I always like to learn the backstory behind a car, so when I was surfing the net last weekend and found a link to Cadillac Ranch that explained the back story behind each Cadillac. I'm not real fond of some of the comments as they relate to newer Cadillacs, and other Caddy fans won't want to find out what the builders did with an "extra" 1959 Cadillac that wasn't used in the construction of the monument.
Enjoy!
Cadillac Ranch

(If the link above doesn't work, paste the address below:
http://www.libertysoftware.be/cml/cadillacranch/ranchcars/crabcars.htm )

A friend is looking at buying a 1950 Cadillac, so I checked prices in Old Cars Price Guide, as well as the Old Cars Price Guide database, which includes auction results from more than 100 auctions each year. While sifting through the results, I noticed some interesting trends in 1950 and 1955-’56 Cadillacs. For this blog, I'll address what I found in the database in regards to 1950 Cadillacs.

1950 Cadillacs:
I was checking out these prices for a friend who is looking at a Series 61 coupe. Here are the prices currently in Old Cars Price Guide:

Series 61 two-door hardtop: #1 36,000; #2 25,200; #3 16,200; #4 7,200
Series 62 two-door hardtop: #1 30,000; #2 21,000; #3 13,500; #4 6,000
Series 62 Coupe deVille:     #1 42,000; #2 29,400; #3 18,900; #4 8,400
Series 62 convertible:          #1 85,000; #2 59,500; #3 38,250;#4 17,000

1950 Cadillacs: 2007 and 2006 coupe database results:
There’s not a record of a Series 61 coupe selling at auction in 2007, but a couple Coupe deVilles popped up in No. 3 condition for 37,000 in 2007 and 27,250 in late 2005. Independently, there isn’t enough information here to draw a solid conclusion. However, a No. 2 Series 62 coupe sold for $33,000 in 2007 and a No. 3 Series 62 coupe sold for $27,250 in 2006, giving a good indication that there is an upward trend in values to hardtops.

1950 Cadillacs: 2007 and 2006 convertible database results:
Oddly enough, when it comes to convertibles, the trend appears to be going the other way. There are an astounding four 1950 Series 62 convertibles in No. 2 condition listed in the database from 2007 alone. These four cars fetched between $45,000 and $51,000. A fifth convertible, in No. 3 condition, was listed as selling for $49,500 at a 2007 January Arizona auction (this alone is good evidence why the January Arizona auction results are rarely considered in Old Cars Price Guide updates). These prices tell me that the No. 2 price is approximately $10,000 too high, which will affect other Cadillac prices across the board. (If a No. 2 price has gone down, then the No. 1 and No. 3-No. 6 prices should go down, too.)

Conclusion:
1950 Cadillac hardtop prices are likely up, while convertible prices are down. We'll have to watch this trend unfold and see if it continues.

While fellow OCW staffers Ron Kowalke and Meredyth Albright were out in Arizona, covering the Scottsdale-area auctions, I stayed back, manned the phones, answered the e-mails and somehow found time to prepare the latest issue of Old Cars Weekly.

While here, I received periodic updates from Old Cars Weekly asking, “Did you see what this XXX sold for?” and “Can you believe XXX sold for that much?” Through these updates, and following Ron and Meredyth’s return, I was able to piece together a few observations about what cars people are spending their money on.

One of the first calls I received was on a 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo with a 301-cid V-8 that sold for around $70,000, and a 266-mile 1974 Chevrolet Spirit of America Impala two-door hardtop that fetched $30,000. Since the Chevy had such low miles, I’m not surprised by the dollar amount. Low-mileage originals continue to get big bucks, and probably always will, just as it should be. But the T/A is surprising. It’s good to see “later” muscle cars getting these kinds of dollars, but before you start complaining that price guides have your circa-1980 Firebirds undervalued, realize that not EVERY 1980 Firebird is worth this much. These cars (and by “these cars,” I mean 1970s and early 1980s muscle cars) have been undervalued for some time, so we may see the level of attention being paid to these cars escalate as the teenagers who enjoyed them in the 1970s and ‘80s get more disposable income and start shopping for a collector car. If you’ve got one, hang on to it. If you’ve always wanted one, now’s the time to buy.

When it comes to pure muscle cars, and by that, I mean 1960s and early 1970s GTO’s, Super Bees, Challengers and Mustangs, the market has clearly regained its sanity. Half-million-dollar Hemi ‘Cuda coupes are no more, and that’s the way it should be. Bidders were clearly overpaying for these cars at more than half-a-million bucks, and only the brave admitted that in public. (At Barrett-Jackson’s 2006 January sale, a Hemi ‘Cuda fetched $650,000, and two other Hemi ‘Cudas were in $400,000-500,000 territory.) These days, the cars are trading for around the $150,000 mark, and that seems fair. And ignore those panic-inducing journalists just looking to create waves when they cry, “The muscle car market is dead!” It’s not, and they’re morons. Muscle cars possess the universal combination of features collectors of every era look for, and will always look for: performance, beauty and rarity. As long as people are refining dead dinosaurs into fuel, you’ll never be able to buy a Hemi “anything” for $10,000 again. But you probably won’t lose your shirt if you drop your life’s savings of $150,000 or less on a Hemi Challenger.

If you’re an investor, the Arizona auctions did show you something to fear: clone prices are collapsing. I say “Amen.” These cars should NEVER have been worth six figures. Ever. So, put down your torch and leave the original 396-cid V-8 in your Chevelle or 340-cid V-8 in your ‘Cuda, because your Hemi or SS-454 clone will never be worth as much as your car was with its original smaller-displacement muscle car engine. Want proof? How about a $68,000 1970 Hemi Challenger clone at this year’s Barrett-Jackson sale? I thought so. And if you ask me, that’s still at least $28,000 too much. Or, ask Drew Alcazar of Russo & Steele, who noticed the downward trend of clones in early 2007, if not earlier.

Truth be told, clones were already coming down last year. At the January 2007 Barrett-Jackson auction, a 1970 Challenger R/T SE Hemi clone fetched $115,000, showing how much clones were already coming down from the $150,000-plus range.

If muscle cars are down, where’s the money, you ask? Classics with a big “C.” People looking to spend big bucks on old cars must have finally pulled the switch and seen the light bulb turn on. While many people were drinking and bidding on muscle cars, Classics were fetching the same kinds of dollars some muscle cars were getting at the “pre-market correction” peak.

Most knowledgeable car collectors never agreed with the idea that a mass-produced car with a performance engine (think Hemi ‘Cuda) was worth as much as a Classic car, especially those with hand-built bodies from renowned coachbuilders on performance-oriented chassis (think Duesenberg). And while some muscle cars go back to more realistic prices, many Classics have continued to rise in value.

Since I’m a Duesenberg nut, some examples are Duesenberg sedans for around $250,000 to 500,000, depending on body style, coachbuilder and provenance. In 2008, we’re seeing starting prices for sedans in $500,000 territory, and up. Want examples? At Gooding Co.’s January sale in Arizona, $1 million even was paid for a Murphy Clear Vision sedan. At the 2007 Kruse fall sale in Auburn, Ind., a Rollston sedan fetched $875,000 on the block.

Packards are another good example. At the widely attended Otis Chandler sale in Oct. 2006, the money was flying in a fashion that can, at the very least, be called “insane.” There, Chandler’s 1934 Packard Twelve Dietrich coupe sold for $1 million. At RM Auction’s January 2008 sale, one of the few other matching 1934 Twelve Dietrich coupes sold for $1.8 million.

Before you go out and find of the other 1934 Packard Twelve Dietrich coupes of the handful built, stop. Think. Remember, investing in cars is just as risky as investing in the stock market. Perhaps even riskier. My advice is this: buy something you like, and something you can afford. Study values of your car in price guides (like Old Cars Price Guide), other publications, classified ads, auctions prices, etc., before you write the check. This way, your risk is greatly reduced. And don’t buy a car because it may be worth more in the future, buy it because you want to have fun and meet people.

Many of the people I know with million-dollar cars didn’t buy them because they wanted to make money, they bought the cars because they liked them. And they still do. When it’s time to sell, they’ll make out very, very well. But that’s the furthest thing from their mind. And when you’re behind the wheel of your car, its value should be the furthest thing from yours, too.

J-149, chassis number 2174, a LeBaron phaeton, at the RM Auctions sale in Scottsdale. It fetched $1.7 million. (Meredyth Albright photo)




J-334, chassis number 2302 (with bellhousing J-281), a LaGrande phaeton, at the 2008 Barrett-Jackson sale. It fetched $1 million. (Meredyth Albright photo)

Some readers of this blog may already know that I collect vintage photographs. Many of these are used in Old Cars Weekly and some of my book projects. Generally, I look for photos with fun compositions that include interesting cars from the late 1920s through the 1960s. 

Any photo with interesting cars catches my eye, but generally, I look for photos with Cadillacs, Willyses, Fords and "big C" Classics, such as Duesenbergs and Lincolns. To find these photos, I scour swap meets, the classifieds in Old Cars Weekly and peruse a few Web sites to discover such treasures. In the course of such hunts, I run across other cool items that aren’t necessarily what I collect, but are fascinating nonetheless. One of those items that I recently ran across was a new, in the box MotoMeter for a Duesenberg Model A that sold for $2,200! Since it’s an item that you don’t see everyday, I thought I’d post it here.

The item was found on eBay, and since the auction ended, you’ll probably have to be signed in to eBay in order to view it.

If you're into old pics, too, watch this blog ... you never know when a few of them will show up on this page!

What do you think about this press release stating certain luxury car owners get special parking privileges at a sports arena? Is it unfair to other car owners? Is it the wave of the future? There was a period when Cadillac owners received special treatment without a corporate buy-in. My, hot times have changed.

PRESS RELEASE:
LEXUS CUSTOMERS NOW HAVE RESERVED PARKING AT WACHOVIA CENTER IN NEW DEAL WITH COMCAST-SPECTACOR
 
(Philadelphia, PA – December 10, 2007) Lexus drivers in the Greater Philadelphia Region now can have priority parking at the Wachovia Center as part of a new sponsorship package between Lexus and arena owner Comcast-Spectacor.
 
“Lexus continues to be a great advertising partner of ours,” said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. “As we continue to look for new and exciting opportunities for our fans and our sponsors, Lexus remains a terrific partner.

“As a result of this new arrangement, we’re able to offer our customers who drive Lexus cars an opportunity to park in a specially designated space with other Lexus owners.”
 
As part of the new three-year advertising and sponsorship package, Lexus drivers can park in a designated Lexus parking spot in either of two lots in the Wachovia Center (C-Lot and E-Lot). Additionally, these new parking sections will feature Lexus advertising prominently featured on the light polls.
 
The new sponsorship package also includes advertising signage inside the Wachovia Center where Lexus already owns the naming rights to the arena’s private, exclusive courtside club. Lexus commercials will also air during Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers broadcasts on Comcast SportsNet. Additionally, Comcast SportsNet will now air a Lexus sponsored “Sports $ense” segment regarding the financial sports news.
 
Comcast-Spectacor (comcast-spectacor.com) is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), the Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL), the two arenas in which their teams play, the Wachovia Center and Wachovia Spectrum, four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks and Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. In addition, Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 70 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; New Era Tickets, a ticketing and marketing company for public assembly facilities; Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company; and 3601 Creative Group, a full-service in-house advertising agency. In a partnership with Disson Skating, Comcast-Spectacor annually produces 10 nationally televised figure skating spectaculars on NBC.

Recently, I was forwarded a link to a CNN article featuring famous musician Neil Young and his plight to install an electric/biodiesel powerplant in his 1959 Lincoln.

Apparently, the car’s 430-cid V-8 gets 10 mpg, and Johnathan Goodwin, who is yanking the engine in order to install the hybrid engine, says the new power source will get 100 mpg. He expects the change to take 45 days.

Now, I’m all for doing things to make sure our kids have as clean of a place to prosper as we did (I’m an Eagle scout who has planted more trees and picked up more garbage than there are old-car fallacies to be shared), but this article used Young’s project as a chance to attack the old car hobby. Phrases written or quoted by author Sean Callebs include “gas-guzzling,” “big polluter,” and “old, inefficient,” and, like many other who make similar assumptions, infers that American cars are gross polluters.

American cars are not necessarily gross polluters. I don’t keep up on modern cars, but even I know that, since at least the early 1990s, Ford has been selling cars that run on E85, and GM has been experimenting with electric cars on the road for years. And Honda, Toyota and Nissan all offer large SUVs, some even big trucks with “gas-guzzling V-8s,” to people just interested in driving them only to pick up kids from soccer practice or fetching basil from the local Piggly Wiggly. Why aren’t these companies considered guilty of offering “gross polluters?” If these companies are so good, why can’t they offer a car that gets the kind of 50-mpg-range gas mileage that Geo Metros offered in the 1990s? People who make the assumption need to visit more than a Honda or Toyota dealership to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the modern automotive market.

But I digress. Our old cars are not used frequently. Therefore, the amount of fuel they actually burn and the pollution they create is negligible. I seriously doubt Young is driving his Lincoln enough to worry about the amount of fuel it consumes.


Also, car collectors keep their cars in a finer state of tune to better preserve and enjoy them. And good running cars get better gas mileage and spew less emissions. Many non-car people treat their cars like appliances and don’t do preventative maintenance. Their cars only go in the shop when there’s a problem or their cars stop working altogether.

And when it comes to being gross polluters, I’m not sure this is true, as I have never seen an emissions test for a 1959 Lincoln, Model T or 1965 Corvette. My personal emissions test experience is limited to a 185,000-mile 1978 Chevrolet Malibu Classic coupe with a 305-cid V-8 that always passed with flying colors. At the same time, I knew many people with much newer four-cylinder cars that struggled to come under the limits dictated by the test.

Furthermore, re-using old cars instead of using new energy to build new cars saves energy. Even crushing cars takes energy, not to mention the power used in processing the metal.

There are many collector cars that get good gas mileage, and by that, I mean fuel ratings in the 20 mpg range or better. Corvairs, Ramblers, Model T’s and A’s, and even many big, six-cylinder-powered 1950s and 1960s sedans can get good gas mileage.

So let’s stop letting uneducated citizens make assumptions about old cars. In today’s dark, political climate when everyone’s rights can be robbed by a loud but influential minority, give people the facts and call them on the carpet when they abuse them.

After giving a presentation last weekend to the Minnesota Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America, I noticed that the interest in auctions seems to be growing even more. I'll credit that to the televised auctions that have been cropping up with increased frequency. From my experience this weekend, I can only assume that the interest is wide-spread, so I figured readers of this blog would be interested in the press release I just received and posted below:

Russo & Steele's Monterey sale will be aired on ESPN Classic beginning tomorrow, Nov. 20, at 10 pm EST. It looks like the auction has been cleverly broken up into themed episodes, including "fast Fords," "Super Shelbys," "Chevy Performance" and "Mopar Mania."

I've always advised people to attend a couple auctions before bidding just to see first-hand how it all works, and this is a good way to get a primer before buying a bidder's pass and raising your hand in the air. Of course, there's no replacement for being there in person, either.

If you check out this televised auction, let me know what you think!

After a two-year hiatus, I’m looking forward to walking the newly remodeled fields of the Antique Automobile Club of America Eastern Fall Meet at Hershey. When I’m not combing the grounds for Cadillac parts, I’ll be looking forward to meeting readers at our spaces in the Orange Field (spaces 24-28) and the Green Field (spaces 1-2). I hope to see many great car parts for our Swap Meet Showdown contest and hear great tales of car part conquest. Several contributing authors to Old Cars Weekly will also be meeting at the Old Cars Weekly spaces at Hershey, so if your timing is right, you may get to meet one of your favorite authors.

But there’s more to Hershey than walking through acres of parts and cars for sale and taking in the Saturday-only car show. There’s also The Hershey Auction at the Giant Center by Kruse International, which will be held Oct. 11-13 to benefit the AACA Museum. A new RM Auctions sale at The Hershey Lodge and Convention Center on Oct. 11-12 will offer an additional opportunity to check out great cars, and in a dry setting if the weather at Hershey follows its regular wet pattern.

If you’re still looking for more action at Hershey, you’ll be happy to learn the Blackhawk Exposition Sale has returned to Hershey. Rob Williams will be setting up some of the collection’s finest automobiles in the Great American Hall of the Hershey Lodge. Many of the hobby’s most important figures gather around the spectacular cars of the Blackhawk Collection to socialize and gaze on beautiful metal, and to contemplate the prospective purchase of one of these fine cars. This display will be open evenings Oct. 11-13. You can bet I’ll try to attend all of these great events at Hershey, and if I’m lucky, I’ll do it with a Cadillac part in one hand and a Hershey bar in the other!

While at the Barrington concours in Barrington, Ill., last weekend, I encountered several examples of a feature that drives me absolutely nuts: club award badges drilled into the firewalls and cowls of vehicles.

The cars being drilled into aren’t just daily drivers – they’re pristine show cars that have been judged among their peers as top-flight examples of their kind. Often times, they are also very valuable cars, in both the historic and financial sense. For the quality of their restorations, cars and their owners have been rewarded with a tiny badge, which is great. But permanently affixing them to the body of a car is not the way to preserve that car for history.

I’m not going to mention the specific club badges I have seen through the years affixed in this manner, because many well-respected clubs are “guilty” of producing these badges.
In earning these badges, the club is rewarding the owner for bringing the car back to its original configuration. All of the wires must be of the correct type, the interior fabrics must be of the original style and the appearance must be as it was in the period the car was built. But adding one of these badges, which were not created in the time period the car was built, is adding a non-original feature. So, by judging a car as being so correct, isn’t it hypocritical to add an item that detracts from the car’s correctness? If it were a non-club badge permanently drilled into the car or even bolted on, wouldn’t the car be docked points for this feature?

I’m not fortunate enough to own a high-point car, but even I have an issue with drilling parts into my daily car or even modifying its appearance or mechanical function in even a temporary way. When I see it on a Classic car or other high-point car, it blows my mind.
Am I overreacting? I don’t think so. What do you think?

A reader asked that, because 1958 Cadillac Eldorado production numbers are lower than those for 1957 Eldo models, are 1958s worth more than 1957 Eldorados? Here's what I think:

For a long time, 1958 Cadillacs were the “black sheep” of 1950s Cadillacs, because many people found them to be very heavy-looking in a time when cars were getting lighter and more airy. Tack on the extra chrome and other trim of 1958 Cadillacs (mainly Series 60 and 62 models), and 1958 Cadillacs looked as heavy as the Queen Mary herself when parked next to more lithe Chrysler and Ford products from the same year. As a result of this prevailing negative attitude towards 1958s, those fans of 1958 Cadillacs formed their own chapter to the Cadillac LaSalle Club many years ago.
 
Today, of course, 1958s have become cherished collectibles for their part in the excess that was GM styling in the late 1950s. As far as comparing the 1958s to 1957s, it’s a close call, but the 1957s still seem to have the edge for their slightly cleaner styling. Either way, Eldo convertibles seem to be back on their way up the price ladder and both are equally appreciated.

What do you think?

While in Monterey, Calif., for Pebble Beach, I saw a TV commercial for a special-edition Mustang Shelby GT California Special. According to the ad, only 200 were built exclusively for the northern California market.

The car pictured was black with silver stripes. Carroll Shelby was mentioned, but I am not sure to what extent he was involved with the creation of these cars. The cars have 319 horsepower and a unique gauge cluster.

This was the first I heard of these cars. Does anyone else know more?
Here’s the site mentioned on the ad for more info: www.YourCaliforniaFord.com.

At Pebble Beach, home of the world’s most elite car show (and, apparently, an expensive round of 18 holes), Aston Martin debuted its latest hole in one. There, the company presented its new super car, the DBS, which will replace the Vanquish that ended production in July. Vanquish sales totaled 2,600 super cars.

With an expected sale price in the $268,000 range, according to a company spokesman, the new DBS’ debut on some of the world’s most valuable real estate was wholly appropriate.

Production of the DBS will begin in November and will be the first Aston Martin to make extensive use of lightweight carbon fiber. Apparently concerned with weight, Aston Martin designers even battled the pounds down to the DBS’ lightweight cabin carpet, thereby maximizing the car’s performance abilities.

Ironically, the car will feature a new electronic starting device made of glass touted as “heavy,” a reaction to customer complaints that the supercar used a traditional key, evidently a faux pas in the world of super-expensive, super-stylish automobiles.

That key will turn over a 6.0L, 500-hp V-12 backed by a six-speed transmission. Halting duties are provided by quadruple carbon-ceramic brakes.

All of these attributes are enough to hook the new DBS in supercar territory, but in the world of thick wallets and matching egos, a car has to have beauty on the outside, too. And this isn’t a player that wears plaid to the course.

“We deliver with our engines what our bodies promise,” said the spokesman.
It’s a weighty promise. Fortunately, the design of the DBS closely resembles its popular Vanquish predecessor. The traditional Aston Martin grille remains up front and the tail lamps aren’t too different in shape from the Vanquish. Between are voluptuous curves, also very similar to those of the Vanquish.

“This is a beautiful car. If you don’t see it, you don’t deserve it,” the company rep said. But even if you do deserve it, you’d better have a Master’s Cup win in your past.

I found out from Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club member Jim Davis that the trail several of his club members are taking to Auburn can be tracked on the web site http://cordcrew.squarespace.com/journal .
These members are taking their Cords across the country to get to Auburn, Ind., for the ACD Club Reunion, ACD Festival and all of the other automotive activities going on during the weekend. Those members include ACD Club "Newsletter" editor Josh Malks in his 1936 Westchester named "Moonshadow," Gail Shaw in a 1937 Beverly, Don Wohlwend in a 1937 Cabriolet and Barrie and Karen in a 1937 Beverly.
According to Davis, "The caravan will attract a fair amount attention as they travel across the Northern US and Southern Canadian back roads." Sounds like a great time to me!

The recently restored 1935 Duesenberg speedster "Mormon Meteor," owned by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio, took the hobby's biggest award Aug. 19 when it won "Best of Show" at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Yeaggy recently had the car converted to its original configuration, so it now more closely resembles the condition it was raced in (and in which it set speed records) by Ab Jenkins.

The car was purchased in the last couple years by Yeaggy at the Gooding Auction at Pebble Beach for approx. $4 million, before it's restoration.

Stay tuned for more info and pics in the near future!

Monterey is already a beautiful place, but throw together nearly a dozen automotive events into one long weekend, and Monterey becomes even more beautiful with lush automotive scenery.

 

At least for the weekend, Priuses along Central California’s coast cities have been supplanted by what looks like the United States’ entire population of red Ferraris and black-and-gold Hertz Mustangs. And that’s a wildly cool thing.

I started off the Monterey weekend registering for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and at several of the auctions. While getting all of the press credentials out of the way, I had a chance to check out some of the sweet machines already at these events. Here’s what I like so far:

 

Concours d’Elegance

-The Blackhawk Expo was already raring to go. The expo was set up with loads of Classics (including the Judkins coupe I like so much) and several really sweet street rods. I was also impressed with a 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Seville with quadruple headlamps. Richie Clyne and Don Williams of the Imperial Palace Auto Collections and Blackhawk Collection were tearing around the grounds on a Duesenberg chassis, and obviously had a good time doing it!

 

Russo & Steele auction

There’s lot of great muscle and 1950s cars at Russo & Steele’s sweet spread, but the event’s kickers are a 60-mile Boss 429 (yup, that’s less than 100 original miles!), the First Shelby King of the Road and a 1957 Eldorado Brougham in black – the best color to dress these suits. There’s also a resto-modded 1937 Lincoln-Zephyr coupe with a modern powertrain but a stock look. All tasty, and all available.

 

RM Auctions

Again, some of the best of the best are presented here. Surprisingly, there were lots of street rods in the RM Auction area, including the Khougaz 1932 Ford roadster featured earlier in Old Cars Weekly, and the Tommy Lee roadster with the Cord-style front end, soon to be featured in Ken Gross’ “Speaking of Hot Rods” column. There were also several historial race cars, including a Penske 1969 Camaro, which was rumbling around RM Auction’s outdoor display while I walked around, and not one but two Matranga-style Mercs going up for auction.

 

Gooding auction:

I like Classic Cadillacs and Duesenbergs, but the coolest things I saw at the Gooding auction were a six-cylinder early-1930s Alfa Romeo roadster in unrestored condition and a likewise original Ferrari transporter that appears to date to the 1960s. These finds were so sweet, I almost missed the V-16 Cadillac aerodynamic coupe!

 

This is all just the start. The finale will be Sunday, during the concours, but before that happens, there’s a lot to look at every where you turn. I’ll keep you posted!

If you remember my blog from several weeks ago shunning fender skirts, particularly on 1955-57 Chevrolets, I have an update for you.

More information came in the mail today when we received a copy of "Generator and Distributor," the publication of the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America, at the Old Cars Weekly office. According to Gene Schneider's article "A Little History about Fender Skirts," 1955-'66 Chevrolets were not available with fender skirts. Period.

Schneider noted that since many 1955-'57 Chevrolets, in particular, are fitted with fender skirts, that many people (including myself) believe fender skirts were a Chevrolet accessory. However, Schneider said they were not a Chevrolet accessory. Rather, every set was an aftermarket accessory during the period from 1955-'66. Schneider also notes that skirts should be removed for VCCA judging on 1955-'57 Chevrolets (and, presumably, 1958-'66 Chevrolets).

The article covers 1949-'77 Chevrolet fender skirts (or lack thereof) and is extremely informative, whether you like fender skirts or not.

Find out more about the VCCA and its club publication at:
VCCA Membership Secretary
PO Box 5387
Orange, CA 92563-5387

-OR-
Click on one of the links above.

I was shuttling around car parts between my home and a storage place in Iola, Wis., last night when I heard the rumble and saw the high headlamps of what had to be a military vehicle. There were two in tandem, and I still am not sure what they were, but it made my heart skip a beat. At first, I thought the U.S. military was preparing for an invasion in the little village of Iola. After the shock passed, I realized, they were going to the Iola military vehicle show!

Here's the official word on the military show from the editor of Military Vehicles Magazine, Old Cars Weekly's sister publication:

The Iola Vintage Military Gun Show with Vintage Tractors and Equipment is occurring this weekend (August 11-12, 2007) on the Old Car Show grounds. Collectors will display an array of heavy iron including WWII jeeps, deuce-and-a-halfs, amphibians, tractors and even antique “hit-and-miss” stationary engines. WWII reenactors create scenes of camp life, displays of Vietnam MASH units, radio-controlled airplane acrobatics and parades of vehicles complement the more than 150 vendor booths and gun show.
    Staff from Military Vehicles Magazine and Military Trader will be active all weekend in the re-badge Old Cars trailer selling subscriptions and gathering video, audio and print resources for our readers.  The show is open to the public 8-5 on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children, 6-12.

There was also a special military issue of Old Cars Weekly to commemorate the event. Does your interest in vintage vehicles extend to military vehicles? Do you like military vehicles? Let me know what you think!


The photo below by John Adams-Graf, editor of Military Vehicles Magazine, was taken of a few jeeps from Old Cars Weekly founder Chet Krause's jeep collection. These beaut's showed up early, allowing John Adams-Graf to shoot them before the crowds showed up. Enjoy!

Recently, someone asked where all of the brass-era cars are in Old Cars Weekly, and I shared a little secret with that reader that I figured I would post on my blog: I am working with one of our contributors on a regularly appearing BRASS-ERA car column.

Obviously, it’s getting more difficult to find cars that are built during this era to write about, as fewer of these cars are present at shows. But we haven’t stopped looking for such cars to write about.

Old Cars Weekly has always covered the entire hobby, which is growing wider as more cars pass the 25-year-old mark. Also, from our "Reader Wheels" department, it appears most readers have Corvettes and Mustangs and 1950s-1970s cars. (If you have a prewar car, however, we'd love to hear about it.) However, we realize they not only want to see coverage on the types of cars they own, but older cars as well.

Old Cars Weekly was founded on the early cars, and we will not forget them. But we'll also welcome the younger collector cars to the hobby.

A few weeks back, I decided to take my 1985 Caprice Landau coupe on its first long journey since I had its front-end damage repaired.

Before I go any further, I should note that, in all my years of entering several cars in car shows, I’ve only won a single trophy. While judges and spectators may not love my cars, animals sure do. Deer, in particular, love my cars. These beasts always want to get a closer look at my cars, and usually leave a trophy of their own behind after getting up close and personal.

It was one such Caprice-deer introduction that caused the car to be laid up for several years. This 1985 Caprice had actually replaced a similar ’84 Caprice coupe that had been rear-ended the fall before. After owning the ’85 Caprice for only a few months, the deer struck and I left the car mostly parked while I hunted for parts, saved for the body work and found the time to get it all back together.

After four or five years, I finally put the ’85 Caprice back together last fall and figured I’d drive it around this spring to sort out its issues. So in July, I took the car up to watch my friends’ band (Mezzoforte) play near Ladysmith, Wisconsin, for an extended weekend.

The trip wasn’t without its bumps. A rocky road wasn’t kind to the inner front fenders I had recently spent hours sanding and repainting, and a downed birch tree on the long driveway to my friend’s cabin threatened to stop my progress. (They figured the tree had fallen only minutes before I arrived. I’m going to blame the wildlife around the tree.)

After a fun weekend, I figured I’d head over to my parents’ home via Highway 8 in Wisconsin. Because of my vehicles’ interactions with animals, I spend a lot of time watching the ditches. But while cruising down Highway 8, I saw a shadow over the car and slowed the car down. You never know – maybe deer can fly now.

I found out in short order that the shadow wasn’t from a flying deer after all, but a bald eagle flying down to scoop some roadkill from the center line of the highway. Luckily, I had slowed down so I had plenty of time to avoid the eagle, which quickly and efficiently scooped up its next meal, flapped its wings a couple of times and then rose back into the sky. It was quite a sight!
 
Automotively speaking, the trip wasn’t without its fine sights. I spotted a lineup of old cars and trucks at an antique store in Weyerhauser, Wis. Had I had time, I would have stopped to see what kind of automotive treasures, other than the cars themselves, lie within. (pictured below)

I also noticed a 1956 Olds 88 four-door hardtop for sale not too far west of Weyerhauser. It had a $5,600 price tag and just a little rust in the rockers. It, too, is pictured below.

The rest of the trip went by without a problem. I can tell the car needs brakes, and my wallet senses a transmission rebuild in the car’s future. But I didn’t hit another deer. At least not yet.

We're preparing a special issue of Old Cars Weekly that will be sold only on newsstands, and I figured the publication's readers are the best people to ask. So, I'm looking for feedback. What are the best stories to put in this special magazine-sized issue of Old Cars Weekly? To get you thinking, here's a preliminary list of stories we're planning for the issue:

Gregg D. Merksamer's Pennsylvania Turnpike story
A drive in a Duesenberg
Autronic Eye repair story
Matt Ross' coverage of the northwest's Pig-n-Ford races
Unrestored 1941 Willys coupe feature
VW drive in California
Stories from the Highway Patrol
JFK hearse story...

and what else do you think?
Let me know!

Recently, someone asked me if his one family-owned, 40,000-mile 1985 Chrysler LeBaron GTC was not given collector status, and if the $5,000 “default rate” collector car insurance coverage was enough insurance. He asked his question of me since I own a 1981 Chevrolet Impala coupe that I treat like a collector car, and I thought my reply would be of interest to.

Personally, I consider any car that is special to a car enthusiast, and treated as such, to be a collector car. That could mean a pampered 1996 Buick Riviera or a 1986 Corolla (if anyone does such a thing) that are only driven in nice weather.

When it comes to values, the market determines the price a car is worth. The large bulk of the market for many 1970s cars and nearly all 1980s and later cars is made up of people who regularly buy and sell cars of this era as used cars for transportation, so as a 1980s car collector, you are in a large minority (as am I with my 1981 Impala coupe). As an example, most people who own ‘57 Chevys use them as collector cars and few, if anyone, still uses a 1957 Chevy as daily transportation while disregarding its collectability. Most people who own 1981 Impalas and 1985 LeBarons use them only as daily transportation without ever considering their future or present collectability.

Since an insurance company needs to follow the market when determining prices, it cannot change prices for specific cars and owners (i.e., it’s bad business for it to give you more than the market value of a car because you treat your car better than 99 percent of those out there). And right now, our cars are at their lowest values they will ever be at.

It’s not all bad, however. Since most people treat 1981 Impalas and 1985 Chrysler LeBarons as “used cars,” and have done so since they began driving off the dealership lot, our very nice cars are in a shrinking minority. Attrition has set in, and there are far less mint models like ours than there were when they were new. Therefore, we have cars that can only grow in desirability.

God forbid, if your car does need to be replaced, you should be able to find another one in the $5,000 price range. It won’t be the same car, of course, since you can’t turn back the clock to 1985 and buy a brand new one. Also, it will be difficult to find another low-mileage 1985 Chrysler LeBaron GTS, but they’re out there. You just have to look. I would never want to try to find another 1981 Impala coupe to replace mine because I know how long it took to find the one I did, but they’re out there, and right now, that difficulty in searching for one does not carry a very high price tag.
 
The people who began collecting Duesenbergs in the 1940s and 1950s were picking them up for $250 to a few thousand dollars. Of course, those cars are now worth hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Our cars will likely never be worth that much, but now is the time to invest in cars that we feel will appeal to future car collectors. LeBarons were popular and attractive when they were new, and so it’s likely a market will grow for them.

The first Impalas were two-doors, and my Impala is from the last year  a two-door Impala was built. Therefore, I feel that, although my car is valued only at around $5,000, it can only go up from there. And by purchasing the car now at a relatively low price, I got in at the ground floor, like those insightful Duesenberg owners.

My suggestion to you is to keep up with the market values and prices for cars like yours. If and when you see cars sell for more prices than your car is insured for, contact your insurance company and get a recent appraisal from a qualified appraiser to reflect the value gains.

Gorgeous weather, an overflowing show car field and a sold-out swap meet appear to have made this year’s Iola Old Car Show the biggest yet. For me, it may also have been the best.

With all of the guests we welcome at the show, I enjoy spending a lot of time talking to Old Cars Weekly subscribers and usually run out of time to meander through the gigantic swap meet. (I’ve never seen the whole thing). However, I found several treasures in the swap meet this year, including the Kidillac pedal car I mentioned in my editorial following last year’s Iola car show. I didn’t let it get by me again and scooped it up this year.

I also purchased a spare dual-snorkel air cleaner for a 1955 Cadillac and 1962 Cadillac wheel, but my biggest score was a solid 1955 Cadillac back bumper, complete with nice bumper ends. Each year, I make it a point to stop in at Cadillac and Ford collector Jim Huotari’s swap space in search of Cadillac parts, and every year he has a surprise for me. T