Issue 32 issuu

Petersen Visit

Car Matchmaker’s Garage

magazine

On stands until May 2016

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Garage Style Magazine Spring 2016

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contents

features 18

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18

Majestically Proportioned

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Spike’s Place

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Bed of Classics

40

Reboot

AND

APRIL 23 & 24, 2016 STARTS AT 9:00AM

OVER 1,200+ LOTS

2 0 0 0 N . R E A D I N G R O A D | D E N V E R , PA 1 7 5 1 7 Garage Style Magazine Spring 2016 M O R P H YA U C T I O N S . C O M | 8 7 7 - 9 6 8 - 8 8 8 0

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departments 8

Publisher’s Note

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Lance’s Column

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Phil’s Column

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Garage News

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Tales from the Garage

36

Garages in History

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Product Review

50

Auction House Journal

The Regular Garages

Little Visitors

Car Models are Jewelry Boss’s Inspiration

Our Father’s Car

GSM Project: The Themed Workbench

Intrigued with XPEL

RM Sotheby, Morphy and Mecum Sales

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Business Profile

60

Buyer’s Guide

63

Matt’s Column

65

Garage Bazaar

66

Garage Meanings

Route 32 Restorations

Father’s Day Garage Gear

Mom and Dad’s Garage

Martin Lagrande

Garage Style Magazine Spring 2016

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Publisher’s

note

The Regular Garages

O

ver the years, I’ve had a number of discussions about the garages featured within Garage Style. Interestingly, while most agree the featured spaces are out of this world, many have asked to see more regular garages, garages of two- and three-car capacities, or thereabouts. While most of the issues do feature garages of that stature, I guess it’s easy to overlook them given the rest of the magazine. Much like larger houses, and pretty much larger anything, larger garages command more attention and instill a sense of awe and wonder.

But so too can a regular-sized garage.

It’s my belief that a garage needn’t be large to be impressive. One of my favorite garages is a single-car unit at the bottom of a Victorian-designed home in San Francisco, California.

What used to be a tandem two-car garage was converted into a one-car when the rear section of the garage was grafted onto the living area of the main house in 1960’s. The garage walls were concrete, and the small space could have the feel of an underground bomb shelter, but the owner used bright white paint across the ceiling and upwards from the beltline, and bright yellow paint downwards. The beltline was medium grey molding trim. The floor was polished and sealed up to reveal a sweet, grey hue with fantastic old marbling. Overhead, gallery track spot lighting illuminated the space easily and lent some style. Small pictures of vintage cars, races, and notable people lined the walls along with a smattering of automobilia elements like a Rolls-Royce grille complete with Flying Lady, corner-mounted shelf system with a small collection of manufacturer emblems and radiator mascots, and more. The trick was to be careful how much was used and what size it was. Too much, it overwhelmed; too large, it looked out of place. Décor is all about balance.

But entering this small garage was breathtaking, in part because so few people would have taken the time and resources to create such a quaint space out of such an otherwise unimpressive space.

Another great garage we featured in Garage Style #15 on page 30, A Place to Regroup, a total man cave with couches, coffee tables, a big screen television, wet bar, and all the accoutrement anyone would need to have a fabulous time away from the home while being home. There was even space for the owner’s two Harley-Davidson motorcycles within. One reason he liked the space so much was that he and his wife could host a party without tracking too much into the house.

Needless to say, when the door opened on this garage, it was impressive.

In issue #4, we got to showcase a beautiful garage dedicated to the VW. Using a lift, the owner created another space overhead to keep a vintage Beetle while his classic multi-window VW Bus resided below and the Pickup took the next stall. All around are tools and workstations, each neatly kept and sorted, and always meticulously cleaned and organized.

Our very own, Rick Rader, has a fabulous garage at his Tennessee townhome. He’s managed to lay a floor, use diamond plate wainscoting, red walls, and has lots and lots of eye candy. He also squeezes in three small cars, tightly packed, but safe and sound within.

Along with balance, organization is key to a small garage. A place for everything, and everything in its place, my great grandmother used to say, a phrase my Mom sustains to this day. But truer words were seldom spoken, especially when it comes to maintaining a tidy garage.

We at Garage Style Magazine love the regular garage. We’d love to see more, so if you have some in mind, send them over.

Thanks for stopping by – I hope you enjoy this first issue of 2016!

- Don Weberg

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Garage style

magazine

Editor-Publisher Don Weberg Art Director Web Designer – Coordinator Kari McDaniel Business Development Manager Michele Weberg Columinists Lance Lambert Phil Berg Matt Stone Rodney Kemerer Arts Editor Jeremiah McDaniel Contributors Robin DePry Bob Estrada John Gunnell Dr. Rick Rader Bill Nakasone Ron Lampley Editorial Intern Rica Martin Specialized Photographer Dale Quinio

Advertising – Public Relations Cindy Meitle 480.277.1864 | cindy@GarageStyleMagazine.com Advertising Doug Holland 910.398.8307 | douglas@hhpr.biz Carmen Price 714.276.5285 | carmen.price1@aol.com

Subscriptions – Address Changes Garage Style Magazine PO Box 92198 Long Beach, CA 90809 GSM@pfsmag.com 888.881.5861

Not responsible for undelivered issues due to late change of address.

Not responsible for issues delivered damaged.

All rights reserved by Garage Style Magazine, Inc. Garage Style Magazine is Published Quarterly by Weberg Media Group, Inc. 271 W. Imperial Hwy. Suite B La Habra, CA 90631 www.garagestylemagazine.com

Printed in the United States by American Web Printers

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Lance’s

column

T

Little Visitors

he rewards of having a garage full of automotive and petroleum memorabilia are many.

This includes the excitement of finding the next addition, often an item you had no idea you just couldn’t live without 30 seconds prior to spotting it at the swap meet. Or maybe it’s an elusive item that you’ve been searching for that, finally located and acquired, will become the “Holy Grail” of your collection.

For some of us, the most pleasurable part of a garageophiles life is the social aspect.

My garage has hosted innumerable visits by one or two friends, and also gatherings as large as 60 people. Watching the reaction of visitors to the visual excitement around them, and sharing the stories of how and why the items hanging on the walls and from the ceiling are cherished, makes the hobby even more fun. I love having visitors stroll through the garage, and the best and perhaps most appreciative guests of all are the littlest visitors.

Time spent in the garage has recently taken on a different and wonderful aspect. At least once a week I stroll through the bright neon lights, glowing gas pumps and colorful signs while carrying a new treasure; my first grandchild.

Cale, currently the smartest and handsomest 8-month-old in the world, seems endlessly fascinated when he and I slowly amble through the garage. Our meandering always includes a close inspection of every nook and cranny, with special attention to one particular neon sign advertising Veltex Aviation Ethyl gasoline. The colors of that sign seem to hold him spellbound for as long as his grandpa will hold him in front of the glowing sign. He also appreciates the cars that reflect the neon sign’s colors, especially off the hood of the 1967 King Midget parked below. When transferred from grandpa’s arms to the driver’s seat he appears to feel like a king while grasping the tiny car’s large steering wheel.

Several other youngsters have toured the Lambert garage. A favorite niece was intrigued by the Signal gas pump when she was a pre-teen and immediately began removing the filler to see if it was still functional. On another occasion an appraisal client’s 5-year-old grandson was fascinated by the model WWI bi-plane that is rigged to fly above the cars when one of the garage doors is opened or closed.

A neighbor called and asked if they could bring a friend’s 10-year-old son over to see the collection. I was told, “This kid loves old cars and knows a lot about them.” Of course he was welcomed and, upon arriving he saw the 1963 Studebaker Avanti parked inside and began telling the correct history of the creation of the Avanti and the demise of the Studebaker Corporation. I

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was impressed by such a young person knowing so much about Studebakers and asked him to return in 10 years to buy the Avanti.

The graying portion of the old car hobby justifiably worries about the future of car collecting and the related memorabilia. Currently the selling prices of certain era automobiles continues to rise, and the prices of related historical items have hit astronomical heights, be it for an original pair of gloves worn by a former racing champion, or a 30-foot neon sign that once perched on the roof of a prohibition era automobile dealership. Will this always be the case? Will these items always be appreciated for the history represented and the beauty displayed?

Maybe the curious kid that lives down the street needs to be invited on a tour. Have you considered making your garage the candy gathering depot on Halloween? How often do you invite your child, grandchild or any child to spend time amongst your prized collection? Have you considered inviting the members of your car club to participate in a “Kids & Cars” garage day?

Where the hobby goes in the next 50 years may depend on what we do to help it today.

I have to sign off now. Cale is visiting and it’s time for his garage tour.

- Lance Lambert

Restored Original Gas Pumps Garage Style Magazine Spring 2016

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Dealers in signs, neons and everything gas & oil

Phil Berg’s Dispatches from the Ultimate Garage Tour

Car models are jewelry boss’s inspiration

T

he age of eight is magical. Of the hundreds of garage guys I’ve met, along with the thousands of car guys I’ve interviewed, a clear majority tell me their first memory of a significant car experience is when they were eight. Although Forbes values jewelry and luxury expert Nicola Bulgari’s personal worth at around 1.3 billion US dollars, he told me exactly that same humble story: In 1949, growing up in postwar Rome, the great-great grandson of a Greek jeweler, he remembers American cars driving around the city, and began to collect models of them. Like many garage guys, he still has the model cars he played with as a child. On a glass shelf in a mirrored room in his enormous Rome garage (a former VW dealership), there are about a dozen simple die-cast 1:87 scale (HO) versions of Buicks, Cadillacs, and Packards, and these models became the start of an American car obsession that led to a collection of more than 100 restored and preserved classic cars in Italy and in Allentown, Penn., where Bulgari, now 74, regularly preaches the beauty of classic American style to as many visitors as he can entice into his 20,000 square-foot garages. The Rome garage houses a restoration shop and storage for about 50 full-size cars, including a ‘34 Model 61 Buick, a ‘34 Cadillac and a ‘49 Packard, all “Pope cars” that came from the Vatican.

Inside the model room are hundreds of different scales of American car models.

Bulgari, an expert in jewelry and still chairman of Bvlgari, now part of the Louis-Vuitton-MoetHennessy luxury group, looks at his model cars as jewels inspired by full-size cars. At his Rome garage, he told me, “I remember all of the ads of Cadillacs that were connected with jewelers [Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier], from 1936 to 1945, a piece of car history that is unprecedented. We [Bvlgari, founded in 1884] were not yet international then.”

He’s eager to teach children (he has six)--who are especially attracted to the toy cars--about the forgotten history of American cars’ significant role in the rebuilding of Europe after World War II. While a teen Bulgari toured America with his parents, igniting a passion about U.S. history, jazz music, jewelry design, and cars.

“Rome, like all of Italy, was in very bad shape then. There were no Alfa Romeos, no Fiats, no Lancias, just commercial vehicles,” he

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recalled. “All of the factories had been destroyed by bombs. The only cars you could buy were U.S. or British cars, until about 1953.

Even then, U.S. cars remained very popular until the 1960s. I remember the big success of the small Skylark from 1962—the two-door convertible was a very desirable and very inexpensive car here.”

Pre-war Buicks make up a large number of Bulgari’s favorite designs, and he credits these cars with making luxury accessible to a broad number of people worldwide. Bulgari’s a longtime pal of GM design chief Ed Welburn, who regularly checks the jewelry expert’s critical eye regarding GM’s new designs, especially Cadillacs, which Bulgari loves, (with the notable exception of the Escalade). “This 1947 Cadillac is original,” Bulgari explains about one of the cars in his Rome garage. “It used to have a six-cylinder, but we changed it to a V12 from a 1954 Cadillac. When I drive it around Rome, everybody takes pictures and yells, ‘beautiful, beautiful’.”

-Phil Berg

Garage Style Magazine Spring 2016

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Garage

news

SEMA, AAPEX always exciting

By Ron Lampley Like Christmas, every year the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show takes over the Las Vegas Convention Center in the earliest days of November. For many of the equipment buyers, it probably is their Christmas. Walking the aisles strewn with thousands of new car products and many vendors giving away little trinkets, you could say it is its own automobile Christmas.

SEMA was founded in 1963 as the Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association, and morphed over the years into the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association, and ultimately into the Specialty Equipment Market Association. This broadened the appeal for many companies involved with the aftermarket, but not really producing products for speed, some not even producing anything. Just marketing to the automotive industry. The first SEMA Show was held in 1967 under the grandstands of Dodger Stadium with only 98 vendors and 3000 attendees. Today, the show spans more than 1-million square feet, has more than 2400 venders, and buyers from more than 130 countries. Last year, they had over 140,000 attendees. It’s likely one of the most exciting ‘car shows’ on earth, and it’s open only to industry professionals.

The purpose of the SEMA Show is multifaceted, but mainly to offer the automotive aftermarket trade a one stop shop for their retail inventory, and a central place for people to meet and discuss business opportunities.

Innumerable new hi-tech products are showcased at the show such as: incalculable other automotiverelated goods from finishes,

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cleaners, tires, chassis gear, clothing, engine hardware, and so on. Every booth is automotive related, and there are products unheard of, but infinitely genius in their uses. Not to mentioned the insane number of cars on display: from rat rods, exotics, 4x4 trucks, and restored classics – the sky is the limit.

Hitting the Convention Center floors on Tuesday is the start of 8-hours a day, for three and half days of non stop walking. A SEMA Show pocket guide, backpack, and seriously supportive and comfortable shoes are absolutes. The guide especially, it’s way too easy to become disoriented and become lost. While walking around, it’s imperative to pay attention to who else may be wandering the aisles. Often a top car celebrities like: Chip Foose, Al Unser Jr, Tanner Foust, Dennis Gage, Peter Brock, Dan Short, Magnus Walker, Steve Darnell, and Mario Andretti roam the halls. Given that this year’s SEMA Show breakfast celebrated the success of women in NHRA drag racing, even Shirley Muldowney, the First Woman of Drag Racing, was on site.

The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), is another aspect of the SEMA experience and showcases a variety of fun bits from the industry, including some spillover. Vendors offering polishes, polishing pads, and tools to apply the polishes are on hand, as well as companies making anti-rust products among other amazing elements. It was the place to find hard parts like u-joints, starters, alternators, wiper blades, oil and air filters, and much more. It’s well worth making the time to visit AAPEX during a SEMA trek, and its already time to start planning next year’s visit.

The shows offer days open to the public, check for updates on their websites. After all, you just can’t miss SEMA’s Christmas.

Old show gains new insight Since launching Groovy’s Garage in 2002, Heath “Groovy” McGovern has managed to build a reputation for building remarkable rods, low riders, motorcycles, and classics while helping local causes. With the help of his best friend, Hollis “Hop” Robinson, he built the 47 Black Rat, a completely tricked out 1947 Dodge Wt15 Pickup. Through a Facebook presence with “Trust the Rust: Rat Rods Only” they were able to show their progress in building the Dodge and gained 1,500 followers. In August, 2015 the local elementary school burned, and Groovy’s Garage assembled a benefit car show to raise funds to repair the school. In three weeks, Old Skool for a New School by Groovys Garage assembled 30 cars and raised $1,580. This show caught the interest of the MS Delta Streetrodders, who have put on a pre-49 Street Rod Show and Catfish Run for 31 years. But, the June, 2015 event was their last

show, and some of the members asked Hop and Groovy to carry on the tradition. Agreeing to do so, they kept the location and date, but breathed new life into the show. The Resurrection: RAT ROD and Bike Show will be held June 18, 2016.

Open to all makes and models, a big focus is centered on Rat Rods. Gypsy Drifter will be performing, the MC is Chico from the television show “Moonshiners,” a Classy Pinup Pageant will be Judged by special guests D’elle Memphis and Comanche Rose of the Memphettes. People will also enjoy valve cover races and a frustration station, where people get to hit a car with sledge hammer for a $1. We are also planning a cruise-in and supper by Groovys Garage on June 17, 2016 at Cotton Warehouse and Classic Cars car museum. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project of Mississippi.

For more information, call 662.934.0029 or 662.561.2980.

San Marino Motor Classic revving up for June One of the most vibrant shows in Southern California, the San Marino Motor Classic, is once again starting to move forward for June 12, 2016, marking its 5th year. Held at Lacy Park in San Marino, California, the event is host to several fascinating vendors, spectacular music, and over 200 exquisite cars from various genres – Pierce-Arrows and Packards to Ferraris and McLarens to Mustangs and Corvettes, with everything else in between.

“We’ve been very pleased with the turn out,” said Aaron Weiss, event co-founder. “While a lot of cars are from Southern California, a large

number are coming in from Arizona, Northern California, and Nevada as well, so it rounds out the experience, people can see cars here they might not see anywhere else.”

Adding to the amusement, there’s usually an extremely early car cruising around the park giving rides, and a penny-farthing riding around as well. Visually, the SMMC is tough to beat, but it’s also tough to beat in philanthropies. In 2013, the event raised over $200,000 for various charities.

For more information, check out www.SanMarinoMotorClassic.com.

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Several issues of Garage Style Magazine are now sold out, gone forever - ‘25 of the first 30’ is your last opportunity to collect each of the first 30 issues of Garage Style Magazine ever published. The ‘25 of the first 30’ collector’s set gets you: • Complete back issue set - Issues 1-30, several of which are unavailable; • Exclusivity - Only 25 will be produced, and then they are gone, making it historically rare; • Custom slipcase - Display your ‘25 of the first 30’ in a magnificent, custom slipcase ++ The perfect Father’s Day gift, or library inclusion Join the Endless Garage Tour of Garage Style Magazine Only $149.00 | Call 888.881.5861 and get yours while they are available ++ Slipcase color may vary

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garage

features

Majestically Proportioned

Dealership-inspired setting is home to a Jaguar gathering Text by Don Weberg | Images by Daniel McMullen

M

ax Hoffman imported a lot of cars. Some say he made foreign cars less foreign to Americans. So successful was he that he actually influenced and persuaded manufacturers to produce specialized vehicles just for specialized markets. The Porsche 356 Speedster was largely pressed into production by Hoffman, and he was an enthusiastic supporter of the BMW 2002.

His work with Jaguar was the stuff of legend, and when he hired famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design his flagship New

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Garage Style Magazine Spring 2016

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Hangars are simple storage. RaceDeck floors add a nice touch as do the posters.

Spike’s Place

The private garage of Esquire TV’s “Car Matchmaker” Text and Images by Don Weberg

I

n the world of unscripted television, the sky is literally the limit. From shows about law enforcement, life in the medical industry, animal protection, hunting and sportsmanship, selling real estate, fixing a light bulb and so much more, there is seriously something for everyone. For car guys too, an ocean of shows span from restoration to buying and selling to visiting restaurants around the country, but one interesting show has popped up on Esquire Network that’s raised a few eyebrows, “Car Matchmaker.”

Hosted by “Saturday Night Live” and “Seinfeld” writer, Spike Feresten, guests tell Spike their interests and lifestyles, and the comedian finds vehicles to suit their needs. Sounds familiar, right?

“A few years ago, I was helping a friend, who happened to be

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Oprah Winfrey’s executive producer, with a car,” said Spike. “What I didn’t know, was that Jerry Seinfeld was advising her too.”

In the end, she decided to take Jerry’s advice, and not Spike’s.

Soon after, she called and said she was unhappy with her choice and that she should have listened to Spike. It was during that conversation that she suggested he do a show about matching people with cars. One thing led to another, and sure enough, a short time later, Spike was launching “Car Matchmaker.”

“All car guys give advice, and sometimes it’s unsolicited, we meet someone who’s looking for a new car, and we just start pitching them, ‘Hey, you might like the new hybrids,’ or, ‘This one is great because, unlike you, it self-parks,’” Spike said. “Car guys

San Marino Motor Classic

Saturday, June 11, 6:30 pm Symphony of Cars Gala at Lacy Park benefiting the USC Trojan Marching Band $250 per person (includes General Admission to San Marino Motor Classic - June 12, 2016)

Sunday, June 12, 9 am Event Open $25 per person. Children under 12 FREE.

4:30 – 8:30 pm Afterglow Party at Lacy Park $65 per person.

Calling All Cars

To enter a car, become a sponsor, reserve a program advertisement or reserve Gala tickets, visit us at

sanmarinomotorclassic.com

Garage Style Magazine Winter 2015

sanmarinomotorclassic.com

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Lacy Park, 1485 Virginia Road, San Marino, California

Tales from the garage

Our Father’s Car Text by Rodney Kemerer | Images by Rodney Kemerer and Ron Smith

T

ales From The Garage occasionally hears inspiring stories that warm our hearts like a pre-heated car seat on a cold winter day. Stories that alter forever most of our own life experiences. This is the tale of one man and one car but behind that simple description hides the real beauty of the American Dream.

Meeting Joe Massengale you would notice first he was handsome, and carried himself with pride and dignity. Then that smile, full face and filling a room. If you continued to observe Joe you would notice a very small detail that told his story without words. Whenever Joe sat in a chair he would sit with his feet under the chair, hidden. Flexible joints? Small feet? No, a

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habit he developed as a small boy growing up in real poverty in Marshall, Texas. With no money for shoes, Joe was given used women’s shoes to wear to school. The type with an open toe in the front. Not the type of shoe a young boy would want to show off to his classmates. In fact, he hid his shoes and feet for the rest of his life, even after those open-toed women’s shoes were replaced by custom-made Italian leather shoes of exceptional quality. His feet hidden under chairs his whole life was the only souvenir of a difficult childhood.

Joe Massengale made perhaps the longest journey in American society. One of fourteen children, the son of a sharecropper, in a part of the South that, at the time, felt as primitive and as backward

Garage Style Magazine Spring 2016

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Bed of Classics Text and Images by Don Weberg

W

ithin a relatively non-descript warehouse in Southern California is a fantastic space lined with classic cars upon a glossy checkerboard floor. Complete with a Sinclair station serving a multitude of real purposes and vintage street lights, the space gently nods to a simpler time in an elegant fashion. The street lights beckon visitors to slow down, and walk to town square for whatever might be going on; the Sinclair station suggests everything we all feel about those long gone places lit in neon, glowing quietly in the night. Building a profession around industrial property, Gary wanted to enjoy some interests other than property development, and enjoyed working with boats for a period. But then he was bit by the car bug.

“I’d always liked cars, of course, but was intrigued by boats,” he said. “I sailed around the world, and had a fantastic time playing with them, but then I decided I wanted to enjoy playing with cars.”

Creating an office-garage was perfect, he was able to come to work in his toy box daily.

“I started collecting about 14 years ago, and it grew pretty quickly,” he said. “I have a real interest in Packards, but have branched out into other marques as well.”

The warehouse is an amazing expanse with the illusion that there are no floor-to-ceiling support beams, but in reality, the beams are the street lights.

“It was a good way to add some character and disguise the poles,” he said. “While they’re charming, you do need to be careful maneuvering the cars around.”

The exposed-beam ceiling is home to hanging fluorescent lights and skylights, illuminating the garage easily. Below, the black and grey checkered floor offers a drastic difference with an exquisite shine. You notice the shine, but the muted colors don’t take away from the space or the cars. The walls are classic white brick and provide an excellent backdrop for the hanging art situated between sconces that loosely match the street lights. Large enough to complement the space, the art isn’t overbearing but lends a scaled correctness to the size of the garage. On one side is art mostly celebrating various Concours d’Elegances, but some of the art is advertising specific centered around some of the cars he has. On the other side, he’s hung large-scale images produced

by Garage Scenes depicting the 1950’s to blend with the cars he’s gathered from that era. At the top of the walls, roughly every 12feet, a double-sided porcelain circular sign hangs outwardly, subtly breaking up the flatness of the wall. He’s also gathered a unique set of trunks from classic cars, tables holding trophies, and a gas pump. Of course, no garage, or gas station, would be complete without an oil can display and Coca-Cola machine.

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Garages in history

GSM Project: The Themed Workbench Text and Images By Rick Rader and Popular Mechanics

Text and Images by Don Weberg

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Reboot

Renovation redefines Petersen Automotive Museum Text by Don Weberg | Images by Don Weberg and The Petersen Automotive Museum

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VISIT LA’S NEWEST DESTINATION On the corner of Fairfax & Wilshire petersen.org

Find Automotive Books for your favorite car enthusiast! by author, photographer, broadcaster

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CarTechBooks.com or Amazon.com

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The Ferrari Phenomenon co-authored with Luca dal Monte BullPublishing.com or Amazon.com

product

review

Intrigued with XPEL Text and Images by Ron Lampley

V

isiting a car dealership, I watched a clear bra be applied to a new car. It looked easy. I asked the installer some questions, and he was very limited in his answers, but I did find out a customer could buy a clear bra kit and install it himself.

If you’re unsure of what a clear bra is, it’s basically a thin, clear urethane film and self-adheres and seals itself to a vehicle’s finish. In the early days of bras, they were cumbersome, bulky swaths of vinyl held onto the nose of the car by bungee cords and metal hooks. While the style was very en vogue, there were a lot of downsides like uneven paint fade, scratches from the hooks, and rub marks from the backside of the vinyl covering if not kept clean. Clear bra film is installed directly to a vehicles surface, sealing with the clear coat paint. It’s purpose, much like the old vinyl covers, is to protect the paint from small rocks, bird acids, and anything that might cause scratches. But unlike the old vinyl

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moths, the clear bra is very close to invisible.

To learn more about the installation process, I called on Eric Keller, business development manager at XPEL. While he was more than happy to answer my questions, he felt that to see the actual installation would offer more. Eric told me to contact Dean Soleimani, the owner of Sticker City in Sherman Oaks, California.

Talking to Dean, he suggested bringing a car over to watch the installation from start to finish. I found an owner of a new 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4 that was willing to let me use his vehicle for the article. Taking the Porsche to Sticker City, Dean gave me a tour of the facility and a description of some of the work being performed on the cars. One very interesting ability now is to wrap a car to change the color or overall appearance into a whole new vehicle. While waiting for the work to start on the Porsche, installers worked on a new Porsche GT3-RS receiving a color wrap with special color accents on the hood. By the time they

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outlook AUCTION HOUSE JOURNAL

automobilia

Driven by Disruption A Commuter Auction by RM Sotheby’s

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Text and Images by Rich Pepe

fter leaving my Wall Street day job I hoped on the 6 train to 68th St./Hunter College and walked about mile over to 72 and York. There, on the southeast corner, is a very imposing glass and cement structure nestled between high rise apartments and Cornel Hospital, now known as New York Presbyterian. The street traffic was a nightmare, especially arriving around 4pm in the height of the evening rush.

Buses, taxis, delivery trucks, vans, commuters, and of course pedestrians of every sort all trying to get from point A to point B without paying attention to their surrounds. This otherwise bland structure is home to Sotheby’s auction house, notably of fine art auction fame, but more recently in partnership with Rob Myers and his company, RM Auctions. Tonight was auction night, and 31 of the most exquisite examples of various automobiles would roll across the block and discover new caretakers. The sale was called Driven by Disruption, a title perfectly fitting New York.

After darting across the bristling street without getting run over, and slipping past all of the double parked chauffeur-driven black cars and one very shiny Cadillac Escalade blocking the fire hydrant in front, and weaving through the throngs of pedestrians scurrying along the sidewalk, I slipped through the chrome and glass revolving door and into the front lobby. The disruption had begun even before I was in the door. Before me, like an overwhelming Christmas display at the now closed FAO Schwarz, was a bright red Ferrari Enzo with a refrigerator size white bow on top of it. The lobby was host to many people, but not one was paying any attention to this superb display. Welcome to NYC. After being escorted by an auction house representative to the 7th floor for check in, I was then allowed to explore on my own. But to do that I needed to take another elevator ride to the 10th floor. Again, welcome to NYC; unlike Car Week in Monterey where everything is laid out horizontally along the waterfront or on beautiful golf courses, Driven by Disruption is being held in a city of vertical proportions and required less than 7,000-square feet. The setting was fabulous, unique, and fun. It had energy and charisma that many auctions don’t have, although the outward enthusiasm for the vehicles and the sales were noticeably restrained.

After spending 20 years as a traffic cop with the NYPD, I was immensely curious as to how these fine and very rare cars were moved around midtown Manhattan, and how they were staged for the event. Because unlike Monterey where you can see them on the street, hear them as they are put into gear, and even smell them as the carbs build up and burn off high octane, here they are

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just on display. But to get them in the building, and situated in a very precise and particular order is what this auction was all about. Like watching one of those home improvement shows where they flip houses. It all comes down to how the house is staged for the buyer.

And RM really knows how to stage.

Or, more precisely, how Ian Kelleher thought through the process.

The vehicles arrived in the New York Metropolitan area about two weeks prior to the auction date. They were all delivered to a non-descript, undisclosed warehouse across the river in New Jersey for safe and secure keeping. They did manage to say that the location is close enough to country roads so that serious buyers would be allowed to kick the tires and take them for a jaunt if requested. Then, like choreographing a Broadway production, the cars were loaded in a specific order into car carriers and they were driven through the streets of midtown Manhattan to the auction house. There, using a crew of around a dozen very skilled and talented people, they were offloaded one by one, and meticulously placed in one of two freight elevators for the final trip to the 10th floor. My tour guide who walked me through these steps was Pete Fisher. Pete is one of the younger and newer staff

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Garage Style Magazine Spring 2016

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business

profile

Route 32 Restorations Text By Don Weberg | Images by Michael Meeks

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If you have Corvettes in your garage...

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Buyer’s

guide

Father’s Day Garage Gear

BLT Flooring

This year is bringing with it some fierce weather, and it’s important to keep the elements off your garage floor to prevent tires from grinding debris into the surface and keep it safe to walk on. A summer project installing or super cleaning a floor doesn’t sound like too much fun. BLT got its start in the grueling Kansas winters, developing a thick vinyl flooring that was attractive and durable, able to look good and protect the concrete beneath it. Their Clear Floor Protector is a marvelously intelligent product that will keep elements from contaminating your floor while allowing it to shine through. Even if your floor is basic and barren concrete, covering it with a clear protector will help guard the floor, keeping it nice for the future. Nicely too, having a removable barrier allows you to pull the Protector out of the garage to hose off and clean with ease. www.BLTLLC.com | 913.894.0403

RaceRamps

FlatStoppers are designed to help keep your tires from deteriorating in storage by helping them maintain their shape and provide a barrier between them and the moisture-sucking concrete. Always improving on their products, RaceRamps lengthened the FlatStoppers to provide a more gradual ascent, making it safer and easier to park your car atop them. It also aids lower cars like exotics in taking advantage of them as well. www.FlatStoppers.com | 906.786.0585

Battery Maintainer

A pretty slick idea in battery maintaining is Battery Savers’ Solar Maintainer. Pop it on the window, wire it up, and your battery is maintained by the power of the sun. The maintainer works on cloudy days as well.

Made of industrial-grade aluminum, the Solar Maintainer is weather resistant and lightweight. www.BatteryMaintainerUSA.com

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Matt’s

column

Mom and Dad’s Garage

O

n the surface, there’s nothing special about my late parents’ former garage on Loma Sola Avenue, Upland, California. It was a standard 2-car garage attached to a pretty standard suburban tract home, the house that I grew up in. Of course what makes this garage extra important to me is that it’s where I learned to wrench on cars, with my dad. We did our own tune-ups there (remember plugs, points, condenser, and rotor?) and our own lube, oil, and filter changes too. There was a workbench and a utility sink. Just enough lights to almost see what we were doing. And a door into the house, out of which often came my mother to bring us cold drinks or lemonade when it was hot. I wish I’d taken more photos of this hallowed 400 square foot spot of heaven.

Take a look at this photo. The little tyke on the left is, of course, me; the lady with the bad hair day on the right is my late mother, and behind us is Dad’s 1960 Mercury station wagon in which I was nearly killed, or at least thanks to which I earned a serious scar that still populates the minefield of wrinkles that is my forehead.

This was before everyone knew the value of seatbelts, or at least before every car had them in all seating positions. I was sitting in the back seat, leaning over the back bolster of the front bench, so of course I could see where we were going. When you’re 5-years old, you can’t miss anything.

Mom had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting some animal or another in the road, and of course I went flying from the back seat area into the front, head first. My forward progress was halted as my forehead hit the air conditioning unit. The metal grille cut my forehead right in the middle, what is now about two inches above the bridge of my nose, and of course being a head wound, it bled like Niagra Falls. I wasn’t hurt any worse than that, but the interior of the car, and my face were bloody messes. I’ve had a variety of doctors offer to Botox that up for me and make it disappear. No way. Badge of honor.

In the same photo, you’ll see Mom’s ’56 Ford Victoria, light blue, Ford-O-Matic trans, 292 Y-block V-8 with dual glasspacks. Best sounding car I remember from those days. My folks sold it to my moron cousin Gary, who took it to Earl Shieb’s and painted it olive green, then put shackles on the rear leaf springs and jacked its butt up to high heaven. It looked terrible, and handled worse.

So many great automotive operations took place in that garage.

Mom’s later Mercury station wagon wore out its distributor shaft,

so we needed to pull the distributor out and have it rebuilt. I remember that Dad pulled both cars out of the garage, and we backed the little Merc in so we had full access to the engine bay.

To me, it seemed like prepping an OR for a heart transplant: Dad laid out all his tools, and every shop light we had hung off the front end of the open hood. I was expecting that we’d be out there for days, but of course, once we set the distributor to TDC, marked everything, and pulled the cap, the distributor came out in about three minutes. To me it felt like we took the whole car apart. The old part was all dirty and greasy, and the new rebuilt one was shiny and clean. It dropped in like Flynn, and the car fired immediately – I was relieved, and so was Mom. I likely couldn’t appreciate it at the time, but that simple ordinary garage was a magical place in my life. Skinned knuckles.

Broken bolts. Lessons learned and one-on-one time with my Dad. Working on cars.

Magic indeed. Is there a special garage in your history?

-Matt Stone

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INSPIRING AUTOMOTIVE ENTHUSIASTS

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Garage

bazaar

Art/Automobilia/ Collectibles/Media

Festivals of Speed, Page 49 www.festivalsofspeed.com

Reedyville Goods, Page 64 916.652.5584 www.reedyvillegoods.com

Mecum Auctions, Back Cover 262.275.5050 www.mecum.com

Route 32 Restorations, Page 11 765.307.7119 www.Route32Restorations.com

Morphy Auctions, Page 5 1.717.335.3435 www.morphyauctions.com

Matt Stone, Page 39 www.MattStoneCars.com

Clubs

GarageArt.com, Page 9 800.708.5051 www.garageart.com

Packards International www.PackardsInternational.com

Vintage Vehicle Show, Page 53 www.vintagevehicletv.com

Mercedes-Benz Club of America, Page 33 www.MBCA.org

Autobooks-Aerobooks, Page 33 818.845.0707 www.autobooks-aerobooks.com

National Corvette Restorers Society www.NCRS.org

Ultimate Garages, Page 64 ultimategarages.net

Automobile Restoration/ Maintanence/Sales

Auctions/Events

Wheelsmith, Page 41 800.854.8937 951.898.4563 www.thewheelsmith.net

Carmel Mission Classic www.carmelmissionclassic.org

Flooring

Travel/Leisure/Dining

BLT, Page 2 and 3 913.894.0403 ext. 21 www.bltllc.com

Talbott Vineyards www.talbottvineyards.com

RaceDeck, Inside Back Cover 800.457.0174 www.racedeck.com

Furniture/Electronics Wheel Unique, Page 65 714.602.6435 www.wheelunique.com

Custom Auto Sound, Page 9 1.800.88.TUNES www.custom-autosound.com

Museums Petersen Automotive Museum, Page 59 323.930.CARS www.petersen.org

401k Restorations, Page 45 714.993.401k www.the401kclub.com

Security

Run to the Sun Car Show 831.421.3900 www.cvkclub.org

Checker Motor Cars, Page 35 978.423.3770 www.checkmotorcars.com

Secure It 562.677.3777 secureit@ngcia.com

ADVERTISE in

GARAGE STYLE MAGAZINE CINDY MEITLE 480.277.1864 | cindy@carprusa.com DOUG HOLLAND 910.398.8307 | douglas@hhpr.biz CARMEN PRICE 714.276.5285 | carmen.price1@aol.com

Flanagans Restaurant-Pub, Page 36 831.625.5500 www.flanaganscarmel.com

Tires

PitStop Furniture, Page 25 866.319.8500 www.intro-techautomotive.com

San Marino Motor Classic www.sanmarinomotorclassic.com

Carmel Boutique Inns www.carmelboutiqueinns.com

Continental Tire www.continentaltire.com

Tools/Equipment Save-A-Battery, Page 13 888.819.2190 510.471.6442 www.saveabattery.com Race Ramps, Page 59 866.464.2788 raceramps.com

Classic Lighting www.wheelunique.com Our quality, handmade table lamps and wall sconces are based on classic cars from the 1950's and 1960's. Available in red, black, turquoise and white.

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Garage Style Magazine Spring 2016

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Garage

meanings

In the Garage with Cindy Meitle

Martin Lagrande, Car Enthusiast Martin Lagrande lives in Long Island, New York. A retired landscaper, he currently operates a snow plowing business. He bought his first collectible car 30 years ago and still has it along with most of the cars he has purchased over the years. He loves to tinker in his garage with the little problems that arise when he takes his cars out for a drive. He has joined local clubs and attended many cruises over the past year, and the Lamborghini he recently purchased has opened up a different world to him compared to his muscle cars. Martin has owned over 40 vehicles including cars, trucks, motorcycles and go-carts, and he sees no end in sight.

CM: What is your favorite item in the garage space and why?

ML: I have several favorite items besides my collection of cars. The other two items are a 1950’s gas pump and air pump that I completely restored. I had the gas pump for several years before Hurricane Sandy completely destroyed it, and had to restore it a second time. I picked up the air pump at a swap meet. It was in bad shape but I have restored it to new. The bell works to let you know you have reached the desired air pressure, and when I hear that bell it brings me back to the days when my father would stop at a gas station. I would be in the back seat and hear that sound. It also reminds me of filling up my bicycle tires which reminds me of where time has gone.

CM: What’s one item you’d like to have in your garage?

ML: I would like more space for more cars, and more wall space to put up more signs and pictures. I already have many of the items I want but need more space. I do like the rush when searching for cool things and then displaying them in my garage.

CM: What’s the strangest item in your garage?

ML: That would be the 1969 Camaro that hangs on the wall.

A friend of mine owned it and crashed it around a pole. Before it

went to the crusher, I saved it, cut off the front end and restored it.

CM: What are you doing most of the time when you’re in the garage?

ML: I do so many things. I like to keep my garage organized and clean. Most people use their garage as storage. When people come over I like to see the look on their faces and their comments. I do minor repairs on all my cars as I rotate and drive them. Something almost always needs to be done or improved when you take a car out that’s been sitting idle for a while. I also detail the cars myself and like to turn up the music and really get into it while making the car shine. I’m always buying new items to display and that also becomes a challenge because I’m running out of space and constantly moving signs around to make them fit somewhere on the wall.

CM: Did you grow up around the garage?

ML: Growing up, our garage was not functional and we used it for storage, which I think is still pretty common for many people.

I remember how cluttered it always was. I remember bringing my bicycle in at night and banging it into my parents car, not thinking twice about it. Now it makes me cringe when I think about the scratches I may have caused.

CM: How does your garage make you feel?

ML: I get a feeling of accomplishment in my garage because my time there usually starts with a project whether cleaning a car, building or repairing, organizing, etc. When I complete a task I feel relaxed because I finished something that I started.

“There’s never enough time in the day, but time seems to stand still when I’m in my garage.”

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