Issue 39 issuu

Cruisin’ Cuba

Full Circle Chevys

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On stands until August 2017 $7.79 CDN | $6.79 US On stands until March 2018

contents

features

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special section 44

2017 Monterey Classic Car Week

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Roundel Showcase

26

Reunited

32

American Car Dreamer in Cuba

36

Honda Hills

40

Austrialian Add On

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Cruisin’ Cuba

Full CirCle Chevys

magazine

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On the Cover A two-car garage houses a relatively famous 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS 396.

Photo by Don Weberg

On stands until August 2017 $7.79 CDN | $6.79 US On stands until February 2018

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departments 8

Publisher’s Note

10

Lance Lambert’s Column

12

Phil Berg’s Column

16

Garage News

24

Tales from the Garage

54

Auction House Journal

57

Fireball’s Column

58

Book Reviews

Buyer’s Beware

Frisco Freeze and Friends

Jack’s Garage

The Afterlife of Cars

Magliato’s Hand Built Inspiration

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16 60

Buyer’s Guide

63

Matt Stone’s Column

65

Garage Bazaar

66

Garage Meanings

Time Passages R.I.P DeTomaso Modena

Bruce Leven

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Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017

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Publisher’s

note

Average Sized Garages

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any, many times it is brought to my attention that readers want to see more average-sized garages, and I agree. To see an averagesized garage that has been made over to accommodate the automotive interests of a regular car enthusiast is great. Issue 35 is a fantastic example, the cover which featured a very well styled three-car garage (two across, two tandem). Truth be told, we usually have at least one average-sized garage in each issue, but, obviously, in spite of our efforts, they seem to get lost in the shuffle of mega garages, overshadowed by square footage aplenty. But, rest assured, we do feature them.

This issue in particular hosts four average-sized garages. One, a garage in Australia that actually utilizes a room in the house behind the main, two-car attached garage creating a sort of showcase space for a car guy who also loves surfing and bicycle racing. Another twocar garage is home to a relatively famous 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS396, and two of the garages featured within are dedicated to motorcycles exclusively, one in a threecar garage, the other in a two-car garage. I think this

is the first time this has happened, that each garage featured in GSM is of the average size nature, which I’m excited about, and hope you are too.

As much as this might sound like an excuse, averagesized garages are hard to get a hold of. Too many times I’ve talked to owners of nicely appointed two- and three-car garages about featuring them in GSM and have been told politely thank you, but no. The most common reason being, they feel they can’t compete with the warehouse-sized garages we so often feature.

I’ve never liked hearing that. This isn’t a competition, it’s something else entirely, it’s camaraderie, it’s sharing, it’s enjoying, it’s the never-ending garage tour. I’ve said a thousand times, the garage is the place where fans of Ferrari and Lamborghini, Porsche and Corvette, Mustang and Camaro, Honda and Toyota, and so on can put their differences aside and enjoy one another’s stories and ideas. We’re not here to compete with one another, at least not in the sanctuary of the garage.

Neither the size of one’s wallet, nor the square footage of one’s garage defines an individual’s enthusiasm for cars, automobilia, petroliana, and nostalgia. What defines a garage is how you enjoy it, how you celebrate within.

Now, with all that said, in speaking of celebrating, it’s that time of year again already. The holidays are upon us and families are coming together to enjoy company and gift giving. We here at Garage Style wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season, and hope you’ll still take a few days and spend some time in the garage.

- Don Weberg

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Garage style

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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 Cindy Meitle Fireball

TM

Contributors Robin DePry Bob Estrada John Gunnell Dr. Rick Rader Bill Nakasone Ron Lampley Rich Pepe Yves Souvenir Steve Natale

Specialized Photographer Dale Quinio

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Lance Lambert’s

column

Frisko Freeze

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ost everyone’s youth included a favorite hangout; perhaps it was the corner drugstore, gas station or a favorite restaurant.

During my crowd’s high school years the place to be was Frisko Freeze. It was a typical ‘50s and ‘60s style small drive-in that sold the expected hamburgers, fries, shakes and other foods that current-day nutritionists have deemed somewhere between unhealthy and highly toxic. Back then we didn’t care and could not get enough of the greasy calories handed to us through the drive-up window.

The 1973 movie American Graffiti did a great job of displaying a slightly romanticized depiction of 1962 teenage life in the parking lot of Mel’s Drive-In. The asphalt area of Frisko Freeze was much smaller, and there was no indoor seating, but for all of the patrons it was just as important to them as Mel’s was to any of the characters in the movie.

My friends referred to our hangout as “The Freeze” and we were there several times during the week and nearly every Friday and Saturday evening. Stadium High School dances and sporting events were usually followed with a visit to Frisko Freeze, and many non-diet Cokes and grease soaked bags of fries were bought during the week on our way home from school.

Despite food being served, that was not the top priority for a visit. The list, starting from the top, went like this: socializing, flirting, showing off your car, getting something to eat, and last but importantly, either getting into or not getting into a fight.

The socializing was easy because there were always friends hanging out. On a good night several of my buddies would wave hello as I arrived in my 1948 Chevrolet or 1954 Oldsmobile and pulled into the parking lot or parked out on the street. We’d gather in groups, laugh, brag, tease each other and make plans for the evening or weekend. On weekend evenings we might spread the news about a party or some other social event, and at other times the socializing in the parking lot was the party of the evening.

The majority of the parking lot population was male, but there were always a few cars with one to five young ladies cruising across the tarmac. Usually they were friends, or maybe one in particular was a girl that I wanted to become friends with. I guess Frisko Freeze was our pre-computer era dating site. It was also a great place for me to learn that females could also

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and

Friends

become friends, and not just someone that I wanted to date. The parking lot also provided a place to sit in my car and show off my pretty girlfriend, or when I didn’t have a girlfriend, find a girl that was willing to share a kiss between sharing bites of burgers and sips of soda.

The evening’s pecking order was usually determined by which guy arrived in the coolest car. My Chev and Olds were somewhere near the middle of the acceptable pack so I could park with a reasonable amount of pride. At the top were guys like Bob Mitchell behind the wheel of his beautiful 1948 Chev or Doug Sparks in his 1961 Oldsmobile. Hovering at the bottom of the list was Dave Daily in his 1958 Renault Dauphine, or any guy in his parent’s four-door sedan of any manufacturer.

One of my proudest moments was arriving, parking and coolly walking away from my Oldsmobile as the new chrome rims reflected the neon glow of the Frisko Freeze sign. I could only afford two of these glistening wheels on the front, but back then chrome wheels only on the front and black rims on the back meant that you had a fast car and were obviously dragracing it and had to have special wheels and tires on the rear.

Food was not always a priority, much to the frustration of the management. The owner, Perry Smith, occasionally called the police to rid the parking lot of the deadbeats taking up space but not buying food. Word would spread quickly that the cops were in route, so my cash strapped friends and I would buy one of the two cheapest items on the menu, a small Coke or a bag of popcorn. This was enough to keep the law away and placate Perry.

Most of the teenagers arriving were known or recognized by the regular patrons. They were either from Stadium High School, or from our friendly rival Wilson High School. Many of us had grown up with “Wilsonites” and were still good friends with them. The rival high school that was not friendly was Lincoln High School. A car full of unknown individuals often began its trek from the south-end of Tacoma where the Lincoln students resided. Usually they stayed in their cars, but climbing out of a car and staring too long at the wrong Stadium student could start a fight.

The amazing thing about Frisko Freeze is that it has not changed since I was hanging out there over 50 years ago. The building, signs and parking lot are exactly the same. The paint is touched up when necessary, electric light bulbs and neon replaced when needed in the signs, and the parking lot is re-striped when wheels and weather takes a toll.

I still dine at Frisko Freeze one or two times a year, always with a lifelong friend that was there with me when we were in high school.

The fries and friendship are just as good now as they were back then.

- Lance Lambert

Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017

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Phil Berg’s Dispatches from the Ultimate Garage Tour

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Jack’s Garage

t’s called Jack’s personal garage, although the 200-plus car building looks like a museum, and company insiders just call it Market Street, which is where it’s located in Livonia, Michigan, the headquarters of racing and hot-rodding legend Jack Roush.

The cars in Jack’s garage are here because they take the 75-year-old car nut back to when he was a kid, and he still has memories of a 1951 Ford sedan he drove and crashed while racing on a rural Ohio highway. Each car, he says, “is a time capsule that takes me back to when I was 13 years old. These cars marked mileposts in my engineering business.”

The Roush companies have 5,000 employees, and are privately owned and each of the buildings just outside of Detroit where racing, hot-rodding, engineering for industry, military and other applications are numbered in sequence. For example, the 20,000 square foot building where Roush Mustangs and F-150 modified pre-titled hot-rods are made--just down the street from Market Street--is number 79.

Roush has had a hand in engines for all of Ford’s performance and racing cars, a relationship that is as close as any in the auto industry. Roush also produces 90 percent of the crate engines for GM, so the muscle car you’re rebuilding is likely to have been assembled by Roush.

As Jack Roush was building his racing engineering business, he says he always had to sell his race cars to help fund the next year’s faster cars, and so gathering his old cars was a tedious and expensive process. “We kept three or four people at work to restore cars for customers and myself. Every car I have there were probably four or five cars that were development cars that were trashed. The cars now have a home here.”

Last summer Ford introduced the latest $500,000 GT supercar, its engine is built by one of Roush’s companies, and we caught up with LA collector Bruce Wanta at Jack’s garage, eyeing an example of the 2016 LeMans class-winning car, subject of the Adam Corolla movie The 24 Hour War. “I own two [older] Ford GTs, one of them is actually at John Hennessey’s shop in Texas, and we’re trying to take it to the Salt Flats to get a record. I’ve always owned a Ford GT, this is an insane car.

Before they were talking about LeMans, it was like ‘I WANT

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ONE’. I did not get selected to buy one in the first 500, and they released the next 250 and I didn’t get selected, and now they have the last 250.” Wanta still doesn’t know if he’ll be an owner.

Funny who you meet at Jack’s Garage.

- Phil Berg

Automobilia and Petroliana DECEMBER 2 & 3 , 2017

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Garage

news

LAMA branches out with mobile art Text by Bill Nakasone

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AMA (Los Angeles Modern Auctions) specializes in Modern Art and Design with an emphasis on paintings, prints, furniture, and decorative pieces. Their catalog of rare and collectable items are the creations of world re-known artists including Pablo Picasso, Charles & Ray Eames, George Nakashima, Sam Maloof, Andy Worhol, and more legends of design. Founded by Peter Loughrey, an established curator and expert in Modern Design and Fine Art, LAMA has for the past 25 years been the milestone auction house for the rare and collectible.

LAMA’s most recent auction held on October 21 & 22, 2017 offered a new segment – even for this progressive and trend setting company - with the sale of the “Bounty Hunter” Dune Buggy built by William Larzelere. LAMA, famous for its static Modern Art pieces, made the decision to branch out and offer mobile art such as this quintessentially California lifestyle Dune Buggy. The “Bounty Hunter” was a high quality “one-off” creation that was featured in “Rod & Custom,” “Street Rod,” and “Manx Mania.” Designed by Brian Dees, the “Bounty Hunter” was customized by William Larzelere as a tribute to Steve McQueen. The seats were provided by Solar Productions – Steve McQueen’s company – and upholstered by the legendary Tony Nancy. The Dune Buggy was constructed in 1968-1969, and features style and equipment that is “period-correct” for the era including Ansen Sprint Wheels, Firestone Super Sport Tires, EMPI instrumentation, Plexiglass Spoiler, Renault windshield, and 1964 Corvette Tail Lights. The “Bounty Hunter” has been lovingly maintained since its initial build and kept in original condition. It hammered for $36,250 – a reasonable sum considering its historical significance.

Says Peter Loughrey, “The Bounty Hunter was a significant piece of mobile art reflecting the California lifestyle of the 1960s and the custom car artistry and trends of the time.

We felt that this car was an embodiment of the California dream – a visual and visceral statement. Although we have sold a few cars in the past – such as a Citroen DS and Raymond Loewy’s personal Avanti – our mission is to sell them as modern design pieces – just like any work of art in our showroom.” www.LAModern.com

RM Auctions | Sotheby’s brings ICONS to New York for once a year sale Hosting a multiple-day event, RM Auctions and Sotheby’s will again team up in New York to present for sale a magnitude of some of the finest names in the world, from Scaglietti to Ferrari to Stanley Wanlass to Dom Perignon to Lamborghini and many more. This once a year sale is a penultimate experience indeed, a culmination of talents on both sides of the RM-Sotheby’s camp. Some lots include Lot 151, a 1953 Piaggio Ape Calessino, estimated to bring between $50,000 and $80,000; Lot 124, a 2000 BMW Z8, once owned by Steve Jobs, offered without reserve is expected to bring in between $300,000 and $400,000; Lot 137, a 2018 Bugatti Chiron, estimated to trade hands for something between $3,500,000 and $4,000,000; a bronze sculpture Pur Sang

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by Stanley Wanlass is on offer without reserve and is expected to bring between $20,000 and $30,000; and, likely our favorite, a 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti. At first glance, it appears quite normal, save for the early plexi-covered lights and light almond coloring, but a closer inspection reveals the subtlest tailorings such as smaller bumpers, a flatter roofline,

refreshed windscreen angles, and more. Expected to bring between $1,400,000 and $1,700,000. Exhibitions will be held 10a-5p daily November 30, 2017 – December 6, 2017 (hours for December 3 are 1p-5p), with the auction commencing at 7p-11p December 6. www.RMSothebys.com

Hampton Court Concours of Elegance Text and Images by Yves Souvenir Eurostar train took us from Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, to London in less than two hours. Pretty fast connection, impressive what mankind has built, such a fast train under the North Sea traveling at 200 Km/h. The local train took us from London to Hampton Court, moving at a much more leisurely pace. Through a small gate, we entered the huge castle and were suddenly in the garden of Hampton Court Palace. A sunny day, no wind, lush grounds scattered with hundreds of Bentleys, Jaguars, and Rolls-Royces; it was so beautiful, it compressed my heart. The entrance was dramatically staged with the legendary 1-2-3-4-5-6 D-Type Le Mans racing cars and their drivers who finished at Le Mans race in 1957.

It was the World 60th Anniversary of the Jaguar D-Type, and the Concours of Elegance commemorated those ‘Legends Reunited.’ It is interesting how you can actually own the winning car. What should we do to be the lucky ones? One of the Jaguar owners bought his Jaguar D-Type from his close friend. Another owner acquired his beautiful Jaguar on eBay. My preferred car at the show was the 1964 Aston Marin DB5, a car very similar to the one featured in the 1964 film ‘Goldfinger.’ My passion for James Bond, of course, dictates that I swoon over this car, but the story behind this particular car is quite fascinating and only adds to the value in many ways. The first owner was Sir Paul McCartney from “The Beatles.” He owned this car from 1964 until 1970. We all Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017

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remember “Baby You Can Drive My Car,” and I imagine that, at least in part, it must have been written under impression of this beautiful Sierra Blue Silver colour Aston Martin. To memo rate this fact, the number plates consist of the year 64 and the first three letters MAC (64 McCartney). The car has the original Philips Auto-Mignon record player in the perfect order. It is located at the back of the car and looks very cute.

The car underwent a full nut-and-bolt restoration with the engine upgraded to 4.2-liters. The current owner purchased the car in 2012.

A fantastic event, well worth attending, about 100 cars of the highest calibre were invited to attend. Held September 2-3, the Event Patron was Prince Michael of Kent – looking forward to next year. www.ConcoursOfElegance.co.uk

Euro Auto Festival South Carolina Text by John Farrall Images by Craig Oesterling October 21 marked the 22nd year of the Euro Auto Festival, founded by Ed Seagrave, now deceased, and the Curator of the BMW Zentrum at that time, Paul Ianuario. They wanted to have a small car show celebrating European cars on the grounds of the new-at-the-time BMW manufacturing plant in Greer, South Carolina. A people’s car show, fellow car owners vote for their favorite cars. It became known as Euro, and grew very well in popularity.

As the BMW factory grew to today’s 9,000 associates, producing 1,400 vehicles a day in a 5-million square foot manufacturing footprint, they were running out of room for the show and guests. Three years ago, Euro moved a few miles down the road to The Preserve at Verdae located on the grounds of the Embassy Suites Hotel in Greenville, South Carolina. This 18-hole golf course gave Euro room to spread its wings.

This year’s show included 33 European marques, ranging from Alfa Romeo to Volkswagen. Over 270 European cars and motorcycles registered for the show. Rare marques included Spyker, McLaren, NSU and Bitter. Visitors to the show were able to see some very rare cars including a 1958 VW Rometsch Lawrence Convertible, 1928 Rolls Royce Phantom 1, and a 1965 Meyers Manx Monocoque, the 7th ever built.

Keith Martin, founder of Sports Car Market Magazine, was the show’s Master of Ceremonies again this year. He gave out two awards; PlanFirst’s Best Automotive Investment Award, and The Keith Martin Spirit of Motoring Award, which went to Peter Davis in his 1934 MG PA Midget.

This year’s featured marque was Volkswagen. Chris Lewis and Jeff Holt wowed the crowd with their early Bruce Meyers creations, the Meyers Manx and Tow’d dune buggies.

They were strategically located in the sand trap on the 18th fairway! There was a 1942 Volkswagen type 82 Kubelwagon, reconstructed for the film, “Saving Private Ryan.” There were some amazing VW Beetles including famed VW convertible restorer Chuck Coli’s black 1967 Beetle convertible. Graham Adam’s 1969 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia won Best VW. Paul Zugg’s 1956 Volkswagen Bus and Rene Gallaher’s 1958

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Rometsch Lawrence Convertible both received Euro Awards.

Super Cars were a featured class again this year. Among the seven entries were a Porsche 918 Spyder, a Mercedes McLaren SLR, and the class winner, a 1980 BMW M1 owned

by Scott Hughes.

Michelin, BMW Manufacturing, and BASF were all major sponsors. Bibendum, the “Michelin Man”, was seen walking the show, along with Ronald McDonald. The Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas was the major event benefactor.

Bob Barton won the BASF “Best Fit & Finish” Award with his 1965 Porsche 356 Cabriolet. Scott Hughes won the Michelin Choice Award for the best car riding on Michelin

tires with his orange 1980 BMW M1.

In 2017 an automotive movie night replaced the traditional awards banquet. Guy Smith of PopcornOctane provided two short films and the featured movie, “Winning, The Racing Career of Paul Newman.” This event was held near the hotel at the Clemson University Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). Zoran Filipi, director of CU-ICAR, also spoke to the guests about how their program is helping prepare engineers for the next generation of mobility.

Next year’s Euro Auto Festival theme will be “The Cars of Italy,” to be held on Saturday October 20, 2018. www.euroautofestival.com

Meguiar’s introduces new products In an attempt to level the playing field for cleaning wheels, Meguiar’s is set to release an all new Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner they claim is safe for all wheel and brake finishes. Using advanced chemical blends, surfactants with active brake dust dissolving agents remove carbon and road grime.

Interestingly the gel formula turns brake dust purple and road grime brown, providing a neat visual effect while it loosens stubborn contaminants. Acid free and pH balanced, Meguiar’s assures this cleaner is safe for all wheel finishes and brake components. Their upcoming Bug and Tar remover will help make cleaning a bit easier, thanks to the foam formula that sticks to the surface, hydrating, softening, and loosening bugs and tar from the surface.

Meguiar’s advises to use before a wash for great results, or just use as needed. www.Meguiars.com

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garage

features

Proof that smaller garages can work as museums, this space houses one of the most prolific BMW motorcycle collections in the world.

Roundel

Showcase

Rivaling BMW’s Own Museum Text and Images by Jim Hopkins

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he look of a vintage BMW motorcycle, especially the blue and white roundel set against a black tank with white pinstripes, pleases me. In fact, it pleases my visual senses in great measure. And, inexplicably, I feel compelled to honor the men and women who rode, raced, and loved BMW motorcycles and all things related to the BMW marque throughout its history – both the famous and not so famous; the heroes whose names appear in every book, and the families before the war whose BMW sidecar was their only mode of transportation and whose names were forgotten long ago; the artists and photographers; the writers, musicians, and mechanics; the racing legends and advertising gurus; the actors and toymakers; the police departments and porcelain factories; the company execs and company machinists.

Honoring the original and the modified; the traditional and the eclectic; the long riders and speed merchants; the rich, the poor; the favored and the forsaken. There is this need to honor them all.

So, a number of years ago I took that desire and combined it with my love of history, art, advertising, vintage photographs, and interior design, as well as the joy I experience when hunting for the rare and hard to find, and decided to seriously have a go at bringing together under one roof, an eclectic

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mix of as many of the rarest and most fascinating BMW motorcycle-related items I could find. This was not a practical or reasoned decision. It was a matter of the heart. And, as often is the case with heart matters, it has made me richer and poorer. Richer because of what I have learned and because of the extraordinary people I have met and now call friends.

And poorer because, well, doing this in a passionate way has significant time and resource implications that have forced me to make sacrifices in other areas of my life.

Although most people know the BMW brand through its automobiles, collecting rare items in the BMW motorcycle arena comes with a very narrow band of brothers and sisters.

Outside the BMW motorcycle family and the people who read magazines like this one, only a precious few know much of anything about the company’s motorcycles or motorcycle history. And that number gets infinitesimal when you start talking about BMW motorcycle pre-war history. That’s what makes collecting in this niche market challenging and probably a bit fool hearted at the same time.

Case in point: Relatively speaking, only a handful of people on this earth have heard the name Karl Gall or know he gave his life on a BMW motorcycle in 1939 at the Isle of Man TT trying to become the first foreigner to win that extraordinary

Your choice, Dirt Nap or Final Bar-B-Que, it doesn’t matter.

The Afterlife of Cars Text by Rodney Kemerer Image by Wyatt McSpadden

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his Tales from The Garage is all about trust and it starts with a simple question. No matter if you have one or two cherished cars or fifty, who do you trust to drive them?

Your wife? Your children? Your best friend? Scary question, huh?

Okay, so now we jump forward, hopefully, many many years in the future. You, trusted car connoisseur and collector, are no longer here. Get my drift? Your choice, Dirt Nap or Final Bar-B-Que, it doesn’t matter. What matters is someone else will be looking for your keys and adjusting the seats. Still queasy?

Okay, with that slightly acidic taste still in your mouth, how about being a bit proactive about who is in charge of your toys.

Recently while reviewing my Estate Plan (a slow day for sure) I realized that my automobiles and assorted automotive collections needed their own caregiver Makes perfect sense and thus was born “The Automotive Trustee.” I have been firsthand witness to many estate trustees who call me and say, “My (blank) died and left a (blank) in the garage, what should I do with it?” What this means is the person whom you trust to settle your final affairs may not be the best person to handle your automotive legacy. While your spouse and/or children may understand you valued your cars, they may not know the true value of the one-owner-since-new-original-paintfull-service-records car or of that greasy box of parts you spent years hunting down. Enter, The Automotive Trustee. This is a person, most likely your best car friend, whose knowledge of your cars is second only to your own. His or her job, in your sad absence, is to find proper homes and achieve true value for your cars.

The idea is very simple and easy to expedite. First, figure out who that person is, ideally someone younger than you or, failing that, much healthier, who has a good chance of being around after you… are not. Next, ask him or her if they would be willing to act as your trustee for all things automotive. In a perfect world, this person would make you his or her trustee as well, making for a neat little reciprocal agreement. Not a requirement, but a nice little moment of car bonding.

Next, write up one sheet (or more) for each vehicle, collectible,

or collection. This would include the basics: Year/make/model, VIN, colors, license plate number, location of vehicle, date purchased, original costs, details of extras and options, number produced, etc. Then write a one or two paragraph summary of the history of the vehicle. Remember, only you know these details and if you are not here, this information is lost. Next is a list of related but very important items – location of all service files and records, spare parts, key location, insurance policies, and, finally, location and access to the titles. This document may be amended as needed.

These documents, naming your Automotive Trustee and contact information as well as the actual inventory, goes into your estate plan. In creating my own Automotive Trustee, I decided to motivate him by giving him a percentage of the proceeds of the sale of the cars and related collections. You may raise or lower that percentage as you see fit. Or, if you are feeling particularly generous and you know which of your cars or collection is the favorite of your Automotive Trustee, give him or her that item in exchange for liquidating everything else. Also, if a percentage seems too much or too little, set a flat fee. It is all up to you and your Trustee. All proceeds are turned over to the Estate Trustee who would then pay the “commission” directly to the Automotive Trustee after the funds from the sales are deposited. Should your Automotive Trustee wish to purchase one of your vehicles for him or herself, then the prevailing market value would apply as approved by the Estate Trustee.

Okay, you ask, why bother with all of this? Well, how many times have you heard stories of a spouse or son/daughter just getting rid of cars in order to settle an estate as quickly as possible? They not only miss an opportunity for top dollar but, more importantly, for making sure that the cars go into the hands of people who will care about what they are, just like you did.

That’s it. Simple. Most people spend a lot of time thinking about and naming guardians and/or godparents for their children, a job that is seldom called upon. Why not a “guardian/ godparent” for your cars? Because we know for sure, you will be unavailable. Trust me. | GSM

Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017

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Text and Images by Don Weberg

Epoxy floor, overhead fluorescent lights with general-purpose acoustic ceiling tiles, a workshop, storage, and an assortment of eye candy and toys make for a great space.

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e all have those stories of the one that got away. Be it a car, love interest, property, or whatever – we’ve all been there. For Herb, the one that haunted him pretty much every day was the sale of his Crocus Yellow 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS 396 coupe. Purchased brand new, the 4-speed power monger was his dream car, much like many young Americans in the mid-1960s. Equipped with bucket seats, a console, seatbelts, rear speaker, and a host of other options and extras, he didn’t skimp on the car. For 20 years it was his pride and joy, but eventually, reality caught up with him and in the mid-1980s he sold the car to provide for family needs.

“Times were a little lean back then, so the car was sold to bring in some money,” said Herb. “It wasn’t easy, but it had to be done. Of course, you always think, ‘that’s it,’ when you sell a car. You’ll never see it again.”

Herb and his wife raised their children, and have enjoyed their lives, watching the kids grow up, become professionals,

start their own families, and secure their own futures. For all intents and purposes, Herb and his wife did very well. But that Chevy still lingered in the background, lightly keeping a pull on his heartstrings. As such, one day his sons decided to track down the old Impala and see if they could buy it back. Secretly, the quest began.

“Was it in a junkyard, was it in someone’s backyard, we weren’t sure,” said his sons, Jared and Derek. “One day, we paid for an online VIN search and was shocked it returned an address.”

Over the course of a few years, he reached out to various past owners and received no response, then one day he and his brother learned that the car had been recently sold and shipped to Canada.

“We thought that was it, the end of the line,” he said.

Weeks rolled by and he decided to hire a private investigator to find the car, an idea his wife said was a bit over the top and suggested before going to that extreme, to do another online Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017

27

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Order one for $12*, additional copies are only $10* each Call 888.881.5861 to order yours Printed on high-quality paper stock. Perfect for the den, office, bar or - The Garage!

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American Car Dreamer in Cuba Text and Images by Matt Stone

Y

ou may (or may not) know much about Cuba, that mystical little island that sits about 90 miles off the south coast of Miami. You probably know about the world’s appetite for the finest Cuban cigars and rum, the latter being the primary ingredient in the perfect Mojito. Maybe you’ve heard that then president Obama began easing U.S. trade and travel restrictions with Cuba a few years back, and that current President Trump is re-evaluating the whole deal. If you’re a little older you may remember the Russian/Cuban Missile Crisis, or the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion. And you probably heard that Cuba’s 90 year-old revolutionary dictatorial leader, Fidel Castro, recently passed away. In its heyday, Cuba was nicknamed the “Paris of the Caribbean,” and played host to the

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rich and famous, the Rat Pack, the mafia, several heavyweight boxing bouts, and wealthy vacationers from around the world: an irresistible combination of waterfront hotels, gambling, sunny beaches, rum, and cigars.

I have long heard of the crazy car scene down there, where old American cars are held together with bailing wire, tape, and tractor parts, or whatever the crafty Cuban car enthusiasts can get their hands on in order to keep their cars on the road.

I had visions of brightly colored American ragtops, filled with tanned, attractive, Cuban women cruising up and down the water front. I’m here to tell you, brother, that it’s all true.

American cars used to be freely imported into and sold in Cuba, prior to the United States’ trade embargo beginning in

Honda Hills Amassment of rare racing Hondas creates fascinating collection Text by Don Weberg Images by Don Weberg and Anthony’s Collection

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nthony grew up with and interest, simplicity, and a level watched two of his best of durability. The workbench buddies race for Honda and overhead storage is simple Factory Racing, Ricky Graham and functional forming an “L” at and Jeff Haney. This influence the back of the space and holds was a major inspiration for him a huge collection of trophies, to get into the sport as well, and plaques, plates, and pictures. An he did. Growing up around aluminum tool box, rack system, racing motorcycles led Anthony and a tall cabinet to store various to appreciate fine machinery and elements like racing suits and engineering, and few motorcycle gear also line the wall. A large companies have offered the industrial sink at the rear of the dedication to development garage is purposeful, handy, and of both than Honda. Having adjacent a restroom. Windows won innumerable trophies offer exceptional illumination but from countless competitions, when the sun sets, can lights and Anthony still enjoys a good run, Anthony poses with a couple of his racing bikes. He’s been racing fluorescents provide plenty of and in fact, built his home high since he could walk and his enthusiasm shows. light to enjoy or work. Anthony in the California hills where he’s has two motorcycle lifts to help constructed his own dirt track to practice and enjoy. maintain and display the motorcycles but all in all, it’s easy to see “It’s a lot more than just riding, it’s an outlet, a way to escape the Anthony enjoys the purity of the space. It’s not overly done, overt, world for even just a brief moment,” said Anthony. “Like so many or ostentatious by a longshot. It’s a working museum, where he people, my business can be pretty stressful at times, so taking a run and his friends can enjoy conversations, working on bikes, or just on the track or coming into the garage and being among these bikes admiring them. can temper the edge and sometimes offer some clarity.”

“For the most part, I don’t see the garage as a museum,” he said.

The garage is a relatively modest affair, an oversized two-car “It’s a place to keep the bikes and work on them, display them and garage connected to the house by a portico and motor court which enjoy them, but mostly the garage has to be functional and I think adjoins two other garages which tend to the mainstream vehicles this space is. It’s also a great place to remember great times.” and familial necessities. The oversized two car though is Anthony’s Indeed, many private memories resonate off these bikes, working museum where a fleet of super rare motorcycles take the especially when it comes to Ricky Graham. Ricky tragically passed stage. away in a fire at his home in January of 1998.

“These bikes are some of the rarest in the motorcycle industry, a As if these bikes aren’t rare enough and the stories impressive few one-of-ones among them,” he said. enough, they are currently in the process of restoring three other A concrete floor of huge black and white squares provides visual rare Honda Factory Race bikes. | GSM

Left, the corner is comprised of a workbench and cabinets, perfect for a variety of tasks. Right, using a black and white pattern of oversized squares keeps it simple, racy. Anthony’s bikes are a treasure trove to anyone who knows motocross.

Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017

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FOR THE LOVE OF VINTAGE & CLASSIC CARS

MAY 20, 2018

S T. GEORGEʼS SQUARE, VALLETTA , MALTA IN THE BAROQUE SURROUNDINGS OF THE GRAND MASTERS PALACE

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OUR PARTNERS

Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017

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From inside the house, a blue sliding door separates the living quarters from the car room.

Austrailian Add On Showroom for the house

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Text and Images by Iain Curry

arage Style Magazine is a hard publication to read without occasionally going all green with envy. Most of we car enthusiasts make it one of life’s goals to create the ultimate garage for our car or cars, but little things like the need for space and money tend to hamper Man Cave creations.

Being short of both much available real estate and disposable cash after buying and renovating my house on Australia’s tropical Sunshine Coast, I’d practically given up on any sort of garage with style. Okay, so my house had a double garage, but this was very much a busy area for our two daily driver cars, bicycles, camping and surf equipment – not to mention the usual tools, containers and general “stuff”. And don’t get me started on having two kids aged under five who have no desire to keep a garage space in any way clean or organised.

Yet chatting with my wife over a few red wines and some architect drawings one night, I made the seemingly impossible happen. We were planning on knocking through a few walls in our downstairs to create better space, and I suggested we create a third garage space as a cool feature, namely bringing a car into the living area. Incredibly, and rather wonderfully, she agreed.

We had a few builders come around for estimates, and I

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remember one shaking his head and saying: “Wait a minute… you want to lose living space to fit a car in?” He clearly wasn’t a car guy. Ultimately we found a builder who also happened to be a true enthusiast, he loved the idea, and the renovations began. We’d keep the double garage for daily life, but the addon third garage space would be the fancy show area.

I have a little classic race car – a 1989 Peugeot 205 GTi used for hill climbs and sprints – and it would take pride of place.

I also test new cars for a living, so the “Show Garage” space would also be ideal to have some nice exotica presented in a brightly lit and stylish manner.

The biggest part of the build involved a pair of sliding barnstyle doors leading from the show garage to the main part of the house. Sliding doors meant we could have the car on show from the lounge area, or the doors could be closed if the car view (or, let’s be honest, car smells) got a bit too much. So the builder created a dividing wall with a barn door-sized hole in it, packed up and went home. The rest was up to me.

I commissioned a local carpenter to create two lightweight MDF doors (light so they could move easily on metal runners) in the style of old mechanic’s garage barn doors I’d grown up with in England. These were duly hung in place and I painted them

Monterey 2017 Classic Car Week

Automotive Nirvana on the Monterey Peninsula Text by Bill Nakasone | Images by GSM Staff

E

ach year, thousands of automotive enthusiasts’ flock to Monterey, California to attend what is considered by many to be the ultimate car festival in the world. It is a week- long event encompassing a multitude of activities spread among multiple venues. What originally started as a road race along the streets of the scenic 17 Mile Drive through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach has transformed into an automotive happening that includes three days of historic car racing at Laguna Seca, multiple auctions (Mecum, Gooding & Co, RM Sothebys, Russo & Steele, Bonhams and World Wide), the world re-known Pebble Beach Concour d’Elegance, Concorso Italiano (Italian cars only), Legends of the Autobahn (German Cars only), The Mission Classic, Werks Reunion (Porsche only), Cars on the

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Avenue, Automobilia, Retromobilia, the AFAS (Automobile Fine Arts Society) art show, McCalls Jet Center evening affair, and the Quail Gathering. It’s amazing how this Monterey week manages to both reinvent and expand itself each year while still retaining the essence of its original flavor. The sheer number of events spread over multiple venues requires planning and strategy if one is to attend and assimilate all that is going on. Garage Style Magazine deployed seven staff members to Monterey in an attempt to do justice to the myriad of activities available. After Monterey week, staff were convened and asked to give their highest impact impression at each event. This is what GSM staff voted as the highlight moments for each of the events that all of us attended.

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GARAGE STYLE MAGAZINE Garage Style Magazine is THE exclusive publication dedicated to all-things-garage – collections, automobilia, petroliana, personalities, events, equipment, barn finds, and much, much more. GSM boasts a steadily growing global list of enthusiastic subscribers, and is sold through various big-box retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Hastings, BooksA-Million, Safeway, Vons, and many boutique retailers like Autobooks-Aerobooks and gift shops within automotive museums; further, our publication is gifted to participants of many automotive events around the globe.

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famed Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort!

Our all-inclusive premium lifestyle road rally is all about cars and camaraderie, with exotics and classics sharing some of the most amazing roads in America and our special stage. Add fantastic culinary experiences, wine tasting, top-rated properties, and relaxation to make lasting memories.

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Next events in the works... September 2018 ~ Northeast Adventure, USA 2019 ~ Alpine Adventure, Austria

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Drive Toward a Cure is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Automotive Books for your Favorite Car Enthusiast

By author, photographer, broadcaster, emcee • Matt Stone

McQueen’s Machines, the Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon The cars, and bikes that Steve McQueen owned, drove, rode, raced, or put into his films.

Available at Motorbooks.com, Amazon.com or autobooksaerobooks.com

Winning! The Racing Life of Paul Newman History’s Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed Co-authored with Preston Lerner Some of these stories are even true! Great fun and mythbusting.

Co-authored with Preston Lerner With Foreword by Mario Andretti America’s other favorite blueeyed racing actor; his cars and car films Motorbooks.com, Amazon.com or autobooks-aerobooks.com

The Ferrari Phenomenon Co-authored with Luca Dal Monte No boring serial numbers or camshaft specs; just all the stories you’ve never heard and photos you’ve maybe never seen.

BullPublishing.com, Amazon.com or autobooks-aerobooks.com

Motorbooks.com, Amazon.com or autobooks-aerobooks.com

Exotic Barnfinds Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Ferraris Exotic cars lost and found CarTechbooks.com, Amazon. com or autobooks-aerobooks. com

James Garner’s Motoring Life From Baja to Daytona, the movie Grand Prix, The Rockford Files and more.

CarTechbooks.com, Amazon. com or autobooks-aerobooks. com

Isky The life story of The Camfather himself, Ed Iskenderian, among the original pioneers of the speed equipment industry more than 70 years ago.

CarTechBooks.com, autobooksaerobooks.com, or Amazon.com

McQueen’s Motorcycles — Racing and Riding with the King of Cool.

Steve McQueen was as much into bikes as he was into cars. Learn about most of his great machines, racing efforts, and motorcycles in his films.

Motorbooks.com, autobooksaerobooks.com, or Amazon.com

Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017 And Please Visit: www.MattStoneCars.com

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review AUCTION HOUSE JOURNAL

Product

Motorclassica Auction - October 14, 2017

Lot 12 – Omega Ferrari Schumacher Speedmaster wristwatch, circa 1996, automatic, 39mm, yellow dial, baton numerals. Case, dial, and movement signed.

Original yellow strap, presentation box, and paperwork sans warranty card.

Sold: $2,728 AD

Lot 20 – Bugatti 1/3-scale model engine, built from scratch by Mick Marchant of Marchant Engineering Woodbrook. Presented on wooden base with plaque bearing statistics. Measuring 26cm high x 43cm wide x 22cm deep with base.

Sold: $11,160 Australian Dollars (AD)

Lot 16 – Tether Car, scratch-built B.B. Korn “Indianapolis” Boyle Special #2, handmade with engine by Mick Marchant. Presented in crimson metallic with copy of original pamphlet and instructions for FA-50 Golden Knight ABC 4-stroke engine.

Sold: $3,100 AD 54

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fireball’s

Magliato’s Hand Built Inspiration

W

hen I first saw this 1936 Ford Truck Rat Rod, the thought hit me about what I’ve always felt about Car Design. The design of a vehicle comes in three waves. The blur you get when it passes you on the freeway, the overall language as you approach, and for the truly inspired... the nitty gritty details that, for those with enough guts

to approach, will appreciate.

As I did approach the car for the first time way back, I met Blacksmith/Coppersmith Joe Magliato. A smooth Sicilian man with a confident and relaxed stance. He informed me that he had spent the better part of 4-1/2 years building this Rat from scratch.

Each individual piece, a work of art worth of hanging in a museum.

A serious museum. From the steel swirled steering wheel and hatchet rear view mirror to the copper hammered fan box that he formed by pounding a copper sheet over a manhole. Who does that?

“I really tried to put all my skills to the test to create a car that even another fabricator could look at and appreciate,” began Magliato. “The car really just kind of evolved as I was making it. I knew basically what I wanted but the small details happened as I was building.”

Before we get ahead of ourselves, let me mention to the motorheads that the powerplant is a 455 Olds Rocket, 60 over. Holly 650 carb, Turbo 400 tranny and 2-1/2” Custom Revolver Headers. Happy? Ok, let’s continue.

“The top is a good example of how something evolved,” continued Joe. “From across the street you can see what my overall intention was (Level 1), but when you get real close, all the Art Deco lines, stepped design, window placement for no blind spots, door geometry, material changes, dome lighting, head clearance, and quick release to go topless are added surprises (Level 3). When you take the time to really look at it.... I tried to put that much thought into each piece.” And this shows in spades. The car is downright awesome.

So then I asked Joe what was the best part of the car for him?

His answer simply was like asking him who his favorite kid was...

“For me, I know how much blood, sweat, and gears went into each

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piece and that part is over. Really, the best part now is sharing it with people that appreciate it and hopefully inspiring a younger “me” out there somewhere. Not to settle for just another bolt together project that looks just like it’s supposed to, but to make something out of raw materials... and your God given talents that nobody has ever seen.”

Well, as a 40-year car designer myself, I’ve seen and driven thousands of unique vehicles. But Joe’s MAD HAMMER is simply one of the most awesome art-built expressions of the 21st Century.

We recently drove it on my Vlog show and the experience was raw, unique and powerful. The car commanded attention and shocked onlookers wherever we went. And the interesting thing about Joe was that he would spend all the time you need to absorb the art. A clear message that whatever you give into this world, comes back to you like an echo.

But Joe goes on... “What I thought I would use it for is having fun, going to shows, and drumming up business with this being my rolling portfolio. What it has really become is a way to meet new friends wherever I drive it. It has certainly done all the above.

My original purpose in building it was to take my kids and wife with me to have some fun. I built a Chopper version of this first, and they weren’t having any of that. Since it’s been done I’ve been able to take them out (one at a time....lol) and make new memories. I hope to teach them how to drive it next.”

Magliato also mentioned that one of his dreams was to have his daughter drive it into a show by herself. The problem with that is that everyone would literally stop looking at anything else and be magnetized to MAD HAMMER’s charm, battered filth, and world class sculpture. This is not a car to be messed with.

I’ve been very grateful to Joe for bringing the rat to my show Wheels and Waves as it gives any show a level of excitement that can’t be matched. Park a 458 Italia next to it and Ferrari becomes a base model Honda. Trust me on this. MAD HAMMER sets the standard for what’s possible in hand-built road machines.

As we wrapped our shoot in Malibu, Joe and I discussed the experience. One guy wanted to buy it, a French couple couldn’t believe their eyes, and two tow truck drivers gawked as we burned away down the street. “You really never know who you’re going to meet and there is no bad scenery,” was Joe’s take.

Want to see more of Joe’s work? Hit www.bigironjoe.com or @ joemagliato on IG. If the Mona Lisa had a Rat Rod... this would be it. That’s for lettin’ me drive, Joe. Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017

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Book

reviews

Steve McQueen: Le Mans in the Rearview Mirror Don Nunley and Marshall Terrill My name is Don Nunley, and I was the propmaster on Le Mans. While authors, documentary filmmakers, motoring scribes and racing enthusiasts have told and retold the story of Le Mans for decades and for the most part they got right - I was actually right there as it all unfolded. There was nothing positive to say about the 106-minute motion picture at the time we started making it in June 1970. Six months later when filming mercifully ended, there was no wrap party, no toasts, no grand farewells; everyone just quietly went away, thanking God their ordeal was finally over. Steve McQueen was a real life racing fanatic, and Le Mans was supposed to be his cinematic dream come true. But the movie left him with bitter feelings and lasting emotional dents in his armor. There were conflicts with directors, personal excesses, budget woes, a war with the studio, a shutdown, months of delays, an unfortunate accident that left one driver without a leg, and rumors that the production company hushed up the death of a second unit crew member. In one fell swoop, McQueen ended a 15-year marriage, severed ties with his longtime agent and producing partners, did away with his production company and lost a personal fortune, not to mention control of the passion project he had planned to make for over a decade.

It has taken me years to understand and digest the complex phenomenon of Le Mans, which decades after its crashlanding at the box office and savaging by critics has finally found its vindication and the approbation its star dreamed of before things took such a wrong turn when the cameras started rolling. Steve McQueen would be blown away to see that Le Mans has left an indelible legacy in the auto racing world and movie industry.

- By Autobooks

How to Build Brick Cars Peter Blackert

Most of us played with Lego bricks when we were young, and many tried to build cars with them. If you wished you knew how to build a cool car out of Lego, wish no more! The author of this book, Peter Blackert, is not only one of the world’s foremost custom builders of brick scenes and vehicles, he is an employee of Ford Motor Company where he works as an engineer. Blackert provides over a dozen detailed, full-color, beautifully illustrated, step-by-step instructions on how to build cool cars out of Lego bricks, such as a ’32 Ford Roadster, Jaguar XKE, Porsche 911, Ferrari 488, ’71 HEMI ‘Cuda and many more. The different levels of build plans range from straight forward up to advanced, but all offer a challenge.

Paperback, 192 pages. www.QuartoKnows.com | 800.458.0454

Bobby’s Got a Brand-New Car Zidrou, Sebastien Chebret

Presented in a fun and stylish mid-century modern format, this book tells the story of Bobby, who dreams of buying a brand-new car. In his dream, Bobby buys a car with his own money and drives around town like an adult. The story will foster a child’s imagination on what it would be like to have a car of his own. It is a great story for kids, plus the cool and sophisticated retro illustrations make it fun to look at for adults as well. Hardcover, 32 pages, Ages 5 to 8, Grades K to 3. www.Amazon.com

All these and many more are available at: Autobooks-Aerobooks 2900 W. Magnolia Blvd.

Burbank, CA 91505

818-845-0707 www.autobooks-aerobooks.com

- By Steve Natale

DISPLAYS OF THE WORLD’S MOST EXOTIC CARS, MOTORCYCLES, YACHTS, AIRCRAFT & LUXURY BRANDS

ORLANDO | AMELIA ISLAND | ST. PETERSBURG | MIAMI | LONG ISLAND , NY

FOR INFORMATION REGARDING SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES WWW.FESTIVALSOFSPEED.COMGarage Style Magazine Winter 2017 352-385-9450

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Buyer’s

guide

Last minute holiday guide We’ve all been there – waiting, waiting – not meaning too, but still not getting the shopping done for our loved ones. So, here are a few ideas for some quick, and not so quick but really cool, gift ideas! Good luck!

Whistle River Trading

Fast and free shipping is paramount to a successful lastminute holiday gift shopping, and Whistle River Trading promises just that. To boot, they have a large selection of premium quality blouses, jackets, and skirts for the special lady in your life, meaning they’re likely going to have something she’ll really like. And, if she doesn’t, they offer free returns. Currently many of their items are on sale, offering sweet discounts against their normal prices. Check out their website and see what they have to offer – warm, stylish jackets, beautiful skirts, and fashionable blouses for just about any occasion. www.WhistleRiver.com | 205.371.9179

Luminous Nature

Marcia LaBant has been crafting 100% silk and bamboo scarves for a number of years, creating some of the most visually interesting patterns in the world. Dyed with ice, snow, and fiberreactive dyes, she uses leaves, flowers, and other natural elements to create scarves with stunning colors and patterns. Perfect for cooler weather, motoring, and just adding a little warmth and hair control to any situation, a good scarf is always a good thing to have around. Toss it in the glove box, ready to go, hang it in the closet with the winter coats, a scarf adds a level of subtlety and style to any outfit while proving functional. marcia3961@aol.com | 717.805.4494

Aerovault

When Peter Brock, designer behind the Cobra Daytona and Corvette Stingray, decided the world needed an aerodynamic trailer, the Aerovault was the result. Stylish, futuristic, and strong, the Aerovault offers owners a seriously lightweight and efficient way to tow a car or motorcycle. Made of aluminum and fiberglass, the trailer weighs just over 2,000 pounds. The shorter profile is styled aerodynamically to offer less resistance and downforce all of which helps aid in fuel efficiency and stability. It’s what happens when a race car designer builds a trailer. www.bre2.net/AeroVault.info | 702.843.5320 60

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Back yard mechanics to world famous car builders and traditional hot rods to multi million dollar classics are all featured on “The Vintage Vehicle Show”. Lance Lambert, the show’s producer and host, has been taking you on four wheeled adventures since 1993 and “The Vintage Vehicle Show”, broadcast nationally and internationally, can be enjoyed every week on your TV and computer screens.

Check your local listings for times and topics, or log on to www.vintagevehicletv.com

Matt Stone’s

column

Time Passages R.I.P. DeTomaso Modena

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he car I’m most identified with is my ’72 DeTomaso Pantera. I loved that car, and miss it a lot. Selling it was likely a mistake, but made sense at the time, although I can’t afford to repurchase it or a similar one now. But I’m pleased these cars have advanced in terms of enthusiast and market respect, value and desirability.

Among my greater joys that stemmed from owning this car was meeting and become friends with the DeTomaso family, and visit DeTomaso’s compact yet tidy home base with offices, a design studio, a museum, car assembly line, parts, and the usual car factory stuff, in Modena Italy, my first visit there for a huge car club event/convention in 1990, and many more times just to see the family, what was new, play with some old cars, and just kick around. It was an industrially handsome property, sitting not a mile west of the Emilia Romagna region’s A1 Autostrada. I could find it in the dark without headlights or map.

As the car business ebbed and flowed over the years, and subsequent to Allessandro DeTomaso’s passing, activity at the company diminished to a crawl. Car production and income also dried up, and the company fell into receivership.

One sad element of the liquidation process was that the very family company had to give up the factory and property, as it represented much of the DeTomaso Modena SpA’s assets. The cars and the people left, and Viale Virgilio 9 was shuttered.

The plan was that the Italian courts would at some point resell the property to another and presumably viable business.

Now nearly a decade later, I was recently in Italy and decided to drive by for a little trip down exotic car memory lane. What I found sickened me.

For whatever reason, no new buyer or tenant has taken the property over, which surprised me, in as much as it’s located in a freeway visible, vibrant area combined of a large big box store (Italy’s equivalent of Costco) plus some other shopping, and a multistory office building belonging to the area’s largest grocery company. There’s no signage to indicate that the property is for sale, lease or otherwise available – perhaps just the inefficiency of the court system to aggressively liquidate the property.

Instead of signage, the once immaculate buildings were covered in graffiti. Nearly every window was broken out, and the former tree orchard, lawns, and other landscaping (which Isabelle DeTomaso herself used to mow and trim) were massively overgrown. All of the DeTomaso signage was removed some years back, so if you didn’t know, you’d never guess this used to be an exotic car assembly facility. I didn’t cry, but freely admit that my chest tightened considerably.

Abandoned car factories aren’t new; Middle America is thick with them. Having now worked in the automotive space for three decades, I know that things, people, and locations evolve, brands come and go.

DeTomaso factory in year 2000

DeTomaso factory buildings in ruins 2017

But this region of Italy was a breeding ground for small independent race and street car builders (Maserati and Lamborghini aren’t more than ten miles away) and of course over time, with the increased cost it takes to develop and build cars to meet today’s safety, technology, and emissions specs it’s difficult for smaller brands to get a toehold, much less thrive.

Yet to drive by Viale Virgilio 9 (at Emilia Ovest 1250) in Modena brings back great memories, even if the present hurts more than a bit.

- Matt Stone Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017

63

INSPIRING AUTOMOTIVE ENTHUSIASTS

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Garage

meanings

In the Garage with Cindy Meitle

Bruce Leven, Car Collector

E

arlier this year, the collector car world and the world in general lost a wonderful man, Bruce Leven. He was the founder of Bayside Disposal, a highly successful waste business. He enjoyed wins racing 12 Hours at Sebring, awards at the Goodguys Rod & Custom Show, SEMA, and the National Roadster Show for the many cars he customized. He built his dream garage in the Seattle area. I am glad to have known Bruce and to have talked with him about his garage. Here are some additional photos of his garage, revisit Issue 25 to read the interview. We will miss you Bruce.

Images by Adam Hosey Photography 66

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Garage Style Magazine Winter 2017

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THE WORLD’S LARGEST COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION

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