sin46th magzus.org

AMERICA’S DEFINITIVE COLLECTOR-CAR MAGAZINE

MAY 2022

#212

ONE OF ONE? SPECIAL ORDER

SENIOR COMPACT

1958 STAR CHIEF

1961 BUICK SKYLARK

FASHION FORWARD

PLYMOUTH’S POP-CULTURE COLLECTIBLE GAME CHANGER 1977 HONDA CIVIC

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CONTENTS HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR

•

MAY 2022

• VOLUME 18, ISSUE 8

50 PERSPECTIVE 6

Terry McGean

10

Lost & Found

14

Recaps Letters

16

Matthew Litwin

18

Pat Foster

20

David Schultz

72

Jim Richardson

36

FEATURES 8

News Reports

22

1969 Plymouth Barracuda Mod Top

30

30

Driveable Dream: 1961 Buick Skylark

MARKETPLACE

36

Automotive Design: AMC’s Designer Interiors

44

1977 Honda Civic

56

1967 AMC Ambassador DPL

spotlight interior special 2

68

Auction News & Highlights

70

HemmingsAuctions.com

TECH 12

Products & Parts

50

Restoration Profile: 1958 Pontiac Star Chief

62

Restoration Tech: DIY Interior Redo

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

44

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1953 BUICK SKYLARK - NO RESERVE Award-winning, fully restored and documented 1953 Buick powered by an 8-cylinder engine coupled to an automatic transmission.

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PUBLISHER Jonathan Shaw, President EDITORIAL Terry McGean, Editor-in-Chief Mike McNessor, Editor, Hemmings Motor News Mike Austin, Director of Digital Content, Hemmings Daily Kurt Ernst, Managing Editor Matthew Litwin, Senior Editor Mark J. McCourt, Senior Editor David Conwill, Associate Editor Jeff Koch, West Coast Associate Editor Daniel Strohl, Web Editor Roberta Conroy, Graphic Designer Joshua Skibbee, Graphic Designer Tom Comerro, Editorial Assistant Editorial Contributors: Patrick Foster, Jim Richardson, Bill Rothermel, David Schultz, Jim Smart VIDEO PRODUCTION Mike Musto, New Media Director ADVERTISING Jaclyn Sunseri, VP, Media Revenue Sales Multimedia Sales: Melanie Barsness, Tammy Bredbenner, Rowland George, Heather Naslund, Tim Redden, Nathan Sutton Robin Burdge, Ad Trafficker HEMMINGS DIGITAL Nate Wardwell, Director of Digital Product Mark Nordyke, Director of Engineering Clayton Allen, Web Developer Robert Hayman, Web Developer Jeremy Meerwarth, Web Developer David Richied, Web Developer Clara Poston, UX Designer Wayne Archer, Quality Assurance MARKETING Dan Stoner, Creative Director OPERATIONS Jennifer Sandquist, Director of Operations Classified Sales: Leslie Benjamin, Lauren Bredbenner, Mary Brott, Michelle Forth, Erica Harmon, Missy Telford Graphic Services: Samantha Corey, Graphic Services Director Christopher Brown, Carrie Houlihan, Todd Koch, Stephanie Rawling, Mathew Sargent Information Services: Gregory Hunter, IS Director Facilities: Joe Masia, Facilities Manager Brad Babson, Paul Bissonette, Matt Williams CIRCULATION Scott Smith, Circulation Director David Argentieri, Claudia Birkland, Glory Daignault, Alaina Krawczyk, Eddi Lynn Loveland, Darcy Lyle, Merri Mattison, Nathanial Stanley, Sarah Taylor HEMMINGS AUCTIONS Terry Shea, Director of Auction Operations Catherine Gee Graney, Managing Editor Auctions Specialists: Allen Boulet, Karissa Crandall, Nicole Deuel, Chris Drayton, Raina Kosich, Chad Thompson ADMINISTRATION Brandy Smith, Administrative Assistant HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR ISSN# 1550-8730 • www.hemmings.com Published monthly by Hemmings • 222 Main St., Bennington, VT 05201 TO SUBSCRIBE: Online: www.hemmings.com/subscribe Mail: 222 Main St., Bennington, VT 05201 Mail: PO Box 2000, Bennington, VT 05201 E-mail: hmnsubs@hemmings.com Subscription rates in the US and Possessions; 12 issues for $18.95. Canada $30.95; (CDN price includes surface mail and GST tax). All other countries $32.95 in US funds.

Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive these offers and/or information, please advise us at P.O. Box 76, Bennington, VT 05201, or call 800-227-4373.

TO ADVERTISE: Online: www.hmn.com/sell E-mail: adsales@hemmings.com Periodicals Postage Paid at Bennington, Vermont and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: send address changes to: Hemmings Classic Car, PO Box 196, Bennington, VT 05201 Hemmings Classic Car is a publication of American City Business Journals, Inc., 120 West Morehead St, Charlotte, NC 28202 Ray Shaw, Chairman (1989-2009) Whitney Shaw, CEO

2022 GREAT RACE ROUTE JUNE 18-26, 2022

Warwick, RI to Fargo, ND

SATURDAY, JUNE 18

START: Rocky Point State Park, Warwick, RI – 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

OVERNIGHT: New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, CT – 4:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, JUNE 19

LUNCH: Clinton Street, downtown Montgomery, NY – 12:15 p.m.

OVERNIGHT: Court Street, downtown Binghamton, NY – 5 p.m.

MONDAY, JUNE 20

LUNCH: Alfred State College, Wellsville, NY – 12:15 p.m.

OVERNIGHT: Perry Square Park, downtown Erie, PA – 5 p.m.

TUESDAY, JUNE 21

LUNCH: Uptown Park, downtown Medina, OH – noon OVERNIGHT: Louisiana Avenue, downtown Perrysburg, OH – 5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22

LUNCH: Studebaker National Museum, South Bend, IN – noon OVERNIGHT: Lockport Street, downtown Plainfield, IL – 5 p.m.

THURSDAY, JUNE 23

LUNCH: Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, WI – 11:45 a.m.

OVERNIGHT: Chula Vista Resort, Wisconsin Dells, WI – 2:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, JUNE 24

LUNCH: North Bridge Street, downtown Chippewa Falls, WI – noon OVERNIGHT: Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, MN – 5 p.m.

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FINISH: Broadway Drive, Historic Fargo Theater, Fargo, ND – 1 p.m.

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terrymcgean Up Sizing

W

I recalled

being

drawn to

cars like

this in my

youth…

6

hile perusing online car videos last week, I came across one that touted the attributes of a very nicely preserved 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix. This example was claimed to be largely original, with a number of desirable factory options, and as the narrator did his walkaround review, I got a touch of a feeling I’d not experienced in years.

Though I’ve long maintained an appreciation for quite a broad variety of automobiles, I’ve tended to favor the American performance machines of the 1960s since my teens. Muscle cars were enjoying a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s when I was still in high school, and while many such cars were just approaching 20 years old, my friends and I thought of them as classics from another time.

Our interest was shared with lots of people from the previous generation, who’d been around when factory muscle cars were new. But, since those people had the power of nostalgia and the wherewithal of real jobs, they were usually able to claim first dibs on the best examples of the breed.

At the same time, there seemed to still be lots of examples of full-size models from the 1960s that survived in good condition, and plenty of people I knew turned to those as a more affordable way to have a neat old car. The thing was, not everyone thought those behemoths were all that great — to the average teen in the ’80s, those were the cars their grandparents had, and therefore, were not cool.

Therein lies the conflict I’d felt all those years ago, poking in from my subconscious as I looked at that ’65 Grand Prix recently. I recalled being drawn to cars like this in my youth, but often thinking I was somehow misguided for appreciating them. Looking back, I’ll blame it on yet another form of peer pressure.

My perspective has obviously changed at this point, and I suddenly wished I could go back to the ’80s and pick up a car like the Grand Prix when there were fewer people paying attention to them, especially since the one being offered in the video I was watching was priced on par with a same-year GTO. Of course, I wasn’t wrong to feel drawn to some of those big ’60s cars. While most of the higher-end full-size models of the ’60s were aimed at offering luxury, the influence of the musclecar era could definitely be seen and felt in many of them. The Grand Prix was a prime example in 1965. Its fastback-inspired profile gave it a sporting air, and it carried many of the styling cues characteristic of Pontiacs at that moment,

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

like the stacked headlamps and pronounced grille peak. But it also had the driving-lamp-style parking lights that would turn up on the GTO the following year, and a louvered trim panel at the rear that made the taillamps sort of disappear when they were not illuminated. Inside were bucket seats and a center console with floor shift, and in typical Pontiac style of the time, a vacuum gauge in a chrome housing. The whole package rolled on Pontiac’s optional eight-lug wheels, which conveyed an image of performance with their cooling fins and chromed acorn nuts.

Thinking back some more, I recall the people I knew years ago who appreciated the big cars even when they weren’t so favored. It was, after all, a great way to get a muscle-car engine, just with a little extra baggage. One friend had a ’68 Thunderbird with the 429 “Thunderjet” engine that could outrun an IROC from a stoplight while carrying five or six people. I well recall the shock on the faces of several formerly smug Camaro drivers, basking in the afternoon sun, T-tops removed, while some weird old car with faux cabriolet irons on the side of the roof roared off (we removed the resonators), leaving only the view of its full-width taillamp. It became sport for us after a while.

Another buddy favored Buick Rivieras, and his favorite was a ’70 he’d found that had been special ordered in bright red from the factory with no vinyl top, a white bucket-seat interior, “short”style rear fender skirts, minimal side trim, and Buick’s chromed road wheels. With all that and its standard-equipment 455 with dual exhausts, the Riv was essentially a bigger version of a more traditional muscle car. Here again was an imposing car with the ability to walk away from many of the models being offered as performers in the mid ’80s, and (at the time) for the fraction of the cost of a Skylark-based GS 455.

I could go on with more examples of great full-sized models from the ’60s, and stories to go with them, but I think the point has been made. It was a great time for the American automobile, when high style, luxurious trappings, and high-torque engines converged in extra-large packages. Fortunately, the attributes of those models were appealing enough that many have been saved, whether through preservation or restoration. And all these years later, they’re still able to tempt me.

Write to our editor-in-chief at tmcgean@hemmings.com and follow him on Instagram @tmcgean.

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NEWSREPORTS Saratoga ABC Rally and Kaaterskill Clove Road Rally Coming Soon PLANNING FOR A COUPLE OF MAY AND JUNE SUNDAY DRIVES IS CURRENTLY IN THE

works, as dates have been set for the Saratoga ABC Rally and the Kaaterskill Clove Road Rally. Both tours are open to enthusiasts who would like to participate and show off their rides for a modest fee. The Saratoga ABC Rally, run in partnership with the Saratoga Auto Museum, will take place May 22 and this year’s route will cross into Vermont, where the group will visit the Norman Rockwell home in West Arlington and traverse some covered bridges. The tour will also make its way to the Bennington and Saratoga Battlefields, as well as the Grandma Moses homestead and Will Moses’ Mt. Nebo Gallery.

The Kaaterskill Clove Road Rally debuts June 12, starting at Dutchman’s Landing Park on the Hudson River in Catskill, New York. The tour will head to Athens and travel the Schoharie Turnpike to the Old Stone Fort Museum in Schoharie, which has a 1903 Rambler, just like the two that ran in the 1903 Auto Endurance Run. The return trip will include visits to museums in Gilboa and Prattsville, with a drive to the Mountaintop Arboretum before making its way down the Kaaterskill Clove into the Hudson Valley.

All vintages of cars are welcome to participate. Visit 1903autorun.com for more information.

Gilmore Car Museum’s 2022 Show Season TWO-DOZEN SHOWS ARE SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE

BY TOM COMERRO

MAY 4/30-5/1 • Wheels & Keels Concours d’Elegance Seabrook, Texas • 713-521-0105 keels-wheels.com 1 • Sumter Swap Meet Bushnell, Florida • 727-848-7171 floridaswapmeets.com 4-8 • LCOC Western National Meet Palm Springs, California • 760-409-4651 • lcoc.org 6-8 • Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia 304-661-1245 • greenbrierconcours.com 6-8 • Lawrence Swap Meet Lawrence, Kansas • 785-843-2222 lawrenceregionaaca.com 6-8 • Rhinebeck Swap Meet & Car Show Rhinebeck, New York • 845-876-3554 rhinebeckcarshow.com 12-14 • Chickasha Spring Swap Meet Chickasha, Oklahoma • 405-224-6552 chickashaautoswapmeet.com 13-14 • Import & Performance Nationals

this year at The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Carlisle, Pennsylvania • 717-243-7855 Corners, Michigan. The events, held from May carlisleevents.com through October, will highlight cars, trucks, boats, cycles, tractors, and travel trailers. Take 19-21 • AACA Grand Nationals note of the following classic and import car Virginia Beach, Virginia • 717-534-1910 • aaca.org shows, set to take place on the museum’s expansive 90-acre campus this summer and fall.

27-29 • Springfield Swap Meet & Car Show • May 21: The All-GM Super Show will showcase all things Chevrolet, Springfield, Ohio • 937-376-0111 Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, GMC and more. All years and eras ohioswapmeet.com are invited.

• June 5: The Experience Full Classic Car Show will feature a driving tour Please note that these events are active as of press and show for 1915-’48 Full Classic luxury and coachbuilt automobiles. time despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We • June 17-18: Air-Cooled Gathering: The H.H. Franklin Automobile recommend you verify the status before making Collection invites all air-cooled cars, from Porsches to Corvairs, for the plans to attend. event. Also on the 18th will be a Volvos at the Gilmore show, hosted by The Great Lakes Volvo Club. All years of the Swedish marque are welcome.

• July 9: DeutscheMarques will bring your favorite German cars of all eras, from daily drivers to car-show beauties.

• July 10: Mad Dogs & Englishmen is a British invasion for all cars from across the pond, including the new Mini, tied together with an afternoon tea.

• July 15-16: A Celebration of Brass shines the spotlight on all pre-1916 automobiles and includes a driving tour brought to you by The Museum of the Horseless Carriage.

• August 12-13: The Lincoln Homecoming Weekend, hosted by the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum, will feature the finest examples of the marque.

• August 28: The Pierce-Arrow Gathering, a celebration of the Buffalo, New York, luxury car built from 1901 to 1938.

• September 23-24: Cadillac-LaSalle Fall Festival, presented by the Cadillac & LaSalle Club Museum.

• October 1: Congress of Motorcars & Family Day, a presentation of pre-1942 gas, steam, and electric vehicles. One highlight will be period-specific attire and activities.

• October 15: DeutscheMarques Oktoberfest, a fall cruise-in and Oktoberfest gathering for German vehicles of all years hosted by DeutscheMarques.

Additional details and registration for each individual event will be coming soon at gilmorecarmuseum.org.

8

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

Upper Class Just Got Lower Priced

Finally, luxury built for value— not for false status

U

ntil Stauer came along, you needed an inheritance to buy a timepiece with class and refinement.

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The Magnificat II has the kind of thoughtful design that harkens back to those rare, 150-year-old moon phases that once could only be found under glass in a collector’s trophy room.

Powered by 27 jewels, the Magnificat II is wound by the movement of your body.

An exhibition back reveals the genius of the engineering and lets you witness the automatic rotor that enables you to wind the watch with a simple flick of your wrist.

It took three years of development and $26 million in advanced Swiss-built watch-making machinery to create the Magnificat II. When we took the watch to renowned watchmaker and watch historian George Thomas, he disassembled it and studied the escapement, balance wheel and the rotor. He remarked on the detailed guilloche face, gilt winding crown, and the crocodile-embossed leather band. He was intrigued by the three interior dials for day, date, and 24-hour moon phases.

He estimated that this fine timepiece would cost over $2,500. We all smiled and told him that the Stauer price was less than $100. A truly magnificent watch at a truly magnificent price!

Try the Magnificat II for 30 days and if you are not receiving compliments, please return the watch for a full refund of the purchase price.

The precision-built movement carries a 2 year warranty against defect. If you trust your own good taste, the Magnificat II is built for you.

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LOST&FOUND

BY DANIEL STROHL

Hoppenstand Existed?

BY ALL INDICATIONS, COLONEL DAVID HOPPENSTAND APPEARED TO BE AN OPPORTUNIST LOOKING TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK IN THE POSTWAR

automotive seller’s market, but a newly surfaced photo appears to show that he actually did build at least one car bearing his own name.

Hoppenstand Motors launched in 1948 to build the Gregory, a rear-engine, 684-pound, $555 car named after Hoppenstand’s son. Two Gregory cars made it to the 1949 Cleveland Auto Show, but reception was so poor that Hoppenstand immediately redesigned the Gregory with a sleeker body and renamed it the Hoppenstand. Whether any were actually built, however, seems to be up for debate. Sources on the internet claim three, but an Automotive News article from the time referred to the venture as “a dream in a tarpaper shack.”

That leads us to a group of photos that Wick Humble recently sent us depicting a parade in Toledo, Ohio, likely taken some time in 1949 and showing a curious little roadster with an awkwardly tall windshield and Buick bombsight hood ornament. It could very well be a modified Crosley. Or it could be a (the?) Hoppenstand. The wheelbase appears much shorter than the claimed 90 inches, and we’re left wondering what it’s doing in Toledo, but the shape and the time period seem about right.

Could this redeem Col. Hoppenstand? Could there be more photos of this car? And could the car seen in the above photo still exist?

Continental Bugatti Survives!

OF THE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO RESURRECT THE BUGATTI NAME

over the decades, perhaps the least known remains the attempt by Mike Sherman and Dave Kent in the Seventies, using a Lincoln Continental as the basis for an ultra-luxury sedan. As it turns out, that car not only still exists, it’s apparently never left the state in which it was built.

Kent, through his Creative Car Craft in Hawthorne, California, had plenty of experience building, restyling, and customizing cars, with experience gained through working with Troutman and Barnes. According to Scott Sherman, his father was no slouch with a hammer and dolly either, so the two set about reskinning two Continentals in aluminum body panels, anchored at the front by the trademark Bugatti horse-collar grille and defined along the sides by long, swoopy curves, accentuated by a black-and-silver paint scheme.

John Langford, a businessman and car collector, wasn’t entirely sure what he’d come across, but the car caught his eye when he first saw it in the early Eighties, and he bought it anyway, only to turn around and store it away in his central California barn full of many other vehicles.

“It became a mystery to the people who built it what happened to the car,” Langford said.

10

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

Not until recent years did he bring it out of storage to clean it up, treat it to a new coat of paint, and put it back on the road, registering it as just another Lincoln rather than a Bugatti. “I use it for special occasions now,” he said. “It’s an attention getter.”

Recently discovered a unique or noteworthy classic car? Let us know. Photographs, commentary, questions, and answers should be submitted to Lost & Found, c/o Hemmings Classic Car, P.O. Box 196, Bennington, Vermont 05201, or emailed to dstrohl@hemmings.com.

For more Lost & Found, visit blog.hemmings.com/index.php/category/ lost-and-found.

FIRST-EVER HAMILTON EXCLUSIVE celebrates Chevy’s legendary Bel Airs and the great taste of Coke!

• Precision-engineered die cast • Over 150 individual parts • Officially licensed by GM & Coca-Cola • Era-appropriate logos & graphics • Opening hood & doors • Intricately detailed interior • Smooth-rolling rubber tires • Lift-off convertible top

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Car measures approximately 11” long; display case measures 13 ½” long

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Hamilton has brought together the style of the classic Chevy Bel Air and the unforgettable vintage advertisements of Coca-Cola in a new series that is not available in any store. Each issue in this FIRST-EVER collection includes a crystal-clear acrylic display case that lets you showcase every precision-engineered detail. PLUS...this dust-resistant display case arrives with two interchangeable backdrop panels featuring exclusive Coca-Cola artwork.

Your collection debuts with the “Exclusive 1955 Coca-Cola Bel Air”!

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Reserve this Premiere Issue, the “Exclusive 1955 Coca-Cola Bel Air,” GPS KVTU GPVS QBZNFOUT PG XJUI POMZ UIF ɤSTU QBZNFOU EVF prior to shipment. You will then be eligible to receive future issues in the collection as released, each including an acrylic display case and locked in at the same low price. You may cancel at any time simply by contacting us. Our 365-Day Guarantee assures your satisfaction or your money back!

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PRODUCTS&PARTS

BY TOM COMERRO

Harness Helpers MOSS MOTORS • 800-667-7872 • MOSSMOTORS.COM • $199

This wiring harness repair kit allows you to make high-quality and secure wiring connections with ease. Crimp a bullet to each wire end using the included crimping tool, then push the bullet ends into the connector sleeve and snap it firmly into place with the included closing tool for a permanent fix. The bullet crimping tool ratchets closed to put a strong hexagonal clamp in each bullet. The closing tool presses bullets firmly into both single- and two-wire connectors.

Each kit comes with 30 18-gauge, 16-gauge, and 14-gauge crimp bullets, 10 singlesleeve connectors, six double-sleeve connectors, and the bullet crimping tool and closing tool. Look up p/n 161-751 for full details and a video demonstration.

Bend The Knee SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT • 800-230-3030 SUMMITRACING.COM • $12.99

Protect your knees from hard garage floors and rough surfaces with this new kneeling pad. Each measures 19 x 11½ inches and is made from 13⁄ 8 -inch EVA foam. The pad is perfect for doing interior or under-dash work where frequent kneeling is required, and the built-in handle makes it easier to transport. Its EVA foam is resistant to some spills and minor liquid and fluid damage. For more about the black-and-white pads, look up p/n SUM-941097.

Tailgate Touchup METRO MOULDED PARTS INC. • 800-878-2237 METROMMP.COM • $24.95

Glass Blaster Beads TP TOOLS & EQUIPMENT • 800-321-9260 TPTOOLS.COM • $49/45-POUND BAG

Blaster cabinet owners know that selecting the proper parts-cleaning abrasive is critical. These finely graded glass beads, grit size 60-80, are ideal for general parts cleaning in any abrasive blaster cabinet. The beads create minimal dust and are white in color. They will leave a smooth finish on brass, aluminum, and most soft metals, after removing carbon, rust, and scale from pistons, rods, and other items underneath your vehicle’s hood. Ask about p/n 6700-45 for more details.

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HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

If your vintage GM SUV’s tailgate seals are beginning to harden, crack, or deteriorate, these new rubber pieces for the 1969-’72 Blazer and 1970-’72 GMC Jimmy will offer some renewal. Each seal mounts onto three sides of the lower tailgate area with the application of a weatherstrip adhesive (not included). All seals mimic original specifications, and they are made of high-quality, ozoneresistant EPDM rubber. The seals, which fit just like the original pieces, will effectively reduce drafts and road noise.

Inquire about p/n TG 10-E.

Prices shown are presumed accurate at the time of printing.

Please confirm with seller prior to purchase.

165HR14 CA67 PIRELLI CINTURATO radial alternative to 560x14 and 590x14 - $179 Alfa Romeo Alfetta, Giulia, Spider; Audi 100; Austin A55 & 60; BMW 1800, 2000; Citroen GS; MGB & Magnette; Mazda 1800; Morris Oxford; Lancia Fulvia; Porsche 924; Rover 2000 & 2200.

185/70VR14 CN36 PIRELLI CINTURATO - $169 Alfa Romeo Spider, Alfetta, Giulia, GT Junior, GTV; Audi 100; Austin Princess; MGB; Lancia Gamma,;Opel Rekord; Volvo 244; Vauxhall VX4; Ventora & Victor.

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RECAPSLETTERS I’VE BEEN A LONG-TIME SUBSCRIBER to HCC, and I still look forward to each edition with the same enthusiasm as I have right from the first. I was delighted to see February’s focus on Mopars, not as a Mopar guy myself (as Buicks seem to run in my blood), but for the memories that bubbled to the surface of the glorious Plymouths my grampa had.

I was a bit disappointed, I must admit, to not see a focus article on the ’63 models, as I seem to recall them being nicknamed the “150-mph Plymouth.”

My gramps had one, and that was not as much an exaggeration as some might think. Permit me to digress.

The first Plymouth I can recall of dear Grampa’s was the then-new 1956 four-door hardtop. I was too young to remember much about it, except for the hardtop styling and blue and white color combo. He was not a car guy, so to speak, but always had to have the top model.

I still recall his description of the efforts he went through to get the flashy new ’56 Fury here in Alberta, Canada, but he could not buy one — the hardtop would have to do.

He traded that on a Bronze Poly with Iceberg White-trimmed ’59 Fury, and then a year later, the belle of the ball: a 1960 Buttercup Yellow with Oyster White-trimmed Fury once again. I still get dreamy-eyed when I envision that car, which Gramps drove for three years.

He loved the combination of power and fuel economy the 313-cu.in. engine had, so when he went in to order his new Coppertone and Ermine White 1963 Fury, he wanted that engine again.

In those days, the lengthy order forms were filled out longhand, and Gramps was always proud of his elaborate old German-style handwriting. We used to laugh that it took him a half hour to sign a cheque! He made a “1” with the typical vertical stroke, for example, but also added a bit of a snake-like shape around it for decoration. It turned out his “313” looked very much like “383,” and when the car arrived, he was upset with this big power plant. “Now I’ll have to buy two mufflers at a time,” he lamented. But my cousin Ross and I were not disappointed, not in the least.

We were both 13 years old, and Gramps used to let us drive his cars more than he should have. Two 13-year-old car guys and a 383—that’s a nasty combo. We loved that car, and it went like a bat out of

14

EMAIL YOUR THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS TO: tmcgean@hemmings.com

hell, as they used to say.

In 1966, my high school friend Allan’s dad bought a new 396-cu.in.

Chevy Caprice, and Allan bragged up its power a lot. Too much. Friday night out at the local highway well south of town, where the quarter-mile was marked out with white paint, the ol’ Fury wiped the Chevy out. Whupped it badly. Allan said, “I don’t mind being beaten, but I hate it when rubber gets thrown all over my windshield!”

She [the ’63 Fury] was traded off later that summer, but her legacy lives on till this day!

Thank you for the seeds of reminiscing found in every issue!

Malcolm Fischer Stettler, Alberta, Canada

I TRULY ENJOYED THE “CHRYSLER Concept Cars of the 1950s” article by Pat Foster in the February issue (HCC #209).

I had never heard of these particular cars and was blown away by them. These cars are absolutely stunning and would have changed the whole industry had they been produced. I realize that HCC article size is limited, but I was disappointed that pictures of the Falcon, Norseman, and Dart weren’t included, especially when they are readily available on the internet. An interesting article by Mark Vaccaro, on the Valiant.org website, has a number of photos of the Falcon taken by his father, Fred, when he helped with the car’s restoration in the 1970s. I would imagine the Falcon now resides in someone’s collection. Allpar.com’s article on the Norseman, by Warren Steele (who worked on the secret project), talks about some of the very different styling of the wraparound pillarless windshield, the unique cantilever roof, and the attempt to recover the car from the wreck of the Andrea Doria. You can buy scale models of the Norseman and the Falcon, for varying prices, online.

I have been a Mopar guy since 1957 and presently own a 1965 Barracuda with 103,000 actual miles and a Sebring convertible.

Bob Westphal Vancouver, Washington

THE ARTICLE “JEZEBEL” (HCC #209, February) was a great story! I grew up with an elderly uncle (Bud) who drove a 1951 Pontiac, though as I recall, it was a dressed-down version compared to

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

Mr. Bolten’s Jezebel Catalina. Uncle Bud drove it for 30-plus years. As a child, and at the end of the car’s run with my uncle, I would sit behind this immense steering wheel, eye level with Chief Pontiac staring back at me. In looking up through the wheel at the 12 o’clock position, I was always intrigued by a prism-shaped lens that seemed like a magnifying glass of some sort. My uncle had no idea what it was for — and frankly didn’t seem to care.

In reading your article — which I loved, and which evoked the smell of his gray Pontiac — I noted that the dash-mounted prism I describe above is captured in the interior shot of the front passenger compartment on page 34. Same location.

But no mention is made in the legends accompanying the photos.

Question for either Mr. McGean or Mr. Bolten to set to rest an unanswered childhood question: What exactly is that prism for?

Thanks for considering! I (like most of your readers) love to read about the work others put into restoration simply out of love and respect for these vehicles.

Gerard Letterie Seattle, Washington

Glad you enjoyed Jeff Koch’s story on the ’51 Pontiac. The “prism” you refer to is a version of the dash-mounted lens that was supposed to enable the driver to see the color of a traffic light without having a direct view of the signal. The windshield visor, fitted to the car in the story, potentially obscured the view of the traffic light. There were more commonly seen accessory versions of these lenses, with adjustable stems and angle-ribbed lenses to catch the light.

I ENJOYED READING ABOUT THE Chrysler 300C (“The Original 392,” HCC #209), but I had a different Chrysler product from that time that was also a beautiful car: the 1958 De Soto Fireflite.

The car’s lines and the design compared with the Chrysler, and the De Soto had similar features.

I bought my Fireflite in May 1958. It was a special spring color, in blue with a white stripe down the side — I wish I had good photos. The interior was a blue and white weave. Most of the bells and whistles in Chryslers were in this De Soto, which was a dream to drive and own, except when it was being repaired by the dealer.

The worst was when the voltage regulator failed, and the dealer kept insisting it was the battery, which the service department recharged. Finally, the dealer realized it was the regulator, but kept recharging the battery, claiming to have replaced it. I caught them in the act when I secretly marked the old one, which they insisted had been replaced.

The dealers were real “goniffs” or thieves, and I finally found an honest one.

The popularity of the body style kept Chrysler busy, and there was lots of poor construction at that time. I encountered another defect when I found the interior door handle in my hand and not the door. I had to open the door by reaching out the window. Lastly, the best one yet was when the chrome bezel surrounding my taillamp fell off when going around a corner. Fortunately, I retrieved it and refastened it.

So that’s my tale of woe, but I still admire the beauty of the car.

Marvin G. Frank, M.D. Longboat Key, Florida

JEFF KOCH’S FINE BUYER’S GUIDE story covering 1971-’76 Cadillacs (March 2022) included his “shocking”

statement concerning Hydra-Matic transmissions that, “you may as well pour the transmission fluid on the floor” if you don’t start or drive your car for three or four weeks. I thought my 1959 Dodge TorqueFlite transmission was unique in having such an issue.

When my major leak occurred, I unfortunately did not have suitable floor protection. I eventually concluded that if I started and drove my Dodge at least every three or four weeks, it prevented such a “disaster.” I began checking the transmission dipstick and when it reached a certain level, I needed to drive the Dodge. I believed that other older automatic transmission vehicles didn’t have such an issue, and I thank Jeff for bringing this matter to me and many other owners.

Basically, I learned that unless all points and parts are tightly sealed, the transmission fluid will slowly drain out of the torque converter and overflow the transmission pan. This, as Jeff stated, primarily affects our “classic” older vehicles. The good news is that my TorqueFlite shifts smooth and properly.

Bob Smith Youngstown, Ohio

THE “WHAT IF” PACKARD BALBOA (HCC #201, March 2022) Pat Foster discussed would have worked only if the automaker could have made it as different as possible from the GT Hawk it was based on. The company should not have repeated the same outrageous mistake it made with the 1957-’58 “Packardbakers.”

The public easily saw that they were rebadged Studebakers and laughed them into oblivion.

The front is good; it definitely should have had the cathedral taillamps and unique rear bumpers. For the top, it should have used the beautiful one on the 1962 Packard Balboa. All the insides and little details should have been different from the Hawk. For the wheel cutouts, they should have been fully open, and chrome rimmed like the ’53 Caribbean.

I enjoy Pat Foster’s stimulating column.

Keep up the good work.

J. Kingsley Fife, M.D. Pacific Palisades, California To have your letter considered for Recaps, you must include your full name and the town/city and state you live in. Thank you.

Hemmings.com I MAY 2022 HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR

15

matthewlitwin Driving Hibernation

T

The seasonal

calendar

is nearly

on winter’s

downhill slide

to spring.

16

his is the time of year vintage vehicle owners living in northern climates seek refuge from what I like to call “Driver’s Lament.” Months of adverse conditions have caused the affliction to take root, despite efforts to prevent it from doing so. Daydreams of sunny skies, salt-free roads, and long weekends have been met with the harsh reality of gray skies, sub-zero temperatures, a blinding snow cap, and — most recently — a substantial ice storm here in the Green Mountains of Vermont.

There’s good news for hobbyists struggling with withdrawal: The seasonal calendar is nearly on winter’s downhill slide to spring. It bodes well for those of us who have been hibernating near heat sources, mulling over a long to-do list before we even consider twisting the ignition in our old rides to the “On” position, the moment there’s any hint of warm weather. A heated garage space would help, of course, but we’d still have to dash across the frozen tundra to inspect the status of the battery tender, check the array of rodent traps positioned throughout the vehicle’s sanctuary, or let the engine run up to a warm idle in the driveway while attempting to organize the workbench yet again — all while zipped into a winter parka.

Conversely, in many southern parts of the country, perfect driving conditions exist at this time of year. I recently got a taste of this when I flew to Phoenix, Arizona, to cover auction week in the Scottsdale area. Though I was commuting in a rented midsize sedan versus something more apropos for an old-car nut, I took every opportunity to lower the windows and throw an arm out into the desert sunlight. I was reminded, though, that within a handful of months, scorching summer heat would be sending driving enthusiasts here into a different sort of hibernation, one of short-sleeve shirts and mandatory air conditioning.

No matter when these pick-your-poison periods of inactivity occur, however, the underlying benefit remains consistent. Why waste a prime opportunity — climate-controlled garage or not — to thoroughly plan out a triumphant return to driving utopia?

If you’re anything like me, keeping things organized in the workshop has been the symbolic struggle of man against inanimate objects. So, I’ve created a weekend-long strategic plan of attack, to commence when light-jacket weather finally returns. Step One: Back the cars out and put them through their routine heat cycles. This opens the door to Step Two: With the vintage iron out of the way, consolidate my array of tools into a new, larger storage unit, and then reorganize the bigger

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

ROBERT KRAUSS

bits of gear — jack stands, jacks, dollies, and such — and dispose of clutter that’s been accumulating since the first flakes of winter fell. This, in effect, will manifest itself into a positive and efficient home-garage workspace come the warmer months of the year. Step Three: Hang the whiteboard I purchased to keep track of the to-do list I lost four times while hunkered against a heat source.

The list, of course, is critical, making sure that I first acquire the new tool storage unit for my home garage makeover. It’s accompanied by other gear, such as hooks for coils of air compressor hoses, self-coiling extension-cord reels to eliminate trip hazards, and commercial LED lighting that will replace the aged, inefficient, and failing fluorescent fixtures original to the structure.

Another aspect of off-season planning on the to-do list is the acquisition of fluids, lubricants, and components relating to vintage vehicle needs or desires, and whatever tools may be required to execute the task.

In my case, that begins with the annual oil and filter change, as well as flushing the brake lines. For others, the list may consist of simple hidden upgrades, to either improve safety, driveability, or reliability. Dual-circuit brake master cylinders and the installation of lap belts are a few safety upgrades. Front disc brake conversions and suspension upgrades are not uncommon, either.

Converting 6-volt electrical systems on vintage cars to 12-volt systems is becoming less of a challenge, improving cranking power and night vision.

Perhaps it’s time to retrofit a power steering unit since the rally you always wanted to enter is now finally scheduled for your region.

I mention the winter to-do list as we have two upcoming issues that will, in part, celebrate the ultimate home garage and hidden upgrades that enhance vintage driving, and we’d love to see and hear about your stories pertaining to one or both aspects of vintage vehicle ownership.

Photos and stories can be sent to Hemmings Classic Car Magazine, 222 Main Street, Bennington, Vermont, 05205; or send them digitally to mlitwin@hemmings.com. See you on the road!

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I M P E C C A B L E I TA L I A N D E S I G N A N D C R A F T S M A N S H I P

patfoster What Killed the Met?

R So, what

happened?

How did a

car that was

doing so well

become a

failure?

18

emember how you felt the first time you saw a Nash Metropolitan? Well of course you do — it would be almost impossible not to. Tiny, quirky… the little car seemed like a joke, right? But that’s not how it was viewed when it first arrived on the market.

When it debuted in March of 1954, it was well-received by the motoring press, which praised its design, ride, and fuel economy, as well as its styling. It was also well-received by the public, who flocked to Nash showrooms and bought up every Met in stock. After May of that same year, the little Met was also available in a Hudson version, becoming the first Hudson model to be created from a rebadged Nash.

By the end of the year, the newly formed American Motors realized it had a minor hit on its hands (the company never expected it to be a major hit) and asked Austin in the U.K. to increase production to meet demand. In mid-1956, the debut of a new two-tone “zig/zag” paint job and larger 1,500-cc engine sparked renewed interest. In fact, that year the little Nash was America’s number-two selling imported car!

So, what happened? How did a car that was doing so well become a failure? Its best sales year was 1959, when 14,959 were retailed in the U.S. But sales turned downward in 1960 and from there dropped like a stone. The final model year was 1962 and many (probably most) of the units sold were leftovers from 1961 or earlier.

American Motors had an unusual system for determining the Metropolitan’s model year. On whatever date the new models were announced each year, any new, unsold Mets still in stock at dealerships or in factory inventory automatically became the new year’s model. That’s why you sometimes find Metropolitans that are registered as, say “1961” models with a lower serial number than a 1959 or 1960 model, simply because that particular car sat on a dealer’s lot for a while, a couple of years or more in some cases. The situation does cause some confusion with collectors, but it was designed to avoid having to discount the prior year’s inventory. This policy was maintained even

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

when fairly significant product changes took place, such as 1956 when the new two-tone color scheme and large engine debuted, and 1959 when the vent windows and opening trunk first appeared.

In my opinion there were three things that killed the Met: AMC’s failure to add additional models, the lack of updates to the car after 1959, and the basic fault in the car’s design. Let’s address the first problem: The initial Met hardtops had two-tone paint with a solid body color and the top painted Mist Gray, a sort of off-white.

It gave the hardtops the look and flair of a convertible. After AMC introduced the “Neapolitan Ice Cream-look” in mid-1956, sales really ratcheted up. For 1959 — the Metropolitan’s best year — an outside-opening trunk was introduced along with vent windows, which had been left off the original design to save money. But no other significant updates were introduced after that.

Why it didn’t introduce additional body styles is a mystery. AMC Styling and Pininfarina each designed a station wagon that could be built on the existing platform, yet neither one got approved, even though the wagon’s taller roofline helped make it more of a four-passenger car than before.

Designers, trying to come up with something new, reworked press photos to show the car with open wheel wells and a more modern-looking soft top, sadly to no avail. It’s my belief that a 1961 Met with open wheels, a new soft top, different grille, and some new colors would have sold pretty well, especially if the company ditched the ’50’s zig-zag two-toning and the Continental spare tire.

But in the end what killed the Met, at least in my opinion, was the simple fact that no low-priced two-passenger car has been successful in America unless it was a sports car like the Karmann Ghia, and even that wasn’t a rousing success. AMC should have brought out a four-passenger Met by 1961. The company could have used a suitably modified Austin, or it could have hired some other foreign company to supply a four-seater. Heaven knows there were enough small firms that would have welcomed the opportunity. AMC’s failure to do so was the final nail in Met’s little coffin.

Inventory Updated Daily at hmn.com/auctions ru th FER ld OF o S E K A M

1969 Jaguar E-Type Series 2 Sold for $140,175 ru th FER ld F So E O K MA

1957 BMW Isetta 300 Sold for $32,025

1931 Ford Model A Pickup Sold for $39,375

1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner Hide-Away Hardtop Sold for $33,075

1911 Regal Twenty “Underslung” Roadster Sold for $55,125

1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible Sold for $126,000

1971 Toyota FJ45 Land Cruiser Pickup Sold for $65,625

davidschultz The Lincoln Centennial and Edsel Ford

S This year, the

Lincoln Motor

Company

celebrates the

centennial of

its ownership

by the

Ford Motor

Company.

20

everal years ago, during the Greenfield Village Old Car Festival, a visitor approached me and asked the year of my Lincoln. When I told him 1931, he replied, “Oh, that’s before Ford bought them and screwed up everything.” He really didn’t want to know that the Lincoln Motor Company had actually flourished under the ownership of Ford Motor Company.

This year, the Lincoln Motor Company celebrates the centennial of its ownership by the Ford Motor Company. The official kick-off took place in February and will continue throughout the year.

The original Lincoln Motor Company was founded by Henry Leland in 1917 to build Liberty aircraft engines, not motor cars. Leland and his son, Wilfred, headed up GM’s Cadillac division.

GM President Billy Durant refused to allow the patriotic Lelands to build the engines, so the Lelands left GM and formed a new company, named in honor of the first president for whom Leland senior had voted — Abraham Lincoln.

When the war ended in November 1918, the Lelands had a modern factory on their hands. They were approached by investors who suggested a new motor car. The company was reincorporated with the same name and the first cars rolled out in September 1920. The magnificent Lincoln chassis featured a refined 60-degree V-8.

Then, the company was hit with a triple whammy: a postwar recession, material shortages, and rumblings from Lincoln shareholders concerned about the company’s growing red ink. Added to the mix was the lackluster styling of its cars. By November 1921, the company was in receivership. In February 1922, the company was sold at a receiver’s auction for $8 million to Henry Ford.

Enter Edsel Ford. Unlike his father, who was focused on the venerable Model T, the younger Ford possessed an unerring sense of taste and had a flair for styling — just what was needed for the Lincoln motor car. Edsel became the president of Lincoln and under his leadership the company thrived. His goal was to

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

produce a superior American luxury car and he most definitely succeeded.

Edsel’s first major move was to begin working with the top American coachbuilding firms. Those relationships would continue throughout the 1920s and ’30s, when the coachbuilt era ended. In a very short time, the Lincoln motor car was offering, in addition to its factory-built bodies, alternatives from every major coachbuilder in the U.S., including Brunn, Derham, Dietrich, Judkins, LeBaron, and Willoughby. Edsel delighted these firms by placing blanket orders for bodies.

As the effects of the Great Depression deepened, luxury car sales plummeted.

Nevertheless, Lincoln continued to offer custom bodies longer than any of its competitors.

Presciently, Edsel launched the Lincoln-Zephyr in 1936. By 1939, the last “big” Lincoln had been built. Edsel had one more contribution to make before his untimely death in May 1943: the iconic Lincoln Continental.

After World War II, Lincoln continued as a luxury brand thanks to Edsel’s sons Henry II, William, and Benson. And today, the brand continues to honor the traditions established by its patron, Edsel Ford.

A Lincoln centennial celebration had been scheduled for 2020 by the Lincoln Motor Car Foundation but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortuitously, the Ford Motor Company had decided it would celebrate in 2022 the centennial of its purchase of the Lincoln Motor Company. The company and the LMCF are collaborating; it all worked out.

The LMCF, which opened the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum in 2014, will hold its annual Homecoming in August 2022 at the museum, located on the campus of the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan.

The museum program will be preceded by optional events in Dearborn, Michigan, which will include visits to Edsel and Eleanor Ford’s home and a dinner at the Henry Ford Museum featuring Lincoln President Joy Falotico. Visit the LMCF website, lincolncarmuseum.org, for more information.

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spotlight interior special

MAD, MOD

MOPAR Chrysler Corp’s appeal to female buyers in 1969 makes an interesting collectible today

BY BILL ROTHERMEL • PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE AUTHOR, OR AS CREDITED

K

im Barnes has a memory from her youth, of riding her Sears Sting-Ray-style “banana seat” bicycle past Friedman Chrysler-Plymouth in Des Moines, Iowa.

There, in the showroom, was a yellow Mod Top Barracuda. About a block away was Des Moines AMC, which had a red, white, and blue Hurst SC/Rambler in the showroom. “I was obsessed with both cars, especially the yellow Barracuda,” she recalls.

Like other seven-year-olds of that time, Kim was a big fan of The Partridge Family and she collected Partridge Family trading cards. At the same time, she secretly collected trading cards of her favorite automobiles, too. “I had one of the yellow Mod Top Barracuda, as well as a blue Satellite Mod Top, in my collection,” Kim says.

One day, Kim rode by the dealership and the Mod Top Barracuda was gone. Her obsession with the unusual car continued. She certainly had no idea at the time, but a yellow Mod Top Barracuda would become part of her automotive stable nearly 50 years later.

Marketing specifically to woman buyers was nothing new.

Dodge toured a pair of concept cars in 1954 called Le Comte and La Comtesse — specially modified Chrysler Newports with glass roof inserts. While Le Comte was finished in “masculine”

colors, La Comtesse was painted Dusty Rose and Pigeon Gray — ostensibly to appeal to women.

Response was favorable and Dodge offered the La Femme, based on the Custom Royal Lancer, as a midyear “Spring Special” in 1955. It was finished in a Heather Rose and Sapphire White exterior color combination, while the interior was upholstered in cloth featuring pink rosebuds on a silver-pink background, with pink vinyl trim. Included was a fully accessorized keystone-shaped purse, along with a matching raincoat, rain bonnet, and umbrella.

Considered a sales success, La Femme returned for the 1956 model year, this time in Misty Orchid and Regal Orchid. The interior was quite lavish, with a unique white cloth highlighted by purple and lavender, a special headliner with gold flecks, and loop pile carpeting in various shades of purple and lavender.

Once again, a raincoat, rain bonnet, and umbrella were included (but no purse) for the 1956 model year. Sales numbers were never reported but it is estimated that some 2,500 cars received the $143 option over two years.

According to Kim, the Mod Top cars that came more than a decade later were actually several years in the making.

And Chrysler was not alone in developing ornate trimmings.

Chevrolet showed 1967 Camaros with both paisley and

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GM HERITAGE CENTER

These photos from the GM Historical Archives show us that Chevrolet was giving thought to patterned vinyl roofs for the 1967 Camaro. Note the non-factory side exhaust.

houndstooth roof designs, though the features never made factory production. For 1970, Mercury offered a houndstooth vinyl roof on Cougars. Plymouth offered a paisley vinyl roof on the Fury Gran Coupe for 1970 and 1971. Chrysler’s problem in committing the car for production was the durability of the material and its tendency to prematurely fade. In seeking a solution, Chrysler contacted a company that manufactured picnic tablecloths and shower curtains. The company had largely solved the problem of deterioration due to UV light exposure, thus paving the way for the introduction of the wild vinyl roof coverings.

Kim noted that the company that produced the material actually provided the designs for Chrysler. The realistic floral pattern of yellow, black, and white was applied to Barracudas first. A green and blue design was used on Satellites, Belvederes, and other B-body Plymouths. Dodge had its own design called Floral Top, though it appears more cartoon-like and less realistic compared to the patterns used by its sister division. Mod Tops and Interiors, as they were named, were introduced for the 1969 model year.

A dealer information bulletin dated July 2, 1968, listed the Barracuda Yellow Floral Vinyl Roof, Code V1P, and Floral Vinyl Trims, codes F6J and F6P, as well as Satellite Mod Vinyl Top code V1Q, and Mod Top Floral Vinyl Trim, code F2Q, as “Delayed Production Availability Until Further Notice.” Two months later, a letter to dealers dated September 6, 1968, indicated that Barracuda Mod Top Yellow Floral Vinyl Roof, code V1P, and the Floral Vinyl Trims, codes F6J and F6P, were available starting with September 9 production. The same was noted for

Belvedere Mod Top Vinyl Roof, code V1Q, and the Mod Top Floral Vinyl Trim, code F2Q, also available beginning with September 9 production.

Translation: V1P was the Barracuda Mod Top Vinyl Roof.

This was a $96.40 option (compared to a non-Mod Top vinyl roof at $83.95). F6J was the Floral Accented Interior with green appointments and F6P was the Floral Accented Interior with black appointments. The Interior was available with Antique Green, Pearlescent White, or Black vinyl roofs. Available exterior paint colors included F3 Frost Green Metallic, F5 Limelight Metallic, F8 Ivy Green Metallic, W1 Alpine White, X9 Black Velvet, Y2 Sunfire Yellow, Y3 Yellow Gold, and Y4 Spanish Gold Metallic. V1Q is the Satellite Mod Top Vinyl Roof and F2Q is the interior code for the Satellite interior.

Fast forward to November 22, 1968, when Chrysler issued a sales bulletin to Plymouth dealers announcing the popularity of the new Mod Tops and Interiors: “In the last few years, there has been a definite trend towards specialized products to meet the demands of specific segments of the automotive market. Plymouth recognizing this trend early introduced specialty cars like Road Runner, GTX, Barracuda and, for 1969, the styling innovation of Mod Tops and Interiors in the Satellite and Barracuda lines to further continue the youth appeal of our great products. And it’s accomplishing this objective for Mod Tops are running 10% of Satellite and Barracuda vinyl top sales.”

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ION ECT OLL C S NE BAR KIM

the collector decided to sell it. It turns out, the Barracuda was sold new in California and had remained in the state until he bought it.

Kim wanted to see the car over the Christmas holiday but was unable to secure a plane ticket. Meanwhile, the end of the auction was just two days away. To top it all off, the owner was very vague and didn’t answer a lot of questions. “But I really wanted the car,” Kim says. Expecting husband Rob to be the voice of reason and say no when it came to buying the Mod Top, he instead said, “If you want it, get it.” With the decision solely in her hands, Kim made the call: “I bought the car, sight unseen.”

Still, there were other obstacles to overcome. No shipper she had worked with previously was available, so Kim hired one unknown to her — another story — and the car eventually arrived. However, someone stole the washer/wiper knob. This car has the rare intermittent wiper option, which, as it turned out, was a 1969-only part. A replacement has since been found at considerable expense.

Check out the last line of The car was not exactly as described, but Kim was happy to the initial Mod Top ad (Left). note that it was rust-free. The original owner continued to drive it The revised ad (Right). well into her 70s, and the car had numerous dings and dents on the front and rear valances. It had been repainted at some point “However, the potential of this youthful option is even greater. Latest information indicates that 15% of all new car sales in its history, too. Kim wet sanded the paint and did a super detail job to the Barracuda. “It’s okay, but it’s not concourseach year are made to women. We recognize the importance of this market segment and are promoting Mod Tops and Interiors to quality like the rest of my cars.” The engine, a 318 V-8, was rewomen with two ads in Cosmopolitan and McCall’s magazines.” built, as was the transmission, which then leaked badly. “It turns out they forgot a seal!”

It turns out that Chrysler got a bit ahead of itself. No Kim refinished the finned wheel covers, which she points sooner were the advertisements published when they were out, “are a combination of cast and stainless. And, heavy, too.” unceremoniously pulled and immediately modified in The car included its original spare, jack, and tools. And, most subsequent publications. “This was right in the middle of the importantly, the broadcast sheet, put in the car on the assembly women’s lib movement”, Kim says. It was the last paragraph of line, so she knows hers is the real deal. the ad that caused the fury: “See your nearby Plymouth dealer.

Kim cleverly named her Mod Top Maude, and soon took the He has a whole mad, mod story. He’s fond of women, too.”

Barracuda to its first outing, Chryslers at Carlisle. To her surprise, According to Kim, “Feminist Gloria Steinem went ballistic and there was another on the field — a documented, all-original created quite a fury over the sexist reference.” Chrysler’s ad agency immediately changed the last line to read, “And, he’s out example. It was a virtual twin to hers. Kim began chatting with its owner, only to learn the Barracuda was the very car she lusted to win you over, too.” after as a seven-year-old. It had been sold to a lady just three Kim began her search for a Mod Top in the mid-1990s.

“What kept turning up were green cars (Plymouth had three greens available for 1969), and while the greens were popular, none were particularly appealing shades to me. All the cars seemed to be six-cylinders with column-mounted automatic transmissions, and they were really rusted,” Kim explains.

“The top and interior were separate options, so some had the top, but not the interior, or vice versa. Or a black or white vinyl top with the Mod seats. Furthermore, imagine if you were a guy and inherited your mom’s Mod Top — the vinyl roof was the first thing to go! It’s on the trim tag, but that’s not what I was looking for,” she adds.

Kim thought the Satellite was a bit too big for her tastes, so she concentrated on a finding a Barracuda — yellow in particular, but black and white were available, too, though very rare. Any engine and transmission combination was available, but Kim wanted a V-8 with a floor-mounted shifter. She’s quick to point out that no four-speeds are listed on the Mod Top Registry, and none are known. So, that pretty much relegated her to an automatic. Despite years of looking, the right car never came up.

Then, voila! About five years ago, a Mod Top Barracuda finished in Sunfire Yellow appeared in an online auction. Its 80-year-old owner, a Mopar collector located in Texas, decided it was time to sell. Kim explains, “He bought the car for his girlfriend who was 30 years younger. She drove the car one The 318-cu.in. V-8 was a sensible-but-sporty choice for buyers. time from Texas to Palm Springs… and she hated it! It has no air Its 230-hp output was notably stouter than the base six-cylinder’s conditioning.” The car remained in storage for some time until 145 hp, yet it wasn’t as thirsty as higher-peformance options.

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HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

As built, Kim’s car came with the optional Floral Accented Interior, which carried the theme to seat inserts and door cards; the Barracuda Sport Package, with its threespoke steering wheel; and the Rallye dash.

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1969 PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA ILLUSTRATION BY ROBERTA CONROY

SPECIFICATIONS PRICE BASE PRICE OPTIONS

CHASSIS & BODY $2,780 TorqueFlite automatic transmission; V1P “Mod Top” Yellow Floral Vinyl Roof; Floral-Accented Interior (includes door panels with pockets and bucket seats required); front bucket seats; power steering; AM “Solid-State” radio; Barracuda Sport Package— includes three-spoke Sport “simulated wood grain” steering wheel, Rallye instrument panel, and Custom sill molding; Deep-Dish wheel covers.

DISPLACEMENT BORE X STROKE COMPRESSION RATIO HORSEPOWER @ RPM TORQUE @ RPM VALVETRAIN FUEL SYSTEM EXHAUST SYSTEM

Chrysler LA-Series V-8; cast-iron block and cylinder heads 318 cubic inches 3.91 x 3.31 inches 9.2:1 230 @ 4,400 340 lb-ft @ 2,400 Hydraulic lifters Single Carter two-barrel carburetor; mechanical pump Dual manifolds; single muffler and outlet

TRANSMISSION TYPE RATIOS

TorqueFlite three-speed automatic 1st/2.45:1 2nd/1.45:1 3rd/1.00:1 Reverse/2.20:1

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REAR

Independent; control arms with torsion bars, hydraulic shock absorbers Live axle; parallel leaf springs, hydraulic shock absorbers

WHEELS FRONT/REAR TIRES FRONT/REAR

Stamped steel 14 x 5.5-inch Bias ply (Currently: Uniroyal Tiger Paw white stripe radial) 6.94-14 (Currently: P195/75R14)

WEIGHTS & MEASURES WHEELBASE OVERALL LENGTH OVERALL WIDTH OVERALL HEIGHT FRONT TRACK REAR TRACK CURB WEIGHT

108 inches 192.8 inches 69.6 inches 52.7 inches 57.5 inches 55.6 inches 2,850 pounds

CALCULATED DATA 0.72 hp 12.39 pounds

PRODUCTION

Recirculating ball, hydraulic power assist 40.6 feet

During the 1969 model year, Plymouth built 31,987 Barracudas in total, of which 12,757 were (BH23) two-door hardtop coupes. Just 937 of those (or 7.3 percent of hardtop coupe production) are reported to have received the “Mod Top” option.

BRAKES TYPE FRONT REAR

FRONT

Chrysler 8¾, semi-floating axles, hypoid drive gears 2.76:1

STEERING TYPE TURNING CIRCLE

SUSPENSION

BHP PER CU.IN. WEIGHT PER HP

DIFFERENTIAL TYPE GEAR RATIO

Unit-body construction; front subframe Two-door, six-passenger hardtop coupe Front engine, rear-wheel drive

WHEELS & TIRES

ENGINE TYPE

CONSTRUCTION BODY STYLE LAYOUT

Hydraulic four-wheel, unassisted 10 x 2.25-inch cast-iron drum 10 x 1.75-inch cast-iron drum

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

For more information, check out the Mod Top Registry, mooresmopars.com/ ModRegistry, which currently lists 184 cars, or ModTop Mopars on Facebook.

They’re groovy, man!

KIM BARNES WAS RAISED BY A SINGLE MOM. “WE DIDN’T EVEN

miles from Kim’s childhood home in Des Moines. “In hindsight, I should have bought it right there,” Kim says.

The Barracuda was never a big seller compared to competitors, despite being offered in three different body styles for 1969: coupe, fastback, and convertible. Plymouth built 12,757 coupes, 17,788 fastbacks, and 1,442 convertibles, a total of 31,987 units.

That compares to 299,824 Mustangs, 230,799 Camaros, 100,069 Cougars, 87,709 Firebirds, and 40,675 Javelins that same year. Despite Chrysler’s initial enthusiasm for the Mod Tops in the November 22, 1968, letter mentioned previously, actual factory installations were limited, adding to their level of interest for collectors today.

Barracuda Mod Tops are identified by decals in the rear quarter windows, while Satellites had actual badges denoting the Mod Top option on the rear C-pillar. Check the trim tag to confirm if the car was delivered new with its special vinyl roof or interior. Not many were produced and ever fewer remain today.

Kim says that people often come up to her at events to tell her that the top on her car looks like a tablecloth. Laughing, Kim says, “That’s because it is!”

have a car until I was ten,” she says. “Our apartment looked out onto a parking lot where my second-grade teacher, Miss Passion (no kidding) parked her car. She had a beehive hairdo and wore miniskirts. She drove a split-window Corvette — I thought she was so cool.”

“We later moved to a townhouse community and a guy there was restoring an MG TC in the parking lot. I had never seen wire wheels or right-hand drive. I started hanging around him and he would let me take parts home and I’d clean them in my mom’s white sink. It was always greasy.

I didn’t grow up with a lot of money, so I’d always have some sort of business going on, including restoring Schwinn Crate-series bikes, which netted me enough money at age 16 to buy my first car, a four-speed ’77 Ford Pinto, white with red interior. I wanted to be like Kate Jackson, the coolest of Charlie’s Angels,” Kim says.

Kim became interested Sunbeam Tigers thanks to husband Rob, who had a Sunbeam Alpine when he got out of the military. They purchased one and then found that Rob did not fit well in the Tiger. “I inherited the car, and when I restore a car, I become obsessive about it. I count the number of threads per inch when restoring the interior. I can’t help myself,” Kim says.

“Rob’s cars come and go. My cars tend to stay,” said Kim. Admittedly, she has very eclectic tastes: two Citroën 2CVs, a Sunbeam Alpine, three Corvettes, a “bug-eye” Sprite, a 1967 Saab Sonett II, ’71 Trans Am, ’79 Trans Am… about 13 cars at the moment. And, of course, the Mod Top Barracuda.

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1-800-874-9981 Hemmings.com I MAY 2022 HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR

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driveabledream

“Special-Size” Skylark The 1961 Skylark sport coupe distilled upscale Buick goodness into a compact, rarely seen package

BY MARK J. McCOURT • PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW LITWIN

W

ith SUVs, crossovers, and trucks having dominated U.S. automotive sales figures for years, we’ve grown accustomed to looking down on other motorists from a commanding driving position. Getting into a classic car from an earlier era can be eye-opening, as what

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was once considered normal now feels anything but. When Buick introduced its Skylark in 1961, that car’s appeal lay in its blend of full-size styling and amenities within comparably small dimensions.

Through today’s lens, the Skylark is both small and large, and this well-kept example bridges two worlds.

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

Buick’s version of General Motors’ 1961-’63 Y-platform was the most upmarket of the trio, befitting this division’s penultimate status, but the Pontiac Tempest and Oldsmobile F-85 shared its forward-thinking brief.

They all followed in the contemporary Chevrolet Corvair’s unconventional tire

This Buick’s original buyer optioned the car with a two-speed automatic transmission, heater, AM radio, and front bucket seats.

The upholstery on those buckets was replaced by a previous owner.

tracks by combining a compact, unified monocoque body/chassis with innovative engines and drivelines. The Buick Y-body debuted in the entry-level Special range (Special and Special Deluxe, two- or fourdoor sedan and six- or nine-passenger station wagon), and soon expanded to include the premium variant on these pages. Like the Special, the pillared Skylark sport coupe was carefully designed to share a family resemblance with its larger stablemates, that being what Buick dubbed “The Clean Look of Action.”

In today’s two-door terms, this car would be very generously sized, but its 112-inch wheelbase, 188.4-inch overall length, 52.4-inch height, and 2,688-pound curb weight were notably less than the contemporary step-up LeSabre’s respective 123-inch, 213.2-inch, 56.3-inch, and 4,100-pound measurements.

This 1961 Skylark has weathered its 61 years exceedingly well, displaying a mere 61,000 believed-original miles on its odometer. Its caretaker, Steve Black of Salem, New York, has owned it since 2008, when it replaced the full-sized sedan that was his gateway into the world of Buick collecting. “I grew up a Ford guy,” he tells us. “A friend of mine, who owned a gas station, offered me a 1972 Electra he had; that’s what got me into

32

Buicks. I joined the Buick Club of America and started attending some Buick-only car shows. I was reading the local Pennysaver and found a simple ad that had no pictures — I don’t even think the mileage was listed. It just said, ‘1961 Buick, excellent condition.’ I went to look at it on a whim and wound up buying it.”

While Steve’s Skylark came with a pile of receipts, they only went back as far as 1987, when it resided in nearby Schenectady under the care of a General Electric employee. “The engine was rebuilt then by Michael Koza of MK Automotive, a well-known builder of racing engines

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

and hot rods,” he says. “It was rustproofed

by Ziebart in 1988; that receipt shows it had 51,000 miles at that time, and explains why the car is so solid. An undated, hand-written one is for its repaint in Arctic White over Laguna Blue metallic, which only cost $500, covering both paint and labor! There’s no information about when the front seats were recovered.”

He’d purchased one of fewer than 12,700 Skylark sport coupes built in the Y-body’s inaugural year. This model’s name had a prestigious precedent, having been used in 1953 and 1954 on the division’s limited-production flagship convertibles,

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and its reintroduction on this crisply styled two-door signaled the car’s top slot in Buick’s compact line. A slight but effective redesign set it apart from the Special outside: a more refined grille, unique triple fender “ventiports,” concave rear quarter panels with horizontal wraparound trim and slender rectangular taillamps, and brightwork-trimmed wheel arches — the rears opening wider for a more sporting appearance — were key elements of the exterior look. The interior also enjoyed finer appointments like button-tufted side panels and available front bucket seats replacing a standard bench. A stylish, color-coordinated two-spoke steering wheel bearing “Buick Power Steering,” padded dash top, and optional heater and AM radio were other upgrades seen in Steve’s Skylark.

While this Y-body car wasn’t as unorthodox as the aforementioned Corvair, its mechanicals were quite interesting. The Buick-developed, all-aluminum “Fireball” V-8 would later enjoy an impressive career overseas powering Rover cars and trucks, MGs, Triumphs, TVRs, Morgans, and more.

Here in its original “Power Pack” form, the 90-degree, five-main-bearing engine displaced 215 cubic inches through a 3.5- x 2.8-inch bore and stroke and featured an impressive 10.25:1 compression ratio. Imbibing through a four-barrel Rochester carburetor, it made 185 hp at 4,800 rpm and 230 lb-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. That output went to the rear wheels through a constantvelocity universal-joint connected two-piece “Hide-Away” driveshaft that cleverly allowed a low center tunnel.

Our Driveable Dream was optioned with the two-speed Dual-Path Turbine Drive automatic, which replaced a similarly column-shifted three-speed manual. The coil-sprung ball-joint front and four-link rear suspensions supported the unassisted four-wheel drum brakes tucked behind 13 x 4.5-inch wheels wearing turbinestyled wheel covers.

It’s those small wheels and tires — 185/70-13 radials now, instead of the factory-supplied narrow-whitewall 7.00 x 13 bias plies — that contributed to the Skylark’s surprisingly ground-hugging stance. “That’s the main thing that people who ride with me comment on,” Steve tells us. “In most modern vehicles, you’re sitting up quite high, and being so low takes them aback. Some people like a low position, but I’m kind of a big guy, and I wouldn’t mind having taller tires,” he admits. A 15-inch, four-bolt wheel was made that fit the Y-body, but Steve noted they’re very difficult to find these days.

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Wheels aside, what is it like to live with this small-in-its-day Buick? “The paint has held up quite well, although the car has always been garaged. It’s starting to show its age a little bit, but it looks good going down the road,” he says with a smile. “Mechanically, it’s been good. I just had a new radiator core installed because they seem to get plugged up with use, and I have an old receipt showing that was also done years earlier. I’m planning to replace the constant-velocity joint in the driveshaft in the near future. It’s still running the original generator; I may convert it to an alternator if that goes out on me.

And everything in the interior works.”

Steve continues, “The Skylark rides well, and drives pretty nicely. The power steering has quite a bit of play in it — I’d imagine the manual version had a tighter feel — but that’s something that should be addressed. It does not have power brakes, so it’s got a hard brake pedal, and you can’t be snoozing! The two-speed automatic means it’s not very good on the interstate. I don’t have a tach to see what rpm it’s running, but it will do

It’s starting to show its age a little bit, but it looks good going down the road.

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

55 to 60 mph without straining. The factory claimed a top speed of 106 mph, but I wouldn’t even want to do 80. There isn’t a lot of power for accelerating up an on-ramp. The engine could probably handle it, but the transmission shifts into high gear early, and there’s no passing gear to kick down to. Because of this, I don’t take it too far — primarily on local drives and to car shows, around 400 miles in a normal year.”

Sharing this award-winning Skylark with others has proven to be good fun.

“Most people comment they didn’t know Buick made a car so small in this era — they think of the Skylark as one of the bigger models from later in the 1960s, the size of the Chevelle,” Steve recalls. While recent events have limited his opportunities to commune with other enthusiasts, he’s used the time to work on the car and to enjoy it at his own pace, taking it out twice a month in good weather. We couldn’t resist asking about his favorite part of owning this stylish two-door: “I’d have to say the fact that it’s so rare,” he muses; “I’ve only seen a couple others over the years, even at Buick meets, and none of them were 1961s.”

A receipt showed this 215-cu.in. V-8 was rebuilt in 1987, when it had traveled around 50,000 miles.

The all-aluminum engine (with cast-iron cylinder liners) still wears a Rochester 4-bbl. carburetor and makes ample power for the car’s size, but the two-speed automatic transmission is limiting.

spotlight interior special

AMC’s

Designer Interiors

America’s independent automaker took an avant-garde approach to style

BY PATRICK FOSTER • PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE PAT FOSTER COLLECTION

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HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

automotivedesign

LEFT: This Cardin Javelin concept car was produced on a 1971 Javelin. The option was available on 1972 and 1973 models.

RIGHT: The first of AMC’s three “Designer Interiors” was this tasteful design

by Italian fashion expert Dr. Aldo Gucci. It was offered only on the Hornet Sportabout wagon.

LEFT: As seen here, AMC’s Sportabout was treated to a variety of dress-up options, including the Gucci interior trim. RIGHT: Gucci’s trademark multi-color stripes adorned the seats and doors of the special Sportabout.

O

wners of certain vintage AMC products can consider themselves blessed: Their cars have an extra measure of desirability because of the unique interior trim they feature. Offered selectively, these special trims were known as AMC’s “Designer Interiors.” First appearing in 1972, the premium cabins came about because of a major change in corporate philosophy that led American Motors Corporation to new highs.

During AMC’s struggle to survive in the late 1960s, Chairman Roy D. Chapin developed what he called the company’s “Philosophy of Difference.” The gist of it was that, in order to convince people to buy an AMC, the company had to offer models and features the Big Three didn’t have. The philosophy began to take form in late 1969 with the introduction of the 1970 Hornet compact, offering a longer list of options than its competitors so people could tailor it any way they liked: as an economy box, a luxury sedan, a sporty car, or something in between.

The Gremlin, introduced in 1970, was America’s only domestic subcompact, at least until the Vega and Pinto arrived that fall. The stylish 1971 Hornet Sportabout was the only domestic compact station wagon on the market.

AMC employees were encouraged to think more creatively. Red tape was cut and approval time for new products was slashed. Unique product features — the sort of things that might have gotten stalled forever under the old way of doing business — made their way into

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production. AMC’s Javelin introduced a novel combination tachometer and clock dubbed the “tick-tach.” Gremlin offered optional door pockets “in case you want to carry frogs and stuff,” according to the sales brochure; they were removable, said the same brochure, “in case you don’t.” A hot new Hornet SC/360 high-performance model debuted for 1971.

Then, for the 1972 model year, Interior Design chief Don Stumpf was told to work with Dr. Aldo Gucci on a stylish trim package for the new Sportabout.

It’s not known for certain if the Italian maestro actually designed the production

Gucci Sportabout interior or not, but the design was probably a mix of his influence and Don Stumpf’s, along with AMC designer Neil Brown. Production cars featured light beige (or fawn) seating surfaces overlaid with Gucci’s trademark red and green stripes, with green bolsters. Gucci’s distinctive three-stripe design was used on door panels as well. The headliner was gray cloth imprinted with Gucci’s GG logos. A badge bearing the Gucci family crest was applied to the front fender.

The Gucci interior trim proved surprisingly popular, doubtless because so many Americans were familiar with

AMC Interior Design chief Vince Geraci (left) met with fashion designer Pierre Cardin at Cardin’s headquarters in Paris to discuss the creation of a special Javelin interior trim.

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Gucci’s own Sportabout FASHION DESIGNER ALDO GUCCI ENDED

up having a custom Sportabout built for himself that featured a unique instrument panel with a slide-out writing table, flexible reading lamp, and walnut trim. Front seatbacks had hidden compartments holding Guccistyled liquor decanters and glasses.

Seat upholstery was a tight-weave Italian fabric incorporating Gucci’s double-G logo in black against a light gray background. The same pattern fabric was used on the headliner.

Black leather covered the instrument panel, center armrests, seat bolsters, and console. Gucci’s trademark green and red stripes were applied to the door panels as well as the instrument panel. The floor and cargo area were covered in gray carpeting with black piping. The vehicle’s grille featured interlocking “GG” emblems. Former members of the AMC Styling studios say the car wasn’t an AMC project; Gucci had it built to show off various products his company offered.

We wonder where that very special car is today. his reputation. It’s a shame AMC didn’t extend its availability to the Hornet sedans because they could have used the added glamour, but McNealy wanted to focus attention on the Hornet’s most profitable body style.

As the Gucci Sportabout was being readied for production, there was change in management of the Interior Styling Studio. Don Stumpf left the company; replacing him as director of interior styling was Vince Geraci, an AMC veteran who’d previously worked on exterior design for AMC, and before that for Chrysler and De Soto. Geraci was told by Marketing Vice President R. William McNealy to fly to Paris to meet with fashion designer Pierre Cardin. McNealy wanted the entire AMC lineup to offer “Designer Interiors” and he’d decided on Cardin for the 1972 Javelin and Javelin AMX. Geraci met with Cardin at the latter’s headquarters, a multi-story building in a fashionable part of Paris. On the first floor was retail space where Cardin watches and fashion accessories were sold, while the second floor housed his design offices.

There was a language barrier, but Cardin’s assistant spoke fluent English, so the two men were able to discuss the project in

Here we see two of Cardin’s ideas; the one below was chosen for production.

The Cardin Javelin’s interior was simply out of this world and proved popular with buyers.

These cars are highly prized today.

detail. Both envisioned a stylish design composed of bold, multi-colored stripes.

Cardin made a few raw sketches, then told Geraci “Give me a couple of weeks and I’ll send you some ideas.”

In a short time, a collection of six concept paintings were delivered to Geraci’s office in Detroit, showing

Cardin’s ideas for a special Javelin interior.

Geraci and his staff mulled them over for a while, eventually deciding on a design that featured bold red, plum, silver, and white stripes on a black background.

Geraci and his team had to modify and “interpret” the design so it could be massproduced and be the right “fit” for the

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The Cassini Matador was available in three exterior colors: white, copper, and black. Notice the copper grille and headlamp bucket accents.

Another famous designer under contract with AMC was Oleg Cassini, who created a complete interior and exterior design package for the new Matador coupe.

Introduced for 1974, the Cassini trim was a big hit, especially with the ladies. Here were see Cassini (left) talking with Vince Geraci.

Oleg Cassini poses with his namesake Matador coupe in a publicity photo. He called the new Matador “a swinging car!”

Javelin. As produced, the stripes appeared to flow from side to side and front to back, continuing onto the headliner, with a swatch of the material on the door panels for added accent. To ensure the best overall appearance, the design was silkscreened on the upholstery rather than printed. Valuable help was provided

by AMC stylist Dino Parente.

Geraci explained to one reporter, “Interiors are the frontier for exciting things in the auto business. We’re trying to break out and give our customers more forward-looking, more contemporary interiors.” History shows they succeeded: The Cardin Javelin was without a doubt the wildest interior of the 1970s and impossible to ignore.

For the 1972 Gremlin subcompact, McNealy decided to do a special Levi’s interior trim. Because of fire safety regulations and durability concerns, the

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interior couldn’t use actual denim cloth, but Geraci and his team were able to source a durable, color-fast nylon fabric that would fit the bill. But the big concern was the color itself: What shade of denim blue would look best? Geraci turned to a fabric expert he knew could help: his wife Susie. She took a large bag of denim cloth samples and washed them in their home washer, using various times for each until she had a wide range of color shades to choose from. The next day Vince brought these to his studio; he and members of his team examined each and chose one they agreed was best. Geraci’s Color and Fabric Manager, Lois Zolliker, was perhaps the most crucial member of this team. The winning sample was then handed over to AMC’s fabric supplier with a simple request: “Match this!”

For authenticity’s sake, the “Levi’s Gremlin” upholstery featured orange stitching, copper rivets, and a “Levi’s” tag, all authorized by Levi Strauss & Company.

The look was genuine, and buyers loved it. AMC’s supplier later said the Levi’s fabric was the single most popular interior

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

trim it had ever produced. It debuted in Gremlin and Hornet Hatchback, but before long, the Levi’s option appeared in AMC’s Jeep CJ lineup as well.

Not surprisingly, AMC also wanted to offer a designer interior for its flagship automobile, the Ambassador. This time the company wanted to work with a well-known American designer, and the person chosen was Bill Blass. During his long career, he was the recipient of seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Lifetime Achievement Award, along with many other honors.

Geraci discussed the project with Blass over a long lunch, but the renowned fashion designer proved both overly ambitious and stubborn.

“We were looking for a high-style interior design,” recalls Geraci today “but [Blass] wanted to change the entire car, and that just wasn’t happening.” Discussions stalled. With Ambassador nearing the end of its product life (1974 would be its final year), the program simply faded away. Which is too bad, because a Bill Blass interior would have filled out AMC’s

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LEFT: The most popular of all the AMC fashion interiors was the Levi’s trim, offered initially on the Gremlin and Hornet, and later on the Jeep CJ line. ABOVE: The Levi’s trim looked and felt authentic, though safety regulations meant it couldn’t be made of genuine denim fabric. A spun nylon was used instead.

portfolio of designer interiors and without a doubt would have helped sell more Ambassadors. We have to wonder why AMC didn’t try to make the project work with another designer — Halston, perhaps?

AMC’s all-new Matador Coupe was arriving for 1974 and McNealy wanted to offer a designer interior right from the start. He decided Oleg Cassini would be the ideal designer. Cassini was born to an aristocratic Russian family with maternal Italian ancestry. After working as a designer in Rome, he came to America as a young man and found work at Paramount Pictures. Cassini established his reputation by designing for film stars.

He later became well-known as a designer for Jacqueline Kennedy while she was first lady. Cassini soon came up with ideas for both the interior and exterior of the Matador, marking the first time a fashion expert’s influence was used for both inside and outside details for AMC. Cassini wanted the entire car to emphasize a carefully blended harmony of colors, trim, and fabrics. The “Cassini”

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option was available only on the top-line Matador Brougham coupe. Three exterior colors were available: white, copper, and black. On both the white and black versions, copper accents were used for hood striping, body side molding inserts, and the rear license plate depression area. On copper cars, those areas were black. A vinyl top in a choice of black, white, or copper was included in the option package. Other exterior highlights included custom finned wheel covers with copper accents, copper tones in the grille and headlamp bezels, and the Cassini crest and name on front fenders.

Cassini and the AMC designers worked together to create an especially elegant interior, featuring black knit nylon upholstery with copper accents. The plush individual reclining front seats featured unique tufted biscuit trim with copper metallic buttons. Drivers gripped a black steering wheel with copper accents on the horn bar and looked over a luxurious instrument panel holding copper-colored instrument dials set in a black panel.

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

Cassini crests appeared on the front head restraints and on the glovebox door. Door panels featured rich black fabric inserts and copper metallic buttons; even the pull straps had copper inserts. The black headliner and sun visors were covered in a “napped knit nylon” fabric. Thick 24-ounce carpeting covered the floor, while the trunk was treated to black serge carpeting on both the floor and spare tire cover. For all this luxury, the price of the complete package price was just $299.

Speaking to the press, Cassini said, “My intent was to create a look…harmonizing every part of the car, outside and inside, with color and texture of fabrics.” He told a reporter, “My impression of the Cassini Matador is that it’s a swinging car.”

The Gucci Sportabout and Cardin Javelin proved short-lived, both being offered in 1972 and 1973 only. The Cassini Matador was on the shelves longer, from 1974 to 1978. The Levi’s interior was the most successful by far, offered in Jeep’s iconic CJ vehicles for years, with many thousands sold.

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KEEPING IT SIMPLE This largely unrestored 1977 Honda shows that the first Civic was years ahead of the curve WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF KOCH

Hemmings.com I MAY 2022 HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR

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H

onda Motor Company had been in America since 1959, but was known for its reliable motorcycles and friendly, “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” ad campaign. The company’s four-wheeled success in Formula 1, and its line of small-displacement rear-drive roadsters that made the marque famous elsewhere, largely escaped Stateside notice. But anyone surveying the automotive landscape knew that Honda was going to follow its own path in whatever it did.

After a decade of seducing motorcycle enthusiasts, Honda entered the American car market with a pair of front-wheel-drive, air-cooled, transverse-engined, Mini Cooper-sized automobiles. Between 1970 and 1972, a total of 35,000 N600 sedans and 15,500 Z coupes were sold in North America, not bad for a company that had never sold cars in the U.S. before. Those early U.S. models helped to gain Honda a needed foothold here and forge the marque’s reputation, in the same way the company had introduced its motorcycles here in the ’60s. The air-cooled models got Honda cars off the line.

Second gear for Honda was the Civic.

Launched mid-1972 in Japan, it landed on American shores as a 1973 model and replaced both the N and the Z. The

46

shape was evolutionary from the N sedan, but its real surprise was under the skin: Honda had given up on evolving air-cooled power. Early Civics had an 1,188-cc water-cooled SOHC inline-four, good for 50 horsepower, which at the start of the first fuel crisis, and on the cusp of the nationally mandated 55-mph speed limit, suddenly seemed like the right answer for America.

Car and Driver came away impressed in 1973, praising everything from the Civic’s dash layout (comparing it to a BMW coupe’s) to its small wheelhouses (“perhaps the only car of this size in which the driver doesn’t have to angle his feet toward the center of the car”), to the full-width rear seat, to its relatively quiet engine. “Honda,” C/D printed, “has finally become a car builder.” For 1974, Honda sold more than 43,000 Civics in the U.S. Things changed for 1975. A major revision of the Clean Air Act, forwarded

by Senator Ed Muskie and ratified on New Year’s Eve 1970, stated that 1975and-later cars should produce just 10 percent of then-current levels of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, with 1976-and-later models emitting a tenth of then-current nitrogen oxide levels. Honda wasn’t impressed with the long-term viability or expense of the

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

American auto industry’s solution, the then-new pellet-type catalytic converters stuffed full of semi-precious metals.

Honda’s alternative approach hung on a water-cooled, 1,488-cc SOHC four-cylinder giving 60 horsepower, with federally permissible levels of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and oxides of nitrogen without fuel injection or a catalytic converter.

The key to the engine’s cleanliness was the CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) cylinder head.

A lean fuel mixture was essential for cleaner emissions but proved difficult to ignite. Diesel engines, with their combustion pre-chambers, helped point the way toward Honda’s solution: A secondary intake valve fed a pre-chamber (located near the spark plug) while the main intake valve filled the combustion chamber with a lean air/fuel mix. The spark plug ignited the pre-chamber, and the resulting flame lit that harder-to-burn lean fuel mixture in the rest of the cylinder. A specially designed carburetor, rather than expensive and high-tech fuel injection, fed the engine.

The stratified charge led to more efficient combustion and allowed Honda’s engine to live without a catalytic converter, even in the face of 1975’s Clean Air Act. As a bonus, because there

Honda’s 1,488-cc SOHC four-cylinder made 60 horsepower. The CVCC cylinder head meant that it could pass federal smog regs without fuel injection or a catalytic converter—and the Civic topped America’s most-fuel-efficient charts.

was no catalytic converter to clog, any Honda running CVCC technology could run no-lead, low-lead, or even cheaper full-strength leaded gasoline. (Leaded gas remained in production at the time but was off limits to any vehicle with a catalytic converter.) The lack of precious metals in the converter also made the Civic cheaper to produce. There were no air pumps or EGR valves, either.

The result was a four-passenger subcompact that — in 1977, with a five-speed overdrive transaxle — was EPA rated at 54 mpg on the highway. (By way of comparison, a modern Toyota Prius, full of continuously variable gear ratios and hybrid technology, is rated at a combined

56 mpg.) By 1977, Civic topped the EPA’s most-fuel-efficient-car list, and sales topped the 100,000-unit mark. Initially, America only got the two-door sedan (with trunklet) and three-door hatch, with uniform rooflines; later in Civic’s life, America also received a wagon, sometimes confusingly called a “van” in period literature. Overseas also saw a choice of four- and five-door models that America didn’t get.

In inflation-wracked 1977, a Civic still started under $2,800. Yet four-wheelindependent suspension contributed to a deft blend of ride and handling, despite the diminutive tire contact patch.

The cloth seat inserts felt like a step up

from the all-vinyl chairs seen in far more expensive cars, and quality-feel plastics didn’t threaten to snap off in your hand at the slightest touch. Civic didn’t come with a console between the bucket seats — we’re guessing because it would make things look and feel cramped — but instead had a tray on the outboard of each seat, perfect for storing change or pens. The Civic went a long way in convincing America to parse the difference between inexpensive and cheap.

With its wheels pushed out to the corners and suspended with McPherson struts, a standard five-speed transaxle, rack-and-pinion steering, power-assisted front disc brakes, radial tires, reclining

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front bucket seats, a 1,700-pound curb weight and those 60 eager horsepower… well, calling it a sports car may be a bridge too far, but to suggest that the original Civic could be considered a sporty car wasn’t out of the question.

You might think that a car as popular as the first Civic, a fundamental step in building Honda into the multicontinent car-producing powerhouse that it is today, with hundreds of thousands built and sold here, would be better represented in the old-car world. But because so many were used up, combined with some early rustthrough issues that saw a national recall late in the ’70s, not many of the earliest Civics remain today.

So it is with some surprise that we were able to photograph this pristine 1977 Civic. At the time, it belonged to Scott King (seen above) and Sandy Edelstein of Palm Springs, California.

Among their collection is a brace of Hondas: a pair of S600s (one coupe, one roadster, both two-seat, front-engine/ rear-drive sports cars that were never sold Stateside); an early NSX; a mid-engine keiclass Beat (also never officially imported to the U.S.); as well as Scott’s first car, a green 1972 N600 that he has owned since 1979.

Among that group, an early Civic felt absolutely at home and was a distinguished part of the collection. This example, in Caroline Yellow, was delivered new to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in late 1977.

The Honda was treated to a couple of dealer-added spiffs like rocker stripes, bumper overriders, and a roof rack, and

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Speedo and tach, in jaunty cobalt blue, are front and center. Wood shift knob adds a touch of class; lack of a console helps the interior seem larger and less compartmentalized. Replacement houndstooth seating areas are close to the original factory design.

stayed with its original owner until his 2010 passing. A dealer took hold of it and spruced up a few things — most notably replacing the factory seat inserts with a similarly patterned houndstooth cloth — and Scott and Sandy bought it in 2012. Beyond the seat inserts, it is

largely unrestored.

Today, Honda’s models are replaced every four years. Every cycle, a new Civic. This first Civic hadn’t fallen into this product-planning routine and was around clear through the end of 1979 — and proved the perfect car for the second gas

crisis as well. More than half a century on from the marque’s automotive debut, and nearly half a century on from the debut of the epochal Civic, it’s hard to remember a time when Honda automobiles weren’t all over the place. That ubiquity started right here.

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spotlight interior special

The Star Chief That Shouldn’t Be Restoring a one-of-a-kind 1958 Pontiac

BY DAVID CONWILL • PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW LITWIN AND DAVID CONWILL

T

his car shouldn’t even exist. Every Pontiac collector who has encountered it has said so. Yet here it is, with three two-barrels atop its “Extra Horsepower,” 300-hp, 370-cu.in. V-8; the basic M11 Muncie three-speed controlled by a column shifter; and Patina Ivory over Jubilee Gold paint. The manual transmission and Tri-Power are what draw in the casual observer, but it’s that paint that throws all the experts. It shouldn’t be on this car, yet the evidence is all there to say it was built this way.

Model year 1958 marked a half-century since the founding of General Motors. To commemorate the occasion, Pontiac produced a limited (sources indicate under 1,200 were built) run of Star Chiefs wearing Golden Jubilee badging and wearing Jubilee Gold paint. The only catch is those cars were all four-door

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sedans. This is the only two-door hardtop known in the color, and nobody was even aware of it until about 20 years ago, when owner David Rogalla of Grand Forks, North Dakota, bought it from the children of the original owner.

That may be surprising, given how well-documented Pontiacs tend to be these days, but those cars — the ones that can be verified via PHS Automotive Services — were all built from 1961 to 1986. The earlier records simply don’t exist — if they ever did. Henry Ford may have been the one to say, “history is more or less bunk” and that only the history being made in the present matters, but the idea pervades Detroit. It’s volume that matters, not record keeping.

To collectors, though, history matters. David didn’t even know he had something special when he bought this ’58. He just

restorationprofile

Sold new at Gustafson Motors, in Libertyville, Illinois (left), the Star Chief didn’t leave nearby Waukegan until restorer David Rogalla became its second owner, about 20 years ago.

figured he had purchased a restorable 1958 Star Chief. Only when that restoration started did he learn he had something seemingly unique.

“I’ve had several Pontiacs in my life,” he recalls. “The two that stood out to me most were a ’56 Star Chief four-door hardtop with factory air and a ’58 Chieftain I had. I loved the ’58, the dashboard, and everything about the car.

“My old ’58 was a Tri-Power, automatic car. When I was in the service, my dad wrote me a letter that said, ‘That car has quite a reputation.’ Which it did!”

That reputation may have been why the car wasn’t waiting for David on his return: “My father sold it while I was in the service.” The car was gone, but not forgotten. “I told my wife I’d like to have another one.”

The desire remained unfulfilled for years. Many other older cars passed through David’s hands, but another ’58 Pontiac proved elusive until 2002, when David saw an advertisement in the late, lamented Cars & Parts publication.

“I found a standard-transmission, Tri-Power Star Chief in Waukegan, Illinois,” David says. Waukegan is 700 miles from Grand Forks, but David, who’s in the trucking industry, didn’t hesitate to call the seller. “He told me that his dad bought the car new. He had passed away and they were going to sell it.”

David happened to have a truck nearby and upon hearing that he’d be the second owner of this car, he quickly arranged to have it on its way to his garage. At the time, the most notable feature beyond the triple-carburetor setup was the manual transmission — long a hallmark of a “hot” car and atypical for a 1958 Pontiac — especially a long-wheelbase car. Of 73,019 Super and Star Chiefs built for the model year, only 258 came with a manual transmission rather than the Super Hydra-Matic.

Interestingly, the hotter versions of the 370 — which also came in 310- (Rochester fuel-injected), 315- (“Tempest 395” with four-barrel), and 330-hp (“Tempest 395” with Tri-Power) iterations — were apparently capable of overpowering the M11 three-speed, and late in the year Pontiac reintroduced its heavy-duty transmission, the M13. In 1957 and before, that transmission had been shared with the Buick Century and Roadmaster, but for 1958 it was actually the Borg-Warner T85.

Once the car got to North Dakota, the matter of the transmission would be wholly eclipsed by the greater mystery of the paint color. How did a dealership in Illinois manage to get a car built with a paint code supposedly applicable only to the Golden Jubilee cars? Did the original owner have some pull with General Motors?

The seller’s father was a man named Charles Pitts. Paperwork included with the sale indicated he’d purchased the car at Gustafson Motors, Inc., in Libertyville, Illinois, just 10 miles from Waukegan, on May 18, 1958 — trading in his 1956 Star Chief four-door at the same time. The purchase agreement specified the only options as whitewalls, Tri-Power, and the two-tone paint. There’s also a marginal notation, in the same hand as the rest of the form, further explaining the two-tone as “All Gold, Ivory Accent & Top.” Unfortunately, at the time of the initial purchase, David had no reason to know the color of his Star Chief was special, and all his efforts over the intervening two decades to regain contact with the original owner’s family have been thwarted by the demise of land lines and phone books. “I wish I could get ahold of the Pitts family, but I have no idea how to do it.”

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As it arrived, the Pontiac’s prospects appeared inauspicious, but aside from the repaint it proved remarkably solid and original.

The original clock was working, there was no rust-through, and there were only 38,000 miles on the odometer.

With the engine and drivetrain installed in the restored chassis, the body was carefully remounted in a manner reminiscent of the assembly-plant body drop. Note the wide-whitewall radials, which have since been replaced by 1958-correct 8.00 x 14 bias plies.

Once the singular nature of the gold Star Chief had been realized, David opted to do his first show-grade restoration. The body and chassis were separated for the first time since the 1950s and the shell of the hardtop mounted to a rotisserie.

The 1958 Pontiac chassis is of the X-frame type adopted by General Motors starting with the 1957 Cadillac.

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The 300-hp Tri-Power engine was the first step up from the 255-hp four-barrel unit standard in manual-trans cars. The triple carbs brought along 10:1 compression and also mandated a unique air cleaner that was often discarded and is accordingly rare today.

Dick Jensen, at D&M Auto Body in Grand Forks, North Dakota, sprayed the Patina Ivory top and accent panels. The distinctive Jubilee Gold paint was laid down afterward with the ivory masked off.

The stainless trim was sent out to Jeff Bloom at Flashback in Fargo, North Dakota, who addressed the few dings and dents to be found and gave it a good polishing. The chrome, with the exception of the fender airplanes and wheel covers, was redone by J&R plating in North Branch, Minnesota.

The original, 300-hp, 370-cu.in. V-8 is the direct predecessor of the legendary 389.

Where the original family has gone missing, vintagePontiac connoisseurs have stepped in. The issue of the paint came up because the original finish had been covered by a questionable update.

“When I got the car, it was black with blue flames and not very pretty. My wife was kinda disgusted and she said, ‘That’s not going in the garage!’ But I looked it over and it had just 38,000 miles on it, the clock worked, and it wasn’t rusted out or anything like that. It was just this terrible paint job.

“I did some research on the car and found it was a Z-code.

We have an old dealership here in Grand Forks, Lyons, and they go back to the late 1800s. They have a lot of books and I asked them ‘What color is a Z-code?’ They said there’s no such thing.”

In search of greater expertise, David signed up for the Pontiac-Oakland Club International, and attended the Rapid City, South Dakota, convention. David told one POCI official that he’d just acquired a Z-code 1958 Star Chief Catalina two-door.

“He said ‘No you didn’t, they didn’t make one.’” That’s a refrain David heard again and again, but with the paperwork and known history of the car, however, seemingly nobody disputes that this is the real thing and incredibly rare — likely the only one.

“I thought, ‘Jeepers, maybe I should do a good restoration on this car instead of just making it a driver.’ I’ve had a lot of old cars, but I’d never done anything like that before.”

The idea of a concours-level restoration was new territory for David, who had historically just enjoyed his old cars as road machines, not show ponies. Once set on that path, however, he leaned into it — making sometimes extreme efforts to achieve factory perfection.

Because of the extra leg room in the rear seat area, longwheelbase models like the Star Chief don’t share carpet with any other ’58s. David finally tracked down the correct, NOS bronze carpets in Michigan. Note that the rear window is out in this photo for headliner installation.

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“It took me quite a few years to find all the correct parts. I would go to POCI conventions, and I wanted to get everything as correct as I could get it.”

Take the headlamps, for example: They’re original 1958 units (“I use them sparingly because I don’t want to wear them out,” David says) that he purchased as new old stock from a seller in Iowa — one who turned out to be another skeptic for conversion.

“He told me the car was impossible, but I sent him a rubbing of the firewall tag.” Suitably convinced, the seller sent along a bonus with the headlights — an NOS cookie plate from an Iowa dealership used to promote the new 1958 Pontiacs and GM’s 50th anniversary, which David displays along with the car today.

Carpet was another major challenge for the restoration. The wheelbase differences between 1958 Pontiacs show up in the rear-seat area, so flooring intended for a Chieftain or Bonneville won’t fit correctly in a Super Chief or Star Chief.

“I could not find bronze carpet,” David recalls, though more conventional colors were available. Compounding the problem was the size issue. “This gold-flecked carpet was only done in Bonnevilles. I was told to call a guy up in Michigan who might have a set.” That man proved to be a Pontiac retiree who had acquired a lot of NOS parts during his career.

“He said ‘Yes, I do, and it’s going to be very expensive: $3,500.’” But, knowing that the carpets he’d just found were “probably the only ones” in existence, David paid up.

“I sent him a cashier’s check and it never came.” Months passed, but the issue wasn’t fraud — it was health. David learned that the seller had a stroke and was incapacitated. The family was attempting to locate the carpet. “He had stuff stored all over the state of Michigan. Finally in the last part of January, it arrived, and it was absolutely perfect in color, brand new from GM.” Other parts of the restoration weren’t so challenging. As hinted by the functional clock and relatively low mileage, even

...I wanted to get everything as correct as I could get it.

as a Chicago-area car, the ’58 was in pretty good shape.

“There wasn’t much bodywork to do on the car, it was pretty straight, we just sanded it down to the bare metal and put fresh paint on,” David says. Likewise, the stainless trim proved undented and easily polished to a like-new luster. The engine, also “didn’t need much at all, so we did the body and got the chrome redone and got everything done on the car.”

With so much redone to perfection, David could not resist keeping just a few things in unrestored condition, as a nod to the original Pontiac craftsmen who built the car. “I never touched the little airplanes on the fenders, or the hubcaps.

They are exactly from the factory as they were. I didn’t even repaint the black in them. I wanted something absolutely original to the car.”

The end result is an effectively perfect recreation of how this mysterious car must have looked that day in May it was delivered at Gustafson Motors. If only we knew how and why it came to be.

The bronze interior with its special, goldflecked carpet (found most frequently in Bonneville models) proved one of the most challenging parts of the restoration. The detailed, jet-age dashboard is one of the elements that drew David to ’58 Pontiacs.

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spotlight interior special

Eighth Time is a Charm

An original owner reclaims an unusual Ambassador, repeatedly WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL ROTHERMEL

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ou are 19 years old, and you want to buy your first new car. You go to the local AMC dealer and order… a 1967 Ambassador DPL two-door hardtop? (Queue the sound of a needle being dragged across a record.) That’s not the typical choice you’d expect a young man to make during

the muscle-car era. George Watts, the buyer, had recently taken a job with IBM as a technician, and he had no predisposition to any brand. Several of his peers had large cars. His mom and dad had a 1964 Lincoln Continental, and his previous car was a 1964 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88. To George, big cars were the norm.

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George grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. “Cherry Hill Rambler (later Cherry Hill Motors) had a burgundy with white-vinyl-top Ambassador DPL in its showroom window,” George says. “I drove by one night and said, ‘What is that?’ I really liked the way it looked, and I liked the size,” he adds. The Ambassador, despite being considered a full-size car, was a bit trimmer than the competition.

Ambassadors, and the newly named Rebel (formerly the Classic), were all-new for 1967. These models received more angular sheetmetal, with racier rooflines replacing the previous boxy-looking greenhouse. Much of the basic design of the Ambassador and Rebel were shared, including mechanical componentry. The Ambassador, however, was 4 inches longer and classified as a full-size car to complete with the big Chevys, Fords, and Plymouths.

AMC, like its competitors, offered multiple series: the base 880, middle-ofthe-road 990, and the top-of-the-line DPL. This was a time when American Motors was trying to compete head-to-head with the Big Three by offering something for everyone. Despite a 16.7 percent drop in sales overall, Ambassador sales were up nearly 83 percent from the previous year, no doubt thanks to both the proliferation of models and the handsome new styling.

After driving several cars, George decided on the new AMC. “I placed the order on June 8, 1967, and my price was $3,579 plus tax. I wanted white with a black top and a red interior, but the car I got is not what I originally ordered,” he says. “I really wanted a red vinyl interior with a floor shift and power windows.”

There was a stumbling block, however.

“Within a few days of ordering the car I got a call from the dealer telling me that what I wanted would not be available.

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Production for the model year had already been scheduled, so I had to choose among those cars already slotted for production that were not yet sold. The dealer asked me what my ‘must haves’ were — I wanted a DPL coupe with the big engine and automatic transmission, and specifically, a white car with black top and red interior,” George says. “It did not have the interior I wanted. It had the custom interior, but I said ‘Okay.’”

His original order included automatic transmission, whitewall tires, air conditioning, power steering and power brakes, high-performance 280-hp 343-cu.in. four-barrel “Typhoon” V-8, Solex tinted glass, visibility group, electric clock, dealer installed AM/FM radio, and rear speaker. In addition to the Frost White paint with black vinyl top, the car George received was equipped with the custom interior in red featuring rather bold Morocco Brocade seating (as well as two throw pillows). Of 62,839 Ambassadors built for 1967, George’s car is one of 12,552 DPL two-door hardtops produced.

“I also specified the turbo-cast wheel covers and this car had those, too. I really like the looks of them. They’re very heavy and a challenge when it comes to balancing a wheel because of the weight.

They’re not chintzy,” he notes.

Because George was just 19, his father had to buy the car and sign for it, since the younger Watts was not able to arrange financing. His dad picked up the car on Thursday, June 29, 1967. George did not see the car until he arrived home from his job that weekend, as he was commuting from Cherry Hill to Poughkeepsie, New York, working second shift. It was sitting in the garage when he got home. It was the family’s first air-conditioned car. “I remember my mother saying it will give

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you pneumonia,” George quips. “That didn’t last long. As soon as the ’68’s came out, my parents bought a new Lincoln Continental with factory air.”

“I got my draft notice in November of that year, and in January, due to my technical skills at IBM, I was off to Okinawa, Japan,” George says. “I asked my parents to put the car away and they actually built a garage for it, adding onto the one-car garage we had. I got out in January of 1970, was back at IBM, and the Ambassador was back on the road.” Sometime in the spring of ’70, one of George’s coworkers showed up with a new Javelin and took him for a ride. “I gotta have me one of those,” George said. So, he was back at Cherry Hill Motors to see his salesman and, “I ended up buying a ’69 AMX leftover,” he says, chuckling.

“Typhoon” V-8, fed by a four-barrel carburetor, makes 280 horsepower from its 343 cubic inches.

George sold the Ambassador to a “girlfriend at the time” who became owner number two in May 1970. In the meantime, he put over 230,000 miles on the AMX in just a few short years before he bought his first Corvette. The AMX, by the way, is still alive and well in Salisbury, Maryland, with another AMC aficionado; it now has over 300,000 miles! “After I sold the Ambassador, I missed it, and two years later, I went back to the same AMC dealer. It had a used ’69 on the lot, which I bought… and still have,” George says.

The second owner of George’s first AMC was never really happy with the Ambassador. “It was a little too big and it used too much gas,” George notes. “I was watching it deteriorate — a bump here, a

little crease there — so I bought it back in 1973 and became owner number three.

I had the dents taken out, had it painted, and kept it for a few more years.” No longer with IBM and now working in the hi-fi audio/video industry, he sold the Ambassador to his warehouse manager, owner four, sometime in 1980.

Then, owner four decided he wanted a Pontiac Grand Ville, so George bought the car back again in the early ’80s, making him owner five. But, once again, George sold the Ambassador to another coworker, owner six. “After that, I lost track of the car. Within a year, that guy left the company,” he says. Unknown to George, the car would be sold one more time, to owner number seven, and ended

up close to his childhood home.

As fate would have it, George got a call from a friend who said, “Your old car is in a garage in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and the house is being sold. They need to sell the car.” It turned out that the owner of the house was one of George’s schoolmates from technical school, whose brother had bought the car from the guy George last sold it to. “It sat in his garage from 1983 to 2015,” George says. “It was covered up with so much junk and debris, you couldn’t see the car! I bought it.” That made George owner number eight of the car he bought new in 1967.

“The car was completely intact. In fact, it had the same Michelin radial tires on it when I sold the car the first time!

The owner’s manual packet and all the documentation — all that stuff — was in the glove compartment, still with the car,” George says, still conveying the amazement he’d felt when he made those discoveries. “My dad owned a service station, and those service records were with the car, too. He last serviced it on May 8, 1970. The car had not run since 1983. I tried to get it running, but I bent some pushrods because the valves were stuck. The interior was good, but there was some sun fade, and the driver’s-side carpet had a hole in it. There were some dings and paint stains from the stuff piled on the car. And there were some very minor rust spots,” George adds. The odometer showed a little more than 102,000 miles.

The car was sent to Ross Peterson for an engine and transmission rebuild, as well as a thorough going over of the suspension

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and braking system (Peterson, by the way, is the owner of George’s original AMX).

While the engine and transmission were pulled, the engine compartment was repainted. When the car was returned to George, he took the front seats to a local upholstery guy to be redone; luckily, SMS Fabrics in Oregon had the unusual Morocco Brocade seat fabric available.

Next, it went to a friend in West Chester, Pennsylvania, for bodywork and a repaint along with a new top. The Ambassador was redone to high-quality driver standards because George uses and enjoys the car.

“In today’s world of grays, beiges, and blacks, the interior gets much more attention than it did when it was new,” George says. “I take it to shows and events and most people comment that they have never seen one. They call it a Rambler, though it was never one. Parts have never been a problem, especially with the internet. The world is your

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market. There’s been only one thing I have been unable to find for the car: a chromed plastic trim piece that fits around the driver’s seat cushion. They commonly broke, so mine is off a ’66, which was metal. You don’t notice it until you get up close. All the other pieces, which I had replated, are original.”

The story does not end here. George admits to having become impatient while waiting for his car to be finished. Lo and behold, a twin car to his came up for sale online, in Colorado. So, he bought the car and had it shipped to him. That AMC had a tilt steering wheel, cruise control, and a limited-slip differential, but was otherwise a duplicate. The VINs were very close together, too. Once his original car was finished, George sold the twin to a lady in Bend, Oregon. Of note, both cars shared plush, shag-like carpeting in the custom interior. Standard was a typical loop pile, but according to AMC service bulletins,

In today’s world of grays, beiges, and blacks, the interior gets much more attention than it did when it was new… late-production cars featured the more luxurious carpeting, giving credence to the June 1967 build dates of both cars.

George has been the first, third, fifth, and eighth owner of this unusual Ambassador. He sums up his car in simple terms: “My favorite thing is the styling. I liked it then. I like it now.” Proving that the eighth time really is the charm.

Most of the Morocco Brocade interior is original and remarkably well-preserved.

Rear-seat throw pillows were part of the Ambassador’s DPL trim level.

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spotlight interior special

Interior Insights Tips to help overcome upholstery anxiety WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM SMART

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or many enthusiasts, interior restoration is one of the leastdesirable tasks of a car project. Most of us would rather farm it out and let a professional sweat the details. On the other hand, if you’re willing, you can save some money doing upholstery and interior restoration yourself. What’s more, many upholstery jobs aren’t as difficult as you may think once you learn the techniques. Plus, it’s rewarding to handle as much of our own restoration projects ourselves as possible.

We recently spent some time with Robert Rough at Lancaster Auto Interiors in Southern California, a shop that has performed a lot of restoration work for us over the years. Robert pays painstaking attention to his work and thinks of the details many shops overlook. He shared a number of insights and techniques with us to help make upholstery jobs more approachable for the novice.

If you’re trying to determine if you ought to attempt one of the more involved tasks yourself, like seat recovering or headliner installation, use these two basic rules to determine whether or not you should proceed: One, if you have some confidence in your abilities, and you can find a good seat-upholstery or headliner kit, foam, and any related parts, then try tackling the project. Two: If upholstery or headliner kits are not available for your classic car, look to the abilities of a reputable auto upholstery shop, which can fabricate these items and install them with care.

If you’re going to do the job yourself, arm yourself with

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tools of the trade: hog ring pliers, diagonal cutting pliers, panel removal tools (if applicable), work gloves (but not heavy gloves), sharp scissors, box cutter, and a portable steamer for heating and stretching upholstery. As for consumables, you’ll need hog rings (5⁄8-inch steel specific to upholstery), 3M Super Trim Adhesive (#08090), 3M Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive (#08008), silicone spray, and thin stock plastic bags.

Upholstery work should be performed in a nice, warm environment because few things are more stubborn than cold vinyl. Vinyl upholstery should be warmed by the sun or a heat lamp before attempting installation. Ideally, you’ll have access to a commercial-grade steamer to fatten up the foam and make the vinyl more pliable. If not, household steamers can still offer some help. Robert suggests the use of thin-grade plastic sheeting to make it easier to slip vinyl onto new foam. Never reuse old foam, which hardens and breaks down over time. Use hog rings designed for upholstery work, never a substitute. And reupholstering seats is hard on the hands, so work gloves are suggested for these tasks.

HEADLINER REPLACEMENT One challenging element of interior restoration is the headliner.

Although this can be intimidating, you can replace one yourself, given an abundance of patience and close attention to detail. You

restorationtech must be very methodical in your approach and take your time.

Headliner kits are available for a variety of popular collector cars; however, if you own one of the less-common models out there, and a headliner has to be created from a roll of cloth, it may be best to enlist professional help. A reputable automotive upholstery shop can remove the old headliner and fabricate a new one using the old material as a template.

You’re going to want to find the exact headliner material for your classic car. Your upholstery shop can handle this for you, or you can search the marketplace yourself. SMS Auto Fabrics and Stock Interiors handle a huge variety of automotive fabrics and kits for the more obscure nameplates out there. You also have the option of choosing a custom headliner material more to your liking.

Before fitting the headliner, install sound deadening against the roof pan. The factory sometimes used fiberglass insulation, but very often had nothing between the headliner and steel roof panel. Today’s insulation technology is so much better, and easier to install. Acoustical/thermal sound deadening is available from Summit Racing Equipment for your classic car project. For insulating above the headliner, you’ll need sound deadening mat along with padding to handle additional harmonics. All of it will be covered once the new headliner is installed, and other, similar products can be used beneath the carpeting. Once the work is done, you’ll be amazed at how much quieter your car is while driving.

CARPETING Classic cars typically have either molded and textured rubber flooring or molded carpet. There are also instances where you may want to install molded carpet where rubber flooring was originally specified.

New-old-stock (NOS) textured flooring can sometimes be procured from specialists or other online sources. NOS rubber and plastic parts can also be found, but be aware that they can deteriorate with time, even if they were never installed, depending upon how they’ve been stored. This is important to remember when you’re shopping for often-expensive NOS items like weatherstripping and seals — many years on, these items may not be like new, in spite of being in the original box.

Molded carpet, as its name implies, is molded to fit your floorpan; however, this doesn’t always mean it’s going to fit perfectly. Those of us with popular marques take for granted the availability of accurately contoured molded carpet, which is not always available for the lesser-known models out there. Shop the more-reputable carpet suppliers with a proven track record before laying down the cash.

We’re going to walk you through the finer points of doing an interior yourself and when to hand these tasks over to a professional. It is important to understand your limitations, which will prevent waste and keep you out of trouble. Be willing to start over and redo segments you’re not comfortable with. Be methodical and take your time.

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1. Seat restoration can be overwhelming, especially if you’re restoring a more obscure ride. More popular models, particularly ’60s and ’70s muscle and pony cars, enjoy a marketplace with a wealth of restoration products. If you are restoring something like a Packard or a Studebaker, it can be more challenging — and expensive — to find what you need. 2. These are the more basic tools you’re going to need to restore seats. You also need to equip yourself with sharp scissors, a razor knife, a tape measure, and silicone spray to ease installation. Don’t forget steel hog rings — you’re going to need them to secure the upholstery. 3. Most seats were reinforced with burlap as a foundation back in the day, but today, upholstery shops often use a substitute material, as Lancaster Auto Interiors has shown here. If absolute authenticity is preferred, nearly any shop will order the correct burlap material — which remains available — if needed. 4. For years, automakers used cotton gauze material to add comfort, yet it’s really not enough. Alternatively, you can add a layer of foam to fatten up the vinyl for added support. The trick is installing vinyl over the foam because it can get tight. Rear seats like this one typically don’t employ foam from the factory, primarily due to space issues — too much foam hinders fitment.

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07 5. Seat frames and springs that are weathered should be media blasted, primed, and painted to stop the spread of corrosion. If you have the budget, they can also be powder coated. 6. The thick padding used around the seat frame’s perimeter is also easy to source from any upholstery supplier and should be replaced. Thoroughly examine the seat frame’s structural integrity and repair any weaknesses. 7. Robert didn’t did have access to burlap on the day of our appointment. He opted for a durable fabric with the same integrity and flexibility as burlap, which worked fine for our Mustang seats.

The fabric is hog ringed to the springs and frame. 8. Robert works the foam to where it fits into the intricate confines of the frame and fabric (burlap) support. Because new foam tends to be quite firm, it requires tenacity and patience to get it where vinyl will fit comfortably around it. It must be seated firmly in the frame, which will ease installation.

9. Width is checked as shown where the center panel will be anchored. Foam and panel width should be the same, otherwise, you will have a challenging time with fit and finish, which means wrinkles or over-stretched vinyl. 10. Robert cuts the foam deeply where upholstery will be fastened with hog rings, which makes the process much easier. You can’t just position the foam and then install the upholstery over it — the foam must be anchored in place.

11. The initial vinyl fitment is the toughest part of installation.

Never do this in a cold garage. It is best to warm the vinyl in the hot sun, which makes it more pliable. Robert lays in the vinyl as shown, determines fit, makes adjustments, works the seat foam, and hog rings the vinyl panel to the listing wire, which is slipped into a sleeve in the upholstery. Replacement listing wire is available from restoration suppliers. 12. Robert suggests using thin plastic sheeting between the vinyl and foam during installation, which reduces friction and makes it easier to pull the vinyl cover on. You may also use silicone spray on the foam to reduce resistance.

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15 13. Steam can be a great help during fitment, as it causes the foam to expand and make the vinyl more flexible. Here, the steam comes from an electric steam pot. 14. Not all seats employ foam — this rear seat sports thick cotton gauze instead. You may add foam or additional gauze to fatten up the package and firm up the vinyl.

Remember, the seat must fit where the manufacturer designed it to.

If you pack in too much foam or gauze, it will not fit as intended.

15. Steam beneath the vinyl causes the expansion you want to achieve a firm fit. If the vinyl exhibits a sloppy fit, you will need to add foam or gauze to tighten it up. In such a case, foam could be added in thin layers, one at a time, until the desired fit is achieved.

The goal is a firm fit, without wrinkles. 16. In some cases, Robert must take pieces of upholstery kits to the sewing machine to detach and restitch material to achieve a better fit. He also understands how to fabricate seat upholstery from scratch. While this is generally beyond the skills of the home installer, it is important to keep the original upholstery until the job is complete in case a professional needs to step in. The original covers will serve as a guide for alterations, or a pattern for newly fabricated pieces.

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18 17. Factory original seat upholstery for late-model vehicles has become easier to work, thanks to the use of fewer and fewer hog rings. Instead, plastic retaining clips that engage the seat frame at the perimeter are often used. 18. If you’re restoring a later-model car, such as an ’80s Fox Mustang, third-generation Camaro/Firebird, or G-body Monte Carlo or Grand National, you will find these seats remarkably easy to strip and reupholster compared to their predecessors. 19. These listing rods, which secure the material to the frame, vary in size from the thickness of coat-hanger wire to 3 ⁄16-inch in these late-model seats. Although it is common practice, you should never use coat-hanger wire for listing. Instead, purchase proper listing wire and hog rings for your application from a reputable supplier. 20. Headliner installation calls for attention to detail, which means you need to take pictures of the factory installation and keep track of the bows, noting the position that each one was installed in the body. Each bow must go back in the original location, in the same holes, and facing the same way. Mark the holes before removal. This trips up a lot of restorers who remove the bows and then forget where they went. Once that happens, it is more challenging to achieve good headliner fit.

19

20 Hemmings.com I MAY 2022 HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR

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21 24. Once the headliner material has been installed and stretched into place, and the adhesive has cured, you can finish the job by installing the factory style wind lace or welting, which adds lasting retention. 25. Although molded carpet installation seems simple, it doesn’t always go that way. The first order of business is to remove the old carpet and ascertain what you have underneath. Be prepared to take your time installing the new molded carpet.

22

24 23 21. All bows must be measured end to end, and dead center for each should be established and marked. The center should also be found and marked on the headliner — many kit headliners will come with a “center” reference mark. Install the headliner and bows as an assembly and begin securing the sides along the roof rail with 3M’s Super Trim spray adhesive. Spray the sides of the headliner on the bench first, then along the roof rail where it will be secured. Secure the headliner with cut up pieces of wind lace as shown.

22. Use a heat gun cautiously to work out wrinkles in the headliner and make it easier to stretch and secure. Watch your heat while doing this — holding the gun too close or concentrating the heat in one area can easily melt the vinyl headliner material. 23. Using 3M’s Super Trim Adhesive is a two-part process: Spray both the headliner and contact surfaces on the body first and then allow it to “tack off” (dry slightly so that it is sticky but not runny). Too many of us get this wrong. Both contact surfaces must be sprayed and then allowed to tack off. That way, during installation, both surfaces will stick to each other effectively. If you spray only one contact surface, adhesion will be poor.

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HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

25

SOURCES: National Parts Depot 800-874-7495 • npdlink.com

26

SMS Auto Fabrics 503-263-3535 • smsautofabrics.com

27

26. Because classic cars typically have a history of body leaks, the carpet may have become saturated with moisture from leaky windshields and cowl vents, which, in turn, may have caused rust issues you’ll discover when the old carpet comes out. Now is the time to address this — putting new carpet over rust holes will just enable the rust to continue and may also allow exhaust gasses to enter the cabin. 27. Carpet isn’t just laid in place — it has to be trimmed to fit around the edges and at places like shifters and seat belt attachment points. Start with a fresh blade and carefully cut these holes, but trim gradually while you continue to make sure the carpet is laying down correctly. Once you trim too much, you can’t go back.

“WE HAD A COLLECTOR CALL US FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SAW OUR

HEMMINGS.COM BANNER AND IS REGISTERED TO BID WITH US! HE MENTIONED HE SAW THE INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE. SO EVERYTHING IS WORKING AS IT SHOULD! THANKS AGAIN!

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AUCTION NEWS&HIGHLIGHTS

BY JIM BLACK AND TOM COMERRO PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JIM BLACK AND AS CREDITED

Mecum Auctions–2022 Kissimmee Sale Florida auction brings in the new year with a record $217 million tally MECUM AUCTIONS ONCE AGAIN HOSTED ITS ANNUAL COLLECTOR-

car auction at the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, from January 6-16. Simply known as the Kissimmee sale, it has become the largest collector-car auction in the world, and this year included more than 3,500 specialty vehicles, antiques to classics, muscle to exotic, and several one-off restomods. Though some COVID-19 restrictions were still lingering, the event seemed unaffected, with spectators plus plenty of bidder action from both in-person and phone/ online bidders.

1951 FORD F-1 Reserve: None Selling Price: $56,100

Avg. Market Range: $32,400-$67,600

Classic Ford pickups, including the early F-1 models, are enjoying greater interest from collectors, which is driving values ever higher. This bodyoff restored 1951 model was striking in its bright red PPG base/clearcoat paint.

Equipped with the 239-cu.in. flathead V-8 engine and heavy-duty three-speed transmission, it also had a 12-volt positive-ground conversion. During the restoration, many components were powder coated for durability, including the frame, suspension, inner fender panels, core support, and running boards. Underneath, the cab and the undercarriage were also coated with bedliner material. This exceptional truck sold for $56,100, which was a good deal for both the buyer and seller.

1959 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

1958 DODGE CUSTOM ROYAL REGAL LANCER

Reserve: Undisclosed Selling Price: $110,000

Reserve: Undisclosed Selling Price: $37,400

Avg. Market Range: $62,020 - $105,975

If an early version of Chevrolet’s Corvette whets your appetite, then look no further than this 1959 model, painted Roman Red with white coves and a red interior. An NCRS Top Flight Award winner, this example was treated to a body-off restoration in 2006 and still looked fresh. It was one of just 175 produced with the 250-hp Rochester fuel-injected 283 V-8 and was said to retain the original engine. A host of desirable options included a fourspeed manual transmission, power windows, Wonderbar radio, Positraction differential, and a white soft top. This classic ’Vette came with a correctly restored red hardtop and had just one owner for the past 40 years.

LEGEND

Reserve: Minimum price owner will accept Selling Price: What the vehicle sold for (including the buyer’s premium)

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The top sale of the event was a 1965 Shelby G.T. 350R prototype, said to be the most historically significant competition Shelby in the world, which brought $3.45 million (all listed results include a buyer’s premium). Not far behind was a 2020 McLaren Speedtail that sold for $3.3 million, and in the third spot was 1992 Ferrari F40 that sold for $2.75 million.

Mecum’s total for the event was a record $217 million, which included a single-day company record of just over $72 million.

For a complete list of results from the Kissimmee sale, and an up-to-date 2022 Mecum event calendar, visit mecum.com.

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

Avg. Market Range: $21,000 - $30,975

“Suddenly it’s 1960!” proclaimed the advertisements from Chrysler Corporation for 1957. Actually, that was Plymouth, but all the automaker’s models were lower, wider, and longer than the previous year, following a new swept-wing design that left Ford and General Motors playing catch up. This restored 1958 Custom Royal Regal Lancer is a good example and was one of just 1,163 produced and one of 17 believed to remain. It was equipped with the original 361-cu.in., 305-hp V-8 with a three-speed push-button automatic, AM radio, power steering, power brakes, power windows, matching fender skirts, and two-tone black and brown paint with a correct tri-tone interior. This was a stunning example of a late 1950s classic Dodge, rarely seen.

Average Market Range: Values coincide with current market trends for vehicles rated from condition #2- to #1, respectively

RM Sotheby’s Phoenix Rising RM SOTHEBY’S

calendar with its annual sale at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. The one-day auction totaled $43.3 million in sales with a 95 percent sell-through. Among the sales was this 1930 Cadillac V-16 Sport Phaeton

by Fleetwood. With only 85 such models built between 1930 and 1931, this car was believed to be one of 17 remaining. It underwent a full mechanical refurbishment including the installation of a new top and new tires. The trunk was color-matched, and the ignition switch was rebuilt. After its extensive engine and exterior detailing, the Cadillac was a part of the 2021 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, its first showing at a concours since 2009. The CCCA Full Classic sold for $885,000.

Also selling was a 1935 Cord 812 Supercharged cabriolet, offered with the stub frame, amended to suit a cabriolet body. It was first restored to this configuration in 1962 by the ACD Company in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The special Cord, dubbed “Sportsman,” was said to be one of only 64 produced and was a part of a prominent East Coast collection since 2014. The Cigarette Cream factory color was wellpreserved, as was the dark red interior and black cloth top. A frequent guest at ACD Club events and tours, the Cord was a time capsule of Depression-era luxury. When the final bid was recorded, the classy cabriolet found a new owner for $184,800.

Results from RM Sotheby’s Phoenix auction are now available at rmsothebys.com.

MAY 6-7 • Raleigh Classic Youngsville, North Carolina 919-269-5271 • raleighclassic.com 13-21 • Mecum Auction Indianapolis, Indiana 262-275-5050 • mecum.com 14 • RM Sotheby’s Monte Carlo, Monaco 519-352-4575 • rmsothebys.com Please note that these events are active as of press time despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend you verify the status before making plans to attend.

Worldwide Auctioneers Arizona Results FULL RESULTS FROM WORLDWIDE AUCTIONEERS’ SCOTTSDALE AUCTION HAVE BEEN RELEASED

and more than $10.5 million in total car sales were realized at Singh Meadows, just outside of Scottsdale in Tempe, Arizona. The top sale of the event was a Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance award-winning 1929 Duesenberg Model J Berline. Chassis 2143 kept its original engine, chassis, and body, and had a well-known lineage of owners among the Duesenberg community. It’s thought that this Model J was the first fitted with Derhambuilt coachwork. It had at one time fallen overboard into the Santa Barbara Channel, but it was recovered from shallow waters and rebuilt for Coca-Cola President M.K. Barbee in the 1930s by Bohman & Schwartz. Modifications included a lowered roof, skirted rear fenders, bullet head lamps, and a black repaint, matching the blackwall tires. When the final bid was registered, the Duesenberg sold for $2.26 million.

Another classic to sell was a 1932 Chrysler CH Imperial cabriolet crafted by Bohman & Schwartz. It was powered by its numbers-matching 384.84-cu.in. L-head straight-eight, mated to a four-speed transmission. The engine was supported by Chrysler’s “floating power” engine mounts and the car rode on rugged springs designed to handle all types of drives. Every detail was restored to look as it did off the Bohman & Schwartz floor, and the black cabriolet featured a black leather top with black leather upholstery. The Chrysler sold for $940,000.

Full results from the Scottsdale Auction are now available at worldwideauctioneers.com.

WORLDWIDE AUCTIONEERS

RM SOTHEBY’S

RM SOTHEBY’S STARTED ITS 2022 AUCTION

View and search through thousands of upcoming auction vehicles in one place at the Hemmings Auction Showroom, www.hmn.com/auctioncalendar.

RESTORATIONS

Over 35 years’ experience goes into each restoration.

Check our website to see CARS FOR SALE and restorations in progress. We specialize in ’55-’57 Thunderbirds – please visit our THUNDERBIRD CENTER for a complete line of reproduction, NOS and used parts. We also have NOS sheetmetal.

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CLASSIC CAR RESTORATION & PARTS 29625 Bashan Rd., Racine, OH 45771 Info/ Tech support: 740-949-2217 Parts: 866-949-1956

Hemmings.com I MAY 2022 HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR

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BY MARK J. McCOURT IMAGES COURTESY OF HEMMINGSAUCTIONS.COM HEMMINGS AUCTIONS IS OUR LIVE, ONLINE AUCTION SITE STAFFED BY

customer service professionals ready to help bidders and sellers with any questions. A wide variety of classic and specialty vehicles from all eras are up for bid. Auctions run for two weeks, and qualified bidders place their bids electronically. Once a vehicle is accepted into the auction,

the seller pays only a $99.95 listing fee. The winning bidder is responsible for a 5-percent fee on all completed auctions. The following are examples of auctions that transpired during the month leading up to press time. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, email Director of Auction Operations Terry Shea: terryshea@hemmings.com.

1973 TRIUMPH TR6 Reserve: $23,000 Selling Price: $38,850

Recent Market Range: $18,750-$27,850

This appearance of this Triumph TR6 on our site felt like a homecoming, as it once had a star turn as a restoration profile in Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car. The British sports car wore a rare factory hard top, and a folding soft top frame was included. The award-winning TR6 was said to be in excellent condition, with only minor surface rust inside the rocker panels. The interior and undercarriage appeared similarly attractive. The rebuilt engine had some minor leaks, but the four-speed was enhanced with an overdrive unit and a fresh clutch. Videos showed the Triumph in motion, and its celebrity provenance courtesy of Hemmings’ print media helped bring the seller a fine result.

1957 PONTIAC CHIEFTAIN SAFARI Reserve: $25,000 Selling Price: $51,188

Recent Market Range: $34,900-$50,750

In the era before crossovers and minivans, full-size station wagons like the Chieftain Safari ferried American families about their daily lives. This particular Pontiac didn’t do much ferrying, if its sub-9,000-mile odometer reading was to be believed; its seller claimed those numbers were genuine. The listing noted 95 percent of the two-tone green paint was original — there were a “few small touched-up spots”— and there was some minor corrosion underhood. The three-row interior appeared to be in excellent condition, despite its nonworking AM radio. Subtle upgrades improved the 347-cu.in. V-8’s driveability. It took five time extensions to find this concours class-winning Safari a new home

1956 PACKARD CARIBBEAN Reserve: $65,000 Selling Price: $73,500

Recent Market Range: $66,120-$89,520

The Caribbean was Packard’s last attempt to reclaim its premier place in America’s ultraluxury car market. This example, one of 276 built for 1956, came out of a collection and promised near-museum quality. Its three-tone paint and body chrome appeared very nice in pictures, and the power soft top supposedly operated without issue.

The interior featured Packard’s unique reversable seat cushions, with both leather and cloth surfaces looking in great shape, and the AM radio, heater, and power windows all functioned properly.

The 374-cu.in. V-8 and Ultramatic transmission reportedly worked just fine, while the spotless chassis showed no leaks or issues.

The car sold in the heart of its value range.

LEGEND

Reserve: Minimum price owner will accept Selling Price*: What the vehicle sold for, inclusive of buyer’s 5-percent fee (*sold as a Make Offer listing following the live auction)

Recent Market Range: The low-to-high value range for the vehicle based on published results of similar vehicles sold at auction over the previous 18 months

Advertisers in this issue ADVANCED PLATING ..................................49 BARRETT-JACKSON .....................................3 BIRD NEST..................................................41 BOB’S SPEEDOMETER ...............................67 CLASS-TECH ..............................................29 CLASSIC INDUSTRIES, INC ........................25 COKER TIRE..................................................1

1958 INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER A110 Reserve: $16,000 Selling Price: $17,588

COLONEL CRAWFORD

Recent Market Range: $14,300-$21,320

ATHLETIC BOOSTER CLUB .....................49

Any International pickup is an unusual find, but a top-condition example from the company’s golden anniversary year— like this sub-70,000-mile 1958 A110 — is especially rare. This Harvester enjoyed a body-on restoration with rust repairs that left it wearing attractive single-stage red paint, replated brightwork, and new wood bed rails.

The interior looked very nice and included aftermarket gauges and an under-dash radio.

Minor nits included a non-functioning gas gauge and some dents in the bed sheetmetal, but the 240-cu.in. straight-six and three-speed transmission both promised flawless operation. The seller answered questions and got a fair return for his special workhorse.

CUSTOM AUTOSOUND MFG.......................27 D&D CLASSIC AUTO RESTORATION ..........41 THE GREAT RACE .........................................5 THE HAMILTON COLLECTION ....................11 HILL’S CLASSIC CARS ................................69 HYDRO-E-LECTRIC.....................................67 IDIDIT INC ...................................................55 J.C. TAYLOR AUTO INSURANCE .................15 KEYSTONE REGION CHAPTER ...................49 LUCAS CLASSIC TIRES ..............................13 NATIONAL PARTS DEPOT......... BACK COVER

1979 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

1930 FORD MODEL A

ORIGINAL PARTS GROUP ...........................61

Reserve: $62,500 Selling Price: $65,625 Recent Market Range: N/A

Reserve: $15,500 Selling Price: $25,463 Recent Market Range: $14,230-$22,420

PRIMAL FORCE...........................................21

You might look at these numbers and wonder if the world has turned upside down: 65 grand for a ’79 VW? This was, for all intents and purposes, a new-oldstock car with 94 miles on its odometer.

Coming out of climate-controlled storage, the Bug was said to exhibit no rust or damage to any surfaces, outside or in. A bit of corrosion was noted on the exhaust system, but the undercarriage, paint, vinyl upholstery, carpeting, and soft-top were promised to be of museum quality. The car ran well and was driven on video at low speeds in consideration of its 42-year-old tires. It’s hard to make a value judgment on what’s essentially a unicorn, so we’ll have to say it worked well for all parties.

The most popular Model A body style for families in the early 1930s was the practical Tudor, whose lack of rear doors kept kids safely ensconced. This Briggsbodied Tudor enjoyed a recently completed frame-up restoration to a high standard that included a fully rebuilt driveline with upgrades for improved usability. The paint was called “excellent,” a second taillamp had been fitted for turn signal use, and the interior was reupholstered in correct style.

The tires were of indeterminate age, but half the tread remained. Specialty tools and additional parts were included with the sale, as were receipts and restoration documentation. This prim Ford’s populist appeal helped it soar past top market range.

ROBERTS MOTOR PARTS...........................41

RAFFINATO .................................................17

ROCKAUTO, LLC .........................................33 RPM FOUNDATION ....... INSIDE BACK COVER SMS AUTO FABRICS...................................55 STAUER.........................................................9 STEELE RUBBER PRODUCTS .....................29 SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT .....................7 UNIVERSAL VINTAGE TIRE ...........................4 VINTAGE WIRES..........................................41 WALDRON’S EXHAUST...............................29

Hemmings.com I MAY 2022 HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR

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jimrichardson But it was so cool…

S …when I was

a lad back

in the Upper

Cretaceous

period,

lowering

your car was

considered

the thing

to do.

72

ince the first American horseless carriage rolled out of its shop in 1893, we have been tinkering with and tweaking our vehicles with mixed results. For example, when I was a lad back in the Upper Cretaceous period, lowering your car was considered the thing to do. All you needed was a propane torch.

We justified this procedure by saying that “We were lowering the car’s center of gravity so it would handle better.” Of course, the opposite actually happened, but the car looked cool.

By lowering our cars, we simultaneously messed up the car’s ride, ground clearance, and steering geometry, not to mention stressing the driveline because the universal joints then had to work at angles for which they were not designed. Our kind of do-it-yourself lowering also shortened the travel of the shock absorbers, so the car bottomed out easily, too.

More recently, a young fellow down the street from me radiused the fenders and put huge tires on his VW Beetle, perhaps with visions of building a desert dune buggy. This modification lasted about six months before one of the axle bearings gave out and a wheel came off on the freeway. That happened because cars are designed to carry weight directly over the bearings, so as not to put excessive side loads on them. The same thing can happen if you install offset wheels and fatter tires.

These days, some guys go for expensive 26-inch-diameter alloy wheels, and rubber bands for tires. How they steer without rubbing the tires against the fenders eludes me. What they don’t realize is that huge wheels can mess up their car’s handling, speedometer reading, steering geometry, and gearing as much or more as the earlier DIY mods.

And then there are lowriders who install tiny wheels to drop the ride height of their 1964 Impalas, but doing so makes the rear-end ratio numerically higher, so the engine has to rev more, plus it messes up the speedometer reading. In truth, little wheels can be downright dangerous, because the load-carrying capacity of those tiny tires is less than adequate.

Another egregious modification that is all too common with backyard DIY tuners is installing a bigger carburetor on an otherwise stock engine. I’m quite familiar with one instance where a guy installed a 650-cfm four-barrel carb on a freshly built Chevy 283

HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR MAY 2022 I Hemmings.com

small-block, thinking it would give him more power. Big mistake.

That engine was designed to use a 450-cfm carburetor, and unless you make it breathe better, the big carb will just make your throttle response mushy in the midrange and will do nothing for the top end. The only way more carburetion helps is if you do things like going with a hotter cam, porting the heads and port matching the manifolds, and then topping that off with a tuned exhaust. That’s because the components of an engine are designed to work together.

Fooling with an engine, if you don’t know what you’re doing, can have unfortunate results, and end up with your engine not running at all.

I learned this a long time ago in in my teens.

Get a shop manual and get to know your engine before you try to make it better. The engineers who designed it knew what they were doing, and took a lot of time to make it as versatile and dependable as possible. Making it better will take real insight. And breaking down beside the road is definitely not cool.

The styling and color scheme of your classic was the result of a lot of thought on the part of professional designers, who carefully considered the shapes, highlights, and overall lines to make it so sensuous. The colors they used conveyed much about the car, too. The same goes for interiors: It is the rare neophyte who can top trained and experienced stylists. That’s why almost nothing looks better than original.

I impart all of this as an act of repentance for my own ill-conceived adolescent innovations that were just short of vandalism. To repay my debt to society, I have spent my later years trying to make up for those mistakes by restoring cars to their former glory. I’m not saying that you should never modify an original car in any way; but I am saying that we should give the respect that its designers are due. After all, they went to so much effort to make your classic what it once was.

Hot rods are fast, brash, and exciting, but they are also noisy, uncomfortable, and sometimes poorly engineered. They don’t compare with driving a freshly restored 1940 Packard 180, a showroom-new 1956 Continental, or an impeccable 1964 Buick Wildcat. We have forgotten how good those cars were when they were new. And they were truly beautiful, comfortable, and sumptuous. And they are still so cool.

WE ARE RPM.

DRIVE THE FUTURE WITH US

www.rpm.foundation l 855-537-4579 A Public Service of Hemmings Classic Car