment is clean,
but the block and heads are painted an incorrect
shade of blue. Magnum 500 wheels
were a nice touch. Cond: 3.
NOT SOLD AT $14,000. This was a decentenough
refresh on a model that isn’t often
seen. With the recent uptick in classic truck
prices, it seems more people have been
pulling old ones out of barns and garages,
dolling them up and heading to auction.
This was a decent cruiser that could be
pressed into more practical service. The
high bid here was just a bit below average.
The owner may have been able to squeeze
a bit more out of it with additional detailing.
#S90-1993 FORD MUSTANG LX convertible.
VIN: 1FACP44E5PF205574. Vibrant
White/white vinyl/white leather. Odo: 178
miles. 5.0-L fuel-injected V8, 5-sp. The easiest
thing to describe is a brand-new car.
This is a brand-new 1993 Mustang ragtop
wearing a scant 178 miles. Everything
about the car appears new, with the window
sticker still in the window. It is claimed the
convertible top has never been lowered.
The rear seat is still covered in plastic.
Cond: 1. NOT SOLD AT $32,000. This was
quite possibly the world’s lowest-mileage
1993 Mustang. Having covered fewer than
180 miles from new, it was positively showroom
fresh. If you always wanted a new
triple-white ‘Stang convertible, this was
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MECUM AUCTIONS // Kansas City, MO
cruiser you could park in questionable parking
lots without fear. Sale price was reflective
of exterior condition.
AMERICANA
your chance. It’s tough to say if that level of
originality was worth the premium the owner
was seeking.
MOPAR
#S47.1-1965 CHRYSLER NEWPORT convertible.
VIN: C156206659. Daffodil Yellow/
black vinyl/black vinyl. Odo: 98,466 miles.
383-ci V8, 2-bbl, auto. Older paint showing
its age with dirt, runs and numerous chips—
some touched up, some not. Panel gaps
inconsistent; particularly at hood, which has
a large gap on one side, and is so tight you
couldn’t slide a business card in the other.
Window felts coming apart, stainless and
chrome show age and wear. Interior shows
surprisingly light wear. Black vinyl top is
lightly faded but otherwise serviceable.
Cond: 3-.
#S150-1955 PACKARD CARIBBEAN convertible.
VIN: 55881466. White Jade, Jade
& Emerald/white vinyl/white, mint green &
turquoise leather. Odo: 36,343 miles. 352-ci
V8, 2x4-bbl, auto. Chrome wires in excellent
nick wearing radial wide whites. Exterior
stainless is nicely polished. Chrome shows
some light buff marks. Paint quality is indicative
of quality prep and application.
Trunk missing the lock cylinder. Engine
compartment is tidy. A bit of weatherstrip
pulling loose inside door jamb below A-pillar.
Bench seat shows minor creasing. Interior
driver’s side door sill is rather dull. An
older resto is beginning to show signs of
age. Lots of presence, just needs a bit of
freshening. Cond: 3+.
black paint. Glass and weatherstrip both
look recent. The tidy engine compartment
has a new GM 350, backed by a 3-speed
automatic. New gray vinyl adorns the interior,
and is likely an upgrade from the original
upholstery. Well executed. Cond: 2-.
SOLD AT $14,850. Although not original,
the change to V8 power likely made this
Jeep more useful. This appeared to have
been done with an eye for quality. These
were notorious for rusting all over, and the
work done represented a solid effort. The
buyer paid a fraction of the cost involved.
Very well bought.
SOLD AT $66,000. Packard Caribbeans
are quite rare, and always a treat to see—
this was only the third Caribbean I have
seen in the wild. We last saw this example
cross the block at the Mecum Auction in
Schaumburg, IL, in October of last year.
Having traded hands for just $50,600
(ACC# 6852074), this was a tidy turn. Sold
at about market value, fair deal all around.
SOLD AT $8,800. Another example of a car
that looked decent from a distance, but
closer inspection revealed it had been ridden
hard and put away wet. This would
have been a good top-down, clear-day
Black/gray vinyl. Odo: 26,319 miles. 350-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. A rare Commando pickup
bed, this Jeepster variant sports shiny new
#F33-1973 JEEP JEEPSTER Commando
SUV. VIN: J3A88HVA36078.
#F6-1979 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT II
Midas Edition SUV. VIN: J0102JGD44818.
Tan & white/brown plaid cloth. Odo:
106,635 miles. 392-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto.
Claimed fresh paint in factory colors is
shiny, but feels like it is covered in
overspray. The weatherstrip looks older
than the truck. Small rust bubbles adorn the
door jambs. The interior has multiple rips
and tears. Components for a/c are in a box
in the back seat. There are twin aftermarket
pop-up moon roofs over the front seats.
Nothing here is pretty. Cond: 3-.
SOLD AT $13,200. There was so much
ugly here, it was difficult to quantify. The
Midas Edition was what looked like a homebuilt
custom van from the 1970s done in
repugnant brown plaid. Adding insult to injury,
the plaid was in poor condition. The
Scout had been painted, but not well. These
weren’t great-looking new, and time has not
been kind. Not sure if nostalgia or the growing
popularity of classic trucks got this sold,
but whatever it was, the seller walked away
a winner. A
114 AmericanCarCollector.com
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Selected Sales Combined in One Comprehensive Report
American Highlights
at Four Auctions
CLASSICS
2
#151-1932 STUTZ DV-32 convertible.
VIN: DV1282012. Maroon/
black canvas/black leather. Odo:
395 miles. Modified in the 1980s with DV-32
motor installed and body altered to resemble
a Rollston design. Previously modified in
the ’50s, with lowered windshield and redesigned
beltline. Large Ryan-Lite headlamps
and Pilot Rays. Interior with light patina from
use, and engine bay sparkles. A wonderful—albeit
non-authentic—presentation.
Cond: 2+.
The top seller at Gooding & Company’s amelia Island auction — 1967 Ford GT40
Mk IV coupe, sold at $1,925,000
SOLD AT $544,000. This was last seen at
the Milhous sale in Boca Raton, FL, that
was conducted by RM in February 2012,
where it sold for $522,500 (ACC# 4776301).
It has been driven a little over 100 miles
since, and sold for a touch more. The
amount paid is surprising since the modification
may place it in the rebodied class at
most every major event. No idea how it received
CCCA recognition, as that would not
happen today. A very striking design, and if
authenticity is not of interest, a delightful
automobile. RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island,
FL, 03/18.
Gooding & Company
amelia Island, FL — March 9, 2018
Auctioneer: Charlie Ross
automotive lots sold/offered: 82/86
Sales rate: 95%
Sales total: $35,794,250
High American sale: 1967 Ford GT40 Mk IV
coupe, sold at $1,925,000
Buyer’s premium: 10%, included in sold prices
Report and photos by Pierre Hedary and Elaine
Spiller
RM Sotheby’s
amelia Island, FL — March 10, 2018
Auctioneers: Maarten ten Holder
automotive lots sold/offered: 87/102
Sales rate: 85%
Sales total: $27,563,720
High American sale: 1931 Marmon Sixteen
coupe, sold at $1,050,000
Buyer’s premium: 10%, included in sold prices
Report and photos by Carl Bomstead
116 AmericanCarCollector.com
Bonhams
amelia Island, FL — March 8, 2018
Auctioneers: Rupert Banner
automotive lots sold/offered: 88/101
Sales rate: 87%
Sales total: $13,177,679
High American sale: 1919 Pierce-Arrow Model
51 tourer, sold at $280,000
Buyer’s premium: 10%, included in sold prices
Report and photos by Mark Moskowitz and Jeff
Trepel
Motostalgia
amelia Island, FL — March 10, 2018
Auctioneers: Duncan Brown
automotive lots sold/offered: 50/67
Sales rate: 75%
Sales total: $2,440,790
High American sale: 1965 Shelby Cobra
aluminum replica roadster, sold at $158,400
Buyer’s premium: 10%, included in sold prices
Report and photos by John Hoshstrasser
#151-1937 CORD 812 SC Sportsman
convertible. VIN: 31631F.
Eng. # FC2136. Light maroon/tan
cloth/tan leather. Odo: 1,010 miles. According
to the catalog, this Sportsman “...never
left the factory officially in its present configuration,
but was assembled over a thirtyyear
period using original Cord 810/812
parts.” Great engineering job, looks to be
completely authentic. Excellent panel fit and
very nice chrome. Authentic maroon-brown
color much more attractive in person versus
photos. Older paint very nice, with a few
chips. Beautiful seats and door panels with
slight soiling. Small gap between the seat
squab and backrest did not seem right to
me. Certainly not right for a sedan, but I
could not locate interior photos of a Sportsman
to verify. Replacement supercharged
7
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engine installed in 2013, looks clean and
correct. Cond: 2. SOLD AT $112,000. The
rarest Cord body style, with a checkered
past, but nicely presented. If this Cord was
a vintage Bentley, the British might call it a
“bitsa,” a car later assembled on an original
chassis from parts sourced elsewhere. “Bits
of this, bits of that.” This is a fine bitsa, really
indistinguishable from a factory Sportsman,
but a bitsa nonetheless. As such, the
hammer price was $40k below the low estimate,
and the all-in price was about half of
the 2018 ACC Pocket Price Guide median
for a supercharged 812 Sportsman. If it
drives as good as it looks, a relatively inexpensive
way to get into a desirable Cord.
Bonhams, Amelia Island, FL, 03/18.
GM
9
Foam Green/tan cloth/green cloth & leather.
Odo: 762 miles. Deep and smooth paint,
with an imperfection here and there. Panel
fit excellent except perhaps at junction of
doors and pontoon fenders, likely per factory
original. Excellent chrome, even on
complex, layered grille and intricate emblems.
Art Deco instruments unreadable but
artistic. Early Hydramatic without any Park
position. Interior fabrics and hardware now
a bit short of perfection, but no restoration
needed. Likewise under the hood. A pleasure
to sit in and hopefully the same to
drive. Cond: 2+.
#173-1942 OLDSMOBILE 98 Custom
Cruiser convertible. VIN:
9828403. Eng. # 8-106845HS. Sea
SOLD AT $23,100. The last year for Harley
Earl’s Torpedo, being renamed the Chieftain
for 1949. The fastback styling is pleasing
to my eye. A good weekend or two of
cleaning would do wonders for this car and
make it a large, stylish cruiser. The reserve
was lifted at the hammer price. Values for
these cars have been flat the past couple of
years, and the market for Torpedos is small
and getting smaller. Well sold. Motostalgia,
Amelia Island, FL, 03/18.
SOLD AT $95,200. This rare (one of 216 in
the war-shortened 1942 model year) and
characterful Oldsmobile was last sold at RM
Scottsdale 2004 for $58,000 (ACC#
1558410). It now wears a 2006 AACA National
Senior First Place badge, so the current
restoration was likely following that
sale. Apparently then had a color change
from yellow with a red interior to the current
Sea Foam Green—a perfect color for this
car. Sold at the lower end of Bonhams’ estimate.
Comparables difficult to find, but I
think the buyer received excellent value for
the money. Should be fun to own, drive and
show. Bonhams, Amelia Island, FL, 03/18.
#52-1948 PONTIAC TORPEDO 2-dr sedan.
VIN: K8PA3979. Cream/gray cloth.
249-ci I8, 2-bbl, 3-sp. Good paint over dent-
#135-1953 PONTIAC CHIEFTAIN Deluxe
Eight convertible. VIN: P8XH88350. Continental
Maroon/black canvas/black vinyl.
Odo: 51,973 miles. 268-ci I8, 2-bbl, auto.
Tired brown-ish paint, with multiple chips. In
a few spots where paint is worn, one sees
both black and gray beneath. Brightwork
shows age but exhibits minimal pitting and
no significant dents. Rare dings in bodywork
and gaps appropriate. Shiny black upholstery
separated in spots. No pitting of dashboard
trim. Underhood looks very original,
with amazing touches including original light
and GM glass windshield-washer bottle.
Mild oxidation on exhaust header and some
paint loss on coil. Appears to have replacement
convertible top. Spare, jack, manuals
and build sheet included. Cond: 3-.
less body. Exterior chrome and stainless
trim need buffing. Chrome hubcaps and
tires dirty. Sunshade looks good. New cloth
interior excellent. Some wear on driver’s
side bolster. Faux wood trim on top of doors
worn. Steering wheel cracked. Gauges
clean and clear. Equipped with optional Silver
Streak inline 8-cylinder and columnshifted
3-speed. Engine grimy with surface
rust on non-painted components but looks
stock and complete. Battery tender installed
at preview. Cond: 2-.
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SOLD AT $39,760. Apparently genuine
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surviving car imbued with enough style and
chrome to make it a standout. Sold in the
mid-range of estimates. Not much room for
appreciation, but a fair exchange for buyer
and seller. Bonhams, Amelia Island, FL,
03/18.
#3-1989 CADILLAC BROUGHAM sedan.
VIN: 1G6DW51Y3KR716443. Dark blue
metallic/dark blue vinyl/dark blue leather.
Odo: 67,647 miles. 307-ci V8, 4-bbl, auto.
Paint holding up well, but could use a good
buffing. Exterior brightwork good. Small
dent in grille. Vinyl top in good condition. All
glass is clear. Wire hubcaps good over new
Hankook tires. Exterior mirrors show some
pitting on top surfaces. Interior excellent,
with only slight creasing to driver’s seat
leather. All other seats look unused. Fully
loaded with every electric gadget. Blue carpet
a little discolored due to aging. Slight
cracking to leather wheel. Engine bay a little
dirty, but complete. Cond: 2.
Competition Sport Package Corvettes in
2009), and lightened and strengthened
where appropriate, and is probably more
collectible. Had it been driven, the value
might have gone down as little as $10k.
Assuming the seller was the original owner,
this represents a lost experiential opportunity,
and a significant financial loss considering
the $78,000 cost of purchase and the
cost of the hold. A reasonable purchase for
the buyer. Bonhams, Amelia Island, FL,
03/18.
FOMOCO
#107-1956 LINCOLN PREMIERE convertible.
VIN: 56WA29939L. Admiralty Blue/tan
vinyl/tan leather. Odo: 11,332 miles. 368-ci
V8, 4-bbl, auto. A quality restoration by Hibernia
Restoration. Finished in unusual
shade of Admiralty Blue, with tan leather
interior. Top of the line for Lincoln and first
year for wrap-around windshield. Loaded
with goodies that were all operable: power
windows, radio, clock, power steering,
power antenna and heater. Cond: 1-.
SOLD AT $158,400. Leaf-spring, aluminumbody
continuation version with bulging fenders.
Most of these continuation cars had
fiberglass bodies, so the aluminum body
here should command a premium. These
are technically real Shelby cars for about
1/7th the price of an original Cobra. Well
bought and sold. Motostalgia, Amelia Island,
FL, 03/18.
1
SOLD AT $5,200. This car was clearly
pampered and stored indoors for all its life.
All electric options, including a/c, seemed to
work just fine. If this is your thing, a good
weekend cleaning is all this car needs to be
excellent. Sold where it should—both buyer
and seller should be happy. Motostalgia,
Amelia Island, FL, 03/18.
CORVETTE
#204-2009 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06
coupe. VIN: 1G1YZ25E395114480. Black/
Ebony leather. Odo: 40 miles. 7.0-L 505-hp
fuel-injected V8, 6-sp. Corvette’s 2009
track-day car presented in condition expected
for a 40-mile car. A few competition
graphics on doors and hood. Corvette Racing
Jake and CSR logos on B-pillars, center
armrest and headrests. Cond: 1.
SOLD AT $86,240. Ads stated that women
felt it was easier to drive than a small car.
Doubt if they would use that ad today. The
Continental Mark II was the big news for
’56, but the Premiere was their best effort to
catch up with Cadillac in terms of volume.
Promoted True-Power V8 with new-thisyear
368-ci motor. Price paid exceeded expectations,
but doubt if it covered the cost of
restoration. Even so, it was well sold. RM
Sotheby’s, Amelia Island, FL, 03/18.
5
V8, 8x1-bbl, 4-sp. Shelby CSX Series 7000
continuation titled as a 1965. Some chips to
nose. Unique under-car exhaust exits behind
doors. One scratch on supple leather
#14-1965 SHELBY COBRA CSX
continuation roadster. VIN: CSX7006.
White/black leather. 289-ci
SOLD AT $1,045,000. A real barn find, or
SOLD AT $49,280. The casual buyer may
have been put off, as this car lacked the
most powerful engine offered at the time—
the supercharged 638-hp in the ZR1. This
car was built in smaller numbers (just 72
118 AmericanCarCollector.com
“
If it were mine, I would start by wiping it
down with an oily rag and changing the
fluids, sorting the ignition, checking
and repairing the brakes and clutch if
needed, and then drive it.
1967 Shelby Cobra 427 roadster
428-ci V8, 4-bbl, 4-sp. Looks like it’s been in
long storage. Underneath all of the dust,
unpolished paint has a few swirl marks, but
honestly does not look too bad. Halibrand
wheels present and also in very good
shape. Interior full of dust and dirt, with very
nice leather and salvageable carpet, although
there is some oxidation present on
bright trim. Front windshield also in very
good shape but with some hardware missing.
Overall, this car is much better than it
looks. Cond: 3-.
#16-1967 SHELBY COBRA 427
roadster. VIN: CSX3278. Red/
black leather. Odo: 18,002 miles.
driver’s seat. Carpet ripped around driver’s
pedals. Some pitting to exterior chrome.
Fire-suppression system added. Clean engine
bay sports eight 1-barrel carbs, but
bright red spark-plug wires detract. Cond: 2.
”
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just stored in a dirty garage? The video
about the Ferrari and the Cobra, which is
also on YouTube, courtesy of Barn Find
Hunter, paints an unclear picture. It seems
that these cars were stored in a suburban
garage in a nice neighborhood. If it were
mine, I would start by wiping it down with an
oily rag and changing the fluids, sorting the
ignition, checking and repairing the brakes
and clutch if needed, and then drive it. Anything
else may likely be excessive. Gooding
& Co., Amelia Island, FL, 03/18.
#5-1984 FORD MUSTANG LX convertible.
VIN: 1FABP273XEF216884. Blue/white
vinyl/white vinyl. Odo: 34,405 miles. 3.8-L
fuel-injected V6, auto. Paint good overall,
but black paint on rear bumper wearing
through. Aftermarket alloy wheels dull and
dirty. Paint on front grille flaking off. Aftermarket
rubber antenna in factory location.
Convertible top dirty but looks okay, with
clear glass rear window. Driver’s seat back
tearing along seam. Door panels a little
wavy. Dash looks good. Front carpet very
dirty. Doors close well. 3.8-L V6 underhood
is grimy and shows surface corrosion on
non-painted areas. Modern discount battery.
Cond: 3.
outer side bolster. Shelby logos everywhere
inside in case you forgot what you were
sitting in. Interior is as-new and still smells
like it. Underhood shows some surface corrosion
to aluminum components, but all else
is clean. Cond: 1-. NOT SOLD AT $45,000.
Ford entered into a new business agreement
with Carroll Shelby in 2006, and the
2007 Shelby GT500 was one of the results.
The GT500 was at the top of the Shelby
Mustang heap until the GT500 KR came
along in 2008; then came the Super Snake,
consigning these GT500s to the second and
then third tier. The value add to this example
is the low mileage, so it probably won’t
be driven much more. The right buyer was
not in the room and the hammer price fell
short. The owner was right to take this example
back home. Motostalgia, Amelia
Island, FL, 03/18.
MOPAR
#207-1941 CHRYSLER WINDSOR sedan.
VIN: 7931407. Gunmetal/blue cloth. Odo:
20,367 miles. A very original Windsor sedan
that has been restored as needed. Features
a number of accessories including fog
lights, bumper guards, MoPar Deluxe heater
and Fluid Drive transmission. Number of
issues including delaminating wind wing,
dash plastic cracking and wear on the fabric
interior. The catalog called the upholstery
color Dove Grey, but it’s surely more blue
than that. Cond: 3+.
SOLD AT $5,500. Quad-headlight Fox-body
Mustang. The upside is that it’s a convertible,
the downside is the automatic transmission
and V6. At least it didn’t have the
base inline-four cylinder. Easy convertible
cruising for credit-card money, but this was
still well sold. Motostalgia, Amelia Island,
FL, 03/18.
#27-2007 SHELBY GT500 coupe. VIN:
1ZVHT88S675225497. White/black leather.
Odo: 2,280 miles. 5.4-L supercharged V8,
6-sp. Number 74 out of 500 40th Anniversary
Shelby GT500s produced for 2007.
One small chip on hood touched up. Carbon-fiber
front air dam unmarked. Wheels
unblemished. Minor creasing to driver’s seat
SOLD AT $14,560. A rather basic 1941
sedan that is a decent starter car. Part of a
major consignor’s collection, as I doubt it
would have been accepted for this auction
on its own. Perhaps it brings back interesting
memories for the new owner, and, if so,
then no issue with the price paid. RM Sotheby’s,
Amelia Island, FL, 03/18.
#104-1993 DODGE VIPER RT/10 roadster.
VIN: 1B3BR65E2PV200706. Viper Red/
black fabric/gray leather. Odo: 586 miles.
8.0-L fuel-injected V10, 6-sp. Part of an estate
said to have over 20 Vipers. Headlight
plexiglass blemish. Multiple cracks in the
clearcoat on the hood. Panels are straight.
Interior wear is minimal. Dent on top side of
driver’s side exhaust. A few dings in fuelinjector
covers. Wheels without curb rash.
Cond: 2-. SOLD AT $42,560. CARFAX
stated it to be a two-owner car, but it has
changed hands since then at Leake’s OKC
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ONETO WATCH
Median Sold Price By Year
Cars With Values on the Move
$10,000
$8,000
$7,000
$6,100
$6,000
$4,000
$2,000
$0
$4,394
$4,620
$7,700
auction in 2014 ($47,850, ACC# 6697717).
A four-year hold and 88 miles of use netted
a $5k loss; yet the Viper roadster still sold
slightly above market. Dodge made over
1,000 of these in 1993. They remain a
Grade B collectible. It’s an oft-used statement—the
most value will come from driving
these fast and ferocious Dodges. Bonhams,
Amelia Island, FL, 03/18.
AMERICANA
2013
2014
2015
2016
1984–87 Pontiac Fiero
T
he Fiero is about as ’80s as shoulder pads, big hair and neon colors. The new
Pontiac model was even a sponsor of ’80s music legends Hall and Oates and their
“Big Bam Boom” tour. Coincidentally, that is the same sound the Fiero makes
when one of its notoriously weak pushrods fails.
The development of the
Fiero was long and filled with obstacles.
GM management fought the idea and
continuously hit the project with budget
cuts, which kept the design team modifying
what they could find in the GM
spare-parts bin. The only innovations
were the plastic body panels and the
newly engineered space frame.
The final result was a heavy and
underpowered sports car that wasn’t
great to drive. Eventually, a 2.8-L V6
was added and an updated suspension
was developed, but the Fiero already had a bad reputation and
sales were dropping. GM cut the model after 1988.
With more than 350,000 built and the fact that many are still
Detailing
Years built: 1984–87
Number produced:
Number sold at auction
in the past 12
343,766
Average price of those
cars: $7,510
months: 14
Number listed in the
ACC Premium
Database: 157
Current ACC Median
Valuation: $7,700
considered used junkers, finding a Fiero is an easy task — but
they’re not quite as cheap as they were a few years ago.
In 2013, seven out of the 10 cars we documented had a final
price under $4,000. By 2017, 50% of our recorded Fiero prices
were over $7,000, with customized cars bringing top dollar. That
makes sense considering there are a vast number of engine swaps
and upgrades that can improve the performance of your Fiero.
Nostalgia is a funny thing that seems to be driving the market
up in this case, so get one while the prices are relatively cheap.
Who knows, the market might catch fire, just like a Fiero engine
dripping oil on a hot manifold.A
122 AmericanCarCollector.com
AmericanCarCollector.com
— Chad Taylor
2017
#6-1949 NASH AIRFLYTE 600 sedan. VIN:
K280520. Black/gray mohair. Odo: 5,621
miles. 172-ci I6, 1-bbl, 3-sp. An unusual
consignment for this auction. Original lowmileage
car. Very straight, older Nash with
aging paint. With a little bit of detailing, it
has the potential to shine. The interior might
also be original. Chrome beautifully clouded
with very little, if any, damage. Interior has a
delightful, distinctive musty smell. Rubber
seals starting to show cracks around edges.
From the auction block, I can tell it runs and
drives nicely, with a very smooth, quiet engine.
Cond: 2.
SOLD AT $88,000. A gamble that proved to
be a big win—it seems as if this Nash was
more desirable than anticipated. While the
fragility of its preserved condition worried
me, the high price paid leaves no doubt that
it will likely be kept in climate-controlled
storage by a new, meticulous owner. Gooding
& Co., Amelia Island, FL, 03/18.
#186-1951 HUDSON HORNET
Brougham convertible. VIN: 7A122578.
Newport Gray/black fabric/maroon
leather. 308-ci I6, 2x1-bbl, auto. Powered
by the Twin H-Power I6 with Dual Range
Hydramatic. Fitted with Kelsey-Hayes wires
and sun visor. Restored by marque expert
to high standard. A very strong example.
Cond: 2+. SOLD AT $72,800. An example
of the legendary “step down” Hudson, with a
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lower center of gravity than most of its contemporaries.
This was one of the reasons
they were so successful in NASCAR. This
Hudson was last seen at Bonham’s August
2016 Quail auction, where it realized an
amazing $192,500 (ACC# 6806611). Less
found in typical Detroit cars of the era. Very
nice dash, but, oddly, clock missing a hand.
Very clean and correct engine compartment,
although some wiring looks aged.
Twin H-Power dual-carb setup, with distinctive
orange air cleaners, is too cool.
Cond: 2.
Won National First at AACA judging.
Cond: 2.
than two years later, a $120,000 haircut.
The price paid at Bonhams’ was clearly a
case of auction fever, but the price paid
here was a bit light. Two extremes, with
Bonhams’ sale over the top and the sale
here well under the money. You offer without
reserve and you take your chances. An
absolute bargain. RM Sotheby’s, Amelia
Island, FL, 03/18.
#125-1954 HUDSON HORNET
Brougham convertible. VIN: 7291982.
Red/black cloth/red leather. Odo: 6,578
miles. 308-ci I6, 2x1-bbl, auto. Enchanting
Convertible Brougham restored about 20
years ago. Well equipped with Dual Range
Hydramatic (purchased from GM), power
steering, brakes and windows. Lovely, dark
red paint holding up well, if perhaps a little
thick in places. Doors a bit rattly with windows
down. Chrome okay but beginning to
show haze inside and out. Inside, beautiful
maroon leather has settled in nicely. Gorgeous
door panels far more elegant than
SOLD AT $62,720. A rare car when new,
with Hudson producing only 290 Convertible
Broughams in 1954. Given the rarity, quality
and condition of this Hornet, I thought it
might bring several thousand more. Comparables
are limited, but I thought the auction
estimate of $65k–$75k was fair, maybe
even slightly conservative. With the premium,
the all-in price came in slightly below
the low estimate. The buyer purchased a lot
of car for the money and should be very
pleased with the value. Bonhams, Amelia
Island, FL, 03/18.
#106-1955 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION
REGAL Conestoga wagon. VIN: G1323474.
Pima Red/tan & blue cloth. Odo:
23,163 miles. 224-ci V8, 2-bbl, 3-sp. Sold to
benefit Spina Bifida of Jacksonville. The
Conestoga was a 2-door wagon that was
offered with both a 6- or 8-cylinder motor.
Restored as needed with AM radio,
accessory visor and dual outside mirrors.
SOLD AT $33,040. An unusual wagon that
will be a fun Sunday driver. The fact that
this was benefiting a very good cause most
likely added $5k–$10k to the final bid. New
owner has a fun wagon and helped a good
cause. RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island, FL,
03/18. A
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™
May-June 2018 123
BEST
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Keith Martin’s
Page 122
The Parts Hunter
Pat Smith
Hubcaps and Mufflers in the Box
Rare parts can make or break you.
It depends on skill and luck
shape but has a ZZ code as well and old FoMoCo script and is black instead of bright metal The 1965–68 Mustang dash speaker is completely
different and has a ZZ code as well. A little bit of decoding of the part number can save you money. At $95, this wasn’t a big loss and it will
work. A correct-numbered piece would set you back $300, so we can call it a fair deal for a driver car.
#162894028579 1961–63 Buick Special,
Skylark NOS muffler, p/n 1355856.
Item condition: New. 8 photos. eBay.
Munger, MI, 2/8/2018.
“This is a 1961 Buick Special Skylark muffler
found in an old Buick dealership loft. It
fits the following models: Special 40-4100
2-barrel except 4054 4-door wagon 3-seat,
Special 40-4100 police car, Special 4045
H.P. and police car, Skylark 4300 4-barrel,
1962 Skylark and Special 40-41-4300 V8
4-barrel and police car option, 1963 Special
and Skylark 40-41-4300 V8.”
Sold at $99.99.
Early 1960s Buick exhaust systems were
pretty weird. The Special and Skylark
system is clean compared to the nightmare
spaghetti setup used in the Invicta. The
price is right since it’s half what a nice reproduction
style would cost you. If you have
the time to put together a complete system
from NOS parts, go for it. I can see this
going underneath a loaded V8 215 1963-ci
convertible
for maximum
show value.
The 8-62 date
code on the
muffler pretty
much forces the
owner to use it
on a ’63 model.
Fairly priced.
124 AmericanCarCollector.com
#362229963869 1974–76 Bricklin SV1 rims.
Item condition: Used. 12 photos. eBay.
Riverside, CA, 2/1/2018.
“These are very nice polished original Bricklin
SV1 rims with new center spinners and lug
nuts. As you can see from the photos, they
would be a very nice addition to your car. Sold
as pictured.”
Sold at $1,250.
This is actually a decent price for a fairly obscure set of wheels with all the
extras like the correct spinners and logos. Price paid was market.
ton wheel. The ¾-ton hubcap is identified by the six black windows, whereas the half-ton has
fewer. At least the dimensions are given in ad along with plenty of photos and factory part
number. Price paid is high, but then again, how many new-in-box hubcaps are still around?
#112733246888 NOS 1973–91 GMC 12-inch dog-dish
hubcap.
Item condition: new. 8 photos. eBay. Coos Bay, OR,
1/4/2018.
“New Old Stock 1973–91 GMC C, K, V, P pickup and van
12-inch dog dish hub cap. OEM# 362014.”
Sold at $46.50.
Not mentioned in the listing is that only the ¾-ton and
heavier trucks use this hubcap and that it will not fit a half-
#222784399938 1970 Pontiac LeMans Sport fender
gills (8) originals LH RH.
Item condition: Used. 12 photos. eBay. Jefferson, WI.
1/5/2018.
“Up for auction is a set of 1970-only Pontiac LeMans
#112528469890 1964–68 Ford Mustang and Falcon NOS dash speaker.
Item condition: New. 4 photos. eBay. Bedford, VA. 2/9/2018.
“Original NOS never-used Ford part! Original OEM-quality 4x10 dash speaker used on
1964–68 Mustangs and many other Fords that came with a dash speaker.”
Sold at $95.
About the only correct sentence in the ad is that it is a Ford dash speaker. The part code tells
us it’s a 1969 Ford full-size and truck speaker. The 1964–66 Mustang speaker is the same
Sport fender gill emblems with the nuts. These will work
on the LH and RH fender. Eight is enough for both fenders.
They are correct for 1970. These are originals and
are in nice driver-quality shape, in my opinion. Need to
be restored to be perfect.”
Sold at $120.
Obscure, one-year-only parts are always a nightmare to locate and buy. Now that GTOs are
so expensive, the LeMans Sports and T-37 cars are gaining popularity. The fender gills are
high-visibility items and stand out like a sore thumb if they’re pitted or broken — especially on
a new paint job. This is a great price for a nice set. The chrome front bumper and these gills
are the shiny bits that’ll break the bank on this model. Very well bought.A
Page 124
JUNKYARDTREASURES
The Good Stuff
in the Desert
pre-World War II, grand but not a Full Classic, this 1938 LaSalle Series 50 sedan still could contribute to a quality restoration
A look at Desert Valley Auto Parts’ second location
Story and photos by Phil Skinner
J
ason McClure has enjoyed a lot of success
with his Phoenix-area Desert Valley Auto
Parts business, so when an opportunity to
expand came along, he jumped on board.
It was one of his better decisions.
For many years, a business had operated in Casa
Grande, AZ, about an hour’s drive from downtown
Phoenix. Wiseman’s Auto Parts had a respected
worldwide reputation for dealing with cars from
the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. When Mr. Wiseman died,
the family decided to auction off the 5,000-plus
vehicles on the property. A sale was conducted,
and McClure made an offer for all the leftover
stock as well as the property. His offer was accepted
and DVAP-2 was born.
Detailing
What: Desert Valley Auto
Parts Yard 2
Where: 900 W.
Hours: Monday–Friday 8
a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed
Sunday. Check for
holiday season operations
Phone: 800-798-2465
Web: www.dvap.com
126 AmericanCarCollector.com
Cottonwood Lane, Casa
Grande, AZ 85222
In packard’s Clipper line for 1956, the Custom Constellation 2-door hard top
was top dog
Today, the yard is very well stocked. I did
find a few miscellaneous makes and models
scattered about, but generally if you were
looking for a Chevrolet from the 1950s or a
Plymouth from the 1960s, the helpful office
staff can point you in the right direction.
Many of the cars in current inventory have
been here since the Wiseman days. But I
also noted quite a few vehicles have been
saved from crushers or shredders. McClure
is constantly adding to his stock, and if you
are looking for some solid, good old USA
metal, this place should be on top of your
list. A
Though stripped of trim, the quarter panels, hood and fenders
were solid on this 1958 edsel Corsair 2-door hard top
Page 126
Showcase Gallery
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with VISA/MC or check.
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American Car Collector Magazine is not responsible for any omissions, erroneous, false
and/or misleading statements of its advertisers.
GM
1958 Chevrolet Impala convertible
1969 Chevrolet Chevelle COPO 2-door
hard top
S/N 20867S1033S3. Roman Red/black.
50,000 miles. V8, 4-spd manual. Beautifully
restored. Original matching-numbers fuelinjected
car. 4-speed manual transmission.
Complete with both hard and soft tops. Call
or email Alex for more info. $87,500 OBO.
Dragone Classic Motorcars. Contact Alex,
Ph: 203.218.1903, email: alexdragone1@
gmail.com. (CT)
1966 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390
coupe
S/N F58T270830. Tropical Turquoise/
turqoise, gray & black. 53,100 miles. V8,
automatic. Rust-free example of this older
frame-off restoration from the early 2000s
with every nut and bolt replaced. Very few
miles since being restored, and mostly
all original. 348/250hp big-block V8 with
4-bbl Rochester carburetor and Powerglide
2-speed automatic transmission. Beautiful
repainted original Tropical Turquoise (paint
code 914) factory color paint and with absolutely
beautiful all-new and original-spec
turquoise, gray & black (trim code 837)
tri-tone-colored interior. $110,000 OBO.
West Coast Classics LLC. Contact Simon,
Ph: 310.399.3990, email: wcclassics@aol.
com. Website: www.TheWestCoastClassics.
com. (CA)
1959 Cadillac DeVille custom coupe
S/N 59J075040. Black/red Leather. 57
miles. V8, automatic. Absolutely exceptional
and beautiful example of this wonderful,
no-expense-spared custom Cadillac, which
received a full frame-off restoration and
customization. Lowered using an Air Ride
Technologies suspension by its previous
owner with a 502-ci crate motor with 502 hp
and 567 ft-lb of torque mated to a monster
700R4 transmission. Finished in a striking
custom black color with a sumptuous red
leather interior. Ready to show or cruise.
$110,000 OBO. West Coast Classics LLC.
Contact Simon, Ph: 310.399.3990, email:
wcclassics@aol.com. Website: www.TheWestCoastClassics.com.
(CA)
128 AmericanCarCollector.com
S/N 344870E166189. Nugget Gold (55)/
black. 8,000 miles. V8, 4-spd automatic.
Engine rebuilt, power windows, doors, locks,
trunk, vinyl top, AM radio/8-track, Tic-TocTach.
New paint 2017, two sets of tires and
wheels; Rally and poverty caps. Car is in
as-new condition. $70,000. Contact Jerry,
Ph: 262.497.3747, email: mr1970olds@att.
net. (WI)
1974 Pontiac Trans Am Super Duty
455 coupe
S/N 136379B404108. Fathom Green/green.
42,583 miles. V8, 3-spd manual. Multishow-winning,
concours-level restoration.
Fully documented and certified. Listed on
the COPO registry. Highest-option COPO
Chevelle known to exist. L72 427ci/425
hp V8 engine. M22 Rock Crusher Muncie
4-speed transmission. 4.10:1 ring and pinion.
Chambered exhaust pipes. Full gauges and
factory tachometer. $149,900. Daniel Schmitt
& Co. Contact Daniel, Ph: 314.291.7000,
email: info@schmitt.com. Website: https://
www.schmitt.com/inventory/1969-chevroletchevelle-copo-2-door-hardtop/.
(MO)
1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 replica
2-door hard top
Numbers-matching, one of 943 built, rare
red & black interior. Car has been carefully
maintained and restored as needed. Heavily
optioned car in excellent condition with cold
a/c, power brakes and steering, tilt column,
8-track player and power locks and windows.
Originally sold at the famous Monk King
Pontiac in Denton, TX. Build sheet and PHS
documented. Runs and drives fantastic.
Listed on the Super Duty Registry and has
been kept in private collections for the past
34 years. $92,500 OBO. Munroe, Park &
Johnson. Contact Bruce, Ph: 210.722.4188,
email: bruce@mpjonline.com. (TX)
CORVETTE
1962 Chevrolet Corvette convertible
1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible
S/N 194677S114709. Marlboro Red/black.
51,100 miles. V8, manual. Exceptional
example, frame-off restored convertible
with matching numbers 427/390-hp L36 V8
IL-code engine mated to original 4-speed
manual transmission. Refinished in its original
Marlboro Maroon color (code 988) paint
with its original matching black stinger hood
stripe and black standard interior trim (code
467) with black soft top. Aluminum bolt-on
wheels. $155,000 OBO. West Coast Classics,
LLC. Contact Simon, Ph: 310.399.3990,
email: wcclassics@aol.com. Website: www.
TheWestCoastClassics.com. (CA)
1969 Chevrolet Corvette coupe
S/N 194379S722158. LeMans Blue/Bright
Blue. 73,800 miles. V8, automatic. Matchingnumbers
350 with automatic, factory a/c,
power steering, brakes and windows, tilt
column and fender louver trim. $20,900
OBO. Car Care Center. Contact Jeff, Ph:
309.837.7575, email: ccvettes@macomb.
com. Website: www.carcarecorvettes.com.
(IL)
1982 Chevrolet Corvette coupe
S/N 194376S108677. Nassau Blue/blue
& white. 1,000 miles. V8, 4-spd manual.
Frame-on restored, all original and correct
427/390 hp. Loaded with 4-speed,
ps, pb, factory a/c, sidepipes, knockoffs,
wood steering wheel. No-hit body. A greatdriving
car that could easily be NCRS Top
Flight. $89,900 OBO. Contact Kent, Ph:
404.323.3822, email: kenthussey@yahoo.
com. (GA)
1966 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
coupe
S/N 1G1AY878XC5111663. Silver/silver
gray. 84,000 miles. V8, automatic. Exterior
paint and new interior installed past five
years. Paint has a few road chips. Numbers
matching, exhaust modified to dual, aftermarket
stereo. Only 711 produced in silver,
with fewer than 300 with silver gray interior.
This is a garage-kept, well serviced and
maintained C3. All invoices, receipts, photos,
extra parts, memorabilia and service history
goes with car. $16,000. Contact John, Ph:
321.360.2382, email: vettejack03@yahoo.
com. (FL)
1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 coupe
S/N 2V87X4N120054. Buccaneer Red/red
& black. 78,400 miles. V8, 3-spd automatic.
Mossport Green/green. 55,362 miles. V8,
Mossport Green (982) with dark green interior,
rare high-performance Stingray equipped
with a 427/390-hp V8 engine and 4-speed
transmission, outfitted with many factory
options including air conditioning, power
steering, power windows, power brakes, teak
steering wheel, original AM/FM radio, side
exhaust and knockoff wheels. Complete with
handbook. A great example of performance
American muscle. $89,500. Heritage Classics
Motorcar Company. Ph: 310.657.9699,
email: sales@heritageclassics.com. Website:
www.heritageclassics.com. (CA)
S/N 1G1YZ23J2L5803031. Torch Red/red.
11,010 miles. V8, 6-spd manual. 375hp
DOHC LT5 engine, 6-speed manual
transmission, Posi rear end. This ZR-1 is
in concours condition, with just low original
miles, and VERY well documented with
plenty of factory and dealer literature as well
Page 127
Showcase Gallery
as service records since new. Highly recognized
by the National Corvette Restoration
Society (NCRS) as the first ZR-1 to achieve
the 4 Star Cross Flag Award, along with Top
Flight three times, Performance Verification
and the Dave McLellan Mark of Excellence.
The McLellan Award recognizes individuals
for the restoration and preservation of 1975–
92 Corvettes. $33,495. Contact Sam, Ph:
912.604.9553, email: samgallagher82nd@
comcast.net. (GA)
FOMOCO
1959 Ford Skyliner retractable
hard top convertible
boot, four-owner example with low original
miles. Equipped with decor bucket seats,
power top, 428-ci V8 engine, 4-speed
transmission, power steering, power front
disc brakes, AM radio, complete with Marti
Report, original factory invoice, build sheet
and original handbook. A beautiful restored
American classic with excellent documentation.
$149,497. Heritage Classics Motorcar
Company. Ph: 310.657.9699, email: sales@
heritageclassics.com. Website: www.heritageclassics.com/inventory/detail/1376-shel-by-mustang-gt500-convertible.html.
(CA)
1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 428 SJC
fastback
S/N B9KW143305. Raven Black/Torch Red
& Raven Black with Silver Strand. 77,200
miles. V8, 3-spd automatic. A beautifully
restored and great daily driving vehicle.
Completely rust-free example of a very rare
and desirable Retractable with the 332-ci
225-hp big-block FE Thunderbird Special V8
engine with dual exhausts. Factory specifications
including the Cruise-O-Matic automatic
transmission, Magic Air heater and defroster,
AM radio, electric clock, full wheel covers,
white sidewall tires and its fully functional
hydraulic power operated retractable hardtop
roof! This particular example has been
restored with absolutely no expense spared
in its beautiful original factory Raven Black
color. $45,500. West Coast Classics LLC.
Contact Simon, Ph: 310.399.3990, email:
wcclassics@aol.com. Website: www.TheWestCoastClassics.com.
(CA)
1967 Shelby GT500E “Eleanor”
Super Snake fastback
S/N 9R02R178103. Royal Maroon/black. 0
miles. V8, 4-spd manual. Unbelievable oneof-one
428 SJC. Completely restored by Dan
Green Restorations. Full Marti Report, original
engine and drivetrain. Call for more info
and pictures. $109,500 OBO. Contact Alan,
Ph: 858.232.3392, email: along54072@
gmail.com. (CA)
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 coupe
S/N 26793014. Sunset Red/black leather.
3,500 miles. Inline 8, 3-spd automatic. An
absolutely exceptional with a no-expensespared
restoration. Senior 327-ci (same
engine as the Caribbean) nine-main-bearing
straight 8-cylinder engine with a Carter 4-bbl
carburetor. Upgraded rebuilt automatic
3-speed TorqueFlite conversion Chrysler
transmission from the original speed Ultramatic.
Beautifully restored both mechanically
and cosmetically by a long-time member of
both Packard’s International and The Packard
Club. $49,500. West Coast Classics LLC.
Contact Simon, Ph: 310.779.0526, email:
wcclassics@aol.com. Website: www.TheWestCoastClassics.com.
(CA)
1958 Dual-Ghia convertible
S/N 0F02G164204. Yellow/black. V8, Original
engine, transmission, deck spoiler, front
spoiler, louvered rear window slats, Magnum
500 wheels, power steering, tachometer,
radio and tinted glass with documented
restoration (exhaust, carburetor and battery).
Built in Dearborn, MI, and sold to Haberfelde
Ford in Bakersfield, CA. California car with
Ford factory build sheet and Marti Report.
$55,000. Grand Prix Classics. Contact Mark,
Ph: 858.459.3500, email: info@grandprixclassics.com.
Website: www.grandprixclassics.com/1970-ford-boss-302-yellow/.
(CA)
2005 Ford Mustang Roush coupe
S/N 7F02C127606. Dark gray/black. 200
miles. V8, manual. In the Shelby American
registry. One of only 43 Continuation
Super Snakes produced. Shelby s/n:
CSE67431F11SS016, less than 200 miles
since completion of build, clean title, Shelby
letter of authenticity and Marti Report to
accompany sale. 452-ci Shelby Performance
aluminum V8, Vortech V-2 S-Trim Supercharger,
Tremec TKO600 5-speed manual
transmission, Unique Performance suspension,
custom leather interior, Old Air Products
Hurricane a/c. Total Control power rack-andpinion
steering, four-wheel Baer/Touring disc
brakes, Currie 9-inch rear axle/Torsen differential
and 17-inch American Racing Shelby
Cobra wheels. $255,000 OBO. Contact Glen,
Ph: 954.920.3303, email: info@thecreativeworkshop.com.
(FL)
1968 Shelby GT500 convertible
It’s so
S/N 1ZVFT82H755173959. Black/black &
silver. 15,500 miles. V8, 4-spd automatic.
Like new, original owner, 4.6-L, 350 hp, auto,
low miles, engine and transmission reprogrammed,
performs beautifully. Has never
seen a raindrop. A great deal. $19,000.
Contact George, Ph: 503.364.8703, email:
geopatterson@gmail.com. (OR)
MOPAR
1955 Chrysler C300 2-door hard top
easy!
We’ve made
uploading your
Showcase
Gallery listings
online easier.
As an added
bonus, we now
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Wimbledon White/black. 52,678 miles. V8,
Black interior and matching soft top with
S/N 3N551076. White/tan. 105,980 miles.
V8, 2-spd automatic. All original except for
lower front seat leather. Hemi, two 4-bbl
www.americanCarCollector.com/classifieds
May–June 2018 129
S/N 197. Midnight Blue/tan. 1,378 miles. V8,
automatic. Concours-level restoration by
marque specialist. One of approximately 100
produced, one of approximately 30 known to
exist. One of the last few built. 2010 Pebble
Beach award winner. Previous Ghia collec-
Red/black. Inline 4, manual. Early frame-rail
midget! Believed to be built by Leo “Pop”
Faulkner, sponsored by Earl Gilmore, driven
by Carl Rosenthal and others. Documented
part of Bill Harrah Collection. 1928 Van
Blerck aluminum-block marine engine.
Complete 10-year-old restoration. Not raced
since. Amelia award winner. $43,000. Contact
Jeff, Ph: 615.438.1063, email: jeff.brock.
music@gmail.com. (TN)A
carbs, power steering, brakes, windows and
seat. Superb unmolested condition, great
driver, always garaged, all service records
since 1994. Additional photos available.
$41,999. Contact Albert, Ph: 814.466.6115,
email: bav1140@comcast.net. (PA)
AMERICANA
1953 Packard 2679 convertible
tor ownership. Rare optional D-500 260-hp
Red Ram Hemi V8 engine. Recent service
including a full transmission rebuild performed
by marque specialist. Documentation
includes Pebble Beach paperwork, copies
of Dual-Ghia factory papers, marque history,
concours photos and more. $499,900.
Daniel Schmitt & Co. Contact Daniel,
Ph: 314.291.7000, email: info@schmitt.
com. Website: https://www.schmitt.com/
inventory/1958-dual-ghia-convertible/. (MO)
1984 Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV
Burgundy/tan. V8, automatic. 360-ci engine.
Interior just redone. Power steering, brakes
and windows. AM/FM stereo. Newer tires,
lots of new parts. Florida truck. $10,995
OBO. Contact Greg, Ph: 269.271.4724,
email: greg.gorzelanny@yahoo.com. (MI)
RACE
1934 Gilmore Special Van Blerck
Midget race car
Page 128
RESOURCE DIRECTORY
Put your company in the ACC Resource Directory. Call 877.219.2605 Ext. 218,
or email advert@americancarcollector.com
Auction Companies
Barrett-Jackson Auction. 480421-6694.
480-421-6697. For over
four decades, the Barrett-Jackson
Auction Company has been
recognized throughout the world
for offering only the finest selection
of quality collector vehicles, outstanding
professional service and
an unrivaled sales success. From
classic and one-of-a-kind cars to
exotics and muscle cars, BarrettJackson
attracts only the best. Our
auctions have captured the true
essence of a passionate obsession
with cars that extends to collectors
and enthusiasts throughout
the world. A television audience
of millions watches unique and
select vehicles while attendees
enjoy a lifestyle experience featuring
fine art, fashion and gourmet
cuisine. In every way, the legend
is unsurpassed. N. Scottsdale Rd,
Scottsdale, AZ 85251.
info@barrett-jackson.com.
www.barrett-jackson.com. (AZ)
Bonhams is the largest auction
house to hold scheduled sales
of classic and vintage motorcars,
motorcycles and car memorabilia,
with auctions held globally in
conjunction with internationally
renowned motoring events.
Bonhams holds the world-record
price for any motorcar sold at auction,
as well as for many premier
marques.
San Francisco: 415-391-4000
New York: 212-644-9001
Los Angeles: 323-850-7500
London: +44 20 7447-7447
Paris: +33 1 42 61 10 10
www.bonhams.com/motors
Recently they have been featured
on several episodes of three
different reality TV series — “Fast
N Loud” on Discovery, “Dallas Car
Sharks” on Velocity and “The Car
Chasers” on CNBC Prime.
www.leakecar.com. (OK)
Lucky Collector Car Auctions.
888-672-0020. Lucky Collector
Car Auctions is aptly named after
Harold “Lucky” Lemay. Based in
the majestic, pastoral ground of
Marymount, home to the Lemay
Family Collection Foundation
near Tacoma, WA, the collection,
formerly the biggest in the world
according to Guinness, now hosts
an unrivaled event center, art collection
and charitable foundation,
which features two exceptional
collector car auctions a year.
www.luckyoldcar.com (WA)
create a team that is dedicated to
providing the utmost customer
service and auction experience.
We applied our 83 years of auction
experience to build a platform
ensuring that every aspect of our
company exceeds your expectations.
Join us for the Gulf Coast
Classic March 17 & 18, in Punta
Gorda, FL.
844-5WE-SELL / 844-593-7355
www.premierauctiongroup.com
info@premierauctiongroup.com
RM Sotheby’s, Inc. 800-2114371.
RM Sotheby’s is the world’s
largest collector car auction house
for investment-quality automobiles.
With 35 years’ experience, RM
Sotheby’s vertically integrated
range of services, from restoration
to private-treaty sales and
auctions, coupled with an expert
team of car specialists and an
international footprint, provide an
unsurpassed level of service to the
global collector car market.
www.RMSothebys.com. (CAN)
Palm Springs Auctions Inc.
Keith McCormick. 760-320-3290.
Family owned and operated for
28 years. Producing two large
classic car auctions per year in
Palm Springs, CA. Each auction
features over 500 cars. Held in
November and February every
year. www.classic-carauction.com
Kruse and Rod C. Egan, The
Worldwide Group—Auctioneers,
Appraisers and Brokers—is one
of the world’s premier auction
houses, specializing in the
procurement and sale of the
world’s finest automobiles
and vintage watercraft. www.
worldwide-auctioneers.com. (IN)
Wheeler Auction Group.
833.599.8999. Collector Car
Auction company specializing in
the marketing and sale of pre-war,
classic, vintage, antique, muscle
and exotic automobiles. What sets
Wheeler apart from other auction
companies in their industry is the
quality and quantity of marketing
that they do for their clients,
combined with some of the lowest
selling commissions in the industry.
Contact them today to discuss
the marketing of your vehicle or
collection!
Info@WheelerAuctionGroup.com
www.WheelerAuctionGroup.com
Buy/Sell/General
Petersen Auction Group of
Oregon. 541-689-6824. Hosting
car auctions in Oregon since 1962.
We have three annual Auctions:
February—Oregon State
Fairgrounds, Salem, OR; July—
Douglas County Fairgrounds,
Roseburg, OR; September—
Oregon State Fairgrounds, Salem,
OR. On the I-5 corridor. We offer
knowledgeable, fast, friendly “hassle-free”
transactions. Oregon’s #1
Collector Car Auction. www.petersencollectorcars.com
(OR)
Leake Auctions. 800-722-9942.
Leake Auction Company was
established in 1972 as one of the
first car auctions in the country.
More than 40 years later, Leake
has sold over 34,000 cars and
currently operates auctions in
Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Dallas.
130 AmericanCarCollector.com
Premier Auction Group.
844-5WE-SELL. The auction professionals
that have been taking
care of you for the last two decades
have partnered together to
Russo and Steele Collector
Automobiles. 602-252-2697.
Specializing in the finest American
muscle, hot rods and custom
automobiles and European sports;
Russo and Steele hosts three
record-breaking auctions per year;
Newport Beach in June; Monterey,
CA, every August; and Scottsdale,
AZ, every January. As one of
the premier auction events in the
United States, Russo and Steele
has developed a reputation for its
superior customer service and for
having the most experienced and
informed experts in the industry.
Fax: 602.252.6260. 5230 South
39th St., Phoenix, AZ 85040.
info@russoandsteele.com,
www.russoandsteele.com. (AZ)
Silver Auctions. 800-255-4485.
2020 N. Monroe, Spokane, WA
99205. silver@silverauctions.com.
www.silverauctions.com. (WA)
Worldwide Auctioneers. 866273-6394.
Established by John
California Car Cover Company.
800-423-5525. More than just
custom-fit car covers, California
Car Cover is the home of complete
car care and automotive lifestyle
products. Offering the best in car
accessories, garage items, detailing
products, nostalgic collectibles,
apparel and more! Call 1-800-4235525
or visit Calcarcover.com for a
free catalog.
Ideal Classic Cars.
855-324-0394. Our goal as a company
is to showcase the highest
investment-quality, restored classic
cars to the world; while offering
these vehicles at a fair market
price. Our attention to detail is
unsurpassed. If you are looking for
a true investment car that will go
Page 129
up in value...contact us. We have
a full sales and service department.
We also provide shipping
worldwide. We are in business
simply because of our love and
passion for classic cars, trucks
and motorcycles. Let us share that
with you. www.idealclassiccars.
net (FL)
Classic Car Transport
all 48 contiguous United States
and Canada. Whether you’ve entered
a concours event, need a
relocation, are attending a corporate
event or shipping the car of
your dreams from one location to
another, one American transportation
company does it all.
www.reliablecarriers.com
Mustang America. 844-249-5135.
Mustang America is a new company
initially specializing in first
generation (1965–1973) Mustang
parts, interiors and accessories.
Launched by Corvette America,
Mustang America provides the
same level of world-class customer
service, product quality and
fast delivery. We look forward to
serving the vintage Mustang enthusiast.
www.MustangAmerica.com (PA)
Park Place LTD. 425-562-1000.
Founded in 1987 in Bellevue, WA,
our dealership is locally owned and
independently operated. The fouracre
Park Place Center features
an Aston Martin sales and service
center, a Lotus dealership, and we
have one of the largest selections
of collector & exotic cars available
in the Northwest. We consign, buy
and sell all types of vehicles. We
also have an in-house service center
and high-end Auto Salon.
www.ParkPlaceLtd.com (WA)
Intercity Lines Inc. 800-221-3936.
Gripping the wheel of your dream
car and starting the engine for the
first time is a high point for any
enthusiast. We are the premier
enclosed auto transport company
that will ensure your car arrives
safely for that experience. For over
35 years our standards for excellence
have clients returning time
and time again. Trust the Best.
Trust Intercity Lines.
www.Intercitylines.com.
quality of 1953–96 Corvette parts
and experience in the industry.
Our catalogs and website are filled
with hundreds of helpful schematics,
photos and tech-tips. Our
Vintage Department has a treasure
chest of NOS and used parts.
Look up our Stick With Us
Discount Program and our firstonline-order
savings. Call us or
visit www.paragoncorvette.com
to order today. (MI)
McCollister’s Auto Transport.
800-748-3160.
Thomas C. Sunday Inc. 800541-6601.
Established in 1970,
Thomas C. Sunday Inc. provides
clients with fully enclosed, crosscountry,
door-to-door service.
Thomas C. Sunday Inc. are
well-seasoned experts in the field
of automobile transportation, hiring
only Grade-A drivers, and offering
clients the best possible service at
competitive pricing. Fully licensed,
insured and bonded. Call 1-800541-6601
or 717-697-0939, Fax
717-697-0727, email:
We have transported thousands of
collector vehicles over the past 35
years all across the United States,
whether they are moving an
exotic, street rod, vintage racer or
muscle car. With our experienced
drivers trained to ensure the finest
protection and our customized,
lift-gated, air-ride trailers, we make
sure your vehicle safely arrives
on time. www.McCollisters.com/
AutoTransport
info@sundayautotransport.com
Collection Management
West Coast Classics.
310.399.3990. West Coast
Classics are internationally
renowned California Classic Car
Dealers who specialize in buying
and selling of rare and classic
European and American classic
cars. Two branch locations in
Southern California; 1205 Bow
Avenue in Torrance, and 1918
Lincoln Blvd in Santa Monica. We
ship throughout the world and
will provide you with unparalleled
service of your rare, sports, exotic,
luxury, collector or classic car
needs. www.WestCoastClassics.
com info@WestCoastClassics.
com (CA)
Passport Transport. 800-7360575.
Since our founding in 1970,
we have shipped thousands of
treasured vehicles door-to-door
with our fully enclosed auto transporters.
Whether your prized possession
is your daily driver, a
vintage race car, a classic, a ’60s
muscle car or a modern exotic,
you can depend on Passport
Transport to give you the premium
service it deserves. We share your
appreciation for fine automobiles,
and it shows.
www.PassportTransport.com.
RideCache. 512-751-8450.
A professional, ad-free software
tool and service that helps you
manage your collection, digitally
preserve your valuable documentation
and securely share with
those that need access. Manage
your collection with our DIY tools
or use our RideCache Build service
and let our professional team
build your account. Learn more at
http://ridecache.com/ACC
RideCache – Organize, Manage,
Preserve your Collection.
Corvette Parts &
Restoration
Mid America Motorworks.
800-500-1500. America’s leader
in 1953–2016 Corvette parts
and accessories. Request a free
catalog at www.mamotorworks.
com. (IL)
Reliable Carriers Inc. 800-5216393.
As the country’s largest
enclosed-auto transport company,
Reliable Carriers faithfully serves
Paragon Corvette
Reproductions. 800-882-4688. At
Paragon, you’ll receive the finest
Zip Products. 800-962-9632. Zip
customers know that the voice on
the other end of the phone is a
true enthusiast. Someone who, in
minutes, can hold in their hands
any item in stock. Further, someone
with knowledge of, experience
with, and genuine affection for, the
car we hold so dear: Corvette.
www.zip-corvette.com (VA)
Corvettes for Sale
The Chevy Store. At The Chevy
Store, you will find only the
highest-grade, investment-quality
Corvette and specialty Chevrolet
automobiles. We take pride in
providing our clients with the finest
selection anywhere. Offering
investment-quality Corvettes and
Chevrolets for over 30 years! 503256-5384
(p), 503-256-4767 (f)
www.thechevystore.com (OR)
Volunteer Vette Products. 865521-9100.
1963–2004 Corvette
Parts and Accessories. Supplying
Corvette restoration parts and
accessories for 30 years. Visit our
website at
www.volvette.com and take advantage
of the Free Shipping offer
on orders over $150. You can also
speak with us directly by calling
865-521-9100. New parts are
added daily, so if you can’t find it,
give us a call. (TN)
FOLLOW
ACC
May–June 2018 131
Page 130
RESOURCE DIRECTORY
Put your company in the ACC Resource Directory. Call 877.219.2605 Ext. 218,
or email advert@americancarcollector.com
Events—Concours,
Car Shows
Insurance
money. For leases ranging from
$50,000 to more than $1 million,
with terms extending up to 84
months, visit www.putnamleasing.
com or call 1-866-90-LEASE. (CT)
Museums
American Collectors Insurance.
1-866-887-8354. The nation’s
leading provider of specialty insurance
for collectors. We offer affordable,
agreed-value coverage
for all years, makes, and models
of collector vehicles. Since 1976,
we have provided superior service
and broad, flexible coverage.
Experience our quick quoting and
application process, as well as our
“Real Person” Guarantee every
time you call. Email: Info@
AmericanCollectors.com
www.AmericanCollectors.com (NJ)
Concours d’Elegance of
America. 2018 marks the 40th
Annual Concours d’Elegance of
America, July 27th–29th, at the
Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth,
Michigan. We continue to be one
of the most recognized automotive
events in the world. A weekend
filled with over 15 events for
automobile enthusiasts of all ages.
Sunday’s field will host 300 spectacular
automobiles from around
the world. www.concoursusa.org
(MI)
Chubb Collector Car Insurance.
1-866-CAR-9648. The Chubb
Collector Car Insurance program
provides flexibility by allowing you
to choose the agreed value and
restoration shop. Broad coverage
includes no mileage restrictions
and special pricing for large
schedules. For more information,
contact us at 1-866-CAR-9648 or
www.chubbcollectorcar.com.
J.C. Taylor Insurance. 800-3458290.
Antique, classic, muscle or
modified — J.C. Taylor Insurance
has provided dependable, dynamic,
affordable protection for
your collector vehicle for over 50
years. Agreed Value Coverage in
the continental U.S., and Alaska.
Drive Through Time With Peace of
Mind with J.C. Taylor Insurance.
Get a FREE instant quote online at
www.JCTaylor.com. (PA)
Leasing-Finance
J.J. BEST BANC & CO. provides
financing on classic cars ranging
from 1900 to today. Visit our website
at www.jjbest.com or call
1-800-USA-1965 and get a loan
approval in as little as five minutes!
The Quail, A Motorsports
Gathering. 831-620-8879.
A prominent component of
Monterey Car Week, The Quail
is a world-renowned motorsports
event featuring one of the world’s
finest and rarest collections of
vintage automobiles and motorcycles.
The Quail maintains its
intimacy and exclusivity by limiting
admission through lottery ticket
allocations. Admission is inclusive
of six gourmet culinary pavilions,
caviar, oysters, fine wines,
specialty cocktails, champagne,
and more. Web: signatureevents.
peninsula.com. (CA)
Grundy Insurance. 888-6478639.
James A. Grundy invented
Agreed Value Insurance in 1947;
no one knows more about insuring
collector cars than Grundy! With
no mileage limitations, zero deductible*,
low rates, and high liability
limits, our coverages are
specifically designed for collector
car owners. Grundy can also insure
your daily drivers, pickup
trucks, trailers, motorhomes and
more — all on one policy and all at
their Agreed Value.
www.grundy.com (PA)
Hagerty Collector Car
Insurance. 800-922-4050.
Collector cars aren’t like their latemodel
counterparts. These classics
actually appreciate in value,
so standard market policies that
cost significantly more won’t do
the job. We’ll agree on a fair value
and cover you for the full amount.
No prorated claims, no hassles, no
games. www.hagerty.com (MI)
132 AmericanCarCollector.com
Premier Financial Services. 877973-7700.
Since 1997, renowned
customer service and honest leasing
practices have made Premier
the nation’s leading lessor of luxury
and performance motorcars.
We are small enough to ensure
your business gets the attention it
deserves, and large enough to
finance any new, used, or vintage
car over $50,000. Contact Premier
at 877-973-7700 or info@pfsllc.
com. www.premierfinancialservices.com
(CT)
LeMay Family Collection
Foundation. LeMay Family
Collection Foundation at
Marymount Events Center near
Tacoma, WA, hosts an epic backdrop
for your next event. Home to
500 fabulous collector cars, worldclass
art exhibits, and assorted
ephemera, consider your next
event here. Weddings, swapmeets,
conventions, auctions. The
facility can likely exceed your expectations.
Visit during the 37th
annual open house along with
13,000 other enthusiasts. 253272-2336
www.lemaymarymount.org. (WA)
National Corvette Museum. 80053-VETTE.
The National Corvette
Museum in Bowling Green, KY,
was established as a 501(c)3 notfor-profit
foundation with a mission
of celebrating the invention of the
Corvette and preserving its past,
present and future. www.corvettemuseum.com.
(KY)
Parts—General
Putnam Leasing. 866-90-LEASE.
For over 25 years, Putnam
Leasing has been the leader in
exotic, luxury, and collector car
leasing. This honor comes from
Putnam’s unique ability to match
the car of your dreams with a
lease designed just for you. Every
Putnam Lease is written to provide
maximum flexibility while conserving
capital, lowering monthly
payments, and maximizing tax
advantages. It’s Putnam’s way of
letting you drive more car for less
Custom Autosound
Manufacturing. 800-888-8637.
Since 1977 providing audio solutions
for classic car and trucks.
Covering over 400 application our
radios and speakers fit the original
location without modification. Keep
the classic look of your vehicle
while enjoying state-of-the-art
audio. Check out all of our products
at www.customautosound.
com. Or if you’d like a free catalog,
call 800-888-8637 (CA)
Evans Waterless Coolant is the
solution to running too hot. With a
boiling point of 375°F, our revolutionary
liquid formulation is a superior
alternative to water-based
Page 131
coolants. Evans eliminates water
vapor, hotspots and boil-over,
resulting in a less pressurized,
more efficient cooling system and
preventing corrosion, electrolysis
and pump cavitation. Evans also
protects down to -40°F and lasts
the lifetime of the engine.
See how it works at
www.evanscoolant.com (CT)
Evapo-Rust® 888-329-9877.
Evapo-Rust® rust remover is safe
on skin and all materials except
rust! It’s also biodegradable and
earth-friendly. Water soluble and
pH-neutral, Evapo-Rust® is nontoxic,
non-corrosive, non-flammable,
and contains no acids, bases
or solvents. Evapo-Rust® is simply
the safest rust remover.
www.evapo-rust.com
info@evapo-rust.com (AR)
years. Since 1980, we have provided
the highest quality restoration
parts and accessories for:
1967–1981 Camaro
1964–1972 Chevelle & El Camino
1962–1972 Nova
Store Hours:
Tuesday–Friday 9:00 am–5:00 pm,
Saturday 10:00 am–3:00 pm.
Closed Sunday and Monday. 8705
SE Stark St, Portland OR 97216.
sales@superchev.com
www.superchev.com (OR)
Restoration—General
National Parts Depot. 800-8747595.
We stock huge inventories
of concours-correct restoration
parts for:
Classic Garage Automobile
Restoration. 208.755.3334.
Classic Garage is a full service,
classic car shop offering full-restoration
and partial-restoration work,
including custom builds. Our specialty
is high-end, show-quality
body and paint work. We work with
many reputable shops around the
country that send us their projects
for bodywork and paint. We also
offer classic car collection management,
storage, consulting and
classic car valuations.
www.classicgaragellc.com (ID)
1965–73 and 1979–93 Mustang
1967–81 Camaro & Firebird
1964–72 GTO, Tempest & LeMans
1964–87 Chevelle, Malibu &
El Camino
1948–96 F-Series Ford Truck
1947–98 C/K 1/2-ton Chevy Truck
1966–96 Bronco
1955–57 Thunderbird
www.nationalpartsdepot.com
for all generations of Corvettes.
Our Pennsylvania manufacturing
facility produces the finest quality
Corvette interiors and our distribution
center is stocked with thousands
of additional Corvetterelated
products. Corvette America
is a member of the RPUI family of
companies. Visit
www.CorvetteAmerica.com (PA)
Cosmopolitan Motors LLC. 206467-6531.
Experts in worldwide
acquisition, collection management,
disposition and appraisal.
For more than a quarter century,
Cosmopolitan Motors has lived by
its motto, “We covet the rare and
unusual, whether pedigreed or
proletarian.” Absurdly eclectic and
proud of it. Find your treasure
here, or pass it along to the next
generation. www.cosmopolitanmotors.com
(WA)
From small services to full groundup
restorations, work is always true
to original. Ever-changing showcase
of for-sale vehicles. We are
your trusted source. www.mbclassiccenter.com.
(CA)
Metal Rescue® Rust Remover is
your clean, safe, easy-to-use rust
remover for iron and steel. From
small parts that can be soaked to
large parts that can’t, our ready-touse
BATH, CONCENTRATE, or
on-the-spot GEL are extremely
effective at removing rust. The
entire line of Metal Rescue offers
non-toxic, environmentally-safe
rust removal without the use of
harmful or corrosive acids. From
hubcaps to headlights to spot-rust
on doors and hoods, Metal Rescue
from Workshop Hero™ has got
you covered!
Visit www.workshophero.com
Corvette America. 800-458-3475.
The No. 1 manufacturer and supplier
of interiors, parts and wheels
Advertisers
Index
Original Parts Group Inc. With
over 30 years’ experience, OPGI
manufactures and stocks over
75,000 of the finest restoration parts
and accessories for GM classics, at
the best prices anywhere. The largest
selection of Chevelle, El Camino,
Monte Carlo, GTO, Le Mans,
Tempest, Gran Prix, Bonneville,
Catalina, Cutlass, 442, Skylark, GS,
Riviera and Cadillac classic parts
anywhere. Visit www.OPGI.com or
call 800-243-8355. (CA)
Super Chevrolet Parts Co.
503-256-0098. Restoring Classic
Chevrolets Since 1980. Serving
the Chevrolet enthusiast for over 25
Agents For Montana Titles ..............123
Asset Marketing Services, LLC .......109
Barrett-Jackson .................................39
Camaro Central .................................99
Chevs of the 40’s ............................117
Corvette America ............................. 4–5
CoverCar Concepts .........................111
Custom Autosound Mfg., Inc ..........113
EMS Automotive ..............................121
Evapo-Rust ........................................33
Factory Five Racing ...........................73
Gallivan Auctioneers ........................ 6–7
Greensboro Auto Auction ..................93
Grundy Insurance ..............................19
Hagerty Insurance Agency, Inc. ........71
Hot August Nights .............................42
JC Taylor .........................................101
Mercedes-Benz Classic Center.
1-866-MB-CLASSIC. (1-866-6225277).
The trusted center of competence
for all classic
Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts.
Located in Irvine, CA, the Classic
Center is the only sales and restoration
facility in the U.S. exclusively
operated by Mercedes-Benz. Over
50,000 Genuine Mercedes-Benz
Classic Parts in its assortment.
Jim Meyer Racing Products Inc. .....114
JJ Best Banc & Co ..........................105
JJ Rods .............................................87
Larry’s Thunderbird and Mustang Parts ..13
Law Offices of Bruce Shaw .............115
Leake Auction Company .....................3
LicensePlates.tv ..............................102
Lucas Oil Products, Inc. ....................85
Lucky Collector Car Auctions ............81
Lutty’s Chevy Warehouse ...............111
MBP Motorcars ...............................119
McCollister’s Auto Transport...........132
Metal Rescue ...................................127
Michael Irvine Studios .......................97
Mid America Motorworks ..................15
Motorsport Auction Group LLC .........43
National Corvette Museum ..............104
National Parts Depot .........................35
New England Auto Auction .............107
Obsolete & Classic Auto Parts, Inc. 125
Original Parts Group ..........................25
Paragon Corvette Reproductions ......91
Park Place LTD ..................................77
Park Place LTD. 425-562-1000.
Founded in 1987 in Bellevue, WA,
our dealership is locally owned and
independently operated. Our restoration
department works full time to
restore vehicles of every year,
make and model to provide an
award-winning finish. We consign,
buy and sell all types of vehicles.
We also have an in-house service
center and high-end Auto Salon.
www.ParkPlaceLtd.com A
Passport Transport ............................69
Performance Racing Oils .................120
Petersen Collector Car Auction .......100
Pilkington Classics Automotive Glass ..2
POR-15 ..............................................23
Premier Auction Group ......................75
Restoration Supply Company .........104
RM Auction Holdings Inc. ..................11
Russo and Steele LLC .......................17
Shelby American Collection ..............29
St Bernard Church...........................113
Steve’s Auto Restorations Inc. ..........47
Summit Racing Equipment ................89
Superformance ..................................21
Taraba Illustration Art ......................125
The Chevy Store Inc ........................119
Thomas C Sunday Inc .....................123
Trump Properties Concours ............103
Volunteer Vette Products ..................79
West Coast Classics, LLC ...............121
Wheeler Auctions ............................131
Zip Products, Inc. ..............................49
zMAX .................................................45
May–June 2018 133
Page 132
Surfing Around
Carl Bomstead
Automobilia at Auction
Carl’s thought: Heritage Auctions, at their February 22 Comics and Comic Art Auction, sold the 1940 #1 Batman
comic for $334,600. Now, Batman, the Joker and Catwoman had appeared a year earlier in Detective #27, but this was the
first stand-alone Batman comic. One in similar condition sold in 2013 for $120,000, so this has been a solid investment.
It is rated #5 in value in Overstreet’s Top 100 Golden Age Comics. I just wish my mother had not thrown out my comic
collection when I left for college!
EBAY #273087972601—
1903 MASSACHUSETTS
MOTORCYCLE PORCELAIN
LICENSE PLATE.
Number of bids: 36. SOLD
AT $8,509. Date sold:
3/6/2018. This porcelain
license plate was in very
acceptable condition, with some staining on the “3.” Massachusetts
was the first state to issue plates, and this was the first year of issue.
From 1903 to 1907 they stated “Mass Automobile Register”
along the top. Firsts bring a premium, and that was certainly the
case here.
EBAY #253318046778—1932 FOR
GRILLE SHELL BADGE. Number
of bids: 22. SOLD AT $642. Date
sold: 12/27/2017. These grille-shell
porcelain badges are reproduced
and are priced between $60 and
$130. This badge was in exceptiona
condition, and a quality original part
always trumps a reproduction. Price
paid was within reason and will give
an authentic look to the new owner’s
“Deuce” project.
EBAY #122991567556—
BATMOBILE TIN TOY
BY BANDI. Number of
bids: 2. SOLD AT $8,100.
Date sold: 3/6/2018. This
delightful Batmobile tin toy
was in unplayed-with condition
and was complete
with Robin and Batman in
the front seat. To complete
the package it even had the original box, which was also in excellent
condition. The battery box even sparkled. An unusual toy that
was in exceptional condition. Expensive, but a whole lot cheaper
than the Batman comic.
134 AmericanCarCollector.com
EBAY #162804316837—
1940s MOPAR PARTS
AND ACCESSORIES
TIN EMBOSSED SIGN.
Number of bids: 66. SOLD
AT $3,300. Date sold:
12/24/2017. This was a
very presentable tin sign
that measured 59x17. It
had a few scratches, but that was to be expected considering the
sign was about 70 years old. Vibrant colors, but not very graphic.
Definitely of interest if you had a period Chrysler product in your car
barn.
EBAY #222864587376—ED
“BIG DADDY” ROTH RAT FINK
GREEN JACKET. Number of
bids: Buy-It-Now. SOLD AT $700.
Date sold: 3/3/2018. Roth was
an icon of the 1950s and ’60s,
designing and building wild cars
such as the “Beatnik Bandit” and
“Outlaw.” He also sold T-shirts by
the thousands that were adorned
with his bizarre artwork. He was
also known for his wild pinstriping.
He developed Rat Fink as
Mickey Mouse’s evil twin. This
jacket is of the era and sold for a
most reasonable price — especially if you are fortunate enough to
own one of his creations.
EBAY #162778662475—1954
CORVETTE PEDAL CAR.
Number of bids: Buy-It-Now.
SOLD AT $1,500. Date sold:
1/22/2018. This was the 62nd
of 300 Corvette pedal cars
produced by Pedal Cars of
America to commemorate
the 50th anniversary of the
Corvette. It had a tubular-steel
frame and an ABS solid body.
If it were one of the original Corvette pedal cars, just add a zero to
the price paid here. A cool go-with for the Corvette in the garage.
EBAY
#312034858062—
1930s VINDEX
CAST-IRON TOY
DUMP TRUCK.
Number of bids: 16.
SOLD AT: $2,146.21.
Date sold: 1/8/2018.
Vindex made 10 different
cast-iron farm
toys. In the 1930s, they were used as rewards for selling magazine
subscriptions. This one was missing the tailgate but was otherwise
in good condition with the decal intact. Price seemed a bit aggressive
considering the missing piece.A