It is with a heavy heart that I post this message about the passing of our hobby’s foremost and most beloved historian, Beverly Rae Kimes. She died May 12.

Beverly was a very prolific researcher and writer known for such books as “The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942,” “The Star and the Laurel” and “Packard: A History of the Motor Car and the Company.” Most recently, Beverly was the executive editor of the Classic Car Club of America, and had been a longtime editor of Automobile Quarterly.

Such accomplishments would humble anyone, including myself. I felt like I was meeting a star when I first met Beverly at the Society of Automotive Historians’ 2002 banquet held in Hershey, Pa., during the AACA national fall meet. I was immediately struck by her class and grace, which came through in every article she wrote and every issue of the CCCA’s “Bulletin” publication she edited. Such elegance permeated every other conversation I was fortunate to share with Beverly, whether it was in an e-mail, in person or on one of her little yellow Post-It notes with a personal note stuck to the cover of the latest CCCA “Bulletin.”

In memory of Beverly and in lieu of flowers, her husband wishes donations be made to The National Kidney Foundation at www.kidney.org where there is a “make a gift” form, or via FAX to 212-889-2310 (National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd Street NY , NY 10016).

We’ll have more details on the life of Beverly in the next issue of OCW. If you’d like to share your thoughts, I welcome you to do it here.

The treasure chest of muscle cars and parts found in Green Bay, Wis., by
Larry Fisette will be opened to bidders May 9-10 in Rockville, Md., during a
sale by Bud Ward’s Auction Co. Nearly all of the parts and many of the cars
found when Fisette emptied the 21 semi trailers holding the collection of
Donald Schlag will be sold by Scott Milestone, who purchased the sorted and
inventoried collection from Fisette in late 2006.

“I am keeping some of the stuff, such as the L-88 carburetors, one of the
fuel injection units, one set of heads for the [Yenko] Camaro,” Milestone
said.

Although Milestone is keeping the 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro from the sale,
along with a few parts for it, he is selling the vast bulk of big- and
small-block engines, fuel injection units, manifolds and other muscle
car-era parts found in the trailers through a sale by Bud Ward’s Auction Co.
Among the cars found in the trailers to be offered in the sale will be the
1970 Chevelle LS-6 two-door hardtops, 1972 Camaro, International Scout and
Mercedes owned by Schlag’s father.

The vast majority of the parts will be sold individually, but some parts,
such as dipsticks, oil filter and the like will be sold in lots. When it
comes to the parts, Milestone expects the fuel injection units, intakes, Z16
and DZ-302 carburetors and the big-block parts to be the hottest items at
the sale. The pair of 1970 Chevelle LS-6, as well as the estimated 20
big-block engines and 70 small-block engines, are also expected to get their
fair share of attention from bidders.

It took Milestone six men, 18 days, a parade of semis and trucks and some
ingenuitive thinking to get the parts from Green Bay to Maryland. Due to the
size and weight of the parts, it didn’t take Milestone long to determine the
parts would be too heavy and bulky for cardboard boxes, which crumbled upon
moving them. Plastic containers available at retail stores were too small,
but it occurred to Milestone that a larger version, such as the large,
wheeled containers used by waste companies, would be perfect, and he was in
luck. The manufacturer of the 6-ft-long by 4-foot deep containers was near
Green Bay and delivered three dozen of the containers within two days.
Another 50 regular-size wheeled garbage cans were also ordered from the
container manufacturer.

The weight of the parts posed another problem. In order to avoid overloading
the semis, the parts had to be weighed before they were loaded using a scale
Milestone purchased just for the chore. Rather than weigh all of the parts
over again, he kept a list of established weights and added up the weight in
each container before it was loaded on a semi.

“We were within 200 pounds of weighing each truck to its maximum,” Milestone
said. Once the parade of semis, trucks and motor homes were in Maryland, it
took only three days to unload the parts.

Now those parts will be available at High Point Farms in Clarksburg, Md. The
collection that Schlag originally assembled in Green Bay will be available
for viewing May 7-8, with the parts sale beginning May 9. Automobiles from
the muscle car find, as some as some additional consignments offered through
Bud Ward’s Auction Co., will be sold May 10.

Yesterday, April 28, 2008, will be a day that goes down in history as the first day of Challenger production. The cars are being built at Chrysler LLC's Brampton, Ontario, plant where Chargers and Chrysler 300s are currently being built.
Mark your 2009 calendars for April 28 -- a day I will refer to as official Challenger Day!

The life of an editor is filled with many torments, not the least of which is how to properly spell words. It’s also important to note that the first lesson of journalism is to spell names correctly, but in an area like the old-car hobby, there are a lot of things that cannot be found in a dictionary. If an editor does not know the proper spelling off the top of his or her head, we have to turn to factory literature. Luckily, the Old Cars Weekly archives are filled with good material to prove that LaSalle should be spelled as one word, while De Soto is actually two words, though you don’t always see these two marques spelled this way.

While editing Geoff Stunkard’s upcoming column “From the Musclecar Files” for the May 8 issue, I noticed Mr. Stunkard used “hemi’cuda” when referring to a 426-cid-powered 1970 ‘Cuda.
This spelling is used on the car’s Shaker hood scoop (by the way, “Shaker” is one of those words capitalized on some cars, not capitalized on others), but it’s not a spelling often seen. Even though Stunkard is a very well-known writer and is the former editor of a Mopar muscle car magazine, I figured I would double check his spelling since we usually use “Hemi ‘Cuda” as two capitalized words when referring to these powerhouses.

I remembered the OCW archives contains Chrysler and Plymouth data books from 1970 and later so I looked up Hemi ‘Cudas in the data book. The data book always refers to both the Hemi and 'Cuda in lower case. I couldn't believe 'Cuda should be spelled " 'cuda" in lower-case form and went to look for an original ad. In the ad I found, 'Cuda is capitalized, as is Hemi, and the ad calls the car "Hemi-'Cuda" with a hyphen. So, since Mopar spelled it however it wanted to do it, we will too!

As a national publication, Old Cars Weekly covers a lot of the spring’s “firsts.” First car shows, first swap meets and first auctions. As I write this, Auction and Technical Editor Ron Kowalke and I are preparing to leave for our “firsts” of the season. For Ron, that is Spring Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet & Corral in Carlisle, Pa. For me, that “first” swap meet of the season is the Spring Jefferson Car Show and Swap Meet in Jefferson, Wis.

I’ve been attending Spring Jefferson for many years now, and I always come back with my arms full. Last year, I found several Ford factory photos of 1930s, 1940s and 1950s models, and some of them have appeared in Old Cars Weekly. I’ve come home from Spring Jefferson with Cadillac parts, which any Cadillac owner will tell you is difficult to do at nearly any swap meet. Several years ago, I owned 1968 and 1969 Buick Skylarks, but found it difficult to find parts for these cars and gave up looking. It became clear that looking for Cadillac and Skylark parts was like looking for a radiator on VW Beetle — it wasn’t going to happen. However, had I been to Spring Jefferson and seen all of the 1968 and ’69 Skylark parts for sale there, I would never have sold my Skylark.

Some of my friends have even benefit from my trips to Spring Jefferson. One year, I brought back a door for a friend’s 1976 Pontiac Trans Am. Another year, I had a solid lead on a 1961 Chevrolet Impala “bubble top” for a friend, but it didn’t pan out. However, I did have success with a 1989 Chevrolet Caprice ex-squad car lead — retired Old Cars Weekly Editor John Gunnell ended up buying it for his collection.

When it comes to the 2008 Spring Jefferson swap meet, I anticipate the same success as I have had in the past. And I think my friends hope I do, too.

If you’re attending Spring Jefferson, be sure to stop by the Old Cars Weekly booth in the Jefferson County Fairgrounds’ main building. While Advertising Sales Representative Michelle Kraemer and I are taking subscriptions and offering books, you can tell us about all of your Spring Jefferson swap meet finds.

I drive from the Old Cars Weekly office in Iola, Wis., to St. Paul, Minn., frequently to see family and friends and to return to some of the car shows I've been going to as a kid. I also drive an old Minnesota state Caprice, and as an old car lover, I found it interesting when the AP reported that Minnesota State Patrol's squad cars are getting a retro look.

According to the AP, the new squads will have maroon bodies with white doors, similar to how they appeared from 1960 to 1991. Currently, Minnesota State Highway Patrol squads are solid maroon with a gold stripe on the side.

The new look is intended to enable motorists to recognize troopers better, thereby enhancing officer safety. The change is also intended to make squad cars stand out from other vehicles.

Professional vehicle collectors already know there's a trend towards cities returning to black-and-white squad cars, usually from all-white schemes, in attempt to emphasize the authority of officers. Is this change to the "retro-style" of Minnesota State Patrol cars in the same flavor? I doubt we'll ever find out for sure.

Either way, I say, bring back the patrol cars of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, if they want to go completely retro. I'd be happy to pay a ticket to an officer behind the wheel of an old Monaco!

The Old Cars Weekly staff has been making the 2009 Old Cars Weekly Collector's Calendar, and there are some fantastic cars. In fact, there are more than 13 fantastic cars (one for each month and the cover), and we already know we won't be able to use them all.

So, we're doing the next best thing -- we're using the cars in the calendar as feature story subjects, so regardless of whether your car was selected for the calendar, you may be getting a call from an Old Cars Weekly editor to talk about your car!

2008 Treasure Hunts
Hot Bird, #05/12; Collector #165/196; #M6971
This casting takes even a young punk like me back to his youth. When I was a kid, every kid had one of these in their Hot Wheels Collector’s Case, along with a Sheriff Patrol car and a ‘57 Chevy. These Smokey and the Bandit-era Firebirds were only slightly used cars, but cool ones at that, especially given the bulk of uninspiring new cars offered in the early 1980s.
Although an old casting, the 1979 Trans Am-based Hot Bird has been given a fresh place in the spotlight as a 2008 Treasure Hunt. It has also been given a shimmering gold paint job worthy of its name and status as a long beard in the Hot Wheels line. In addition to its gold paint, the body sports black stripes starting between the T-top openings and down to the deck lid, ending just before the spoiler. There are also stripes outlining the character lines of the body sides, stretching between the wheelbase. And, of course, there’s that screaming bird spread out across the hood and wrapping around the Shaker hood scoop. Hot Wheels designers used a little creativity here while maintaining the integrity of the famous bird -- they designed a black panel with the bird cut out of the middle, leaving the winged creature to be the color of the body. This trick makes the hood appear blacked out while keeping the feathers from being ruffled on the famous source of the Firebird Trans Am’s power.
The crowning touch is the big, red-colored tail lamps, and best of all, the casting retains its all-metal construction. I can’t think of a better addition to the Treasure Hunt series. Welcome, Hot Bird!

Not only does the Old Cars staff get questions about old car values on the phone all day, we sometimes get them from our co-workers. In our Iola, Wis., office, there are about 250 employees working on books and magazines, and not just in the car hobby. One of those co-workers, who I see every Tuesday when we send Old Cars Weekly to the printer, came up with a question about the value of her fiancée’s “old car.”

Apparently, my coworker’s fiancée inherited an old car from his cousin some years back and had been offered money for this car, even though it wasn’t for sale. I was expecting it to be a used car or, at best, a 1970s Chevelle or a 1957 Chevrolet. I was shocked when she told me it was a “Dodge Coronet with a 436.” Well, or course, my jaw dropped because I knew she probably meant it was a 426, which would make it a Hemi!

Another co-worker who’s a fellow gear head had seen pictures and confirmed the car was a Coronet R/T with a Hemi, but he had seen the pictures so long ago he could not remember if it was a 1967 or ’68. The car was portrayed as a good original with 55,000 miles, but I did not see it in person.

Apparently, the fiancée had been offered $80,000 for the car, and she wanted to know if it was worth selling. I, of course, told her not to sell it, but we looked at some prices as a point of comparison. Here’s what I found for 1967 and 1968 Hemi Dodges:

1967 Hemi Coronet R/T selling prices:
1. $200,000 - Four-speed car, Old Cars Price Guide No. 1 condition, Feb. 2007 RM Auctions sale
2. $75,000 – Automatic car, Old Cars Price Guide No. 2 condition, Jan. 2007 Barrett-Jackson sale
3. $87,000 – Four-speed car, Old Cars Price Guide No. 2 condition, modified, Fall Kruse 2006 sale
4. $85,000 - Automatic car, Old Cars Price Guide No. 2 condition, Fall Kruse 2005 sale.

1968 Dodge Hemi cars
Note: Coronet R/T’s with Hemi engines were few and far between in the database. With the hot new Charger, it’s my assumption most Hemi buyers went for the Charger, rather than the Coronet R/T. Since selling prices were rare, I threw in a few Coronet Super Bee and Dodge Charger R/T prices.

1.    $102,500 – Automatic Super Bee, Old Cars Price Guide No. 1 condition, Mecum High-Performance auction Oct 2006
2.    $40,250, four-speed Coronet R/T hardtop, Old Cars Price Guide No. 2 condition, Mecum Kansas City 2002 sale
3.    $117,500 – Automatic Charger R/T, Old Cars Price Guide No. 2 condition, Barrett-Jackson 2007 sale.

Old Cars Price Guide does not offer values for Hemi cars at the moment and labels them as “inestimable.” And you can clearly see why: values are all over the map, and comparing cars becomes almost impossible. It does appear that people are willing to spend the extra money on four-speed cars, which is not surprising.

Do I think $80,000 is a good offer for the Hemi Coronet R/T owned by my co-worker’s fiancée? If it’s a 1967, that sounds like a fair price. If it’s a 1968, I think it’s a little low considering most people consider 1968 Coronets more desirable than 1967 models. I hope my coworker and her fiancée hang on to their prize and enjoy it for a few years before selling it.

Those of you who read Old Cars Weekly and this blog probably remember the one-of-tree 1956 Imperial convertible rusting away in my coworker’s backyard. Upon learning there is a hidden Hemi car also parked in my coworker’s garage, I’m beginning to wonder what other treasures are tucked among the trees of the isolated Iola community! Hopefully, we'll get some pictures of the car that I can share in the future.