A GDYNETS® PUBLICATION © 2011, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Classic Rides Reports From the Field Oldsmobile (1897-2004) Cadillac (1902- ) Allanté (1987-1993)
Corvair (1960-1969)
IN THIS ISSUE:
Car Collector Chronicles® — THE FORUM
1
GDYNets On the Web
1
It is with extreme pleasure that I announce the creation of Car Collector Chronicles®—THE FORUM. This site provides you a means to interact electronically with me, fellow readers and the many fans of old rides. Feel free to make use of the forum to talk about anything you have come across on the pages of CCC®, and anything pertaining to car collecting. Why Car Collector Chronicles®—THE FORUM? Because I never intended, nor do I want, CCC® to be a one-way street. I am by no means the font of all knowledge when it comes to car collecting. If anything, I am but a mere novice. I know we all can, and will, benefit from the sharing of our experiences. I encourage you to indeed feel free to make use of the forum to bring anything collector car related to our attention. Use it to ask questions, or tell us
2
Oldsmobilography 2 and Other Reads 4
Find GDYNets on the web: CCC® -THE FORUM http://ccc.activeboard.com
CCC® Forum EMail: OldsD88@gmail.com
5
about yourself, your ride(s). and interests. Think of the forum as your place to meet and communicate with others who share our passion. There are a number of dedicated sections on the forum. Use of them will assist in getting your message in front of those most interested in what you have to say. All I ask is, enter nothing you would not want your teenager to see. As the forum administrator, I shall exercise control over the delete button. You will find links to the forum at the bottom of this page, and in the “Ok, I’ve had my say …” paragraph which closes each issue. For those who want it, the actual web address is http://ccc.activeboard.com/ I do hope you find the forum of interest and value. My real hope is that you will make use of it regularly. With your active
participatation CCC® can, and shall, become a better pub. Hopefully, through use of the forum we can all get to know one another better, learn and reap even more enjoyment out of our mutual obsession? See you on the forum!
GDYNets® on the Web
Car Collector Chronicles-scribd
Photos
January 2011
Car Collector Chronicles
Car Collector Chronicles®—THE FORUM
Car Collecting Today
Coming Next Issue
®
Volume IV, Issue I
Exploring:
Fate of Our Rides
Car Collector Chronicles
Saved 62 - 1962 Olds web site http://www.freewebs.com/ jeandaveyaros The Gray Lady - 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site
SAVED 62: A website devoted
to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobiles and its founder, Ransom Eli Olds.
THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville and Caddy information.
DAVE’S DEN: A website devoted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive information on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. George Yaros.
Page 2
Car Collector Chronicles
FATE OF OUR RIDES With the dawn of 2011, our Allanté, Oldsmobile and Coupé de Ville became 19, 49 and 56 years young, respectively. Meanwhile, yours truly becomes a Medicare enrollee! It does make one stop and think. In the year 2025, who will remember, let alone be interested in, the Oldsmobile offerings of 1962? Are our rides, like their owners, doomed to become relics?
“In the year 2025, who will remember, let alone be interested in, the Oldsmobile offerings of 1962?”
Not long ago I saw message traffic on the net between a recent seller and buyer of a ‘55 Caddy. The seller was highly upset that the buyer was already thinking of putting the car on the market. He openly stated he regretted having sold it to the buyer, and proclaimed he would not have done so had he known the ride was going to be placed in the hands of some unknown third person. The degree of emotional attachment to the driving machine was more than evident, to say the least! I have a sticker on my car barn lift that reads: “If I am going to Hell, I’m going in an Oldsmobile!” Fact is, I shall go wherever it is so ordained, and the Olds will remain here. How do we assure our rides are passed on to someone who will appreciate and lavish attention on them? This predicament is particularly troublesome for those (like me) without children or relatives interested in vintage iron. Alas, it is a definite conundrum that awaits resolution. Your ideas?
OLDSMOBILOGRAPHY AND OTHER READS Would I be amiss in stating that car collector folk tend to devour anything and everything they can get their hands on related to their rides and the hobby? I plead guilty to such. My first interest is in Olds; not only the car, but the man behind creation of the vehicle. For any Oldsmobile fan, the book you must have/read is Setting the Pace: Oldsmobile’s First 100 Years by Helen Earley Jones and James R. Walkinshaw (1996) 496 pgs. It is the definitive work on Oldsmobile motor vehicles. Not only does it provide a history of the company, it has the car data you want. How many 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertibles left the plant? The number is there. How long is the car? The measurement is provided. You get the idea. If you see a copy anywhere, do latch on to it! You won’t regret the expenditure. One of the factors that makes Oldsmobile a marque of note is the man himself, Ransom Eli Olds. There are a few biographies on Olds out
Page 3
Car Collector Chronicles
there. Some are authorized, some are not. All are out-of-print and make for interesting reading. The two of which I know of, and have, are R.E. Olds: Auto Pioneer by George S. May (1977) 458 pgs., and Auto Pioneering: A Remarkable Story of Ransom E. Olds by Duane Yarnell (1949) 212 pgs. Both works make two salient points about R. E. Olds: 1- He was an inveterate tinkerer, of the hands on variety. 2- He was not a good businessman. In fact, he may have had what we now diagnose as ADHD? I make such presumption predicated on the fact that once he completed a project, his interest in its continued development waned rapidly. Cases in point: Within seven short years after having created his automobile, he left Olds Motor Works. Within a year he was making and selling REOs, and in fact soon outselling the Olds Motor Works! Having bested his former company, he ceased active involvement in REO Motors after only a decade at the helm. Other works on Olds of which I am aware are: Ransom E. Olds: America's First Automotive Pioneer Daniel Alef (Kindle eBook - 2009); R. E. Olds and Industrial Lansing Michael Rodriguez (Paperback 2004); The Automotive Career of Ransom E. Olds Glenn A Niemeyer (1963) 233 pgs.; Metta and R. E. Olds: Loves, Lives, and Labors Patricia E. Heyden (Paperback - 1997) 96 pgs.; Oldsmobile: Ransom E. Olds: REO Motor Car Company, Oldsmobile Curved Dash, List of Automotive Superlatives, In My Merry Oldsmobile, 20th Century Limited, Oldsmobile 88 Surhone, Timpledon, Marseken Editors [Paperback2010] and R.E. Olds--Benefactor to the Holy Lands Rajee Tobia (1965). The Metta and R. E. Olds: work sounds like it would be interesting? Speaking of Ransom; evidently he was so rich he could print his own money? Note the signature in the bottom, right-hand corner.
“[T]wo salient points about R. E. Olds: 1- He was an inveterate tinkerer, of the hands on variety. 2- He was not a good businessman.�
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 4;;
… AND OTHER READS—Cont’d Let me now turn to a periodical I feel worthy of your attention. It is Auto Restorer®, published by BowTie Publications™. You can check it out at http:// www.autorestorermagazine.com. Let me state upfront, I am a subscriber. I find the magazine very useful, and an excellent read. The information is stuff you can/will use. It is presented in a readily understandable manner and accompanied with explanatory photos. I must say, these folks are very knowledgeable and serve up interesting material every month. Lastly, there is the “bible” of the hobby, Hemmings Motor News®. I doubt it needs much of an introduction? Both the commercial and classified ads are informative. The classifieds do provide a sense of both what is available on the market, and what sellers think their rides are worth. I say “think,” because I question how much of a grip on reality some of the listing owners possess. Likewise, the auction results reports provide a barometer of current market conditions in the rarified circles of the moneyed class. The publication is not limited to classified ads, be they from individuals or business entities. There are monthly columns and feature articles as well. I particularly enjoy the column where readers ask questions of the resident wrench turner on what is causing this, what if I do this, or how do I.
Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now its your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and contributions, and ask that you help spread the word about our pub. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com. Now, that you have finished reading our pub, come join in the ongoing dialog between other CCC® readers and like-minded car collector folk on the CCC® Forum. Stop by, check us out and share your views … . _______________________________________
-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM!
COMING NEXT ISSUE:
Right now, I have absolutely no idea what shall grace the pages of the February issue?
If I am lucky, just maybe your comments on CCC® –THE FORUM will provide grist for the mill?
Car Collector Chronicles
The plush Crosley (1948) interior!
The AMC Clipper (circa 1964).
You tell me?
Page 5;