The ’93 Miata at the 2014 Lime Rock Vintage Fall Festival
August of 2016, three months from the time of this writing, will mark 20 years that I’ve owned my black Mazda Miata. Aside from its incredible driving characteristics, it has been a typical Japanese-car ownership experience, which is to say, the vehicle has needed almost no repairs during the 65,000 miles I’ve put on it.
Of course any car needs maintenance and consumables, so tires, brakes and batteries have been changed out. The engine oil is replaced once or twice a year regardless of mileage. The typical tune-up items such as plugs, wires, and filters are changed regularly. Light bulbs? One headlight bulb went out a few years ago. The convertible top was replaced around 2002.
The upholstery, stereo, exhaust, clutch, shocks, springs, and U-joints are all the pieces which the factory installed in 1993. The R-12 A/C still blows cold, but did need one top-up (I still have 12 oz. cans of Freon). The one repair which almost put the car off the road was a leaky clutch slave cylinder. It’s a common Miata failure, and the new one took about 30 minutes to install.
However: last summer, I began to notice a slight film at the base of the inside of the windshield. At first, I chalked it up to a typical dirty window. Then I noticed that using the heater made the film cover a greater area of the glass. I swiped a finger through it, and it had an oily feel. Uh-oh, said I; could this be the dreaded heater core? Each time I thoroughly cleaned the inside of the windshield, the film came back. Even with the heat completely off, it appeared. At 98,000 miles and 23 years, I knew it was time.
Heater core replacement on ANY car is not easy. My 1968 Mustang (with factory air) got its core replaced by me, and it involved disassembling most of the dash and center console. During my brief time professionally wrenching on Volvos, I did my share of heater cores on 240s. (The Volvo 240 heater core is infamous: Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, had a running joke on their show, in which they said that Volvo would assemble a 240 by taking a heater core, putting it on the assembly line, and building up the rest of the car around it.)
The entire air filter box must be removed to gain access to the lower rear hose (at right)
Besides a new core, it seemed to be a good idea to also replace all the original coolant hoses. The hoses are available as a kit from Moss Motors, so with said kit in hand, I drained the system and began with the engine compartment hoses. They were all hard as rocks, and most needed to be cut off their metal pipes.
From L to R: lower radiator hose, intermediate pipe, lower rear hose
The Miata lower radiator hose does not connect to the front of the engine. Rather, it passes through a metal intermediate pipe, then another rubber hose, connecting to the engine at the rear. This pipe looked terrible, so I removed it to give it a closer look. The corrosion on it was superficial, but in the interest of longevity, it is getting cleaned and painted.
This pipe barely looks reusable
But it cleaned up with a Scotch-Brite wheel in a drill
First coat of Bill Hirsch aluminum paint
Had this from a previous project; my experience with Hirsch products has been excellent
The main hoses are off; there are 5 smaller hoses which also need replacing, and these clamps look like some knuckles will bleed. More to follow.
After a relatively mild winter, the spring of 2016 has been taking its sweet time arriving in the Northeast. Any fears of summer heat waves in early May have been unfounded, with daily temperatures often running 10 degrees below normal. Our little driving club tried to get an early start on the season by planning a mid-April event, which had to be cancelled due to the threat of snow! Our scheduled drive on Sunday May 15 did successfully occur, in spite of cool weather and surprise showers.
Hey guys, do you want to eat, or would you rather stand around and shoot the breeze?
Checking back on last year’s blog entries, we never had more 15 participants on any one run (excepting Spousal Accompaniment Day). Today, we broke that record with 17 gentlemen occupying 12 cars. Obviously, we had 5 passengers, several of whom were joining us for the first time. Our destination was a crowd favorite, the Silver Spoon Café in Cold Spring NY.
We pull over to give those in back a chance to catch up
The cars: we usually count up the Chevys, and then all the rest. Today, the Europeans won the day with a total of 7 cars: 3 Germans, 2 Brits, and 2 Italians. We had 4 U.S. brand cars, and one Japanese. There were old(ish) and new(ish) vehicles in all the subcategories with multiple vehicles.
The Mother Country was beautifully represented Rich S’s black MGB and Rich L’s white Jaguar F-Type.
The MGB of Rich S
The F-Type Jag of Rich L
The 2 Italians cars were both Alfas: EC was the proud papa bringing his ’91 spider out with us for the first time, while your humble scribe brought his trusty, un-rusty ’67 GT Junior.
Enzo’s 1991 Alfa Spider
The author’s ’67 Alfa GT Junior
German marques ruled the roads today with 3 cars: Peter’s stunning red 911, Sal’s BMW 325is, and John M’s new Audi A3 cabrio.
Peter’s Porsche 911
John’s Audi A3
Sal’s BMW 325is
Among domestic product, it was all Chevrolet, including 3 Corvettes: Bill’s C1, Ron’s C4, and George’s C6. Larry ran his reliable Camaro.
Bill’s C1
Ron’s C4
George’s C6
Larry’s ’94 Camaro
The sole Asian car was Jim N’s Datsun 280Z.
Jim’s Datsun 280Z
We departed the Sheraton Crossroads parking lot (almost) right on time and headed north. As soon as we did, the skies darkened, and the clouds threatened. In spite of the weather, several drivers motored with convertible tops down. After a beautiful ride along Seven Lakes Drive and over the Bear Mountain Bridge, we were at our destination with 10 minutes to spare. The staff at the Silver Spoon had a table for 17 waiting. Coffee was almost immediately served, with hot breakfast plates soon following. As always, the camaraderie around the table made it difficult to leave.
The obligatory wave before breakfast
When we finally wrenched ourselves away from the food and endless caffeine, we stepped outside to some slight sprinkles. Those who had left their tops down scurried back to their cars. Several of us continued to linger and chat, not wanting the festivities to end. But end they eventually did. We’ve assured the group that we’ll do our best to get out at least once a month this driving season.
The Silver Spoon Cafe, on Main St. in Cold Spring NY, survived our visit
In the summer of 1977, I had just graduated college; I had sold my Chevy Vega to my brother Karl and was without my own car; and I had decided to postpone the post-grad job hunt, knowing full well that this could be the last time for a very long time that I’d have a few months of freedom.
My friend Mike who was in graduate school also was free for the summer. He had recently purchased a 1971 Volvo 144 (his first choice, a Volvo 164, was a bit out of his financial reach), and together we hatched a plan to drive the Volvo to California and back, visiting friends and relatives along the way. Sometime in late July, we departed my parents’ house on Staten Island and pointed the car west.
On the hood of his new (to him) 1971 Volvo 144
Growing up as an East Coast car enthusiast, I had tolerated the inevitable corrosion that beset our automobiles, brought on by winter’s road salt. California had always been a dream, not just for its beautiful weather, but for its supposed rust-free cars. At the age of 23, I was finally about to see the Golden State for the first time. Heck, this trip would be the first time that I would be traveling further west than Youngstown, Ohio.
The photographs I took during the 3-week long journey included some interesting finds in the Midwest, as well as plenty of neat cars in California, even by 1977 standards. My camera at that time was a cheap Kodak Instamatic, so please forgive the quality of these pictures.
To put some historical perspective on this trip:
A week before our trip began, on July 13, 1977, all of New York City was hit by a 2-day power outage.
During that summer, the city was gripped by the horrific Son of Sam killings. When we departed, he was still at large. As we traversed the country in our NY-plated car, more than one person asked if either of us was Son of Sam (macabre humor). On August 10, 1977, David Berkowitz was captured, and we both were relieved to hear this news on the Volvo’s AM radio.
Less than a week later, on August 16, while we were in Lexington KY, the news broke that Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, had passed away.
Three days later, on August 19, Groucho Marx died, and the country was so riveted by Elvis’ passing that the loss of Groucho barely made a dent in the news.
In Ohio, we stopped to visit Marianne, one of Mike’s college friends. I snapped this photo as we parted company, as she strolled toward her Volkswagen Fastback.
Marianne and her VW Fastback
We visited another college friend at her mother’s home in Stillwater, Minnesota. Imagine my surprise to discover that her mom drove a BMW 2002, and her brother’s daily driver was an Audi Fox, with an MGB-GT project car in the garage. All 3 cars had manual transmissions. The bro’ let me drive the Fox, which had a direct influence on the new-car purchase I would be making in about two months.
European cars in Stillwater MN
BMW 2002, Audi Fox, and MGB-GT (in garage) along with our 144
Colorado was a revelation. While I have returned multiple times, this first visit stands out because we young men had no idea why, as our sturdy Swedish machinery climbed the Rocky Mountains, we lost power. It got to the point that the car would barely do 40 mph uphill. Those funny-looking SU carbs under the hood were a complete mystery to us. The Volvo’s automatic transmission wasn’t helping with the search for more speed.
Self-serve fill-up, Colorado style. Note the whitewall tires and missing hub caps.
When we arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Mike’s grandparents lived, he decided that he had enough driving for a while. Reaching California was my dream, not his. Content with spaghetti, beer, and A/C (which the Volvo lacked), my buddy handed me his car keys and said, “if you’d like to continue, you’re on your own. Just pick me up on your way back.”
I took the car and left. The one-way trip to L.A. was 800 miles and about 12 hours of driving. Making the trip in one day, the only “difficult” part of the journey was the Mohave Desert. I bought a huge iced tea in Needles CA, crossed the 110-degree desert with all the windows open, and stopped to refuel in Barstow CA, where this photo was taken:
Barstow CA, 1977: A newish Caddy has its hood open, while a ’65 Caddy manages to look cool.
At last, San Bernadino, and the Pacific ocean. Finding a beach, I parked so that I could at least put my feet in water 3,000 miles from where I usually swam. This parking lot photo mainly features newer cars, but back home, Karmann-Ghias had already become rare sights.
A VW Karmann-Ghia sits between a Porsche 911 Targa and a Chrysler Cordoba.
Searching for Los Angeles, I was confused by the sprawl. There were no clear city boundaries. But I did find Sunset Blvd., and as I was about to turn onto it, two ’60s era Chevrolets were in front of me. This photo was taken while driving, mainly for my brother Karl who was in the midst of trying to resurrect a 1964 Impala back home. Karl’s car looked nothing like this one!
The street sign says Sunset! A Nova SS followed by a ’64 Impala.
Heading back to NM, a summer storm may or may not have been a contributing factor to this massive traffic tie-up. We were stopped long enough that most folks turned off their cars and wandered around on the highway.
A 1972 Ford sits behind a 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix
Except for the power loss in the Rockies (which could have been cured had we known to lean out the carbs), the Volvo performed quite well. Its seats were incredibly comfortable and supportive for what was probably 7,000 miles of driving over 3 weeks. The gas mileage was decent. A stick shift and an FM radio would have been my preferences, but it wasn’t my car. It was my first real experience with the brand, and the irony of driving a Volvo on this trip was not lost on me when 13 months later, I entered the car business by going to work for a Volvo dealership.
The New Jersey Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America (NJ AACA) held its annual car show at the Mennen Arena in Morristown NJ on Sunday, May 1, 2016. Compared to previous events, this year’s affair was unique in several ways: this was the first time that this location was utilized, as the venue which had been used for the previous 40+ years in Florham Park NJ was unavailable; and the turnout this year was the smallest your author has ever observed.
Yes, this was the NJ Region’s 65th show
The reason why 30 vehicles instead of the expected 200+ vehicles were in attendance had nothing to do with the location, and everything to do with the weather. The NJ AACA maintains a strict “rain or shine” show policy, but a steady series of showers combined with temperatures parked in the mid-40s kept entrants and spectators away in droves.
This ’30 Model A was one of the very few pre-war cars out to brave the elements
Nevertheless, vehicles did arrive, even if for the most part they were owned by club members. An advantage for those whose cars were to be judged is that no class had more than 4 vehicles in it (some had 2), and with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes to be awarded, your chance of winning went up exponentially.
A trio of immediate post-war iron: 2 Mercurys and a Hudson
Below is a sample of the fine machinery, both domestic and imported, which graced the show field. A trend which has been noticed on the National level was also found at this event: as AACA’s “25-year” rule continues in effect, the inclusion of unrestored and/or original-owner cars is growing, reinforced by vehicles which were considered collectible when new and were salted away (think Eldorado, Fiero, Beetle convertible, and anything first-year, last-year, or commemorative edition).
General Motors
An immaculate 1946 Chevy pickup
A rarely-seen 1957 Chevy 150; note different side trim
This Fiero was displayed in unrestored condition by its original owner
This Eldorado in its period green had matching dash & steering wheel
Bill Mitchell’s last hurrah: a bustle-back Cadillac Seville
FoMoCo
A 1938 Ford convertible sedan, a soon-to-be-extinct bodystyle
Eighteen years later you could get this 2-tone ’56
The 1957 T-Bird was the last of the two-seaters
Twelve years later, muscle cars like this ’69 Mach I were the rage
This first-year ’67 Cougar was original except for one quarter panel repaint
By the late 1980s, the Cougar nameplate was on a larger platform shared with the T-Bird
Jeep
This immaculate Jeepster was driven to and from the show
Italian
An Alfa Romeo Montreal coupe
The Montreal has a V8 engine, and was never officially imported into the U.S.
A 1958 Lancia Appia sedan
The Lancia narrow-angle V4 engine
This unrestored car has no B-pillar and rear-hinged back doors
Spring Carlisle 2016, featuring an automotive flea market and car corral, was held at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds from April 20th through 24th, 2016. In recent years, parent company Carlisle Events has also hosted a collector-car auction during the same week. This year, the auction was run on Thursday and Friday the 21st and 22nd at the Carlisle Expo Center, one block from the fairgrounds.
The Carlisle Expo Center is across the street from the famous fairgrounds
About 350 cars and trucks were driven, pushed, and dragged across the block. This is said with some facetiousness, as overall, the quality of the consignments was quite good. The few rats were obvious, and a cursory inspection of any of the vehicles revealed their true nature.
Overall highlights included the aforementioned strong condition of most of the entries, sufficient seating for bidders and spectators, a well-ventilated and well-lit indoor auction area, and plenty of available food and drink (including the hard stuff, which helps to lubricate your bidding arm).
On the downside, the Carlisle crew was lax in getting run sheets for Thursday printed when promised. During a phone call made earlier in the week, a staffer stated that run sheets would be ready at 8 a.m. Thursday morning. However, upon my arrival at 9, they were not out yet. Repeated trips to the windows were met with promises that they would have them “within the hour”. They finally made it out at 12:40 p.m, a little more than one hour before the auction’s start. At least Friday’s run sheets were out at 10 a.m.
Carlisle Events also seems to allow consignments to be added on the day of the auction; making matters worse, these vehicles in some cases do not show up on the grounds until hours before they are scheduled to cross the block. Prospective bidders have little chance to inspect the goods, and sellers are simply hurting themselves.
The auction business is still new to the folks who work for Carlisle Events, and while everyone seems to be trying very hard, the production has an amateurish, mom-and-pop feel to it. However, the crowds were there, cars changed hands, and as long as they keep trying, they should get better at this.
Following is a sample of the vehicles which crossed the block. CPI (Cars of Particular Interest) values are from the March-April 2016 price guide, value range is good-to-excellent, with amounts rounded to the nearest thousand. Reserve is shown on no-sale cars if the block announced it.
F464 1991 Chevy Corvette coupe, VIN 1G1YY2386M5104468, white, smoke glass top, 5.7L V8, automatic, 24,000 original miles, just serviced. Corvette alloy wheels are unmarked. Nose shows no paint chips or scrapes. Door seals in good shape. Interior is blue/gray, automatic, with slight carpet wear. Interior supports mileage claim. Paint looks original, all looks presentable. Glass OK. This car was very late in crossing the block, but bidder interest was high, possibly because of the low miles. Car was still sold within the CPI “good” range, so we’ll call this one well-bought.
CONDITION: 2-
HIGH BID: $9,200 SOLD!
CPI: $9,000-15,000
1991 Corvette
Clean interior, auto trans
Corvette directional alloys
T106 1993 Chevy Corvette coupe, VIN 1G1YY23P2P5107900, LT1 350, 6-speed manual, mileage is 91000, red, smoke top, red interior, paint looks original, nose is unchipped, Corvette alloys are clean, one touch-up on driver’s door edge, typical wear to C4 window seals, red on red is garish, but driver’s seat shows little wear. If you like red, this was your car. This did not look like a car with 90k on it, and there was little to fault. There were at least 6 C4s among about 30 Corvettes at this auction, and in retrospect, this appears to be one of the best deals of the week.
CONDITION: 2-
HIGH BID: $7,600, SOLD!
CPI: $10,000-16,000
1993 Corvette
Rear as clean as front
red-on-red helped by 6-speed
F479 1993 Chevy Corvette coupe, 5.7 V8, 40th anniversary edition, 6-speed manual, mileage unknown. Teal color is very ‘90s, black leather interior gives dark ambience. Corvette alloys, some chips in nose. 40th anniversary emblems in front fenders. Drivers door window rubber worn out. Driver’s seat bolster worn. Body color roof panel. This was the last car to cross the auction block, at 9:30 Friday night. The crowd had dwindled to less than half of it peak. They were close, but couldn’t get it done.
CONDITION: 3-
HIGH BID: $6,700, NOT SOLD
RESERVE: $7,500
CPI: $6,000-15,000
1993 40th anniversary ‘vette
from the rear
black interior is drab & dark
T138 1965 Dodge Monaco, VIN D456138536, 2-door hardtop, 66,000 original miles, 383 4-barrel, automatic, dark burgundy, white vinyl top, burgundy interior. Dent in front of hood is heartbreaking, given how clean and straight remainder of car is. Tires appear one size too small. Car is stunning in person for its originality. Interior is a knockout – center console, buckets, gauges, cane inserts on door panels and seat backs. Glass good, doors shut OK. This was a highlight of the auction, both for its rarity and its originality. Alas, if bidders want a Mopar, they want a hemi, and the reserve was not met.
CONDITION: 2+
HIGH BID: $8,700, NOT SOLD
RESERVE: unknown
CPI: $7,000-17,000
1965 Dodge Monaco
claimed to be 100% original
Interior is outstanding in design & condition
Center console detail
Woven cane on seat backs
as well as door panels
F330 1977 Fiat 124 spider, 124CS10120860, blue metallic, black top, black vinyl interior, Fiat alloy wheels. No visible rust, paint looks OK if a bit thick in places, not sure that this shade of blue is a factory Fiat color. Interior decent at first glance; however, steering wheel cracked. Gauges and seats show no obvious problems. With a new Fiat 124 spider due to hit dealerships in the fall, some have speculated that the old Fiats will start to move up the price ladder. The audience here did not agree.
CONDITION: 3
HIGH BID: $4,250, NOT SOLD
RESERVE: $7,000
CPI: $6,000-15,000
1977 Fiat 124 spider
Luggage rack on trunk
Interior OK despite cracked wheel
F355 1965 Ford Mustang convertible, dark blue, white top, blue interior. VIN 5F08C776691. 289 V8, 3-speed manual, mileage reads 82,548, claimed to be original miles. Ford styled steel wheels, clean underhood, chrome valve covers and open air cleaner. No Power steering, brakes, or AC. Paint defects in LF fender and door, checked and cracked, possibly older paint job that is letting go. Vinyl top OK but dirty. Wood wheel, center console. Interior presentable overall. JVC cassette unit in dash. Plastic rear window OK. Chrome is so-so, with some pitting. Just a driver, but a V8 drop-top driver. Car has many needs, but only if you’re trying to collect trophies. If you’re looking for cruise night fun, this was a great entry into the hobby, and with a first-gen Mustang V8 convertible to boot.
CONDITION: 3-
HIGH BID: $17,500 SOLD!
CPI: $20,000-42,000
1965 Ford Mustang
Convertible looks good
Some paint defects
3-speed manual, center console
F409 1976 Mercedes Benz 450SL, silver, red interior, hardtop, no sign of soft top. Six-digit odometer reads 043998. Very nice shape outside, looks all original and well kept. Blackwalls on MB alloys. Paint looks good. Red interior striking, very little wear which supports mileage claim. Door panels OK. FMVSS label confirms US spec car, mfd. 9/76. Doors shut like bank vaults. Overall very clean and striking looking car. With a half-dozen of these 107-model SLs here, this one stood out. The result was some of the more spirited bidding of the auction.
CONDITION: 2+
HIGH BID: $17,750, SOLD!
CPI: $10,000-21,000
1976 MB 450 SL
Claimed 43k miles and looks it
Interior looks almost new
T117 1980 Mercedes Benz 450 SL, VIN 10704412065489, mileage is 129,734. New tires, soft top included, hard top in place. Gold with dark brown interior. Aftermarket lights in front plate look tacky, front fog lights, blackwalls on MB alloys, car is dirty overall. Interior: both seats show leather which is cracked and dried, carpet faded from brown to green. Buyers will step up for high mileage cars which are clean; they will shy away from high mileage cars which are not. There are too many SLs on the market at any time to make this one worth more than what was bid.
CONDITION: 4+
HIGH BID: $5,000, NOT SOLD
RESERVE: unknown
CPI: $12,000-24,000
1980 MB 450 SL
Exterior needs a good detail
Upholstery may be deal-breaker
T198 1988 Nissan 300ZX turbo, VIN JN1CZ14S0JX203504, white, grey and black interior. Six-digit odometer reads 098558. Shiro special edition , 5-speed manual, Recaro seats. Pearl white paint with matching wheels scream ‘80s disco. Minor wear on driver’s seat bolster. Interior looks OK, has T-tops. Black rear spoiler faded to light grey. These Shiro cars, of which a little over a thousand were made, play to a very narrow audience. CPI does not call out a separate price for the Shiro package. Car was seen the next day across the street in the Car Corral, with an ask of $12,900, but on the block, it was said that “10” would get it done. Caveat Emptor.
CONDITION: 3+
HIGH BID: $8,000, NOT SOLD
RESERVE: $10,000
CPI: $5,000-10,000
1988 Nissan 300ZX Turbo
Shiro model includes matching wheels
Recaro seats are nice touch
T118 1986 Pontiac Trans Am, VIN 1G2FW87F4FN228262, 5.0 V8 fuel injected, rare Recaro seats, T-tops, white, gold trim, black/tan/grey interior. Odometer reads 35,263, claimed to be original. Paint OK, could use buff out, nose unmarked. Screaming chicken reduced to Cornish hen on hood, B-pillars, and rear valence. Interior condition does support miles, as seats show no wear at all. No signs of wear on wheel, shifter, pedals. A decent looking Trans-Am, and the low miles and Recaro seats make it worth a little more than what was bid.
CONDITION: 2-
HIGH BID: $9,500, NOT SOLD
RESERVE: unknown
CPI: $6,000-13,000
1985 Pontiac Trans Am
Trans Am styling was toned down
Interior supports low mileage claim
F332 1984 Porsche 944 WP0AA0944EN465320, red, tan interior, 2.5L inline 4, 5 speed, sport seats, sunroof, black and silver Porsche alloys. Odometer reads 61,778, might be on first go-round. Paint looks thick in places, but repaint shows well, with no overspray. Body color side rub strips, some small touch ups. Wheels are slightly marked up. Interior not torn, but dirty, leather dry. Aftermarket Blaupunkt sound system. Porsche floor mats. There are a million (OK, a few less) 924-944 cars for sale at any time, with conditions running the gamut. This car was straight-looking, and if the mileage is accurate, represented a very good buy at the sale price.
CONDITION: 2-
HIGH BID: $4,200, SOLD!
CPI: $7,000-14,000
1984 Porsche 944
Exterior is good overall
Interior shows some wear
T160 1969 VW Karmann Ghia coupe, 4-speed, odometer reads 63,989, VIN 149863189, dark red, sign says “one repaint on rust free car”, black interior. Rear side reflectors, no front reflectors. Wide white wall tires look out of place on late ‘60s car. Nose unbent. Black wipers look out of place, all outside stainless trim is good. Paint looks fresh. Interior smells musty, cracked dash fixed with tape, seat upholstery OK. Carpet shot. FMVSS label confirms US spec car. Overall, car appears original except for repaint. Chrome on bumpers very thin, starting to peel and pit. These sporty VWs used to be all over; the tin worm ate most of the northeast ones, so there was plenty of interest in this honest-looking example, which sold at a number fair to buyer and seller.
CONDITION: 3
HIGH BID: $10,750 SOLD!
CPI: $8,000-19,000
1969 VW Karmann Ghia
Back end shows side markers
Interior worn but all there
QUICKIES:
T147, 1940 Ford Coupe: This Ford looked completely stock on the outside, but had an early ‘50s Cadillac V8 under the hood. It was a no-sale at a high bid of $32,500.
T175, 1977 Pontiac Firebird “Skybird”: a rare factory option package, the blue-on-blue is not for everyone, but it is different. Sold at $9,750.
T183, 1962 Buick Invicta convertible: striking in off-white with a two-tone tan and beige interior, this was one of the few auctions cars almost worthy of a #1 condition rating. Sold for $25,500. Have the only one at the next Cars & Coffee.
F312, 1966 Ford Mustang convertible: a late entry, this car’s two-tone pony interior was striking, but possibly was the only good thing about it. Quickie repaint in blah beige, filthy underhood, it was bid to $17,500 and not sold. Owner should have cut it loose (see lot F355 above).
F314, 1989 Porsche 944: With 81,000 miles, an automatic, and rock-hard leather seats, it is amazing that this car sold for $6,100, or almost $2,000 more than lot F332.
F319, 1974 MGB: Cosmetically, this car was almost perfect. However, we observed the Carlisle staff struggle to get it running on Thursday. Friday morning, we struck up a conversation with the owner while he “tuned it up”. He told us he had just bought it (to flip it), but the spark plugs were hand-tight, and the distributor hold-down was completely loose, so at idle, the engine vibration constantly changed the timing. It did drive OK across the block, where it sold for $13,100.
F434, 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud: My photo does not do justice to the poor paint on this automobile. A literal barn find, one observer was overhead to mutter “the most expensive car in the world is a cheap Rolls Royce”. Bidding shocked me when it sailed past $5,000 to end at $8,900.
F469, 1994 Jaguar XJS V12 convertible: The colors were right, as it’s hard to argue with BRG and saddle, but this car gave off a vibe of neglect. If you’re not afraid of the big 12, perhaps you could do worse than the successful bidder who took this home for $8,500.
The 2016 edition of the New York International Auto Show was held in the Jacob Javits Center on Manhattan’s west side, where it has been since 1987. As has been the custom, the show is run during Easter week, to give those who might be free for spring break a chance to see the show. Your author attended on Sunday, April 3, 2016, the final day the show was open to the public.
This was a car show, not an airplane show (but that’s an impressive wing)
If you’re expecting coverage of all the world- and North American premieres, look online. If you’re hoping to read about the new luxo-barge SUVs which were at the show (Maserati Levante, Bentley Bentayga, and Jaguar F-Pace), read the Robb Report. The only rhyme or reason to the vehicles I’ve written about below is that something attracted me to them. In some cases, I own or have owned similar cars. As an enthusiast, I tend to want to write about vehicles I’d like to drive. I also found myself drawn to vehicles which looked so much better in person compared to the photos I had seen (Alfa, Fiat, Buick, Ford, Volvo).
This was a car show, not a music show (but it was a clever way to display color choices)
Whether or not you were able to attend this year’s show, here’s hoping that you enjoy the report. As always, comments are welcome!
FIAT
The star on the Fiat stand was the new 124 Spider, due to go on sale later this year. Most know that the 124 shares its platform and interior with the new, 4th generation Mazda MX-5 Miata. The Fiat has unique sheetmetal, and uses an FCA 1.4L turbo engine. There were only two on display: an “Azzurro” first edition car, and a red/black Abarth. The Spider looks much better in person, and seeing it up close brought home the realization that it looks nothing like its Mazda sibling, other than the fact that they are both 2-door convertibles.
The Fiat 124 Spider in Azzurro blue
Interior, but for Fiat emblem, is identical to the MX-5
Trunk badge looks no better here, detracts from otherwise sharp looks
TRANS-AM
Someone has cleverly taken the current Chevrolet Camaro and tacked on Pontiac front and rear fascia, creating a new “Trans-Am”. Wait a minute – isn’t this what GM did in ’67? Based on the large number of young men with cellphone cameras swarming all other these things, this concept may prove to be a success.
The Screaming Chicken lives
Trans-Am Bandit edition also available
FORD GT
Perhaps it’s the color, as the first photos I saw of the new Ford GT were of a blue car, a color which has never appealed to me as an automotive shade. The NY car was in screaming chrome yellow; high impact is an understatement. As the cliché goes, if you need to ask the price, then you can’t afford it. Cost doesn’t matter – if you must have one and have the bucks, then there is nothing else on the road like it. No current Ferrari, Lambo, Bentley, etc., makes the visual statement that the new GT does.
Overheard: “I don’t like yellow, but I could look at this all day”
Stripes just like the GTs before it
Exhausts mirror tail lamp shape
Must look that much better in motion
VW BUDD-e
This microbus of the future is what, Volkswagen’s 4th concept along these lines? The Budd-e (how do you pronounce it, “buddy”?) is an all-electric concept that looks quite cool in person. No details were captured regarding its powertrain. You weren’t expecting a diesel, were you?
Front end looks like it could meet crash standards, unlike earlier concepts
Lots of room, helped by electric powertrain
BUICK AVISTA
If you told me 20 years ago that Buick would have one of the most significant and gorgeous concepts at the auto show, I might have said, “oh sure, what are you going to tell me next, that they’re going to axe Pontiac?” But the Avista is that stunning. Like a number of cars seen at the show today, photos just don’t do justice to its flowing lines and perfect proportions. It’s a two-door, pillarless hardtop, rear-drive sport-luxury car for the 21st century.
Photos don’t capture the stunning proportions
Side window shapes are work of art
Muscular luxury from this angle
MAZDA MX-5 “RF” CONCEPT
Another vehicle that did not impress in photos, but looks better in person, the “RF” (retractable fastback) is not a true convertible. Once you understand that, the concept makes more sense. The roof panel above the occupants electrically folds up and down, while the flying buttress pillars temporarily raise themselves to allow access for the panel. Once everything stops, those pillars are always in place (I had thought that they retracted). If you’re willing to give up the full convertible treatment for lots of style, then this is for you. If Mazda decides to build it.
Top up
Top in process of being lowered; buttresses lift
Buttress back down, top stowed
VOLVO
My former employer surprised me by having the new S90 sedan at the show. The rear end treatment, polarizing in pictures, looked softer and more integrated in person. Volvo cleverly displayed not one but two 1800 coupes, one white and one blue, high above the ground. And what other automaker would think to display an elk at an auto show?
S90 grille and headlight detail
Tail lamp treatment looks better in person
Lack of side markers mean it’s a pre-68
Side marker lights make this a ’68 or newer
You’d call it a moose; the Swedes call it an elk
ALFA ROMEO
My current crush, if only because a ’67 Alfa GT Junior happily resides in my garage, Alfa is making a long, drawn-out comeback to the U.S. market. There was but one 4C on display, next to a former race car (Tipo 33? I saw no info about it).
Alfa 4C convertible
Old and new, side by side
Alfa Tipo 33?
The “stars” on the Alfa stand were the Giulia sedans, with absolutely no information about the cars out for show-goers to gather. (The one handout was a list of dealers in the metro NY/NJ area. I saw numerous attendees pick it up, glance at it, and put it back down. Sergio, are you listening?) I asked one woman working the display about timing and pricing, and she curtly answered: “later this year, $40 thousand range”. Gee, thanks.
The new Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan
In the metal, the Giulia 4-door has a more purposeful, athletic look. The car is “tight”, with short overhangs, and looks smaller in person (in a good way) than in photos. Seen up close, it does not resemble a BMW sedan, which was the initial reaction.
The back end of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan
To Alfa’s credit, there was a plethora of historical information there, from a racing timeline, to displays of components from cars of the 1950s and ‘60s. The question is whether all this talk about the past will cause people to open their wallets in the showroom.
Historical timeline
Grilles and hub caps
Instrument panel gauges
ACURA NSX
If the Ford GT hadn’t been there, the new Acura might be the supercar of the show. But compared to its Dearborn rival, the 2nd generation NSX was, well, just OK. Perhaps it’s the front end, which doesn’t look that different than most other new Acuras….
Yes, it’s an Acura
How can this compete with the Ford GT?
ODDS AND ENDS
There was a small display of cars from a classic car museum. Was there a better-looking pre-war front end than the one on a 1940 Ford?
1940 Ford
Everyone wants a distinctive front end. A grille that stands out is one way to do it. Used to be, the grille also had to be good-looking. Seems like now it only needs to be “unique”. (I cannot bring myself to photograph the grilles on any current Lexus models.)
What we’ve been getting used to (from Audi)
This M-B grille reminds me of a ’58 Buick (not a compliment)
The NY Police Department had a large historical display of police cars, stretching back to a 1958 Ford. It was well done, and interest in “professional cars” as part of the old car hobby continues to grow.
What you did not want to see in your rear view mirror in 1966
GOOD HUMOR
Just plain fun – a collector vehicle AND a part-time job!
In March of 1983, my girlfriend and I took a one-week vacation trip to visit her sister and brother-in-law in Germany. The BIL was in the armed services for the U.S., and was stationed in Frankfurt. They had a government-assigned apartment and a room to put us up while we toured the German countryside, happily eating and drinking our way through the week. Somehow, I managed to convince my girlfriend that we should use our rental car to make a slight detour to the small town of Mulhouse, France, a short trip across the border. There in Mulhouse was the French National Automobile Museum, also known as the Schlumpf Collection.
Portrait of the car enthusiast as a young man
I knew of the Schlumpf brothers and their Bugatti automobiles from numerous articles in the automotive press (especially those in Road & Track) published throughout the 1970s. For those unfamiliar with the long involved history of Ettore Bugatti, his racing and road cars, Hans and Fritz Schlumpf, their Bugatti obsession, and the brothers’ eventual downfall, further reading is recommended, as it is beyond the scope of this blog entry to cover these stories.
The Parisian street lamp motif is especially noticeable here
Back to our visit: we showed up on a weekday morning, and the museum was sparsely attended, although there were several busloads of French students milling about. The sheer number of cars was overwhelming, and the fact that the majority of them were Bugattis in a matching shade of French blue was even more overwhelming. Try as I might to capture them with my film camera, I only shot about two dozen pictures, which leads me to conclude that I had but one 24-exposure roll with me. As I had not documented specific model information for the vehicles I photographed, the museum’s website plus Google were used to research those details. The photo captions provide the year, make and model for all but a few of the cars below.
THE BUGATTIS
1929 Bugatti Royale Coupe Type 41 (photos cannot convey the enormity of this thing)
Bugatti Royale Coupe from rear
1930 Bugatti Type 43
1937 Bugatti 57 Coupe Atalante
1938 Bugatti Coupe Type 57 SC
1939 Bugatti Type 64 prototype
1942 Bugatti Type 68 (micro Bugatti prototype)
1947 Bugatti Type 73
Possibly a Type 57 with alternate coachwork
1957 Bugatti Sport Type 252
A Bugatti of unknown vintage; note the EB on headlight bar
Not all Bugattis are blue
OTHER MAKES
Pre-war cars at the Schlumpf
Red cars (mostly of the Italian racing variety)
Mercedes Benz 300 SLR racer
1953 Gordini 17S
A pair of Ferraris
1951 Alfa Romeo Disco Volante (greatest car name ever: “Disco Volante” means “flying saucer”)
The museum visit was a highlight, perhaps the highlight, of that week in Europe. What an honor to be able to say that I visited this tremendous collection in person. Reading the museum’s website, it is eye-opening to see that it has been changed, enlarged, and enhanced, as you might expect of any museum after so many years. It remains on my bucket list to make a return visit to what is now known as the “City of the Automobile – National Museum – Schlumpf Collection”.
The pushers move a VW Beetle off the block. This one was a no-sale at $4,250.
G. Potter King (GPK) again hosted its winter edition car show in the Atlantic City Convention Center during the last weekend of February. The event features an auction, a car corral, and a swap meet, all of which comfortably fit inside the cavernous hall. One of the main attractions of this show is that it is mostly impervious to the weather, and so gives us hobbyists a chance to relieve our cabin fever.
The swap meet had the usual mix of old and new stuff to tempt us all.
This year, similar to what we observed in 2015, the number of consignments seemed to continue to be on the decrease. The car corral in particular had enough empty space for an additional 20 or 25 cars. The auction side of the building was a bit more occupied, yet still could have held a few more cars.
The car corral again included plenty of dealers showing new and classic iron.
For the third time in the last 5 years, GPK rearranged the auction stage and seating. This time, the flow of cars on and off the block seemed better integrated, and seating for non-bidders (like me) was more readily available. One downside to the new set-up was the lack of airflow. Non-catalyzed vehicles emitting exhaust fumes in an enclosed space eventually gets to you. There needs to be a way to move more fresh air through the grandstands.
The view of the auction block from the grandstand.
Having attended auctions hosted by Mecum, RM, Bonhams, Auctions America, and Carlisle, it’s frustrating to see that GPK still could improve their auction block screen shots. This year, they took a step in the right direction by superimposing the lot number, vehicle year and make, and current bid onto the TV image. But the wording was not always easy to read, and often, the bidding on screen far lagged the real-time bidding. Mr. King, a suggestion: watch Mecum to see how it’s done.
If old cars bore you, gaze upon this row of new C7 Corvettes.
The show was helped by a decent weekend of dry and sunny weather in southern New Jersey. There were 100 or more early birds who were waiting for the doors to open at 9 a.m. Foot traffic was plenty strong, and the bidders area directly in front of the auction stand was almost filled to capacity. Nevertheless, the sell-through rate, or, the percentage of cars actually meeting reserve and moving to new owners, appeared to hover around 50-60%. This is due to some combination of unrealistic reserves, poor quality offerings, or not the right bidders in the room.
Car show food is overpriced and doesn’t taste great. We walked 5 minutes to the AC train station in the same building for great food at Esquire’s.
It says a lot about an auction company which can attract quality consignments, get sellers to agree to reasonable reserves, and then draw hungry bidders into the process. It may look easy from the outside, but it’s not. The Arizona auctions in January indicated some slight softening of the market, which didn’t help here. But we did see some cars change hands. Below are details on a random sampling of cars which caught our interest from both the auction and the car corral. (“CPI” values are from the author’s copy of the Jan.-Feb. 2016 edition of the classic car price guide Cars of Particular Interest.)
Auction cars, coming or going (sellers hope the latter).
AUCTION CARS
Lot #1542, 1995 Jaguar XJS convertible, champagne, brown cloth top, glass rear window, tan interior, 86,900 miles. Car looks very nice from the outside. Some driver’s seat bolster wear, otherwise clean interior. 6 cylinder, automatic, nice alloy wheels, paint looks great except for repainted passenger door (but it’s hardly noticeable). Sign on the dash said “not sold on Friday, but for sale at asking price of $9,500”. Online, the car was reported sold for $8,000. CPI values the car between $10,250 (#3) and $17,425 (#2). We would rate is at 3+ and call it very well bought.
’95 XJS looks good here
… as well as here
Lot #1712, 1986 Corvette coupe, silver/dark grey, red interior, automatic. Mileage is 109,073. Looks just OK on outside, red interior is very worn. Car offered at no reserve, hammer price was $3,400. We rate it a #4 car, and CPI rates a #4 car at $4,475. If it runs, passes state emissions, and doesn’t leak copious amounts of fluid, someone who just wants to have fun may have gotten a very good deal. As one buddy put it, “drive it for 10 years, then throw it away”.
OK from the front
OK from the rear
Interior quite worn
Someone just got a ‘Vette for $3,400
Lot #1782, 1974 Jaguar E-type convertible, Series III with V12 engine, manual transmission, A/C, dark red with biscuit top and interior. Last year for the E-type. Owner claims 16,000 original miles, and also claims it was thoroughly restored. We didn’t see this one up close, but it did appear to be near a #2 condition car. CPI values a #2 car at $87,750, and this hammered sold at $85,000, so someone was willing to pay full boat for it.
At $85,000, this E-Type was the highest sale we saw on Saturday.
Lot #1716, 1990 Suzuki “Every” mini-mini van. Right hand drive, 3-cylinder, 5-speed, factory air, 2,800 original miles. Sliding doors, 2 rows of seats, roomy looking interior. Tall, narrow box on 4 wheels. Everyone was all over this little thing, but it was declared no-sale at a reported high bid of $8,250. We hope it sells just so you can claim to be the only person in your state with one.
That’s one small mini-van
Get a part-time job delivering mail
The Suzuki does not go to a new home
Lot #1783, 1965 Austin-Healey Mark III, inline 6, light blue over white paint, with dark blue leather interior. Chrome wire wheels, blackwall tires. Odometer reads 77,000. Car looks very clean overall, no blemishes outside or inside, but appears that restoration may have been done a few years ago. CPI rates a #3 car at $52,500 and a #2 car at $100,000, so that’s a huge spread, mostly defined by condition as there were few options. This one sold for $58,000 which was fair to buyer and seller.
’65 A-H in a classic color combo
Chrome wires set off the paint
Nice leather interior
Lot #1784, 1939 Packard, 4 door convertible sedan, black, off-white convertible top, dark red interior. Odometer reads 50,166. Whitewall tires, Packard hub caps, everything looks stock. The car gives off the vibe of a vehicle that was restored 20-30 years ago. It’s all there, and may run out well, but everything has the look and feel of a 20-year-old used car. Rare and unusual body style not seen much, where the B-pillar is removable for a full-open look when the top is down. Car hammered sold for $38,000, which may seem rich, but A) it’s a Packard, and B) try to find another convertible sedan in that price range. Join AACA and go on a tour.
Packard grille stands out
Convertible top in good shape
Plenty of room on front bench
Inside shot of Packard B-pillar shows latches
Lot #1755, 1956 BMW Isetta, bubble-window coupe, red/white, white sunroof, white vinyl interior. Restored to an acceptable cosmetic standard. Like most Isettas, interior not done to original style. Car has original ISO-designed side windows, as well as coveted “Z-molding” on the side. Every auction seems to have at least one Isetta. This one had shiny paint but little else to rave about. In the opinion of this former Isetta owner, if you plan to drive the thing, get the sliding-window model, as airflow through these tiny pivoting triangular windows is next to non-existent. CPI rates a #3 Isetta (which this one barely was) as worth $30,000. The car was sold for $33,500, so someone paid a slight premium for 13-horsepower worth of cute.
Red/white 2-tone is seen often
Side shot shows bubble windows, molding
There’s no trunk, so you need this
CAR CORRAL ENTRIES
1986 Corvette coupe, red, tan interior, automatic, claimed to have 23,000 original miles. Asking $13,900. Car was fairly clean yet obviously used. Rear panel has been resprayed, and that red does not match rest of car. Lots of swirl marks in paint. Car is in CPI between $8,000 (#3) and $14,700 (#2), and this car just didn’t look like a 23,000 mile car. $10,000 would be all the money, however, there are lots of C4 Corvettes for sale all the time, many of them under $10k .
’86 Corvette for $13,900
Rear ‘cap’ repainted, doesn’t match
Interior as expected for 23,000 miles
1958 Edsel Pacer convertible, unusual off-white/pale yellow exterior, black interior. Sign claims 35,000 miles, yet car looks restored, not preserved. Very straight overall, interior very nice, engine compartment especially well-done. The entire car does pop, but so does the asking price of $100,000. That is not a typo. CPI values a #2 car (which this is) at $66,000. Even if you pay a premium for the low miles, what do you do with it? Every mile you drive it will depreciate it.
1958 Edsel Pacer
Rear shows off 2-tone
Interior nice but bland
“E” stands for Edsel of course
1963 Mercedes Benz 190 SL, dark silver, black convertible top, red interior, narrow whitewall tires, MB hub caps in red, cosmetically very pretty car. No asking price displayed. (Why would you put a car in the car corral and not show a price?) All 190s have 4-cylinder engines and manual gearboxes. Having never driven one, I’ve read that the driving experience is nothing special. Up until about 2 years ago, these languished in the $30k-40k range. Suddenly, as 300SL Gullwings and Roadsters regularly broke through a million, the baby brother 190 came along for the ride. Prices broke $100,000 and seemed headed to $200,000. Now that there’s been a slight cooling, more level-headed thinking has pushed these values back into the high-fives. Whatever he’s asking, I wish him luck.
190 SL in car corral
Not sure if plate is included
1980 MGB convertible, odometer reads 45,822 miles, odometer may have turned over once. White with black interior, stick shift with overdrive switch in shift knob, MG-style mag wheels, trunk-mounted luggage rack. Engine compartment a bit of a mess. Last year for the MGB in this market. This car might be unrestored, as it’s all there but nothing is tidy. We would rate this car as a #3- or even a #4. CPI puts a #4 car at $4,150 and a #3 car at $8,000. The ask here is $8,995. Offer $6,000 if a rubber-bumper MGB is on your bucket list and you’re feeling generous.
In 1993, with seven years at Volvo Corporate under my belt, I had done my share of domestic and international business travel. Volvo generously allowed employees to keep and use their own earned frequent flyer points. In April of that year, with some of my points about to expire, I burned a bunch of them by taking a long weekend trip to Phoenix AZ.
Now, Phoenix was not exactly my first choice as a vacation hot spot. Of course, there was an ulterior motive: I had heard about the auto salvage yards in the area, mainly filled with ‘50s-‘60s Detroit iron (as rust was not an issue in the Southwest). My 1967 Dodge Dart was in need of a few components not available in the aftermarket. Telling this to my buddy John M, who owned a 1963 Buick, resulted in being given a shopping list for his car. (I sold the Dart several years after this trip was taken; John still owns that ’63 Wildcat convertible today.)
Packing little more than a weekend bag, my camera, and some cash, I was off to Phoenix. Expecting warm weather, I didn’t bother with sweaters or coats. Good thing, too, because Phoenix was having a heat wave. Temperatures reached 114 degrees F during my stay, making me very glad that my hotel’s swimming pool was open.
Finding the salvage yards was easy. I brought the Yellow Pages from my hotel room with me, and armed with a map I picked up in the airport, off I went in the rental car. While I did find my parts, the real treat was being able to stroll through these yards at my leisure. The staff was more than willing to let me wander, scrounging for parts, admiring the cars, taking photos, and generally acting like the East Coast tourist I was.
I’ve long forgotten what I purchased for the Dart and Wildcat (John, do you recall?). However, the sights of the 4 or 5 yards I visited were captured on color film, and looking at them brings me back to that busy (if blazing hot) weekend. Here is a small selection of those photographs.
A stack of ’60s BuicksAnother stack of Buicks, with a ’63 on top
The evolution of the Cadillac tail fin
1962 Chrysler 300- that’s a good quarter panel!Junkyard dog admires Imperial stylingA pair of ’61-’63 ‘Jet Age’ T-BirdsWhat a great instrument cluster; does anyone know the year and make of this MoPar?More Buicks! Was this a Buick-only yard?These Nash Metropolitans were among the few imports I saw 1957 Buick with AZ mountains as backdrop2nd gen Plymouth Barracuda; pebbles & weeds indicate she’s been under waterNot much left to pick off this ’58 Caddy carcass’65 Chevy Impala looks like it could be brought backLet’s not forget we’re in the (former/still) Wild West
Photos were taken with my Nikon EM camera; film info not recorded, but likely Kodak Gold, either 100 or 200 ISO. Prints scanned with Epson V500 photo scanner.
Similar stories about the end of this storied Italian design house can be found in other locations on the internet.
Reading this saddened me, and not just because a Bertone-designed car currently sits in my garage. First, on a higher level, we have observed that the car business goes through changes, and those changes can drive away marques that you thought would be around forever. When I was 15, posters of the 1969 Pontiacs were Scotch-taped to my bedroom walls. Never in my lifetime would I have believed that the day would come when Pontiac would be no more. The last 20 years have also witnessed the demise of Plymouth, Oldsmobile, Mercury, and Saab, among others.
Second, on a more personal level, I am fortunate to have once visited the Bertone factory outside of Torino, Italy. It was one of the most memorable business trips I have ever taken, and it’s a story that I’ve never told in its entirety. Allow me to tell it here.
In January of 1988, 15 months into my employment with Volvo Cars of North America (VCNA), the management team decided that I should travel to Volvo’s world headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, to be trained in the investigation of vehicle fires. While fires were not a huge problem for the company, very little was known at that time about the cause and effect of “thermal events” (the euphemism we used). The Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg (VCC) had done some investigative work on its own, and they had an in-house fire expert who would train me. For me, it was an opportunity to travel to the land which gave birth to all those Volvo 140s and 240s I had wrenched on as a technician, so off I went, my delight completely undiminished by the concept of winter in Scandinavia.
Arriving in very snowy and very dark Gothenburg was a culture shock. Given that “daylight” such as it is lasts from about 9am to 3:30pm in January, this combined with a 6-hour time difference made the first few days at work a struggle. Nevertheless, my hosts were cordial and accommodating, and always polite about speaking English in my presence. Within 3 days, we made a field trip to investigate a Volvo which had gotten crispy a few days before. What a thrill – I was getting my hands dirty.
The author and Viking Hallgren of VCC on the job, Jan. ’88. From the author’s collection.
Then Friday came.
During my first four days at work, no mention was made of a looming “engineers” strike. In Sweden, unlike the U.S., many of the white-collar workers are unionized. Lots of banter in the native tongue was overheard but not understood about management, the union, the labor negotiations, etc. On Friday morning, there were union representatives outside the now-barricaded chain link fence in Torslanda (the Volvo factory). No one was being allowed admittance to the buildings. My Swedish colleagues were on strike, and I was on my own.
The strike, at first predicted to last only several days, was soon seen to be stretching out to a week or more. As part of my business trip, I had made tentative plans to also travel to Brussels, Belgium for an auto show; to Hamburg, Germany, if only because my father was born there and I had yet to visit; and to Italy, because I had been there 10 years before and had fallen in love with the place. Besides, I told my boss back in the States, visiting Italy was really a “business trip”.
In 1988, for the second time in its history, Volvo contracted with Carrozzeria Bertone to design and manufacture a limited-production, 2-door specialty car. First was the Volvo 262C, made from 1978 to 1981. Next came the Volvo 780, which was in production at Bertone at the time of my planned visit. Such was the extent of freedom with business travel that I needed no more of an excuse than that. Euro-rail pass in hand, I headed south through mainland Europe, arriving in Italy, and finding it less snowy but just as cold, dark, and damp as Sweden.
The Volvo 780. From the author’s collection.
Through contacts in Gothenburg, I was given the name of someone who would host my visit. Taking a cab from the train station in Torino to the suburb of Grugliasco, I somehow found my way to the correct office building in the sprawling Bertone complex, and was greeted by a Mr. Mario Panizza. He welcomed me, and asked me to sit while he fetched my Swedish host. Within a few minutes, Mr. Roine Lundin arrived.
Roine was a Swede temporarily relocated to Italy in order to oversee Volvo’s interests there. (As an aside, Roine told me that he had a Chinese wife and a 6-year-old daughter, both living in Italy with him. The daughter went to an English-language school, and she was already fluent in Swedish, Chinese, English, and Italian. Wonder what she’s doing today.) Roine gave me the behind-the-scenes tour of the factory. Photographs were strictly prohibited. But I have a clear memory of watching the factory workers as they assembled FOUR distinctly different cars going down the assembly line at the same time: in addition to the Volvo 780 were the Lamborghini Jalpa, the Fiat (Bertone) X1/9, and the Opel Kadett Cabriolet. The point was made to me that at Volvo’s insistence, Bertone significantly upgraded their painting facility in order to meet the Swedish carmaker’s standards, and the Fiat, Opel, and Lamborghini also benefited from the improved painting process.
The Lamborghini Jalpa. From the author’s collection.
The Fiat/Bertone X1/9. From the author’s collection.
A previous-generation Opel Kadett. For the cabrio, picture a Chevy Cavalier convertible in Euro-trim. From the author’s collection.
At lunchtime, Roine and I dined in the factory cafeteria with the line workers. That lunch was the best meal I had during what turned out to be an almost 3-week-long visit to Europe. After lunch, Roine invited me to have espresso with him in the executive dining area. As coffee was served, he asked me if I wanted my drink “fixed”, a time-honored Italian way of asking if I desired a shot of liqueur, such as Sambuca or Amaretto. I demurred.
Knowing he was setting me up, Roine pointed to a sign hanging over the bar and asked me what it said. It was in Italian, so I had no idea. He translated: “There shall be no alcohol served at this bar during work hours”. He paused and, as a smile crept across his face, waited for my reaction. “But Roine, you just offered to ‘fix’ my drink, what gives?” He answered “you have to think like an Italian. The sign means that you cannot drink the alcohol by itself. But in the coffee, it’s OK!”
The tour concluded, I left the Bertone complex and found a hotel to spend the night. By the next morning, I was again on a train for the return trip north. Convinced that the strike would be over by the time I got back to VCC, alas it was not. Calling my boss back home one more time, we both agreed that enough time had been spent waiting (and wandering). The long-planned training event lasted for 4 days out of its expected 2+ weeks.
Since that trip in January of 1988, I made business trips to VCC in Sweden in excess of 20 times. Yet that first trip remains most memorable. And someday, I’d like to have another one (or three) Bertone-designed cars in the fleet.
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