Car collector chronicles 10 13 by Dave Yaros

Car Collector Chronicles ®

Volume VI, Issue 10

Exploring:

High RPMs

• Car Collecting Today • Classic Rides • Reports From the Field • Oldsmobile (1897-2004) • Cadillac (1902- ) • Allanté (1987-1993)

• Corvair (1960-1969)

◄ = Clickable Link

IN THIS ISSUE: High RPMs

GDYNets On the Web

The Gray Lady

Lambrecht Auction

Another icon bites the dust. The venerable Volkswagen bus is to cease production. Would “flower power,” “love-ins” and hippies have had the impact they did without the VW bus? It seems that safety regs are mandating that the bus be equipped with airbags and 4wheel disc brakes if it is to continued to be produced. VW says no can do. VW is pulling the plug on the ride. The last one shall roll off the assembly line in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 12/31/2013, bringing to an end 63 years of production.. The bus follows the demise of the Beetle, which ceased production in 2003. Here in WI the car show season is winding down. The traditional last of the year show for me takes place on Saturday, 6 Oct. It is the 23rd Annual Downtown West Allis Classic Car Show. It is also the first car show where I ever entered a car. That was in 2005. The ride

CCC® Forum EMail:

◄

OldsD88@gmail.com ◄

entered by me just so happened to be Saved 62. Weather permitting, I hope to again enter her in the show this year to close out the car show season. This month I do have a rather lengthy report of the status of The Gray Lady. CCC® also covers the Lambrecht Chevrolet auction in this month’s issue. Next month CCC® embarks on its sixth year of publication! I may be the only one who does, but I find that quite remarkable. I would have never dreamed back in November of 2008 that I would still be cranking out this pub after five years. Some months during that time frame it has been a grind to get an issue out. Other months I have had to whittle down what I wanted to say, in order to keep the pub down to five or six pages. Let’s hope the creative juices keep flowing, the material keeps coming and CCC® keeps publishing?

Oct

Automotive

Milestones-

10/1/1908 Ford introduces Model T 10/4/1962 Buick debuts Rivi 10/14/1965 Olds launches Toronado 10/31/2010 Last Pontiac - Stay cool & enjoy your ride(s)!

GDYNets® on the Web Find GDYNets on the web:

CCC® Presents

October 2013

CCC® -THE FORUM ◄-A web site to discuss the newsletter, the hobby and our cars. Car Collector Chronicles ◄ Saved 62 ◄-Our 1962 Olds convertible, Ransom Eli Olds and things Oldsmobile related web site. 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 Oldsmobile cars and the company founder, Ransom Eli Olds.

THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.

DAVE’S DEN: ◄-A site 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.

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Car Collector Chronicles

The Gray Lady As I type this on 24 September The Gray Lady has yet to return to the Yaros Car Barn! Readers may recall, she left on 17 June. We are talking well over 90 days she has been in the shop. Perhaps, before we go to press she shall be back home? She should be, as she has been gone too long! My last contact with the shop was on 10 Sep. The report was not good. I was told the windshield wipers will not work under a load. The unit will not hold a vacuum. No vacuum = do not work. Hmm, they held vacuum when I took the

“I am hopeful that The Gray Lady shall be back in the Yaros Car Barn soon?”

car in, as the wipers would not shut off? Moreover, the shop previously stated in writing the wiper motor “holds and exhausts vacuum now.” This was on 26 July. Why does it not hold a vacuum on 10 Sep? Whatever the reason, I was given 3 options: 1- Replace with electric wipers. That is not gong to happen. 2– Rebuild the unit. Gee, that is what I though you had been doing for the last 90 days? 3- I can’t even remember the 3rd option. Probably because I am so upset? The bottom line, I gave him a 4th option. Leave it alone! I will get the unit rebuilt myself. Wiperman ◄, be on the lookout for a package from me! After this conversation I was told my battery is dead, will not charge and needs replacement. That same battery worked fine for the 4 years The Gray Lady continually resided in the Yaros Car Barn? Of course, while in my care when not being driven the battery of The Gray Lady was maintained by being connected to a Battery Tender Plus™ trickle charger ◄. I have to assume we are awaiting the delivery of the look alike maintenance free battery? I know it was ordered from a battery supplier in my former city of residence, Cincinnati, Ohio. On 9/10 I was told I would have my car within a week of the battery being delivered. That was over 2 weeks ago. A check at the web site (Restoration Battery ◄) reveals 2 things: The battery costs $275 + $53 S&H. More important is the quoted delivery time. It is 2 days. So, if the battery was ordered the day after our last conversation, it should have arrived on 13 September. If it did, why I am I still awaiting some word on 24 Sep, I wonder? UPDATE– I was called on 26 Sep. The word was: Car "just about" done. All matters asked taken care of. Car runs considerably better. Still a slight hesitation on take off from dead stop. Thinks it is accelerator pump diaphragm problem, caused by modern fuels. [This makes no sense to me, as ethanol compatible parts used by me.] Tech, Troy, says able to perform some tests. If need accelerator pump work will take an hour of labor. I approved tests and requested a call back after same done. [Is it a tranny/vacuum problem? I wonder?] I am waiting for a call back with the test results. I am hopeful that The Gray Lady shall be back in the Yaros Car Barn soon?

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Car Collector Chronicles

Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction Picture 12,000 fanatics descending on a town of 1,775 people. That is what happened this weekend in northeast Nebraska. A veritable event, the likes of which had never been seen before, and most likely will never be seen again, transpired in Pierce, NE. The event was deemed to be of such significance that the History Channel dispatched a crew to cover the happenings. Pierce is located in northeast Nebraska. From one end to the other, be it north-south or east-west, the town covers all of 596 acres. It got its first paved road in 1920. Per its web site ◄: Pierce has a number of amenities, including a weekly newspaper, gas stations, two banks with atms, grocery store, restaurants, fitness center, gift shops along with three schools including a new high school with track. We are even the home of the famous "Wragge Dog" (a hot dog).

Why did they come? What brought the hordes to this location on the last weekend of September? Was it a lunar event, a pagan ritual? Or perhaps an agricultural phenomenon? From where did they come? Who where they? Where did they stay? If you are into old rides you know why. If you are into old cars and do not know why, you have been cut off from the rest of the world. Sep 27 through 29 were the dates for the Lambrecht Chevrolet auction in Pierce, NE. A total of 585 items crossed the block over a 2-day period. The first day was to inspect the offerings. We shall cover the results, but first some background is in order. Lambrecht Chevrolet sold cars for 50 years, only closing its doors in 1996. The staff of the dealership numbered 3 people. They were Ray the salesmen (who drove his first car in 1927, at the age of nine!), his wife Mildred (the manager) and a mechanic. The dealership was built by Ray. I mean that literally. Ray constructed the physical building himself. Ray and Mildred had a unique business philosophy. Price was not negotiated. The best/lowest price was offered out of the box. You either bought or went looking elsewhere. Also, Lambrecht Chevrolet had no used car lot. Yes, trade-ins were accepted, but they were not subsequently sold by the dealership. The rationale behind this practice was that the Lambrechts wanted to put people behind the wheel of the safest car available. The safest were new, not used, cars. Trade-ins were driven off to a field where they simply sat. Those used trade-ins, and more than a few never titled brand new cars, were the reason for the gathering. These were not the type of clientele one sees in the reserved bidder areas of Barrett-Jackson or Mecum. Many wore cowboy hats and plaid shirts, not to be in style but because that is what one wears out in the field when working. They came from all corners of the country, and the world. A woman flew in from Australia in search of a ride. She was successful, taking home a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air. Another was able to buy back the very ‘57 Chevy he had traded in to Lambrecht after coming home from Nam. Now that we have discussed who came, and why, let’s take a look at the offerings and the sales. There were items besides automobiles that crossed the block. Some of these brought noteworthy amounts. The first non-car item I want to discuss is an advertising item in the form of a rubber ball. It is red, white and blue and has a Chevy logo in the middle; more than a bit worn it is to be noted. A lucky bidder took this gem home for a mere $110? Then there was the 45 r.p.m. record. It was a pristine copy of “Corvair Baby” by Paul Revere and the Raiders; circa 1965. That hammered down at $150! The B side of the record is “SS 396” A used copy of the record recently sold for $9.95 on ebaY™. Auto related, but not a car was a NOS 1955 Chevrolet continental kit, sans tire. This gem went for $2,600. Perhaps the most startling, in terms of price was a kiddie pedal car. Yes, it was a 1953 Corvette. Even so, it was not in the best of condition. That it was not did not hold the

“Lambrecht Chevrolet sold cars for 50 years, only closing its doors in 1996. The staff of the dealership numbered 3 people. They were Ray the salesman, … his wife Mildred (the manager) and a mechanic.”

Car Collector Chronicles

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Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction—Cont’d. bidders back. Bidding was fast and furious. In the end, someone shelled out $16,000 hard earned dollars for this pedal car! Rare? I suppose so? Given its uniqueness, that is still quite a chunk of change, to say the least. Many of the real automobiles auctioned did not hammer at this high a figure. Of course, the real reason for undertaking the trek to Pierce, NE was the cars. There were more then a few. These were not your run-ofthe-mill old cars, be they restored or survivors. The attraction was the fact many of these cars had ridiculously low, nay, unbelievably low, original miles on the odometer. What does “ridiculously low” mean in this regard? How about 1.3? That’s right, I said one-point-three! That was on a 1958 Chevrolet Cameo pick up. A couple of things need to be noted regarding this truck. It housed a six cylinder engine under the hood and a 3-speed on the column. Additionally, it had damage from a snow laden roof collapsing on it. The collapse dented the cab roof and cracked the windshield. That being said, someone willingly parted with 140 Thousand Dollars to claim ownership of this truck! It should also be mentioned that pick up trucks were hot items at this auction. A 1958 Chevy Apache went home to a new owner for $80K. The bidding was very hectic for a number of C10 pick ups. They brought in very good money. The cars were my interest, so let me turn to them. Try to picture in your mind a 1959 Chev Impala 4door hardtop with a 283 and an AT, sporting two miles on the odometer. Now, add 54 years of patina to your mental picture. Do you picture an $11,000 car? That is what it took to own it. At the other extreme was a white over red 1963 2-dr Hdtp. The 327/AT drive train had cycled through all of 11 miles. A mere $97,500 took it home. There were multiple offering of 1965 Impalas. The one sporting a 396/AT and 12 miles sold for $72,500. A second one with a 396/AT/AC went for $45K. Likewise, a number of Corvairs crossed the block. Having owned a Corvair, I know what fanatics their followers are. They had to be drooling over the offerings: A ’63 Monza Coupe with 17 miles-$42K. A twin to it went for Forty Thousand. Vette fans were not left out in the cold. The Lambrecht holdings included a 1978 Indy Pace Car. The pace car decals were still in a box inside the car. The Vette had all of 4 miles on it! It sold for $80,000. That actually seemed quite reasonable to me? To me, they buy of the entire auction was a blue 1962 Chevy Impala 2-door HDTP. This was a used car, not a new one. It displayed 57,000 miles on the odometer. It has a 327 engine. It also has a factory 4-onthe-floor. The hammer price was $36K. Why was this “the buy” of the auction? The overall condition of the car and the factory 4-speed, plus my affinity for the 1962 offerings of GM, combined to make it the ride to have. There was another early 60’s Chevy that bears mention. It is a 1963 Impala convertible. It sold for only $7,500. But one got so much more than just a car. You also got a bit of the flora of Pierce, NE! Given the ages of the cars and their storage conditions, they are in remarkably good condition. The chrome and trim present in great shape. Where the interiors were not exposed to the elements, they have held up well. Given the current rage for survivor cars, it is easy to see why the crowds flocked to Pierce, NE to commingle with, and possibly acquire, a Lambrecht offering. Of course, Ray and Mildred also went home happy. They were able to pocket in excess of 2 Million Dollars. Not a bad weekend at all, I would say?

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Car Collector Chronicles ®

CCC Presents This came from the Hemmings Daily blog. Can you tell what that is below the odometer? The answer, next month I also like this pic -

- A junkyard dog!

– Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com. –– Now that you have finished reading this month’s issue of the newsletter, come start/ join an ongoing dialog with 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: • TBD