Under the Hood with Angelo Van Bogart

Free Papa John's pizza for Camaro owners
Posted by Angelo

Got a Camaro? Have an inkling for a sausage and pepperoni pie? Then fill your tank and go fill your stomach, because today's your lucky day. To celebrate finding the '71 Camaro Z/28 that was sold to finance Papa John's pizza, the founder, "Papa" John Schnatte, is giving away free pizzas to Camaro owners Aug. 26.

If you've been reading Old Cars Weekly, then you know the founder put out a $250,000 bounty on his car, and with the help of the people he sold the car to, the car was found looking much the same as when he sold it. Since the previous owners who Schnatte sold the car to were a big help in tracking it down, he also gave them $25,000. Schnatte sounds like a real car guy. Our type of guy.

Check out this link to get the low-down.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 2:49:56 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Friday, August 14, 2009

Live from Saginaw Street at Back to the Bricks
Posted by Angelo

After 50 years, “Doc” Watson celebrated 50 years of “shifting gears” with Hurst, and had the perfect venue to do it: Back to the Bricks in Flint, Mich.

Watson had an open house along Back to the Bricks’ main artery, Saginaw Street, and greeted all comers to a building filled with artifacts from the past, and a few from the future, including a gleaming new, silver supercharged Hurst Challenger. There’s rumor that Doc might have something up his sleeve later during the event, so we’ll keep you posted.

Visitors also caught a glimpse of the iconic Linda Vaughn, who was fluttering around the open house, greeting her fans and talking cars and Hurst, as she’s always good for. Some of the cars Vaughn helped make famous were also on hand, including the Hurst/Olds convertible she stood on, hanging on to a giant shift handle mounted to the trunk, as well as Doc’s personal Pontiac SSJ that was used for all the publicity shots of the model, which included Vaughn.

Several car owners brought their cars to the open house, including several Hurst owners. Perhaps the rarest car in the lot wasn’t a 1969 H/O or 1988 H/O, but the white-and-gold 1974 Oldsmobile Cutlass sedan used as an Indianapolis 500 official’s car for the 1974 race.

Back on the rolling cruise that makes up Back to the Bricks, the machines were rolling in. Given the fact that Flint was once home to more than 100,000 General Motors’ employees, it’s not surprising that most of the metal rolling through Flint wore the blue label. Although it’s early during the event, muscle has been heavy, and there are plenty of prewar surprises.

I’m heading back to the bricks, so check back for more updates after the show.

Long remembered will be the giant shift handle Hurst model Linda Vaughn, "Miss Hurst Golden Shifter", used in famous poses for the company.

Here's another view of the Hurst/Olds with the giant shift handle (on the left) along with the Pontiac SSJ used for publicity shots with Vaughn.

A new silver supercharged Hurst Challenger is on view in a special inside exhibit.

The most rare of the Oldsmobiles in the Hurst display is this 1974 Oldsmobile Cutlass sedan used as an Indy 500 official's car at the 1974 race.

Friday, August 14, 2009 2:56:52 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Monday, August 10, 2009

All shook up at the first Shakedown
Posted by Angelo

The quiet little town of Symco, Wis., got a lot louder Aug. 7-8 during the first Symco Shakedown, a pre-1964 traditional hot rod show that forbid billet and anything else made after Kennedy died.

The show was just down the road from Iola, Wis., so I couldn’t pass up a chance to hang out at the event and relish in the old-school rods, the bands, the beer and the folks in attendance there, many living the rockabilly lifestyle.

Symco is home to many old buildings, petroliana and farm equipment (it's known for hosting a big thresheree), making it the perfect place to shoot some cool cars in cool backgrounds.

Check out these pix from the first show, and if you like what you see, head over to www.symcoshakedown.com to learn more…We’ll see you next year!

Is that a 348 or a 409 between the rails?

This dark green Deuce Tudor had a flattie with open headers, and sounded like it!

A 1933-34 Plymouth coupe built as a traditional-style rod.

Check out the Continental grille shell on the Plymouth.

A slick '50 Merc coupe with subtle striping and slamming. This is how it was done, folks.

A front view of the Plymouth. I must have really liked this car!

Ca.-31 GM coupe (probably Chevy, as pointed out a blog visitor) with a Deuce grille shell.

A good selection of machines made it to the first event. You can also get the flavor of the grounds in this shot.

Check out this wicked, old-style coupe. My guess is 1940-41 Chebby with its ass in the grass. (My guess is wrong; apparently a 1946-48 Chevy.)

This Fiat was a legitimate, old-school racer, built in 1962 with a 348 Chevy engine. The car was painted this way in the early 1970s and caused crowds to run when it was fired up, and glued to its patina while it was parked.

The paint tells the tale of this '55's past. When you find an old machine like this, complete with a '60s-style interior with a sparkling-gold three-spoke steering wheel, you don't touch it. You just drive it.

I'm guessing there were 100-200 cars at the Shakedown, but however many there were, it was enough for me to miss this Chevy two-door sedan among the buildings until it was time to leave. That chopper is pretty cool, too.

This green '69 Biscayne was one of my favorites, even though it was too new to get in the Shakedown. Its owner parked in a special parking lot. The fender badges said 327, while the shift handle poking out of the floor from in front of the bench seat said four-speed. Too cool.

A little T bucket and some cool gas pumps make for a nice combo.

There were two sweet '51 Merc coupes at the shakedown, and this purple beaut was hard to photograph without throngs of people by it. Perhaps part of the reason it was hard to photograph was the dunk tank featuring girls from the roller derby.

Monday, August 10, 2009 4:26:24 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Monday, August 03, 2009

The Ultimate Cocktail Cruiser
Posted by Angelo

You can’t share spirits in a toast with Frank Sinatra anymore, but you might be able to catch his own spirit Aug. 14 when Bonhams & Butterfields offers Ol’ Blue Eyes’ 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. This rolling cocktail cruiser is being offered at the auction house’s Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia auction Aug. 14 at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, Calif.

America was living the high life in the 1950s, and Cadillac’s Eldorado Brougham was the culture’s ultimate representation of that life. With Frank Sinatra as the soundtrack, the glamorous 1950s were a time of extravagance and entertainment, and at $13,074 with a load of accompanying goodies, the stainless-steel-topped Brougham had both.

This Brougham (OS11467/58P011421) comes with all six of the original drink tumblers (presumable with some mileage on them by the original owner) and cigarette case (likewise, carefully used by Sinatra), offering the opportunity to own the ultimate example of 1950s culture on wheels.

The ex-Sinatra 1958 Brougham also has a known past, recounted by previous owner and CHP officer Neal Gann who recalled pulling over Sinatra in the car when it was nearly new. According to Bonhams & Butterfields, here’s that story:

    “In early 1958 while on traffic patrol duties as a California Highway Patrolman, I was coming onto outbound Interstate 10 at Towne Avenue in Pomona, California … on a Friday afternoon late. I observed a 1958 Cadillac Brougham eastbound in moderate fast traffic; the car was passing using several lanes…. There was no license plate displayed, which was not unusual for those years … temporary dealer plates … frequently came off.

    “I executed a traffic stop near Ontario Airport. Upon approaching the driver’s side I immediately recognized Mr. Sinatra, as I had been a fan since WWII. I advised as to why he was stopped and he said curtly, “You must have the wrong car Officer.” I replied, “Mr. Sinatra, you don’t see many Broughams at one time,” This elicited a grin and a reply of “No, I guess not.”

    “I asked for his driver’s license and registration. He produced his billfold and had a difficult time finding his license among the many photos and miscellaneous papers. I noted that most of the photos were of Ava Gardner…. [after reflection] I considered as to how unfair [it was] to cite him just because he was a celebrity.

    “About this time, Mr. Sinatra got out and came back to my position and said, “Could you hurry up with the ticket. I’m running late.” I then told him … that I was just warning him to slow down and display the registration. I could tell this caught him off guard. He replied with a few expletives and “This is the first time I ever got a break from this kind of situation. As soon as someone finds out you’re a [expletive] celebrity they shove it to you.” His whole attitude changed from … indignant to friendly…. [W]e parted company and I about drooled over such a magnificent car.

    “Years went by and I had put this on the back burners of my memory. [Then] my half brother, Matthew L. Post (Bill), [who] was an avid car collector and Chairman of the board of Le Cercle – Concours d’Elegance in Los Angeles called me and stated, “Years ago you told me about stopping Sinatra in that ‘58 Brougham! Well, I just bought it at auction.” Bill owned the car and stored it in Hollywood Hills. One day he called me and stated “L’il brother, I’m going to give you the Brougham if you will drive and enjoy it.” Thus I acquired the car and the documentation. The car was mine and the dream came true.

    “I entered the car in many car shows and it won Best of Show at the Cadillac Club International car show in Palm Springs, California.”

The car is offered by Bonhams & Butterfields on behalf of Sidney H. Craig, who collected cars with provenance that were once owned by celebrities, and it comes with registration citing Sinatra as the owner. If you want to go back to the 1950s, this might be your best chance to do it, and certainly the most stylish way to go about it. My guess is, it will cost about $250K to do it, but we'll find out for sure when the car sells at no reserve on Aug. 14. To learn more, click here.

Monday, August 03, 2009 8:23:27 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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