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July-August, 2013
TORQUE July-August 2013 Michigan Region Classic Car Club of America
Inside This Issue Cover Story: Jim Quinlan’s 1941 Lincoln Continental 12……….….4 The 2013 CCCA Grand Experience…………………………….….7 Cool Cars, a Lighthouse and Ice Cream……………………………14 Back Cover Story: Dick Kughn’s 1946 Cadillac Series 62….…….18 Member Profile - Philip Fischer……….….……………………….21 Book Review: Vintage Views Along the West Michigan Pike..……22 The Early Years of the Classic Car Club……….……….….………24 Turkish Delights………………………..……………………….…28 Cover Photos: Don Hoffman
From Your Editor.……………….32
Torque Salon…………….…..…..16
The Steering Column……..……..31
Michigan Region Leadership……..2
The Michigan Region Calendar....31 Michigan Region CCCA 110 S. Silvery Lane Dearborn, MI 48124 www.classiccarsofmichigan.com July-August, 2013
Classic Car Club of America P.O. Box 346160 Chicago, IL 60634 www.classiccarclub.org
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2013 Leadership Michigan Region Classic Car Club of America www.classiccarsofmichigan.com
Activities Committee
Board of Managers Director
Co-Chair
Jay Fitzgerald
Ara & Diane Ekizian (248) 851-4069 dlekizian@yahoo.com
(313) 885-3641 jayf3641@sgbcglobal.net
Co-Chair
Assistant Director/Activities Paul Wise
Paul & Sandy Wise (248) 447-6383 wiseone@twmi.rr.com
(248) 447-6383 wiseone@twmi.rr.com
Secretary/Publications
Members
Rich Ray (810) 333-2498 richray2@hotmail.com
Treasurer
Greg Kosmatka (313) 882-7980 grk129@sbcglobal.net
Torque Editor
Tom Goad (248) 644-2086 tgoad1840@aol.com
Membership Projects/Advertising
Lee Barthel (248) 476-0702 lfbarthel@yahoo.com
Area Head Judge
Managing Editor
Katie Robbins (313) 563-0621 cccakatie@aol.com
Color Cover Editor
Kirk Walters (248) 851-4069 kwalters333@gmail.com
Classic Vibrations Editor
Terry Ernest
Jay Fitzgerald (313) 885-3641 jayf3641@sgbcglobal.net
Staff Doug Houston Bob Steiner Larry Colwell
Historian
(810) 987-8977 ternest@sbcglobal.net Torque Magazine
Rich Ray (810) 333-2498 richray2@hotmail.com
Jim McDonald (248) 646-7773 jbmcdonald999@comcast.net
Grand Classic
Publications
Katie Robbins (313) 563-0621 cccakatie@aol.com
Annual Meeting
(248) 644-2086 tgoad1840@aol.com
Nancy Seyfarth (313) 436-8327 nancyseyfarth@aol.com
National Relations
Tom Goad
Ara Ekizian (248) 851-4069 dlekizian@yahoo.com
Grand Classic
Torque Editor
Wally Donoghue (734) 455-0177 wally@plaidpants.net
Activities
Publications Committee
Gerry Medow (248) 594-4437 medowg@aol.com
Karl & Carla Bekemeier Don & Vickie Gale Eric & Ginny Lundquist Werner & Christine Meier Wally & Marlene Donoghue Marcue & Irene Shelley
Paul Ayres Don Hoffman Ed Meurer III Mike Quigley
Bram Over Don Wood III Bob Ferrand
Bruce Thomas (248) 594-6499
July-August, 2013
No. 426
Torque Magazine is published bi-monthly at 24000 Research Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48833-2606. Change of address and all correspondence should be mailed to Torque, c/o Katie Robbins, 110 S. Silvery Lane, Dearborn, MI 48124. Subscription price is $19 per year for members and $40 per year for non-members. Second Class postage paid at Detroit, Michigan. Postmaster: Send PS Form 3579 to 110 S. Silvery Lane, Dearborn, MI 48124. Written or pictorial material in the Torque Magazine may not be reprinted without permission from Torque Magazine or its authors and credit given to the Michigan Region Torque. 4
July-August, 2013
Torque Advertising Rates One Year (6 Issues)
Single Issue
Color Full Page ½ Page ¼ Page Black & White Full Page ½ Page ¼ Page
$1,100 $600 $320
$220 $110 $70
$1,000 $550 $285
$190 $100 $55
Ad copy should be submitted in camera ready, PDF format. Copy should be suitably CCCA Full Classic oriented. Ad will appear in the first non-assembled Torque issue following receipt of payment and camera ready art. Closing dates: January 1, March 1, May 1, July 1, September 1 and November 1.
Make check payable to: Michigan Region CCCA
Mail to:
Wally Donoghue, Torque Advertising 5130 Curtis Road Plymouth, MI 48170
July-August, 2013
The Classic Car Club of America A club founded for the development, publication and interchange of technical, historical and other information for and among members and other persons who own or are interested in fine or unusual foreign or domestic motor cars built between and including, in the main, the years 1925 and 1948, and distinguished for their respective fine design, high engineering standards and superior workmanship, and to promote social intercourse and fellowship among its members; and to maintain references upon and encourage the maintenance, restoration and preservation of all such Full Classic ® cars.
What is a “Full Classic ®” car? A Full Classic ® as defined by the Classic Car Club of America, is a “fine” or “distinctive” automobile, American or foreign built, produced between 1925 and 1948. Generally, a CCCA Classic was high-priced when new and was built in limited quantities. Other factors including engine displacement, custom coachwork and luxury accessories, such as power brakes, power clutch, and “oneshot” or automatic lubrication systems, help determine whether a car is considered to be a “Full Classic ®.” The complete list of the Club’s recognized Classics may be obtained by writing the CCCA, 250 S. Northwest Highway, Suite 300, Park Ridge, IL 60068 or at www.classiccarclub.org.
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Cover Story: 1941 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet
By Jim Quinlan, Owner Photos by Don Hoffman and the author
Well, yes, I promised myself never to commit to a full car restoration again! Twenty car restoration projects were enough. Then while browsing the internet in 2006, I came upon a 1941 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet for sale in New York City of all places. This was not a restoration project; it was just for fun – a whole car, hopefully drivable and functional. “Just get in and go,” the seller said. It had been previously restored and was used as a feature car at a museum in Atlanta. Just what I was looking for! Being an automotive stylist at Ford Motor Company, I had always admired the 1941 Lincoln Continental design. Years ago, I talked with E.T. “Bob” Gregoire, the designer of the Continental (with Edsel Ford I). He shared the story of how he had laid translucent vellum paper over the Lincoln Zephyr side view. With instruction from Edsel, he incorporated the rear spare tire and long hood like European cars Edsel had seen. Gregoire said he used a red grease pencil and, using the Zephyr as a base, created the perfect “continental” look. I treasure that conversation with him. Yes, it was nostalgia that induced me to purchase my Continental. I broke the Golden Rule: don’t buy a car without actually seeing it; inspecting it; evaluating the car first. But I had previously owned a 1941 Lincoln Custom Limousine and I told myself “I know ‘41 Lincolns”.
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After purchasing the cabriolet by phone, the car was delivered to my home in Northville, Michigan. After a cursory inspection, I called George Howard in Sunbright, Tennessee. George had done other car restorations for me and I wanted him to give the car an overall inspection and do some minor touch ups. The car had been previously restored to cover blemishes, but the job was not up to the concours’ standards of today. George gave the Lincoln a quick look and told me it looked good. Off he went to do some other minor work for me. We then shipped the car to his workshop in Tennessee where he had a chance to open the car up and look beyond the previous restorer’s cover-ups. George asked, “Do you want a good job on your car or do you want a not-so-good job on your car?” The question was in jest because he doesn’t know how to do a not-so-good job. Here we go again: a total restoration was my only choice. Pete Bandy and Mark Larder came up with magnificent interior trim work. Mark Zemke performed “wizard“ work on the mechanical and electrical components. Ed Lynn made the engine hum like a Lincoln should. One distinction I had missed was that my previous 1941 Lincoln Limousine was always kept in a heated garage on the estate of the Continued on page 6 July-August, 2013
Opposite page: Jim Quinlan’s 1941 Lincoln Continental at the Dearborn Inn for the 2012 Michigan Grand Classic. Clockwise from top: rear quarter view of the restored Lincoln Continental at the Grand Classic; the Lincoln as it arrived at Jim’s home from the New York seller who claimed it was ready to “just get in and go” - sort of; restorer George Howard and Jim inspecting the car and thinking “what have we gotten ourselves into?”; the instrument panel ready to go out for re-graining; the Lincoln’s body with the newly repaired panels fitted and in place.
July-August, 2013
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Cover Story Continued
owner while convertibles like mine are never in a heated garage and are used on the road to the maximum. I got one of those. Four years later, after an extensive total restoration, my “doesn’t need any work” car was completed. The job was so challenging that George retired from restoration work after this one! The purchase was, perhaps, a mistake, but luckily not fatal. With some final touch-ups by Bob Anzalone to get it ready for show, the Continental Cabriolet was awarded: Best styling of its era at the Amelia Island Concours in 2011; Best in Class at Concourss d’Elegance of America at St. Johns in 2012; 99.5 points at the Michigan Region CCCA Grand Classic in 2012 (the front parking light didn’t function while being judged, darn!).
Lincoln in 1941 War was rolling across the globe although it had not yet completely engaged America as the country’s isolationism remained resolute. However, Franklin D. Roosevelt, just inaugurated to his unprecedented third term as President, was maneuvering to aid countries that were opposing Hitler and his allies. A rash of government agencies were created and/or expanded to support Lend-Lease, anti-profiteering, civil defense and other war related causes. The economy was heating up as the need for war materiel took off. Auto sales were good as a raft of new designs hit the showrooms. Automakers were being increasingly absorbed into the war production effort with large contracts to produce everything from bullets to bombers. Even Henry Ford, who generally held pacifist views, got involved in war production. Labor problems were abating in Michigan with the establishment of the National Labor Relations board and even Ford, the final holdout against the United Auto Workers, signed a contract settling a strike at the Rouge plant involving 50,000 workers. The capitulation was due to the intervention of Henry’s wife, Clara, who threatened to leave him and sell her stock to outsiders – a concept even more repelling to Henry that unionism – unless he settled. The big Lincoln K models were discontinued in 1940 and replaced by the Lincoln Custom on a 138 inch wheelbase chassis in sedan and limousine configurations. The Lincoln Continental in Coupe and Cabriolet was no longer marketed as a part of the Zephyr line (NC) which continued to be offered in a variety of body styles. 8
July-August, 2013
Classic Car Club of America Museum 2013 Grand Experience By Tom Goad On Friday, May 31, I drove across Michigan, towing my trailer containing my 1924 Cadillac. My destination was Hickory Corners and the grounds of the Gilmore Museum with large car collections in restored old barns, including the CCCA’s large barn. This was the weekend for our annual Grand Experience. I parked the trailer in the rig area and drove my GMC Yukon across the grounds to have lunch in the Museum’s restored diner. Many of my friends from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin plus our Museum president from Oregon, were already there to start staking out the show field. After lunch, I unloaded the Cadillac and drove it around the grounds to make sure it was running okay and would be ready for the Sunday show. I parked it back in the trailer because of threatening weather. At 5:00 p.m., we had a “Get Acquainted Barbecue” in a tent set up on the Museum grounds. I then drove to the Radison Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo to register. Saturday morning we had a driving tour that left the Museum grounds at 9:00 a.m. I drove the Yukon with Hildy Buterbaugh as my navigator. With a large number of vehicles, including many of the show cars, we headed northwest to Holland, MI. Our tour leader, Dave Stevens, led us on many different two lane roads through extensive farm country. In Holland, we stopped first at the VerHage Motors Collection to see their large collection of cars. At 11:00 a.m., we headed to the Holland waterfront to board the Holland Princess for a cruise on Lake Macatawa and the channel leading out to Lake Michigan. The Princess left at 11:30 and I sat inside on the lower deck with Dave and Rachel Timmons. After lunch, we moved up front for a better view of the cottages (many were huge mansions) on both sides of the waterway. July-August, 2013
Once back at the dock, Hildy and I drove over to Al & Carol Scholten’s Car Collection, still in Holland. After viewing their collection, we drove back some 60 miles to the Gilmore Museum on a different route around some lakes and up and down some steep hills. In the evening, at the Radison Plaza, was the Art Auction in one of the hotel’s many large meeting rooms on the lower level. This was followed by an elegant dinner, a truly dress-up affair! I had not taken even a sport coat, but I was still allowed to enjoy the evening at a table with some friends. Up to this point, we had really nice, sunny weather, but on Sunday morning, it was pouring down rain. By the time I checked out of the hotel and drove up to the Gilmore Museum, the rain has stopped. I reconnected the trailer to the Yukon, unstrapped the Cadillac and backed it out, loaded it with my camera bag and two folding chairs. I drove it over to setup for morning picture taking as each car entered the large show field. Katie Robbins and Nancy Seyfarth were handing out the packets for each car and led them on to the show field. Larry Seyfarth helped me position each car for photo taking. It was still a heavy overcast all morning, but the sun came out in the afternoon. I then had time to take my granddaughter over to see the miniature museum. This year’s Grand Experience featured Chrysler automobiles, Full Classic ® and non-Classic, built through 1965. Gooding and Company was chief sponsor of the Experience supported by Hyman Ltd. and Hagerty Insurance. There was a ribbon-cutting for a new addition to the museum as well as the unveiling of a new Classic automobile. The show concluded with a narrated awards “pass-inreview”, followed by a farewell supper. Another very enjoyable Grand Experience. Continued on page 8 9
The Good Times
Clockwise from upper left: cars lined up for the tour; the Scholteh garage; Bruce Backan of Ireland with Dave Timmons; Carol Scholten with her Chrysler Town & Country; onboard the Holland Princess in the channel leading to Lake Michigan; the Barthel’s 1941 Cadillac and Ron DeWaskin’s 1947 Cadillac; another Town & Country at the VerHage collection; arriving at the VerHage Collection.
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July-August, 2013
Michigan Region Participants
Shawn Dougan, 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II St. Louis, MO Rich Ahrens, 1927 Packard 426 Roadster Grass Lake, MI
Lee & Floy Barthel, 1941 Cadillac 62 Conv. Coupe Northville, MI
Joe Crea, 1933 Chrysler CL Imperial Phaeton Burton, OH
Ronald & Heidi DeWoskin, 1947 Cadillac 62 Club Coupe Fitchburg, WI
Top: Some of the many pieces of art being auctioned to raise funds for the CCCA Museum. Above: Mark Thomas’ 1931 Chrysler was recognized for completing the cross country Rediscover America CARavan in May..
July-August, 2013
Paul & Sarah Engleman, 1932 Chrysler CL Imperial Sedan Plainwell, MI 11
Grand Experience Continued
Terry Ernest, 1936 Packard 1407 Roadster Port Huron, MI
Ernest Hillenbrand, 1936 Railton Fremont, OH
Jay Fitzgerald, 1929 Cadillac 341 Phaeton Grosse Pointe, MI
Tom & Connie Jones, 1932 Packard 900 Roadster Nicholasville, KY
Tom Goad, 1924 Cadillac V-63 Phaeton Birmingham, MI
Dan & Susan Phenicie, 1932 Chrysler CLPhaeton Tipton, Indiana
Dan Hanlon, 1931 Pierce-Arrow Model 42 Convertible North Canton, OH
Dick Kughn, 1948 Chrysler Town & Country Convertible Dearborn, MI
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July-August, 2013
Al & Sarah Kroemer, 1931 Chrysler CG Imperial Sedan Argyle, TX
Off Brothers, 1948 Chrysler Town & Country Gull Lake, MI
Charles Lachman, 1932 Packard 900 Sedan Paw Paw, MI
Steve Ortman, 1932 Chrysler CH Imperial Sedan Kokoma, IN
Roy Margenau, 1925 Packard 236 Phaeton Grass Lake, MI
Bill Parfet, 1934 Auburn 12 Sedan Hickory Corners, MI
Bob Messinger, 1946 Cadillac 62 Club Coupe Grand Rapids, MI
Barbara Parfet, 1948 Chrysler Town & Country Hickory Corners, MI
July-August, 2013
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Michigan Region Winners
Bill Parfet, 1932 Duesenberg J154 Victoria Hickory Corners, MI Best of Show: Joe Crea, 1933 Chrysler Imperial Phaeton
Gene Perkins, 1932 Packard 905 Roadster Greenwood, IN Most Elegant: Dan Phenicie, 1932 Chrysler CL Phaeton
Owen Rottchafer, 1941 Cadillac Sixty Special Grass Lake, MI Goad Art Award: Off Brothers, 1948 Chrysler Town & Country
Dave Schultz, 1936 Pierce-Arrow 1601 Sedan Massillon, OH 14
People’s Choice: Roy Margenau, 1925 Packard 436 Phaeton July-August, 2013
Don Gilmore Award: Jay Fitzgerald’s 1929 Cadillac 341 Phaeton
Class Award: Paul Engelman’s 1932 Chrysler Imperial
Museum Trustee’s Award: Dan Hanlon, 1931 Pierce-Arrow 42
Class Award: Rich Ahrens, 1927 Packard 426 Roadster
Hyman Spirit of the Hobby Award: Tom Jones, 1932 Packard 900
Class Award: Charles Lachman, 1932 Packard 900 Sedan
CCCA Award: Ernest Hillenbrand, 1936 Railton Conv. Coupe
Class Award: Shawn Dougan, 1933 Rolls-Royce PII Saloon
July-August, 2013
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Cool Cars, a Lighthouse and Ice Cream By Rich Ray Photos by Don Wood III and Diane Ekizian The Michigan Region’s June activity provided a good selection of beautifully restored cars, lighthouse memorabilia and ice cream. Participants were greeted with beautiful weather as we gathered for coffee and doughnuts at our first stop: the restoration shop of Pratt & Miller, the famous race car builders. Pratt & Miller have run the Corvette racing program, the most successful team in the history of the American LeMans Series, having won the 24 Hours of Lemans seven times. However, they are also a full-service engineering and low-volume manufacturing company serving the defense and automotive industries. We were there to visit their immaculate car restoration facility. Most of us wished our kitchen counters were as clean as their shop floors. The cars under restoration ranged from numbers matching vehicles to hot rods, resto-mods and even motorcycles. Our hosts explained the capabilities of the facility and then allowed us to stroll around the large building looking at the various projects underway. Capabilities included body and paint, custom suspensions, engines and interiors. Before we moved on to our next stop, the group sang happy birthday to Phil Bray and he successfully blew out the candle on his cupcake. Our next stop was lunch at the Burroughs Tavern restaurant The buffet meal in a private room overlooking the Oak Pointe golf course was great and everyone had plenty of time to visit with Michigan Region friends. The tour then moved to the residence of Steve and Patty Gronow to tour their spectacular collection of lighthouse memorabilia, considered one of the top in the country. It is located in their home and includes their 4-story replica lighthouse tower. Steve and Patty are active in various charitable causes and regularly open their home and grounds to host events supporting these causes including the annual Concours de Livingston which has raised over $200,000 in its first two years. The grounds are beautifully maintained and provided a spectacular backdrop for our classics. We then moved to the last stop, the Santa Fe Caboose and Ice Cream Parlor. A little scoop of ice cream topped off a beautiful day. It was so successful that we even managed to sign two new couples to the club, Marie and Wayne Kady and Nancy and Fred Meinberg. So join us for our next activity and welcome them to the club. 16
Clockwise from upper left: the sparkling interior of Pratt & Miller Restorations showing a lineup of cars in various stages of restoration; event organizer Ara Ekizian (in white shirt) gazes down over the crowd from the lighthouse; Phil Bray’s Packard and Rich Ray’s Cadillac parked in front of the Gronow’s home; Rich Ray (lt.), Ara Ekizian (rt.) with our host, Steve Gronow.
July-August, 2013
Clockwise above: Roger Melton’s Lincoln Continental; Paul Wise’s Cadillac; Carol Bray helps Phil with his birthday cake; some of the cool cars at Pratt & Miller; lunch at Burrough’s Tavern; the lighthouse museum inside the Gronow’s home; fresnel lens from a large lamp; an early diver’s suit; a view of the Gronow grounds where the annual Concours d’Livingston is held; new members Wayne and Marie Kady and Fred and Nancy Meinberg; Sandy Wise, Tom Goad, Bram Over, Terry and Rita Ernest and Paul Wise enjoy ice cream;
July-August, 2013
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TORQUE SA
Cadillac’s 1940s advertising is an example of keeping a consistent long-term brand building strategy through a variety of circumstances, many of which would suggest that advertising was not needed. Automobile production was suspended during World War II in favor of production of war materiel. Obviously, with its vast production capabilities, Cadillac did not need ads in the Saturday Evening Post to attract the attention of War Department buyers. Despite this, Cadillac continued advertising to build the brand using 18
July-August, 2013
ALON
Cadillac’s 1946 Advertising Strategy Images provided by Paul Ayres, Cadillac LaSalle Club Museum, and Rich Ray.
patriotic themes and emphasizing how Cadillac was taking advantage of its engineering and manufacturing expertise to build better light tanks for the war effort powered by Cadillac’s V8 engine and Hydra-Matic transmission, as shown in the ads to the left. As the war wound down and automobile production began ramping up, customers were clamoring for new cars and every manufacturer had long waiting lists of customers. Although advertising was hardly necessary in these circumstances, Cadillac continued the July-August, 2013
brand-building theme, as shown in the center ad, emphasizing Cadillac’s leadership position in the fine car field and that discerning consumers will be patient and wait to buy the best, a Cadillac. Finally, although demand still far outstripped supply, Cadillac reversed the war time theme in the ad to the right explaining how building V8 engines and Hydra-Matic transmissions for use in the light tanks during battlefield conditions improved them even more to the benefit of their customers. 19
Back Cover Story: 1946 Cadillac Series 62 By Bob Ferrand Owned by Dick Kughn Photos by Don Hoffman and the Author On August 24, 1945 the last M24 tank rolled off the Cadillac assembly line... just six weeks later on October 7, 1945 the first 1946 Cadillac was produced. Strikes and material shortages, particularly of sheet steel, plagued the auto industry during the 1946 production year. Some Cadillacs came off the assembly line with temporary wooden bumpers, dealers having to install the chromed steel ones as they became available later. Only 29,214 Cadillacs were produced in 1946, and owners paid dearly for the privilege. The Sixty-One series fastback was now base priced at $2052.00, up 41.5 percent over the 1942 price. The Seventy-Five series Imperial (9-pass.) Sedan, Cadillac’s most expensive offering, listed for $4346.00, up $1266.00, or 41.1 percent over the same vehicle in 1942. Only four models were offered in 1946, the Series-61, Series62, Series 60 Special Fleetwood, and Series-75 Fleetwood. The least popular Series-63 and 67 were dropped from their line. Despite the inflated prices, pressure on Cadillac to produce cars was intense. Even by 1947, there were still almost 100,000 unfilled orders for the new cars. 20
Although styling of the 1946 cars was carried over from the very short run of 1942 models, some subtle refinements gave the ’46 models a new and updated appearance. The most significant improvements however, were the steady mechanical engineering updates to the engine and transmission which had been implemented throughout the war years, and arguably gave Cadillac an edge over their competition. Cadillac found itself in the fortunate position of being able to produce and improve their 346 cubic inch V-8 engine, and the Hydra-Matic transmission which were both used for military applications from 1942 through 1945. Pistons were redesigned, now utilizing a 3-ring design with more durable rings. New cylinder heads provided improved cooling. Newly designed bearings, valve guides and lifter bodies, improved throttle linkage, a new temperature sending unit which improved accuracy of the temperature gauge, and also improvements in the carburetor providing more responsive power from the engine at all speeds. In addition to engine improvements, the battle-tested HydraJuly-August, 2013
Opposite page: Dick Kughn’s 1946 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe. Clockwise from above: rear quarter of the 1946 Cadillac shows new look including taillamps and wraparound bumper. The fuel filler is hidden under the left taillamp; the Cadillac crest and hood ornament; front view showing loads of chrome for 1946.
Matic transmission saw major upgrading in the form of wider front and rear bands of improved strength, a newly redesigned front pump, new materials and production methods which gave the clutch plates greater durability, a strengthened main shaft, and rear unit clutch hub, as well as vastly improved seals and hydraulic transmission fluid. Due to the advanced design of the of GM’s Hydra-Matic transmission, (No other automobile company had engineered anything yet that could compete with it) and the battle-hardened improvements which were made to it and to Cadillac’s 346 V-8 engine during World War II, Cadillac entered the post-war period with a power train that was second to none in durability and dependability. Michigan Region members Richard and Linda Kughn purchased this excellent ’46 Cadillac 6267D / Convertible Coupe in 2010 from Upper Midwest Region / CCCA Member, Richard Bury of Mound, Minnesota. The car was featured in the Windshield Post publication in the fall of 2008 while the car was still owned by Richard Bury. It is one of 1,342 produced in 1946. The car looks spectacular, and performs as well as it looks. Continued on page 20 July-August, 2013
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Back Cover Story Continued
Clockwise from above: a proud Dick Kughn with his beautiful and rare 1946 Cadillac; a side view of the Kughn’s Cadillac with top down after judging at the Michigan Grand Classic; Dick and Linda relaxing in the shade at the Dearborn Inn; the driver’s compartment with a column mounted Hydra-Matic shift lever, ivory steering wheel and radio in the center of the panel.
Cadillac in 1946 As World War II came to an end, the focus of all Americans was to get back to their normal lives. After almost four years without new cars, tires or gasoline for that matter, excitement about the possibility of renewed automobile production was everywhere. Many car companies fed the excitement by talking about all the “new” features that were incorporated into their first postwar cars. The reality was that these cars were little changed from their prewar counterparts – the effort was getting into production as quickly as possible to take advantage of the pent up demand since customers, flush with cash from the strong war economy, were clamoring for the chance to buy a new car. Cadillac, unlike some of its competitors, played down the number of changes in its 1946 models and focused instead on the fact that all the tanks it built during the war used its V8 engines and Hydra-Matic transmissions. The message was that the same craftsmen who improved their skills building all those tanks will be making the new Cadillacs. Unfortunately, those craftsmen and their counterparts at other auto companies decided that strikes were what they wanted and labor unrest cut 1946 auto production to half of what was thought possible. Cadillac built its last M-24 tank on August 24, 1945 and the first 1946 car rolled off the line on October 7. Series 62 four-door sedans were built at first and a backlog of 100,000 orders quickly built up. Styling changes were minimal with rectangular parking lights located in the upper portion of the modified grille and wraparound bumpers adapted front and rear. Only eleven models were offered with the Series 63 and 67 dropped from the lineup. The 1946 model year saw only 29,214 cars built due to labor unrest and resulting parts shortages. Things were so difficult that many cars left the plant with temporary wooden bumpers that were later replaced with the real thing at the dealership. The Model 61 fastback started at $2,052, a 42% increase over the 1942 model. 22
July-August, 2013
1946 Cadillac Convertible Coupe Package Drawing Shown at right is an interesting drawing that is not often seen outside of the automobile industry. It is, however, a basic building block in the development of a new car design. Initially developed by GM Styling, the drawing summarizes all of the key packaging dimensions of the new car and its body. Passenger and cargo space is summarized. As the vehicle goes into production, Fisher Body Division takes over this responsibility and probably prepared this drawing. It was located in the Cadillac LaSalle Club Museum archives by Paul Ayres..
Member Profile - Philip Fischer
Photo by Philip Fischer
Collector cars have fascinated me since I was a teenager. My first collector car was a 1931 Model A Ford coupe. Since that time, I have gone through at least sixty vehicles of all makes and models. It has been only within the last two years that I considered the possibility of purchasing a Full Classic vehicle. My wife, Helen, shares the passion for collector cars, so I decided that it was time for a Classic era vehicle. I have owned a few Cadillacs and Packards in the past, but none had been of the Classic era. I have always admired the styling of the Cadillacs from the late thirties through the forties. My quest began several months ago, after attending a CCCA event, where I was able to be up close to several 1941 to 1947 Cadillacs. I particularly like the styling of the Series 62 Coupes. I began my search on the internet and, in April 2013, found the 1941 Series 6227 Cadillac Coupe on an Ebay auction. Negotiations were successful and the Cadillac was shipped to me. The Berkshire Green Cadillac appears to be an original “survivor�. The paint, upholstery, glass and mechanicals appear as original. My research revealed the Cadillac was probably built in January or February 1941 and was shipped to a Cadillac distributor in New York in March 1941. I intend to be a caretaker and maintain the originality as much as possible. I have no plans to restore the car. During the purchase phase, I received a title copy that indicated that the Cadillac had been at one time in the possession of Dana Mecum. July-August, 2013
My wife Helen decided to attempt to garner some history of previous ownership. Through the internet, she was able to contact the offices of Mecum Auctions and through the courtesy of a secretary there, the last owner was contacted and he agreed to speak with us about the Cadillac. The previous owner supplied a wealth of information about the Cadillac while it was under his ownership. He was a serious car collector and took very good care of the Cadillac. The 1941 Cadillac now shares the garage with our 1954 Buick Roadmaster Riviera Model 76-R two-door hardtop. Philip Fischer of Plymouth, Michigan is a retired police officer and been in the hobby for fifty years. 23
Book Review by Rich Ray Images by Thomas Wilson
“Vintage Views Along the West Michigan Pike” What you are about to read is an advertisement for the 2014 CARavan, “A Shore Thing – Doing Michigan in Classic Style”, shamelessly disguised as a book review. I came across a fascinating book entitled “Vintage Views Along the West Michigan Pike” by M. Christine Byron and Thomas R. Wilson. The book from Arbutus Press in Traverse City, Michigan, features vintage photos of the West Michigan Pike, a road on which we will spend a lot of time traveling during the September, 2014 CARavan. The West Michigan Pike, now known as US 31, was one of the results of the good roads movement of the early teens to provide “automobilists” with viable roads for extended travel. Up until that time, intercity roads in the U.S. were very primitive with no coordination between various towns and counties. Western Michigan cities and towns, like the rest of the country, were served primarily by rail and Great Lakes steamships. The roads were not federal or state built, but just unorganized local roads intended to allow farmers to get to the nearest town. A traveler would experience impossibly rutted, muddy or sandy tracks without signage that may or may not lead him to the next town. The good roads movement was launched in the 1880s by bicyclists and resulted in an 1893 law giving Michigan counties the right to adopt countywide road systems. The emergence of automobiles, often despised by farmers, added impetus to this movement and in 1905 a Michigan constitutional amendment authorized state funding
for roads. In 1913, the West Michigan Pike Association, consisting of representatives from every county along the route was formed to promote a coastal road from the Indiana State line to the Mackinac Straits. Due to the moderating effect of the prevailing westerly winds across Lake Michigan, the Michigan coast had long offered Chicago residents a welcome escape from the city heat. The arrival of the automobile expanded the opportunity for Chicagoans to enjoy Michigan. The main impediment were the sand trails that passed for roads. The initial step in the promotion effort was to sponsor the first of several annual automobile tours along the proposed route. This tour took six days to complete with stops in Muskegon, Manistee and Traverse City. By 1914, the roads had been improved to the point that one could complete the tour without becoming stuck in deep sand or mud.
Clockwise from top right: the cover of Vintage Views Along the Michigan Pike; a camping scene with what appears to be a Packard; the Legs Inn in Cross Village where we will enjoy lunch and is the northernmost point in our tour; a vintage poster promoting the West Michigan Pike.
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In 1915, the West Michigan Pike was designated as part of the Dixie Highway, an effort to organize a north-south national route from Florida to Michigan corresponding to the transcontinental Lincoln Highway. By 1922, all but one mile of the route consisted of hard surface pavement or good gravel road. At the dawn of the Classic era in 1925, most of the route was designated US 31 as part of the new federal highway system. Over the years, US 31 has been improved to the point that ironically it is now “too good” for our CARavan travel. Much of the route has developed into high-speed, multi-lane road with stretches of limited access expressway. Our “route master”, David Stevens, is planning routes that will follow secondary roads that better emulate the pace of the early West Michigan Pike giving us a more enjoyable tour. However, you will see many references to “Old M-11, Old US 31 and Old Dixie Highway” during the CARavan, all referring to various names of the original West Michigan Pike. If you are interested in the early history of automotive travel and some of the history of the areas you will be visiting during the CARavan, I encourage you to check out this book. It includes 239 pages of vintage photos and description of the towns along the entire route. It provides an interesting historic perspective on many of the towns and areas we will visit. As a lifelong Michigan resident who has spent a lot of time in this part of the state, I learned a lot. It is available from bookstores, the publisher or Amazon.com.
Clockwise from lower left: the CARavan Committee eagerly awaits your registration; a view from our drive along Lake Michigan; a drive through the woods near Bay View; a vintage poster welcoming us to Manistee; a vintage poster welcoming us to Traverse City; an early scene in Leland where we will enjoy lunch.
A Shore Thing Doing Michigan in Classic Style
September 12-20, 2014
See Page 30 for more information. July-August, 2013
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Early Years of the Classic Car Club By Wally Donoghue Photos by the Author This is the first of a series of articles on the early years of the Classic Car Club with emphasis on the Michigan Region. The CCCA was formed in 1952 and rapidly and steadily grew in membership. For the next 20 years interest in Classic cars exploded and people practically pounded on the door to join CCCA. I still remember the car that got me fired up. It was during my junior year in high school in early 1952 and I happened across a Cord 812 convertible on a grease rack in the filling station a block from my school in Omaha. I thought it was the most fantastic car I had ever seen. I spent about a half hour talking with the proud owner who was a member of AACA and HCCA. I was hooked, joined the HCCA, and after some searching in barns out in the country, bought a running 1920 Model T touring for $40.00 from two nice hard farming spinsters in Logan, IA. It was not until a couple of years later, in the spring of 1954, while in college, that I learned about the CCCA and joined it as well as the Western Pennsylvania region. This was one of the first regions and was among the largest at the time. In the early 1950’s car enthusiasts were just learning about Classic Cars and what defined a Classic. We hung on every word written by authors such as Ken Purdy, Eugene Jaderquist, Ralph Stein, Griff Borgesen and Bob Gottlieb who wrote books and wrote articles for magazines such as Motor Trend and Road and Track. We could not wait for the next issues to come out so we could learn more. These magazines and books, as well as The Classic Car magazine and Bulletin, were a prime source of much of our new knowledge and each new fact we learned increased our enthusiasm. I can still remember the first time I read Ken Purdy’s book, The Kings of the Road, and was unable to put it down. We were in awe of the features that Classic Cars had. Big, smooth, quiet powerful, straight 8 engines, V-12s, V-16s, long wheelbases,
The two nice, hard-farming spinsters from whom Wally purchased his first collector car, a Ford Model T.
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Above, a West Pennsylvania CCCA meet held at a local Chevrolet dealership with Wally’s 1931 Lincoln is in the center. Opposite, a photo montage of the 1957 West Pennsylvania annual meet .
one shot chassis lubrication, luxurious roomy interiors with real leather or fine fabrics and real wood trim, power brakes on some, ride control on some, beautiful styling, custom coachwork, doors that closed like bank vaults, superb quality and workmanship and on and on. Unlike today, where most members are intimately acquainted with all the Classics, we had not yet even seen most of them. Meets were small compared with today and every Classic that arrived was looked over by every member and every detail talked about. While meets were not large they were held at locations easily viewed by the public. The Western PA meets were held at the Blue Dell Drive-In, hotels, restaurants, car dealerships, even a remaining Packard dealership, since there were no private collections of any size to visit. The owners were asked to raise their hoods and start their engines and they were looked at and listened to intently with plenty of oohs and aahs. Much of these meets was spent talking about these cars, their features and what qualified them as a Classic, each member learning some new information from the others. These meets usually resulted in some new members joining on the spot from the public that happened to visit. The montage of photos taken for the 1957 Western PA Annual Meet shows Ed Blend, who older Michigan members will recognize, in several photos. He was director of the Western PA region at the time. The car in the upper right corner is Ed’s 1934 Packard 1107 Roadster which he purchased in 1956 in near mint original condition with only 55,000 miles and kept for his entire life. A member near Pittsburgh was offering it for $650.00 and I wanted it but could not afford to buy it. I don’t know what Ed paid for it but probably a little less. The Grand Classic, which initially was held only at Morristown, NJ, was the highlight of the year for any member that attended, comparable to what a farmer in a rural area experienced in 1893 when attending the Chicago Worlds Fair. They minutely examined every car, talked to as many members as they could about the merits of the various cars, learned and memorized the features and specifications of each. Most members, after about a year in the club, could tell you the engine displacement and wheel base of every make and model Classic as well as most of the other pertinent details. Continued on Page 26 July-August, 2013
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Continued from Page 25 No one today would argue that a Classic Car from the 1930’s was a better car than new cars being made today. But that is exactly what we did in the 1950’s in comparing the dull Detroit cars of the early ‘50s with the Classics. We compared the Classics to the new cars and the ‘50s cars came in dead last in our minds. The Classics were seen as superior in every respect. Bigger and roomier, more luxurious, more comfortable, more power, more performance, more features, smoother, quieter, very obviously more beautiful, and much higher quality. We would look at the dash of a ‘32 Packard, for example, and compare that to the dash of the Detroit iron of the day and it was no contest. We would compare the small stove bolt Chevy 6 engine to the V-12 engine in that Packard or any other Classic engine and it was again no contest. Close the door on a 50’s Cadillac or Chrysler and it sounded like a tin can compared with the solid thunk upon closing the door of a 32 Lincoln sedan. Then when we looked at the features of the Classics, as mentioned earlier in this article, the Dodges, Fords, Chevys, Buicks, even Cadillacs and Lincolns, of the ‘50s seemed downright primitive to us. When we examined the quality of materials and workmanship that went into the Classics, the new cars of the day seemed like junk by comparison. And I haven’t even mentioned the effect a Duesenberg had on members when they saw one for the first time. I’ll leave that to the readers imagination. We drove these Classics much more than we do today. Most were in good to excellent original condition, not restored to mint. Keep in mind that the classic cars of the 1930’s were only 20 years old in the 1950’s and with low mileage, many with less than 50,000 miles. They were driven to meets, even distant ones, and rarely trailered. We regularly drove them just for the fun of driving them - - to the store, a country drive, to a friends house, etc. Some members, such as myself, even used them for every day transportation. Our enthusiasm was constant and boiled over frequently when talking with the uninitiated. At every opportunity we would tell our friends and acquaintances about the wonders of Classic Cars and how they were far better than new cars. When we were driving our Classics, if someone came up to the car when we were stopped, say in front of a store or in a filling station, we would happily take the time to tell them all about it, raise the hood, tell them about Classic Cars in general and about our wonderful club, the CCCA. The result was many, new members were recruited into the CCCA through this enthusiasm. We could not wait for the next meet so that we could see more cars, talk to more fellow members, and, perhaps most important to the future of the club, drag our friends to these meets so they could see first hand what we had been raving about. The CCCA grew rapidly during the 1950s and even on into the 1970s. There were several reasons. The exposure of our cars to potential new members, our enthusiasm in spreading the word, the formation of regions in steadily increasing numbers and the ready availability of classics from used car dealers, original or subsequent owners, junk yards, classified ads in publications such as the Sports and Classic Car section of the New York Times and magazines such as Motor Trend and Road and Track. To top it off, prices for classics in good to excellent condition were dirt cheap and anyone could easily afford them. Full classic sedans were readily available in the mid 1950’s for $100.00 to $300.00. Convertibles for $200.00 to $600.00. Natural28
Marlene Donoghue with a 1930 Packard 733 Convertible Coupe that Wally purchased for $120, cleaned and waxed and “flipped” for $235.
ly, exceptional cars went for more. For example, a Duesenberg or Rolls-Royce convertible in excellent condition could go for $1,200 to $2,500. (The Greta Garbo Hibbard and Darrin Duesenberg Victoria was advertised for sale in 1957 for $2,500.00). I paid a significant portion of my college and living expenses by buying and selling Classics from 1954 to 1957, going through about 25 cars which I purchased for $75.00 to $300.00, did a bit of clean up and tune up, resold for $200.00 to $600.00 and thought I was making a killing. An example is my 1930 Packard 733 Convertible Coupe with dull original paint and poor chrome bumpers, but excellent running condition, which I purchased in 1955 for $120.00 and sold for $235.00 after a clean up and wax job. That is Marlene standing beside it. Another example is the 1934 Packard 12, 1107 Limo, in near mint original condition with only 64,000 miles which I purchased, in mid 1955, for $240.00 and sold for $500.00. I kept this one almost a year and enjoyed it a lot before I sold it in June of 1956 buying and selling several other classicss in the meantime. I hated to see it go and wish I had it now. Keep in mind that these are mid 1950s prices and to adjust to today’s dollars you have to multiply by about 8.5 which makes them still dirt, dirt cheap compared with today’s prices. I will write more about the availability of Classics and prices in a later article and even give more specific examples.
A 1934 Packard Twelve, 1107 Limo that Wally purchased for $240 and sold a year later for $500.
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Get Those Old Torque Articles The Michigan Region has always maintained an archive of back issues of Torque magazine to meet the occasional member request for a specific article or issue. An index of past articles has also occasionally been published by Larry Colwell and Tom Goad to help members find old articles by subject or see if their car has been previously featured in the magazine. However, the process has always been ad hoc and spare copies may no longer exist. But, thanks to the digital age, we have a better solution. The Michigan Region CCCA website (www.classiccarsofmichigan.com) now includes the complete index of articles going back to the earliest issues in the 1960s. While the indices have not been digitized to be searchable, if you look through them and find an article you are interested in, we can help. Just contact Rich Ray at richray2@hotmail.com with the article title, page and issue and the article will be digitally scanned and emailed directly to you. A fee of $5 per article to the club is the only expense.
Award Winning Restorations We pride ourselves in our attention to detail and craftsmanship be it a full restoration, special car build, partial restoration or service work. We have been providing these services since 1987. Call or visit our 14,000 sq. ft. facility located 30 minutes west of Ann Arbor.
Bob Anzalone R&A Engineering, Inc 8720 Sharon Hollow Road Manchester, MI 48158 (734)428-1808 Fax(734)428-1807 Email: anzalone61@msm.com July-August, 2013
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Turkish Delights
By Rich Ray
Photos by the Author and David Simpson While traveling in Turkey recently, I had the occasion to visit the Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. It is located in Ankara and after a week and a half of touring that very interesting country I thought it would be just another tourist sight. However, my interest was peaked when the tour guide mentioned that there were some cars displayed in the museum. After quickly passing through the obligatory mausoleum, I made for the museum to check it out. Sure enough, there were three Full Classics ® on display which Ataturk used during his life. One doesn’t expect to see Full Classics in a place like Turkey, but Ataturk was not an ordinary Turk. He is highly venerated as the father of Turkey, much more than George Washington is in the United States, maybe because the country is much younger. This is ironic since Turkey is one of the oldest permanently settled regions of the world with historical sites going back to at least 10,000 BCE. However, the Republic of Turkey was not founded until 1923. Ataturk’s face and name are seen everywhere in the country; his portrait can be seen in all public buildings, schools, on all school books and on all Turkish currency. At the exact time of his death, every November 10, at 09:05 am, most vehicles and people in the country pause for one minute in remembrance. Ataturk’s surname, meaning "Father of the Turks," was granted to him (and forbidden to any other person) in 1934 by the Turkish Parliament. In 1951, the parliament made it illegal to insult his memory or destroy objects representing him. The Anitkabir complex is huge consisting of several buildings including the Hall of Honor, the almost 3 acre Ceremonial Plaza, the 860 foot long Road of Lions, lined with Hittite styled pairs of lions, and the Peace Park with 50,000 decorative trees, flowers and shrubs donated by 25 different countries. The 23 April Tower includes the car collection. Two of the cars are 1934 Lincolns: a four-door sedan and an open touring car. The sedan was missing its running boards and hub caps and there was little information about the car provided in the 30
display. The touring car, which served as the President’s parade car appeared in much better condition with no obvious missing pieces. The 1934 Lincoln series consisted of the KA and KB lines powered by a 414 CID V12 and the models were distinguished by their wheelbases., 136 and 145 inches respectively. Both series featured a new grille with less of a surround, vent doors rather than vertical louvers on the sides of the hood, a parking light on top of each front fender, and 18 inch wire wheels. It is my guess then that both of these cars would be KBs, although I am admittedly not particularly familiar with Lincolns. The third was Ataturk’s personal car, a 1936 Cadillac Series 80, given to him by the Turkish National Bank and used by him from 1936 until his death in 1938. The Turkish Ministry of Finance used this car until 1959 when it was donated to the museum. The Series 80 was powered by a 368 CID V12 engine producing 150 HP.
Clockwise from upper left: while most CCCA members are serious about protecting their cars, the museum’s guards were everywhere to insure that no belt buckles dared to touch paint; Ataturk’s ceremonial car from 1935-8, a 1934 Lincoln; Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, father of Turkey; Ataturk’s official car, a 1934 Lincoln sedan.
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All three cars were cordoned off so they could not be inspected closely, especially given the presence of the aforementioned guards armed with bayoneted rifles. Given the inhospitable reputation of Turkish jails, the author chose not to test the seriousness of the guards. Late in my tour of Turkey, I learned of another car collection in Istanbul that an acquaintance had visited. I was unable to get to the Rahman Koc Industrial Museum of Turkey myself but, the photos provided by my acquaintance show that the collection included many interesting cars, including some Full Classics ®. So next time you are in Turkey, keep your eyes open, since there are interesting classics everywhere!
Clockwise from upper left: Ataturk’s private car, a 1936 Cadillac Series 80 presented as a gift by Turkiye Is Bankasi and used by him from 1936 to 1938; a vintage photo of Ataturk entering his 1936 Cadillac Series 80; a Bentley, probably a 1937 4 ¼ Litre (FC), on display at the Koc Museum in Istanbul, Turkey; a pair of Ford Model Ts (NC) in a period display at the Koc Museum; A 1933 Buick (NC) displayed at the Koc Museum; the goose stepping guards discouraged anyone from tampering with the displays at Anitkabir.
July-August, 2013
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A Sh��e T�ing D�ing Mi��ig�� �n Clas�ic S���e S�p�����r 12-20, 2014 A CARavan Hosted by the Michigan Region CCCA The Michigan Region invites you to A Shore Thing CARavan - Doing Michigan in Classic Style. During the nine day tour of western Michigan you will get a taste of Michigan’s wines, interesting lighthouses and see plenty of Classic Cars. Michigan’s state motto is: "Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice" which is Latin for "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you." Michigan’s two peninsulas boast the second longest coastline in our nation (just behind Alaska) and a record number of lighthouses stand upon her undulating coastline. Though the modern march of progress has retired the majority of lighthouses, they remain erect as monuments to the courage and valor of those who braved the sometimes perilous waters of the Great Lakes. So join us - the water is sodium and shark-free! The CARavan travels secondary roads and highways, covering between 1,100 and 1,200 miles (averaging 130 miles per day). Our serene drives will wind us through four American Viticultural Areas where over 100 wineries produce clean, crisp and balanced wines, some winning high honors in national and international competitions. Starting in Grand Rapids, we spend three days visiting the highlights of this area including the Gilmore Museum, Kalamazoo’s Air Zoo and the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. Traveling north along the Lake Michigan coast, with an overnight in Manistee, we will enjoy lighthouses and spectacular views of the lake from Good Morning America’s Most Beautiful Place in America, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and also enjoy their choice for America’s Best Ice Cream Shop. We then spend three days in Traverse City visiting car collections, wineries, spectacular drives and more lighthouses. Returning via Manistee, our adventure concludes in Muskegon with World War II warships and lumber baron mansions. The Activity Fee is estimated to be approximately $650 which includes admission to all except two activities , 4 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 7 dinners and 2 hors d’oeuvres parties. Two fine hotels will host us for 3 nights each with 3 more for single nights at an average room rate of $110 plus taxes. Complimentary trailer parking will be available. The CARavan concludes in Muskegon approximately 40 miles from the Grand Rapids starting point. Register now! Questions, contact Rich Ray at richray2@hotmail.com or (810)333-2498.
A Shore Thing Caravan September 12-20, 2014
December 15, 2013
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The Steering Column By Jay Fitzgerald
I am pleased to report that we are making some progress in getting Torque back on schedule and I hope you notice the improvements made by Rich Ray, Tom Goad and Ed Meurer III – more luxurious paper (especially the cover) and crisper printing with “calibrated” color photographs (unless the original was black & white). Over the next couple of issues you may also notice some changes to the format as we continue to adjust to the new software. These physical aspects of our magazine are important but it is the content that is critical – so we are reaching out to you, our members and readers, to consider submitting articles (or at least suggesting subjects) on topics that are of interest to you – don’t be bashful – we can and will assist with editing, composition and proofing. While the final report is several months away, we appear to be well on the way to re-establishing our Club’s positive Balance Sheet. Emailing our Activity announcements and Classic Vibrations newsletter is key to our financial success – if you are having any trouble with receiving these communications please contact me. I will work with you to resolve any issues. The richer documents (photographs, maps, color, interactive references, etc.) and more frequent communication made possible through email can make this a very rewarding experience for you. Because of the time interval between Club Activities and the printing of the Torque, I am writing this column the week after our very successful 2013 Grand Classic. This event will be more fully reported in the next issue but I want to take this opportunity to thank Board members Nancy Seyfarth, Katie Robbins and Lee Barthel and their Committee for their dedication and investment in this event. The schedule was both fun and busy; we met many In-Region and Out-of-Region members, had the opportunity to view and discuss many beautiful Full Classics ®, visited three interesting collections, and ate delicious meals in several locations. Our next Activity is the August 11th Ice Cream Social sponsored by Lee and Floy Barthel on the grounds of their estate in Northville, MI – I hope to see you there and try to drive one of your classics. Our Nominations Committee is busy preparing our slate for the fall election of our Board – please consider placing your name in nomination - serving on the Board is a great way to “put something back” into our Club. We need new ideas and the personnel to bring them to fruition. Drive safely, visit our website and continue to send me your suggestions, Jay Fitzgerald
Michigan Region Activities Calendar August 11, Sunday: Ice Cream Social September 15, Sunday: Steak Roast October 6, Sunday: Fall Color Tour November 3, Sunday: Annual Meeting September 12-20, 2014 A Shore Thing CARavan
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From Your Editor By Tom Goad This is still a difficult learning curve for me to be able to layout a page and input the text and photos into an issue of Torque magazine. My two grandsons, Andy and Nick Larisch have been big help in teaching me how do this new way of publishing a magazine. You need to draw box for each photo on a page. Then draw a box below it for the photo's description. Then a long box is needed for each of two columns. Then wrapping the text around photos is another learning curve since it requires another box around the photo box for proper spacing. I am now doing quite well, but it still takes a day's work to finish one or two pages. In the May-June Torque, I was able to finally finish the issue, but it was much later than I or the Club wanted. Rich Ray was also a big help in getting this done. The pressure is now on finishing the July-August Torque and getting to press. Rich finished the back half of the magazine, while I finished most of the front half. We have just completed the 2013 Michigan Grand Classic event in Dearborn at the Dearborn Inn. Lee Barthel led a bus tour to visit several car collections with a lunch stop in between. They started earlier than I thought, missing the bus by 15 minutes. Larry Seyfarth tried to give me directions, but I have short memory. I should have written it all down. I got lost and drove back to Birmingham to get a Michigan map and try to catch up with the group. I tried putting Lexington, Mi into my GPS, but it wouldn't recognize the city. So I had to drive and read the map at the same time. I finally caught up to the tour in Lexington at a car collection in an old building along the railroad tracks in town. They had a big collection of interesting cars from Model T and A Fords to many extinct brands like Corvairs and Kaiser-Frasier's, along with some sports cars, etc. From there, I followed the bus to a large, beautiful estate off a narrow road, with a long winding driveway back to their home and three car barns full of many classics and non-classics. Some, like their beautiful 1941 Buick Roadmasters should be Classics since they are more luxurious looking inside and out than the Cadillacs, but that's another story that I worked on for many when I was on the National Board of Directors, with no success. I even went to Chicago to present my proposal. I at least got the 80 Series Buick Roadmasters approved up to 1939. My 1940 Buick 89 Series was labeled a Limited 80, since the Roadmaster name was applied to the new 70 Series Buicks in 1940. It is still my hope that someday the National Board will approve all Buick Roadmasters as Full Classics.
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