MARCH 2012
Racing Greats on the Block
SPRING
2012
KANSAS CITY WELCOME BACK TO
BARTLE HALL
MECUM.COM
MARCH 29-31
Kansas City Convention Center • Kansas City, MO
BUY. SELL. SPECTATE.
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TO CONTACT MECUM AUCTION
Via Mail, E-mail, Phone or Fax: Mecum Collector Car Auctioneers 445 South Main Street Walworth, Wisconsin 53184 Website: www.MECUM.com Office: (262) 275-5050 Fax: (262) 275-3424 E-mail: info@mecum.com
SELL A VEHICLE
MARCH 2012
CONTENTS
FEATURES PAGE
6 RACERS AT INDY
AT A MECUM AUCTION
Download a “Request for Position” form today. Visit www.MECUM.com. Click on the Seller info tab at the top of the home page to fill out or download all forms. Be sure to fill out separate forms for each vehicle when requesting positions.
Bringing racing greats to the block
BUY A VEHICLE
13 MEET THE TEAM
AT A MECUM AUCTION
Getting to know our staff
14 THE MV AGUSTA COLLECTION
71 Bikes offered as one lot in Monterey
24 LABOR OF ORIGINAL LOVE The story of one man’s GTO
28 RACER GARY MORGAN Q&A Re-living the passion behind the wheel
Mecum provides two ways to become a registered bidder and purchase vehicles at our auctions. In addition to conventional onsite bidding (recommended), we also offer absentee services to bid via the telephone. For complete bidder registration information, visit www.MECUM.com, click on the Bidder info tab at the top of the home page. For any questions contact the bidder department at 262-275-5050.
30 SPECIAL AUCTION ANNOUNCEMENT 140 cars at no reserve in North Little Rock
www.facebook.com/mecumauction
COLUMNS
1 5 THE DEALMAKER Zoom Zoom
16 SPOKE N’ WHEEL
John Wayne and the iron pony
17 INSIDER’S SCOOP Over the Shoulder 21 REAL BARN FINDS Waterloo made it run
Mecum Auctions has been specializing in the sale of collector cars for 25 years, and has become America’s largest Collector Car Auction Company offering more than 10,000 vehicles per year. With auctions spanning coast to coast, Mecum is able to provide the utmost in customer service while giving both buyers and sellers the greatest of options.
22 AT THE REDLINE Henry’s masterpiece
26 ROAD ART It’s a time of the signs
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Copyright © 2012 Mecum Auction, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Dealmaker
DANA MECUM
ZOOM ZOOM Typically I try to write this article in chronological order, but in this issue I would like to start with some very exciting news. I am very pleased to announce that Mecum Auctions has added The Salmon Brothers Collection to this year’s schedule. On Saturday June 16th, 2012, the amazing group of 140 cars from twin brothers Tom and Don Salmon will be offered at no reserve at their location in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The auction will be a great celebration of the brothers’ incredible collection and I hope you can all join us in June. With springtime officially filling the air, our auction dates are quickly filling the calendar. As the gavel falls on the final car in Kansas City, our road crew heads straight for the great state of Texas to set up our inaugural event in Houston for the two day event beginning on April 13th. We anticipated 600 vehicles for the first time auction, and as of this week, more than 640 cars are scheduled to cross the block. From Houston we race to Indianapolis and celebrate the 25th annual Original Spring Classic with more than 2,000 cars expected to cross the block including some of the finest muscle cars and racers in history. “TV” Tommy Ivo’s streamlined dragster is the newest addition to the incredible lineup of consignments and is featured in this issue. There is still time to participate in all three of these events, but you must act quickly if you want to get into the action. Lastly, we are now taking consignments for all auctions through Monterey, so be sure to check out mecum.com, look over the schedule, and see which auction is right for you. Need help making the right decision? Call us. That’s what we’re here for!
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RACE CARS AT INDY bringing racing greats to the block
As the home of major league auto
racing for over a century, Indianapolis has long been a Mecca for racing fans and other auto enthusiasts. Mindful of that great history, we at Mecum Auctions are very pleased to present this offering of racing greats at Dana Mecum’s 25th Annual Spring Classic Auction, May 15-20 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. One of the earliest stars of California’s burgeoning 1950s drag racing scene was “TV Tommy” Ivo, who grew up in Los Angeles as a child actor, appearing in a number of motion pictures and network television series. As one of drag racing’s first touring professionals, Ivo recognized the value of showmanship and entertainment.
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His race cars were always meticulously turned out; his transporters were literally showcases, their large plate glass windows offering an unobstructed view of his fabulous dragsters wherever they went. Lot S200 is one of Ivo’s most memorable machines, a streamlined Top Fuel Dragster he campaigned in 1974 sponsored by Honest Charley’s Speed Shop. In an era of rapid advances in Top Fuel, attempts at streamlining saw many dragsters wrapped in wild, wind-cheating bodywork. Ivo’s “Honest Charley’s” dragster, designed by the legendary racecar constructor Nye Frank, was one of the most daring of its time, featuring front wheel fairings and a scorching Lipstick Red paint job. MECUM.COM
During qualifying at the seasonopening NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, CA in February of 1974, Ivo experienced the worst crash of his drag
LOT
racing career when his engine suffered a major explosion at roughly half-track, sending the car into a fiery series of spins and rolls. The car careened across the finish line to a 5th best 6.05 ET and miraculously came to rest with Ivo able to walk away unhurt. After a series of owners, the dragster was purchased by 1989 NHRA Funny Car world champion Bruce Larson, who
restored to its original appearance and layout over a six-year period completed in 2007. The Keith Black-built nitroburning 484 CI aluminum alloy engine is fitted with a Bowers supercharger, Enderle fuel-injection and Hedman Headers and is mounted in the original chassis. The Ivo streamliner has been on display at shows and exhibitions throughout the country since its restoration and is a truly valuable piece of drag racing history worthy of any collection. By 1969 NHRA Super Stock drag racing was at its peak, with the factories battling every weekend across the country to win new fans. So it was only natural that Chevrolet Product MECUM.COM
S200
Promotions Manager Vince Piggins and his top two drag racers should pool their talents and imaginations to come up with Lot F330, one of the wildest and most famous Super Stockers of all time: the Fred Gibb-Dick Harrell 1969 ZL1 Camaro. The first of a total of 69 ZL1 Camaros, the Gibb-Harrell car was born of an idea hatched by Gibb and Piggins to use Chevrolet’s new all-aluminum Can-Am 427 engine in NHRA Super Stock. Once Gibb committed to taking all 50 cars required by NHRA homologation rules, Piggins activated the order, adding to the COPO 9560 package an all-aluminum 427 engine, cold-air induction, Harrison 4-core radiator, transistorized ignition, multiMECUMMONTHLY
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RACE CARS AT INDY CONTINUED
LOT
Sunday in Indianapolis, Porterfield took it to a special stop along the way, reuniting it with Fred Gibb at his home in LaHarpe, Illinois, where 150 close friends and neighbors dropped by to celebrate with Fred and see his beloved old friend.
leaf rear springs and a heavy-duty 4.10 12-bolt rear end. The first ZL1 Camaro was sent to Dick Harrell’s Kansas City, Missouri shop and readied for its scheduled debut at the 1969 AHRA Winternationals three weeks later at Phoenix. Piloted by Gibb
Chevrolet employee Herb Fox, the car beat the two top qualifiers, one of them Ronnie Sox in the Sox & Martin Hemi Barracuda, before losing in the semifinal to eventual winner Arlen Vanke. After demonstrating its potential in a Super Stock magazine test the GibbHarrell ZL1 Camaro barnstormed the country, racking up victories in both AHRA and NHRA competition. In 8
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F330
1971 the car was driven by Jim Hayter, who set the AHRA Pro Stock record of 9.63 at 143 mph and won the AHRA Championship in both Super Stock and Pro Stock. The car then went the way of many an obsolete drag racer, disappearing into bracket competition for years until it surfaced in an ad in National Dragster in 1983. Oldsmobile engineer and ZL1 fanatic Bill Porterfield saw the ad and began a five-year pursuit, finally landing it in 1988. Porterfield then began the laborious task of returning ZL1 Number 1 to its original configuration, even searching across five states to find the correct pattern of lace to duplicate the original paint scheme! Before debuting the newly restored ZL1 Number 1 at the 1989 Super Chevy MECUM.COM
In 1968 American Motors sponsored a contest in which three 1968 Javelins would run at Bonneville to compete for the C Production class record. Dubbed the Bonneville Speed Spectacular, it featured three stock Javelins specially prepared by Craig Breedlove, Edelbrock Engineering and head-porting expert Joe Mondello. Nine entrants, forming three three-man teams, were chosen who met
LOT
the contest’s selection criteria, which included a small quiz to determine their automotive aptitude. After poor weather delayed the trials, the cars, teams and Breedlove converged on Bonneville in November. Breedlove piloted all three Javelins in the flying mile, achieving a top speed of 161 MPH in Lot F333, Javelin number 343-2, and establishing
a new record that stood for years afterward. Truly one of the most historically significant automobiles in NHRA history, Don “The Snake” Prudhomme’s 1982 Pontiac Trans Am-bodied nitro Funny Car, the “Pepsi Challenger”, rewrote drag racing history on two separate occasions during the 1982 NHRA season in an era when such NHRA champions as Kenny Bernstein, Raymond Beadle, and Frank Hawley were constantly put to the test by Prudhomme’s dominance. See the February, 2012 Mecum Monthly for the complete story of Lot S182. One of 21 built by Detroit Steel Tubing for the NHRA’s new Factory Experimental class, Lot S163, a 1964 Mercury Comet A/FX, was driven MECUM.COM
F333
by owner Paul Vanderly to win the NASCAR Ultra Stock class at Daytona in 1964. The 427 CI Hi Riser-powered car was restored by Randy DeLisio and retains all the original lightweight components installed by DST. Arguably the nicest and most thoroughly documented example in existence, the car comes with comprehensive documentation Production number 57 of 100 built, Lot S154, a 1964 Ford Thunderbolt, was originally raced by Wayne Jones Ford in Virginia. It was later raced by Tom Caldera and driver Nate Cohen as the “Nazy Crate.” In 2006 it was purchased by Super Stock and AFX restorer Randy Delisio, who restored it
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RACE CARS AT INDY CONTINUED
LOT
LOT to its Caldera/Cohen configuration. It was then chosen by Mattel Corporation for their Hot Wheels Dragstrip Demon series; a quantity of the Hot Wheels replicas is included with the car. The “Nazy Crate” comes with full documentation that includes a photo album of the restoration. Lot S184 is documented as one of approximately 61 factory-lightweight Hemi Dodge 330s built that year, only a handful of which were equipped with A3 4-speed manual transmissions. This former NHRA record holder has been fully restored from the ground up using a replacement unibody. It features a correctly date coded Hemi engine and driveline and retains all the original 10
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S163 aluminum lightweight parts. This Redon-Red factory Hemi lightweight comes with documentation supplied by both the original dealer and buyer. Known as the Sears Allstate Tire Test Car, Lot S165 was driven by
LOT
S154
Mickey Thompson to 158.45 MPH on Sears Allstate 6.70 x 15 Bias-Ply tires during a tire test at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1964. Serial number 6844, it is documented in Noland Adams’ “Corvette Restoration Guide” as the last
LOT MECUM.COM
S182
S184
LOT
LOT
S247
MECUM.COM
S165
Z06 in the third of six production runs, and is also listed in the Big Tank Survey and the Registry of Corvette Race Cars. Restored to its Bonneville configuration, this historically significant awardwinning Z06 was displayed at the National Corvette Museum and has also appeared in over a dozen feature magazine articles. The 17th of 25 pre-production 1967 Z28 Camaros built for dealerships involved in Chevrolet’s racing program, Lot S247 was commissioned by Heinrich Chevy-Land in Rochester, New York and driven by Gary Morgan in SCCA competition from 1967 through 1969. The car amassed an impressive record in SCCA’s A Sedan class and was also featured in national Gulf TV advertising during the same period. Restored in the early 1990s, the car received the 1992 Poconos ICC Camaro Club Best of Show Award and the St. Louis U.S. Camaro Club Gold Award of Excellence, scoring 979 of 1000 points. See page 28 for our Q&A session with driver, Gary Morgan. M
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201 2 INDY DANA MECUM’S 25TH ORIGINAL SPRING CLASSIC
Indiana State Fairgrounds • Indianapolis, IN
MAY 15-20
Get PREPARED at Mecum.com
BROADCAST LIVE ON
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Meet the Team MARSHA REDMAN travels all over the country with Mecum, but she may be best recognized in Kansas City as it is considered her home court. Marsha’s dedication and willingness to jump in wherever help is needed has had her in multiple facets of Mecum’s onsite operations including vehicle coordination, bidder registration, and most recently customer service in the auction office. As VP of National Meets and Tours for the Cadillac & LaSalle Club, Marsha’s passion for the automobile runs deep which translates to great service to our customers and what Mecum is all about.
MITCH BARTUNEK first attended a Mecum Auction at Dana Mecum’s Original Spring Classic in May of 2008. Unable to resist the beauty of the vehicles and the rush of the auction, Mitch joined the Mecum road crew. He worked his first auction at St. Paul, MN in June 2008. He has always worked the floor as a bidder’s assistant and wouldn’t have it any other way. He says, “When I step onto the Mecum floor I become someone else. I have the power to bring a buyer and seller together in hopes of making a deal for them both. Satisfying our customers is all I have on my mind.”
DAVID PURVIS has been going to car auctions since he was a baby, literally. Growing up around cars with his father since the day he was born, David is one of the very few that can be considered a “lifelong car guy.” Beginning his career as a part-timer at the auctions assisting The Bid Goes On team during Indy 2010, Dana Mecum quickly realized David’s customer service and sales ability and offered a career as a full time consignment agent with Mecum in February 2011. When asked about Mecum’s future outlook Purvis stated, “I may not be Miss Cleo, but anyone can see that Mecum has rapidly become the premier outlet to buy and sell a collector car, and with our outstanding dedication to the customer, it will continue for a long time.” M MECUM.COM
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EXTRAORDINARY MV AGUSTA Collection TO BE OFFERED AT MONTEREY Photography by
DAVID NEWHARDT Mecum Auctions has consigned the impressive MV Agusta Collection to their 2012 auction in Monterey, California comprised of 71 machines ranging from a 1946 MV 98 “3 Velocita” race model, to a 2007 MV F4 1000/312 Bonneville. This one-of-a-kind gathering of exquisite motorcycles is the result of collector Gary Kohs’ lifelong mission to acquire only the very finest examples of what
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many consider to be the “Ferrari of the motorcycle world,” and has assembled an amazing collection of Count Giovanni Agusta’s legacy of rolling Italian art. This unprecedented offering at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Saturday August 18, 2012 will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
MECUM.COM
to acquire one of the finest motorcycle collections in the world as a single lot on the auction block. “A collection of this scale, depth, and quality is a rare accomplishment worthy of international celebration,” says
Gavin Trippe, motorcycle division manager at Mecum Auctions. “It is essentially a complete museum exhibit poised for showcasing MV Agusta’s mark of excellence that can be displayed in less than 5,000 square feet of space. We are pleased that Mr. Kohs has entrusted Mecum to offer his world-class collection at our auction in Monterey. Headlined by the 1953/54 ex-works 125 Grand Prix Racer, winner of the Isle of Man TT, virtually every model
of motorcycle, race bike, scooter, and agricultural tricycle from the MV factory is represented. This could easily be considered the opportunity of a lifetime.” Collector and enthusiast Gary Kohs comments, “This is not just a collection of motorcycles, this is a collection of art, and I’m thrilled that Dana Mecum and his staff agree that keeping it together as one is so important. MV Agusta is the only marque that can truly represent the post-war history of the motorcycle, and I look forward to sharing it all with the international motorcycle community.”
The MV Agusta Collection will be on display for preview during the month of May in Indianapolis, Indiana, as well as Monterey, California in July and August during MotoGP at Laguna Seca, and will remain on display in Monterey until the auction August 16-18. M Schedule
Mecum 2012 Monterey Auction
Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa 1 Old Golf Course Road Monterey, Calif. 93940 August 16-18, 2012 Admission: Free Preview: Gates open Thursday- Saturday at 8 a.m. Auction: Auction begins Thursday- Saturday at 10 a.m.
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(All Times Pacific)
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Spoke ’N’ Wheel
GAVIN TRIPPE
JOHN WAYNE Attention all of you car buffs; this is a lesson in what you may have been missing. Motorcycles fall into many of the same collector categories as automobiles, but are less of a hassle to own. Two wheels rather than four are less to buy, more to admire – bikes are essentially naked – and are less expensive relative to cars. Motorcycles require less room to store, and are easy to fling a leg over and roll down the road, harking back to that first ride on Schwinn as a five-year old. Independence was sweet as a youngster, and on a bike, freedom was as quick as your little legs could pedal. You felt like John Wayne riding his Iron Pony. Today, the independence is just as real, and with a motorcycle, you’re still a cowboy; one on one, no radio, no kids clamoring for attention, just the open road and fresh air. Categories paralleling automotive collecting include ‘Veteran’ bikes – in excess of 100 years old, bone rattling, glorified bicycles with pedal assisted engines. Next up are ‘Vintage’ bikes, pre-WWII, 1920-1940, developed on the wooden board-track racing ovals. Then there are the post-war 19501960’s American and British bikes. They’re sort of like the motorcycling equivalent of Muscle Cars. Gaining popularity are the Japanese bikes of the 1970’s. Next up are race bikes with provenance and a direct tie to a famous rider, such as ‘Old Red’, Gary Nixon. A gritty, bow-legged 16
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AND THE
IRON PONY
legend, he could win on any surface, on any track configuration. Can’t afford a real $75K Indian or Crocker; replicas built around original engines are available for half that price. Some bikes even boast names, such as serial #001, 1954 1000cc Vincent Black Prince
called “Sir Edward”. This bike was ahead of its time, and was the star of the 1955 Earls Court Show. It’s crossing the block at this years Mecum Auctions Monterey event, and is sure to garner considerable attention. For riders that lust for the
Today, the independence is just as real, and with a motorcycle, you’re still a cowboy; unusual, ‘Custom’ bikes are returning to prominence, complete with crazy motors wrapped in tubes contorted like the minds of their creators. It’s your call; sell or buy, invest and keep, or ride the wheels off. Whatever your passion, know that you’re not alone. As long as a winding road points into the sunset, you can still be John Wayne astride his Iron Pony. M Consignors and bidders, check mecum.com or contact Gavin@ mecum.com
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Insider’s Scoop
OVER THE SHOULDER by DAVID NEWHARDT
Here at Mecum Auctions headquarters, we receive countless photographs of cars taken by the sellers. The quality of the The murky, hard to distinguish any details in, shadow side of the car (shooting into the sun). images can range from near-professional to groan-inducing. Where do your images fall on this scale? We’ve pointed out in earlier columns that the better the photo of a car in the brochure, the better the response from bidders. Here’s another photography tip that will help present your car in the best possible light. One of the easiest The well-lit, brilliantly colored and gloriously detailed photo (shooting with the sun behind you). techniques to ensure your vehicle is well presented is to photographer. Take a step back be a disaster. The outline of a make sure that it’s lit properly. By car is seen, but little else comes so that your shadow isn’t visible turning your back to the sun and in the viewfinder/screen. Push through. By positioning the letting the light flow over your the shutter button and behold the camera between the automobile shoulder onto the automobile, the glory of your car! M and the sun, the quality of your color and details will be visible car shines through. in your photo. Too often we get Last tip; watch for shadows. images that show the shadow Dark lines from nearby trees side of a car; backlighting a across a hood tend to detract supermodel can be dramatic, but from a professional appearance. backlighting a vehicle tends to So too does the shadow from the MECUM.COM
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JUNE 22-23
Pheasant Run Resort • St.Charles, IL
TIME TO CONSIGN 262-275-5050
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B U Y. S E L L . S P E C T A T E .
APRIL 14 WALWORTH, WI
Spring Vintage Tractor Auction Lot S26 1936 John Deere BW
One of 11 Tractors from the Steve Renaud Collection to be Offered at No Reserve
S55 1920 Waterloo Boy N
S58 1952 Ford 8N
S59 1959 Porsche Super
S95 1954 Farmall Super MTA
S44 1951 John Deere AH
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262-275-5050
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The Real Barn Finds DAN MECUM
waterloo
MADE IT RUN
This 1920 Waterloo Boy N (Lot S55) will cross the block at the Gone Farmin’ Spring Vintage Tractor Auction April 14, in Walworth, WI.
Deere and Company’s 1918 purchase of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company launched Deere to the top of the tractor business. Deere’s chief engineer John Dain passed away suddenly in 1917, and after years of development and huge expenditures, company executives realized that they were still three to four years away from entering the tractor market. When the Waterloo gasoline engine manufacturing plant came up for sale for 2 million dollars in 1918, Deere’s board of directors wrote the check. This acquisition put Deere and Company into the tractor business, and laid the groundwork for the
manufacturing giant we know today. The Waterloo Boy was a direct descendent of the first truly successful internal combustion
Deere’s first mass-produced tractor, the model D. We have uncovered a Waterloo Boy N that has recently been Expo Certified . To become Expo Certified, a tractor must be a least 95% original or restored to original. In the car collector world this would be equivalent to a Bloomington Gold certified Corvette. To take it a little further, having a Waterloo Boy N would be like having a 1953 Bloomington gold certified Corvette. It’s a big deal! At the Gone Farmin’ Spring Vintage Tractor Auction on April 14th in Walworth, Wisconsin, we will have the rare offering of an Expo Certified Waterloo Boy N. M
This acquisition put Deere and Company into the tractor business, and laid the groundwork for the manufacturing giant we know today. tractor, The Froelich. The Two-Cylinder engine used by the Waterloo Boy N proved so successful, John Deere used a Two-Cylinder until 1960. The Waterloo Boy N put John Deere in the tractor business and was produced from 1917-1924, when it was replaced in 1925 by John MECUM.COM
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21
LOT
2012
S117
1957 Ford Thunderbird
HOUSTON APRIL 13-14
The Reliant Center • Houston, TX
REGISTER TO BID 262-275-5050
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At The Redline
JOHN KRAMAN
HENRY’s masterpiece
The Great Depression was triggered by the stock market crash in 1929, and many fledgling automakers went out of business forever. But Henry Ford, founder and President of Ford Motor Company, continued with his vision of producing affordable automobiles for the masses. In 1932, led by the brilliant Charles “Cast Iron Charlie” Sorensen, the fabulous Ford flathead V-8 emerged, with a level of sophistication and performance not yet seen in the low-priced market. With an
initial displacement of 221 CI and rated 85 HP, it remained in high volume passenger car production until 1953 with consistent improvements, including an
Offenhauser, Iskendarian and Stromberg producing equipment to increase power. Even Zora ArkusDuntov developed his popular flathead Ardun OHV conversion prior to joining General Motors to lead early Corvette development into a racing sensation. Today the legendary flathead V-8 continues to be regarded as an automotive legend, and is forever established as a true landmark powerplant. Even today the unique rumble and snarl of a flathead at full song is music to the ears of car lovers of all eras. M
Today the legendary flathead V-8 continues to be regarded as an automotive legend, and is forever established as a true landmark powerplant. increase in final displacement to 239 CI in Fords and 255 CI in Mercury’s. Hot rodders almost immediately recognized the performance potential and a huge aftermarket industry was created with brands such as Edelbrock, MECUM.COM
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GTO labor of original love by KANE ROGERS
It’s a love affair that has lasted a lifetime- specifically, the lifetime of this 1964 Pontiac GTO, which has been the object of one couple’s care and attention since Charles and Priscilla Romero drove away together from Metropolitan Pontiac in Denver, Colorado over 48 years ago. And what a machine to drive away: Grenadier Red with a matching bucket seat interior and contrasting White top, wire wheel covers on Whitewalls; the classic Tri Power-equipped 389/348 HP engine, 4-speed manual, Positraction and air conditioning - truly a timeless rendition of the original GTO. Through the years the car was a constant companion to the Romeros, who collected a vast library of photographs chronicling that lasting bond. More than two decades later the GTO continued to serve its perennially proud owners, moving with them from Denver to their new home in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the 1970s. By the mid 1980s, however, the car had begun to show its years, and so the Romeros decided to retire it from service to the quiet life indoors. The GTO remained in careful storage until 2006, when Charles Romero began the process of 24
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returning it to its youthful vigor with a three-and-a-half year restoration that he documented with over a thousand photographs. Classic Auto Restorers lent their know-how to the task, working with Charles on the GTO’s renewal and completion. On October 10, 2010, the job was done, and the car was reintroduced at the
perfect venue: an all-GTO show, where it won the Concours event with five awards including Best MECUM.COM
Paint, Best Engine and Best of Show. It’s a remarkable story, made all the more so by the detailed records the Romeros began compiling even before they signed the sales contract and made their two hundred dollar down payment. It begins with the Pontiac press release announcing the newfor-1964 GTO option package that first caught the young couple’s
attention, and carries on with every piece of documentation generated by the factory and Metropolitan
Pontiac, whose salesman Edward Hurst delivered the car to the Romeros on January 17, 1964. It’s all there: the GTO brochure and accessory catalog, the original bill of sale, window sticker, ProtectO-Plate, color chips, even the newspaper ad that drew them to Metropolitan. Complementing all that is a unique custom hardbound book whose 97 glossy pages chronicle
the car’s history from March 29, 1964 through the 1970s, and picks up again on March 26, 2006, when Charles brought it out of its storage to begin the thoroughly documented restoration. Taken together, this magnificent first-year GTO and its accompanying history comprise the kind of marvelous story that makes the muscle car such an American phenomenon. Making plans to attend Dana Mecum’s 25th Original Spring Classic in Indy this year? Then stop by to see this incredible GTO for yourself as it hits the auction block on Friday, May 18th. M
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Road Art
it’s a time of the SIGNS
One of the highlights of the automotive hobby is the wonderful field of signs, whether it’s porcelain, neon, or a mixture of the two. Here is a superb example of the melding of both mediums, a Pontiac sign dating from the 1930’s-40’s. This two-side dealership sign is the rare 6-foot version, and with the relatively low number of Pontiac dealerships in that era, a sign in this condition is something of a Road Art collector’s Holy Grail. The Native American headdress logo was used on Pontiac signs until 1956, and many of the signs bearing this graphic are some of the most collectable Road Art
available. This is one example showing how what was taken for granted in its day is now a desirable item. Many porcelain and neon signs have raised dramatically in value as the growing appreciation for quality, legitimate examples of period signage swells the ranks of sellers
Bob Sain
at Mecum Auctions we do our due diligence to ensure that each example of original and reproduction Road Art is correctly represented as such. The pool of genuine period Road Art is not unlimited, and with the growing number of buyers realizing that the quantity of this genre are finite, the cost of “correct” pieces is only going to increase. The bottom line – attend a Mecum Auction and start, or add to, a collection of Road Art with confidence. Then plug it in and enjoy! M
with the relatively low number of Pontiac dealerships in that era, a sign in this condition is something of a Road Art collector’s Holy Grail.
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and bidders at Mecum Auctions events across the country. Many signs offered by sellers are modern versions of vintage pieces, and MECUM.COM
JUNE 22-23
Minnesota State Fairgrounds • St.Paul, MN
TIME TO CONSIGN 262-275-5050
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race car driver
gary morgan q & a by KANE ROGERS
I could take the Z28 through that straightaway, probably 150, 160 miles an hour, flat out in a four wheel drift, and we were turning 8,500 RPM on the top end.
What was your racing background before driving the Camaro for Heinrich Chevy Land? Before the Camaro I raced a Corvette Z06 for Heinrich Chevy Land for about three years. In 1964 I was second in the SCCA Northeastern Division in points to Harold Keck, who was racing a Cobra. This was the 17th of 25 preproduction Z28s specifically built for competition. How were you able to get such early access? I can tell you Heinrich was probably the largest Chevrolet dealer in Rochester, New York. We had done well with the Z06 for three years and in the fall of 1966 Jon Heinrich got hold of us 28
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and asked if we’d be interested in racing a Camaro in 1967. Now at the time there was no such thing as a Z28. Jon Heinrich, my father and I were invited to go to the Tech Center at GM. We talked to Vince Piggins there; he was kind of the father of the Z28. He told us about the car and asked if we’d be interested in running it. We got the car around the 11th of January 1967. I still have the original brochure Vince Piggins gave me about the Z28, and I wish now I’d gotten Vince to sign it.
ran two races in the Trans Am. From then on we raced in SCCA A Sedan and we did win a lot of races. We always ran very well at Watkins Glen; we had two or three class records there. We turned faster lap times with the Camaro than we ever did with the Z06, so the difference was the engine. We weren’t paid professionals by any means, we were a family operation, but we were tough.
Once you had gotten the car prepared for racing, was it competitive right away?
Part of the Camaro’s story is the time it was used in a Gulf TV commercial that ran during the election campaign and the Apollo 11 mission broadcasts. Can you tell us about that?
We had some overheating and handling problems with it before we got it sorted out, but we only
Yes, that’s when we put the Gulf decals and the horseshoes on the car. They put the decals on and
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after we made the commercial I had no agreement to leave them on but I thought they looked nice so I left them. They also ran the commercial during the Walt Disney Show on Sunday nights. Our kids were small then and we’d watch Disney on Sunday night so they could see Dad’s car. Any favorite memories? My dad George was all the motivation behind my racing; if it wasn’t for him it wouldn’t have happened. He took me to Watkins Glen for the first time in 1949 when I was thirteen and it was something else to me, just an amazing thing; that’s when they still raced around the town. When I raced there Watkins Glen was
different from what it is now; there used to be a place on the track called Wedgewood Road. You’d come out of the Loop onto what was kind of a big slow-curving straightaway and then into what was called the Fast Bend. I could take the Z28 through that straightaway, probably 150, 160 miles an hour, flat out in a four wheel drift, and we were turning 8,500 RPM on the top end. And I’m telling you it was the biggest thrill. I didn’t know until recently, but the children of a late friend who raced with us told me that they used to go over to the big sweeper at Wedgewood Road just to watch my car there. Maybe it was the line I took, I don’t know. Others used to back off, but I never did in that car. You could take that thing through the turn full MECUM.COM
bore; it was just a real thrill ride! You will be driving the car onto the block at the auction in Indy. How long has it been since you were reunited with the car? The last time I saw the car was in 2006. The owner had just finished refurbishing everything and he wanted me to look it over, so I went up and he took pictures of me in the car, and had me sign the dash and the air cleaner. I don’t know if they’re still there. So this will be the first time I’ve seen it in six years. I have to say, I’m looking forward to it! M
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