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From the January issue of CAR COLLECTOR, Edward Herrmann talks about our DNA........ IT'S FINALLY HAPPENED (And it's not just because I'm old)
This was shared with us by David Donaldson in Orlando
DRIVING IN THE MIDWEST **
THE CAR THAT GOT AWAY Is the title of an article by Jennifer Saranow in the January 11 2008 copy of the Wall Street Journal about the lengths men will go to find the car they once loved. I guess it’s only logical. It’s even more difficult to go back to our first human love, but not impossible to find our first vehicle. “Middle-aged men are going to extraordinary lengths to locate the actual vehicles they drove decades ago. They are trolling online car classifieds, cold-calling junkyards and hiring lost-car detectives to help. When they get desperate, they’re begging friends in law enforcement to run serial numbers and even sending instant messages to strangers who live near the last known person to own the car.” Excuse me while Dr. Rader, the philosopher takes over. This phenomenon belongs with others just as important in today’s society like- The fact that people consider it normal that the majority of the good looking women in LA are augmented. The fact that Viagra and Botox are main line everyday normal. The fact that families with children aren’t eating supper together. Let’s get a sense of balance here. What brought this country it’s incredibly high standard of living is being lost . We have the luxury of time to worry about things that should be unimportant while we forget the values that have brought us to this point. And truth be known , the chances of me finding a certain 49 Ford convertible after 50 years is impossible. A word of caution to you who may be searching the that certain car. Drive another one of the same type first. It’s a fact of life that memories do exaggerate and romanticize things. You will be sobered quickly when you try to get the larger you into the tiny MGTF or hit the first corner at highway speed in the ox cart suspension of a 59 Flip-top Ford. If you are sober and still love old cars we’re still here for you.
IS HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF, OR, A WORD TO THE WISE After over thirty years in this business I can at least look back now and report some things that may be of some interest to those newer in the hobby. I never paid attention to what my elders told me when I was a sprout myself, so I really don’t expect anybody to pay much attention to what I espouse here, but do you remember what happened in 1987 when the stock market fell 500 points in one day? Many investors took their money out of the market and what did they do with it? Not all, but many decided to invest in collectables. Collectables like fine art, antique American furniture, and, yes, old cars. The values of collectable cars went up drastically. Now I realize there are some dissimilarities between 1987 and the situation today but there are also some similarities. Basically the money is coming out of stocks and people don’t want to just let it sit there not earning something or at least giving some opportunity for pleasure, which they certainly aren’t getting watching their investment in the stock market go down. You can’t enjoy looking at the numbers go down on the monthly statement from your broker. You can at least look at and drive and have fun with your Packard or Model A while it might just go up in value too. So I predict we’re going to see some rank amateurs bidding at the big auctions and driving up prices. Except for the muscle cars which are finally showing signs of deserved weakness, but that’s another subject.1911 OLDSMOBILE LIMITED 7-PASSENGER TOURING This car was the subject of an article in Sports Car Market’s January issue by Miles Collier. He discusses the strange way we value originality versus perfection. Here we have an example of an unrestored genuine barn find to compare with the 1912 Limited that sold at Otis Chandler’s estate auction a year ago. That car was seen as “the finest and most desirable in existence” a very expensive restoration. It sold for $1,250,000. The 1911 car sold at the recent William Swigart auction for $1,650,000. Apparently we’re finally beginning to see greater appreciation in the marketplace for historic integrity. In the past perfect operating capability was more valued. The perfect restoration mechanically and cosmetically was the most valuable car. The car needing a total restoration was a pitiful heap. Collectors could only see immense amounts of costs to make the car correct. This situation has been the opposite of the scene in other collectable markets for some time. Furniture, silver, porcelain, firearms, clocks and others like scientific instruments have been valued for their original patina. You only need to watch PBS’s Antiques Road Show to hear an expert explain to the unfortunate owner of an early American highboy that if she had left it with all its poor looking worn finish it would be worth $80,000 instead of just $10,000 now. Sure it looks beautiful with the new brass drawer pulls, hand made tapered legs and gloss, but spending $6000 has cost her $70,000. Collier says, “By erasing the evidence of history, the car loses its identity as a historical object, which is the only real value in the first place. Without evidence of time, what does a real object offer the collector that a perfect replica does not?” Obviously the collector car market has matured to takes its place along side the other older groups like numismatists and philatelists. Next thing you know we’ll have our own fancy name tooMORE BUYERS IN THE MARKETPLACE Who buys collectible cars? Baby Boomers, that's who. When the boys in uniform got home from WWII in 1945, after postponing marriage for four years, they had one thing on their minds. The inevitable result was that the birth rate immediatly skyrocketed. As prosperity took hold in the early 1950s, plans for a second, third, even fourth child filled new homes in the suburbs.
AN EXCERPT FROM THE FEBRUARY 2007 SPORTS CAR MARKET BY THOR THORSON A friend of mine is an antique dealer who now deals in collector cars and he taught me what I consider the most basic rule of collecting: What was special then is special now: what was ordinary then may be rare now, but it's not special.
If you are going to collect old things and are concerned with the investment aspects, always buy things that were "special" when they were new. Steuben crystal will always be more desirable than Depression glass: a Ferrari will be a better investment than a Fiat. I find it useful to define this concept by adding rankings, sort of accumulating points for various characteristics. The most valuable set is for things that were special, even famous, in their own time (Ferrari GTO). The second set is for things that were associated with special people or events (Clark Gable's Duesenberg), while a third can be assigned to simple rarity (a 3¢ stamp with the airplane printed upside down may just be a piece of paper, but it's the only one). With something that can be played with, like a car, the question of how much and how easily you can play with it becomes vital in determining desirability. By looking at that factor you can get a pretty good feel for where virtually any collectable should fit. Thorson says it well. Raders Relics has been saying it for thirty years now. Nice to see someone else independantly confirming my thoughts.
Eyes on the Road The Wall Street Journal of Aug 21 has a column, "Eyes on the Road" by Joseph B. White. He discusses a subject we've covered here a couple times already. He quotes some respected people in the hobby and it's nice to find they are confirming what I've been saying.
Here are some excerpts.....
"So 25 years from now, what will classic car fanatics be parading down Woodward Avenue or bidding on at Pebble Beach? What cars will emerge from beneath oily rags to delight some middle-aged buff in 2032? It's not an easy question. There have been some fairly severe automotive-design droughts during the past 25 years or so. Will someone who discovers a 1982 Chevrolet Citation under a drop cloth in the old barn experience some form of excitement-- unless that person happens to need something to run in a demolition derby?
Still experts in the business of automotive culture, design and collecting say there will be a vibrant classic car scene years from now, particularly if car fans broaden their minds.
At the high end, the key will as always, be rarity. Exotics such as the Bugatti Veyron, limited run Ferraris and Porsches will likely grace the Pebble Beach Auctions. More attainable cars could find favor as well, The Datsun 240Z, Dodge Viper, Buick GNX and limited special Mustangs.
Also Corvettes Z06, Chrysler 300 SRT8, Viper, Prowler, convertible PT Cruiser, Cadillac CTS V, Audi's original TT, new Beetle and Mini Cooper S. Future Woodward Dream Cruises could have crazy hot Hondas. One challenge will confront preservationists: Maintaining and replacing the onboard computers. There will be a business for someone who can build a generic computer, plug and play, to allow a current car to keep rolling 25 years from now. People collect from their youth." We already see some starting to collect AMC Pacers, Pintos, et al.
Subject: A/C-- Betcha didn't know. The Goldberg brothers - Norman, Hiram and Maxwell - invented and developed the first automobile air conditioner. On 17 July 1946, the temperature in Detroit was 97 degrees. The brothers walked into old man Henry Ford's office and sweet-talked his secretary into telling him they were there with the most exciting innovation in the auto industry since the electric starter. Henry was curious and invited them into his office. They refused and, instead, asked him to come to their car in the parking lot. They then persuaded him to get into the car, which was about 130 degrees, turned on the air condition and cooled the car off immediately. The old man got very excited and invited them back to the office, where he offered them $3 million for the patent. They refused saying they would settle for $2 million but wanted the recognition of having a lable which read, "The Goldberg Air Condition" on the dashboard of each car in which it was installed. Old Ford was more than just a bit anti-Semitic, and there was no way he was going to put their name on a couple million Ford autos. They haggled back and forth for two hours and finally agreed on $4 million and that just their first names would be shown. So, even today, all Ford auto air conditioners show on the controls the names, "Norm, Hi, and Max."
GAS PAINS High pump prices are not reducing demand very much because they are not imposing anything like the economic pain alleged by politicians. For instance, if we adjust nominal gasoline prices in 1949 (27 cents per gallon) by inflation, we get a price of $1.90 per gallon in today’s terms. If we further adjust those prices by mean disposable income, we find that gasoline prices would have to be $6.68 per gallon before they were taking the same bite out of our wallets as they were in 1949. In 1962- a year writ large in the popular imagination as the quintessential year of muscle cars and cheap gasoline thanks to the movie American Graffiti-gasoline prices averaged 31 cents per gallon. When we factor changes in disposable income, today’s gas would have to cost $4.48 to be a comparable burden. Jerry Taylor, Cato Institute FUTURE COLLECTABLES, DO YOU AGREE? Someone we wouldn't expect has picked out the ten most collectable American cars that you can buy right now. AOL no less has made it's choices anyway and I don't necessarily agree with them in all cases, but it deserves thought and I'd be interested in your opinions, both pro and con and any alternates you would suggest. 2000 Plymouth Prowler (Why not other years?) So what do you think? What did they leave out? What shouldn't be here? Why?
From The Wall Street Journal May 4, 2007 By Robert Frank.
"Rich Investors Deploy Money-Management Skills On Duck Decoys, Doorstops"
"The boom in collectibles is reaching unprecedented -and some say ridiculous- heights. And it's not just bottles of 1947 Cheval Blanc that are shattering price records. With a growing number of rich people looking for rare objects that few others can own, prices are surging for everything from stamps to toy banks, duck decoys and Chinese snuff bottles.
Some of the buyers are longtime collectors who have been pursuing their quirky pastimes for years. Yet auctioneers and sellers say the real change in these markets is being driven by a new breed of buyer: young, newly rich financial traders and entrepreneurs who are using their massive cash piles and sophisticated business savvy to stake big claims in obscure markets. To some of these buyers, collectibles aren't just accessories for the mantelpiece: They're tradable assets, just like stocks, bonds or derivatives."
Chinese snuff bottles? Doorstops? And to think that when we first went in this business with old cars thirty years ago, antique car collectors were considered a bit odd. Now we're astute investors. How nice.
FROM CLICK AND CLACK THE TAPPET BROTHERS ON NPR
AN EXCERPT FROM THE FEBRUARY 2007 SPORTS CAR MARKET BY THOR THORSON A friend of mine is an antique dealer who now deals in collector cars and he taught me what I consider the most basic rule of collecting: What was special then is special now: what was ordinary then may be rare now, but it's not special. If you are going to collect old things and are concerned with the investment aspects, always buy things that were "special" when they were new. Steuben crystal will always be more desirable than Depression glass: a Ferrari will be a better investment than a Fiat. I find it useful to define this concept by adding rankings, sort of accumulating points for various characteristics. The most valuable set is for things that were special, even famous, in their own time (Ferrari GTO). The second set is for things that were associated with special people or events (Clark Gable's Duesenberg), while a third can be assigned to simple rarity (a 3¢ stamp with the airplane printed upside down may just be a piece of paper, but it's the only one). With something that can be played with, like a car, the question of how much and how easily you can play with it becomes vital in determining desirability. By looking at that factor you can get a pretty good feel for where virtually any collectable should fit. Thorson says it well. Raders Relics has been saying it for thirty years now. Nice to see someone else independantly confirming my thoughts.
CAR NAMESI don’t know about you but I find it hard to understand why FoMoCo would change the Lincoln Zephyr (the recent one, not the 1936 version) to a MKZ. The Zephyr was a good old name and we were just getting used to it. Worse yet , they seem to want to refer to it as the em kay zee when we have been accustomed to Lincoln’s using the Mk to mean Mark. Seems like change for the sake of change, and for the worse too.Cadillac is doing a better job at this with their CTS, STS, SRX and so on. They have a great name sitting unused with LaSalle. I really miss the good old days of names that were names, even if they didn’t always make sense. I don’t recall ever seeing a celebrity driving a Chevy Celebrity. To the extreme one doesn’t see a cougar driving a Mercury either.Names that suit the car’s nature are practical—Dodge’s Ram, Land Rover, Land Cruiser, Explorer.Some are ambitious and descriptive as well---Cobra, Viper, Barracuda, Diablo.Some are poetic and somehow cool too—Azure, Silver Ghost, Phantom and Phaeton. The latter, a VW market failure in America, is a theft of a regular word that means a four door convertible without roll-up windows. But then doesn’t someone else call their convertible a roadster when we all know a roadster is not a convertible, one has side curtains and the other roll-up windows.And we don’t appreciate it when they make a calculated attempt to play on class consciousness, social insecurities or glamorous lifestyles with—Diplomat, Executive, Country Club or Versailles.Another poor group is the cutsey misspellings—Luv or Aztek. Subaru Gravel Express
THE MADNESS OF CROWDS By Michael Sheehan
From Sports Car Market of January 2007
" Back in the May 2004 issue of SCM, I wrote how muscle cars--Hemis in particular--had soared past comparable Ferraris.
In May 2005's SCM, I noted that prices for muscle cars and post-war American show cars had risen faster than anything since the Ferrari glory days (glory if you got out in time, Titanic-sized disaster if you held on) of 1985-90.
Since May 2005, a very nice Daytona coupe has gone from $150,000 to $225,000 while Hemi 'Cuda coupes have spiraled ever upward to a nose-bleeding $1.5 million. The muscle car crowd continues to say, 'this time it's different,' and that 'These cars are all being sold to end users not speculators.' Sorry, but I've heard that before.
I've survived four recessions; from 1973-75 (the first gas crisis); 1980-85 (21% interest, real estate tanked); and a mild one in ' 00-01 when the NASDAQ imploded and 9-11 changed our world.
Market run-ups are easy to trace. The Ferrari madness of 1985-90 was fueled by Japanese collectors with 2% bank money leveraged from a property bubble. Meanwhile, Baby Boomers (my generation) celebrated their 'Big 40' by throwing money at Ferraris. Add in the fax machine, which allowed any car to be offered worldwide in hours. and speculation about Enzo Ferrari's expected demise , and you've gat the makings of a very frothy market.
Finally, combine it with the growing attraction of user-friendly events such as the Monterey Historic race and the Colorado Grand, where boys could display their new (and very expensive toys), and prices went mad.
After a run-up of 500%, the correction was ugly. Very ugly."
I am older than the baby boomers, well into Geezerdom, and I agree with Michael's thoughts. I don't think the factory show cars and one-offs will decline as much from their run-up
But with the fall in muscle car values what will be the next hot segment?
Station wagons and pickups are already well on the rise and of course.
I just started a new book "Truck, A Love Story" by Michael Perry and I think some of you might like it as much as I do. Thankfully we don't sell the kind of vehicle he describes here, but his writing makes for fun reading.
" The front end of the truck is blasted with rust. The grille has deteriorated to the point that the headlights wobble in their sockets. You can stick three fingers through the gaps in both front fenders. The bumper is bent. Before I parked it the last time, the radiator was blowing green mist. The front windshield is cracked in the vertical, and the rain leaks around the weather stripping and streaks the dash. There is a boil the size of a grapefruit on the left front tire. The speedometer never has worked, and the deck of the bed is so riddled with holes that you could load a half a yard of gravel and just over three miles of bumpy road, sift the sand from the stones. To a large extent, the truck is, as they say, shot."
FROM BITS AND PIECES, SUMMER 2006
By Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:
1. Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that's invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things
AN EXCERPT FROM THE ORLANDO SENTINEL BY STEVEN COLE SMITH, 8-17-02. "If I could accurately predict future collectibles, I'd be buying and selling cars instead of writing about them. I don't know anyone whose advice I would trust on collectibles, because no one knows what will happen. Example: A lot of people bought. and stored, the 1976 Eldorado convertibles, because they were supposed to be the last Cadillac convertibles ever. They weren't. Those collectors ended up with enormous land yachts that were indeed nice cars, and worked as advertised, but nobody I know made a lot of money on them........ I can however, offer a few general suggestions, but with this inevitable caveat: Never buy a vehicle solely because you think it will appreciate in value. Buy it because you like it, love to look at it, enjoy driving it, and hope that it may turn out to be a good investment.......... A few generalities: * Fast vehicles are worth more than slow vehicles. * Pretty vehicles are worth more than ugly vehicles. * Just because the asking price is high, it doesn't mean the car is worth that much. * Convertibles are worth more than nonconvertible models ." Raders Relics might add a couple others: * Any car written up in the Wall Street Journal as a good investment will not be. * Most of the " Designer editions", "Pace cars", and "Special" or "Limited editions" won't be a good investment. * Rare does not automatically mean a good investment. ( On reflection, I can think of some exceptions to all of the above. Example being the Mercury Sun Valley, worth more than the convertible.) If you can think of any additions to this list please share them with us along with examples. |
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FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 8-9-2006
A reader questions whether he sould restore his rusty old 110,000 mile International Scout----
Answer:
"You may be in luck, as some market watchers say old SUVs, vehicles like yours that predate the SUV name, are the next frontier for collectors. Cars that are at least 25 years old are typically called antiques, a designation many people associate with appreciating value on the collector market.
When an old vehicle actually becomes a collector's item depends on when collectors become interested, and that varies widely. However the early sport-utility vehicles like the Scout, Ford Bronco, Toyota Land Cruiser and of course, Jeeps have been commanding surprisingly high prices in recent years.
I have seen Scouts for sale recently with asking prices around $20,000, so the idea of spending that much to spruce up your vehicle isn't so far fetched. Still, fixing up an old vehicle almost always costs more than expected, and it is difficult to rcover expenses when selling a recently restored car. I think you should restore the Scout only if you plan to enjoy it for a while. Otherwise, selling it's parts individually would be more profitable."
We couldn't have said it better at Raders Relics. Remember when everbody turned up their noses at station wagons? Now they're hotcakes. SUVs could very well be next in line. I've been amazed at the prices the really old Toyota Cruisers bring (remember the ones that look like Jeeps) But I sure wouldn't advise putting a lot into a this guy's Scout |
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| FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL COLUMNIST JONATHAN WELSH JUNE 14, 2006
Question: My husband collects old cars, principally 1926 Lincoln sedans and convertibles. Sometimes the restorations cost more money and time than the market values. Do you consider these old cars to be a good investment? Emily Taylor , Glen Ellyn, IL
Answer: I think keeping old cars running and in good condition is a noble pursuit that pays dividends in driving enjoyment, camaraderie with others involved with the hobby, and sometimes even appreciation in monetary value. But I always hesitate to call them investments because even the best examples don't appreciate as consistently or as much as stock funds and other more conventional financial instruments.
Cars from the 1920s that were top collectibles a few decades ago have generally fallen out of favor as the people most drawn to them have aged. Collectors tend to seek cars they recall from childhood. With baby boomers largelydriving the collector car market today, the focus has shifted to models from the 1950s and 1960s.
Frankly, it's a rare case when anyone truly makes money restoring and selling an old car. The shops that do the work make money, as do brokers who bring buyers and sellers together. But the individual owner who restores a car himself usually spends more in money and time than the car could ever hope to fetch if sold. Best thing is to call the endeavor a labor of love.
Your humble editor here can only say Amen. We've been saying since starting in the business nearly 30 years ago that it makes more sense financially to buy a finished car that someone else has put his blood, sweat and tears into. And buy it from a reputable dealer that offers a two year buy-back warranty, like Raders Relics.
A po rtion of the column “Shifting Gears” From April 2006 issue of Sports Car Marketplace By Keith Martin “For the last decade, we’ve been watching the price of real estate escalate, seemingly without an end in sight. Some houses seem to double every decade and, despite the increases, there appears to be no shortage of eager, willing buyers. So why are we so surprised when GT350s, worth $50,000 five years ago, routinely sell for $100,000? A great deal of the increase in values is due to the fact that many collectors buying today were not in the hobby five years ago. They don’t have the historical perspective of what these cars were once worth; they only know what they are trading for today. …………… Rarely do collectors think they are buying at the peak. So these new buyers, in a self-fulfilling prophecy, continue to buy at ever-higher prices, driving the entire market forward. Will this meteoric rise ever end? Of course, as nothing lasts forever. And the undeniable edge that real estate has over collectibles, of any kind, is that people will always need to have roofs over their heads. No one “needs” a Hemi ‘Cuda or a Warhol Campbell’s Soup Can painting. But even as the market goes through a decline, the cars with the best history, in the best condition will always retain the largest percentage of their value…”While Mr. Martin is speaking mostly about the muscle car and sports car market here, the principle applies to antiques and Classic as well. REVVING UP FOR AUTO AUCTIONS WHERE $100,000 IS THE LOW ENDFrom The Wall Street Journal Tuesday January 10. By Brock Yates“ When the bidding is over, several thousand unique automobiles will have found new homes. Most will have been bought out of love- a passion to possess a particular machine that might have been a boyhood dream. Others will be purchased by museums and major collectors, many of whom have several hundred automobiles housed in lavish private buildings that could hardly be described as “garages.” Not a few new owners will return home realizing they paid to much, having been energized by the rapture of the hooting crowd and the television cameras focusing on their hypercharged over-bidding. Others will buy for pure investment purposes, reasoning that many collectible automobiles –if truly rare and of proper provenance –will far exceed the stock market and other investments in returns, while offering the dividends of aesthetic and driving pleasure, although most of these automobiles will never be used for everyday transportation, but rather for car shows and other exhibitions. Collecting interesting and unique automobiles, be they cranky Ford Model Ts or multimillion –dollar Ferraris and Duesenbergs, is centered on a thriving world of enthusiasm. Each year auctions like Barrett-Jackson and RM see more desirable offerings, plus larger, more enthusiastic crowds and more money being tossed onto the block. This is an expensive hobby, to be sure. But it is more satisfying than shuffling through a pile of stock certificates. And maybe, just maybe, more profitable. HOLY COW! I just realized that this little business I started a while back is now older than some of the cars we’re handling that people call antiques.Forget that “I” because is has been “we” including a wonderous wife and three children who all worked here and now have their own kids and businesses.Our first real employee was Doug McDuffee who now has his own business building street rods. The oldest partner here (in more ways than one) is Dick Schoppe who has more knowledge about old cars than anybody I know—even me.Dick says he’ll stay around as long as it’s fun and I agree. Our wives don’t mind since it keeps us off the streets and out of bars.On the other hand, if any of you youngsters out there want to move south and ruin a good hobby like I did I welcome your inquiry.A FREE PLUG FOR A PRODUCT WHOSE TIME HAS COME. From an article in the December Old Cars Price Guide Your car's greatest enemy this winter may be the fuel inside it. Gold Eagle Company's Sta-Bil Fuel Stabilizer can protect your engine by keeping good gas from going bad. Sta-Bil is an additive designed to protect fresh fuel from oxidation during storage. When fuel reacts with oxygen in the air, it can quickly form gum and varnish deposits. In less than 60 days, these deposits can clog fuel lines, injectors and filters. We at Raders Relics have seen this happen much more often in recent years with the new gasoline formulas. Believe me it is definitely a case of an ounce of prevention being worth twenty pounds of cure. The cure is usually a miserable mess. The tar like stuff is practically impossible to get rid of, usually making you have to dismantle alot of car. Years ago you could store a car for a couple years with maybe just some loss of octane, but those times are past. WORDS YOU DON’T HEAR ANYMORE (received by email from Jayne Rattman) When did we quit calling them "Emergency Brakes?" At some point "Parking Brake" became the proper term. But I still miss the hint of drama that went with "Emergency Brake." I'm sad, too, that almost all the old folks are gone who would call the accelerator the "Foot Feed." Didn't you ever wait at the drive way for your daddy to come home, so you could ride the "Running Board" up to the house? Here's a phrase I heard all the time in my youth but never anymore ... "Store-Bought." Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days. But once it was bragging material to have a store-bought dress or a store-bought bag of candy. "Coast to Coast" is a phrase that once held all sorts of excitement (like route 66) and now means almost nothing. Now we take the term "Worldwide" for granted. This floors me. On a smaller scale, "Wall-to-Wall" was once a magical term in our homes. In the '50s, everyone covered their hardwood floors with, wow,wall-to-wall carpeting! Today, everyone replaces their wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors. Go figure. When's the last time you heard the quaint phrase "in a family way?" It's hard to imagine that the word "Pregnant" was once considered a little too graphic, a little too clinical for use in polite company. So we had all that talk about Stork Visits and "being in a family way" or simply "expecting." Apparently "Brassiere" is a word no longer in usage. I said it the other day and the grandaughters cracked up. I guess it's just "bra" now. "Unmentionables" probably wouldn't be understood at all. Nor would the term"snowing down south."(meaning your slip is showing)because hardly any of the younger generation even knows what a slip is. It's hard to recall that this word was once said in a whisper..."DIVORCE." And no one is called a "divorcee" anymore. Certainly not a "gay divorcee." Come to think of it, "Confirmed Bachelors" and "Career Girls" are long gone, too. I always loved going to the "picture show," but I always considered a "Movie" an affectation. And you never hear anyone says show theater. These days it's a cinema Most of these words go back to the '50s, but here's a pure-'60s word I came across the other day -- "RAT FINK." Ooh, what a nasty put-down! Here's a word I miss -- "Percolator." That was just a fun word to say. And what was it replaced with? "Coffeemaker." How dull. Mr. Coffee, I blame you for this. I miss those made-up marketing words that were meant to sound so modern and now sound so retro. Words like "DynaFlow" and "ElectraLuxe."; Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV, now with "SpectraVision!" Food for thought- Was there a telethon that ever wiped out spring fever Nobody complains of that anymore. Maybe that's what castor oil cured, because I never hear mothers threatening their kids with castor oil anymore. Some words and phrases aren't gone, but are definitely on the endangered list. The one that grieves me the most grief -- "Supper." Now everybody says "Dinner." Save a great word and phrase from your past now and then. Invite someone to 'supper' ... and discuss 'Fender Skirts or penny loafers. Someone forwarded this to me, and I thought some of us of a "certain age" might remember most (or some) of them. BROCK YATES’ COLUMN IN THE MAY ISSUE OF CAR AND DRIVER HAS SOME THOUGHTS ON THE STEAMY AUCTION ACTION LATELY “ My feeble brain is still pefied by the level of passion and money power displayed not only at tfried from the frantic action in Scottsdale….I remain stuhe Barrett-Jackson sale, but the Russo and Steele and the RM auction in Phoenix.” “The real action lay in the $100,000 to $300,000 range where hundreds of machines were purchased ….But a word of caution: Although the collector-car market is steamy, there is no prediction what will bring big bucks in the future.” “Talk you your stockbroker about spending half your portfolio on a collector car and he’s likely to have a seizure across his desk. Such investments remain outside the accepted way of doing business on Wall Street and demand knowledge beyond Standard & Poor’s analysis, so he’s bound to hate the notion (including the reality that there are no stock trading commissions in the car market).” “The downside of the game includes the cost of storage and maintenance, insurance fees, and the lack of any financial dividends until the car is sold—possibly –at a profit.” “The essential lesson is: Buy for pleasure, not investment. Do your homework. Research the market, try to purchase at a reasonable value within your budget—and have fun. Do not, in the words of the late, great writer Ken Purdy, ‘let the car own you.’” BETCHA NEVER HEARD OF THE PAYKAN AUTOMOBILE That’s ok, I never heard of it either and I thought I knew all of them. An article in the Detroit News last month they said that Iran was ready to dump the Paykan. Turns out the Paykan is a lot like the Ford Model T was in America in it’s day. Four of ten Iranian motorists are driving Paykans. The government says it’s a gas guzzler and a polluter in Tehran, one of the most polluted cities in the world. (News to me, it has 15 million residents) They have a three year plan to get rid of them. A web search finds the owners have a love-hate relationship with the car. Apparently it has some reliability problems as well and that has led to a web site that lists Paykan jokes. They sound familiar to some we’ve heard about Yugos-- and some others I’ll not mention here so I won’t offend anyone. Question: What is found on the last two pages of the Paykan owners manual? Answer: A bus schedule. Q: What did the parts counterman say when the customer said, “I’ll take a set of wipers for my Paykan? A: Sounds like a fair trade to me. Q: Why do Paykans come with heated rear windows? A: To keep your hands warm while you’re pushing them. Q: Why don’t Paykans sustain much damage in a front collision? A: The tow truck takes most of the impact. Q: What do you call Paykan passengers? A: Shock absorbers. I never dreamed they had a sense of humor over there.Ron Bussler suggested we share something he found at AOL Autos by Eric Peters, “Old Car Features That New Cars Should Have” Part three: Bench Seats/Low-back Seats— It’s easy to sit three across—or two “cozy”- when you’ve got a bench seat instead of the rump-cradling “sports buckets” used in everything from Ferraris to minivans. There’s a lot to be said for being able to slide across a seat without having to climb over a center console. It’s easier to get in and out, too. And low-back seats may be a whiplash risk—and far from ideal for an Autocross or any sort of high-g cornering—but there’s nothing like being able to spread out like in the good old days—one hand on the wheel, the other draped casually over the top of the seat back. Like a double bacon cheeseburger, sometimes things that may not be totally safe are a heckuva lot more enjoyable—and thus worth the risk. In any case, it ought to be up to car buyers—not professional busybodies who nag the government to peck at the automakers on behalf of “consumers.” Chrome Bumpers— We haven’t seen them on passenger cars in decades. Instead, new cars uniformly get body color “fascias” made of urethane or some other plastic composite material instead of the impact and dent resistant chrome and steel that used to be industry norm. The “bumperless” look may look good in the showroom – but it’s as vulnerable as Michael Jackson in prison out in the real world. Even minor fender-benders can result in hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in accident damage. And painted bumper invariably chip and scuff within just a few years—uglifiying the car and hurting its resale value. Old style chrome bumper not only offered much better protection, they looked great, too—setting off the cars lines, demarcating the front and rear ends from the rest of the vehicle, adding flash. They still look great on trucks – and would look great on cars, too.Ron Bussler suggested we share something he found at AOL Autos by Eric Peters. “Old Car Features That New Cars Should Have” This is part two: Rotary knobs and levers for the AC- Certain functions are not improved by making their operation more complex than it needs to be. Turning a knob from cold to hot is a lot less hassle than punching in a number and fiddling with a digital display, “touch screen” or “mouse input” to get the fan to work. You can walk around the block to cross the street too, if you like—it sure doesn’t get the job done any faster. And down the road—when stuff begins to not work—it’s a sure bet you’ll spend less in time, hassle and money to replace a broken knob or cable than you will for a new ECU, flat-screen display or “mouse input.” Cool design steering wheels- Air bags have all but ruined what used to be one of the most expressive features of a new car. The highly individualized spokes and horn buttons of the past have been replaced by a generic bulging plastic housing for the air bag—the only safety device, incidentally, that is known to have killed several hundred people. On aesthetic grounds alone, air bags should be made optional equipment—for those who don’t mind risking torn retinas and snapped vertebrae—not to mention the sure bet of an eyesore steering wheel. Part three coming next month……….Ron Bussler suggested that we share a thing he found at AOL Autos. “Old Car Features That New Cars Should Have” by Eric Peters. This is part one of three parts. Wouldn’t it be great if some of the features that made old cars neat could be fitted to today’s cars and trucks? Personality—and reliability—all in the same package? A car that starts every time, never stalls and doesn’t leak or sprout rust before the note’s paid off but which isn’t just another magnificently well-engineered – and completely boring –appliance? For example: Wing vent windows- Before air conditioning became common, you had vent windows that canted outward to provide a cooling (and deflected) breeze as you drove. (And if you’re really old you remember the great roll out windshield) Without vent windows, your only choice is to roll down the windows and get a hair-mussing windstorm-or crank up the AC. Bringing back vent windows would add a retro touch-and functionality-to modern cars. High beam button on the floor- It’s much more convenient, when you want high beam, to just tap your left foot—instead of having to fidget with a multi-function stalk that turns on the windshield wipers every other time instead of the brights—or engages some other function you weren’t looking for and didn’t want. The floorboard button switch is faster—and thus safer—to hit than the stalk type. People who have a problem accidentally turning on the brights with a floor button are the type who also accidentally hit the gas when they want the brake and drive through the donut shop’s plate glass window. Instead of idiot (and lawyer) proofing new cars, automakers should stick with solutions that are simple – and work. Part two next month…………EDITOR KEITH MARTIN IN THE DECEMBER ISSUE SPORTS CAR MARKET--- Speaks in his market overview that the car market has traditionally followed a few steps behind the art market. “…and right now the art market is white-hot. Sotheby’s and Christie’s both report a record number of consignments. As you might expect, experts in the field are recording worry about the escalating prices, calling them a bubble ready to burst. But surprisingly, the auction houses themselves reply that that is nonsense. Their position is that the market is buoyant and sustainable, forever. Of course.” “All of the signs in the car market are that it is moving along healthily and predictably. We can report that while the 1955-1958 Chevy boomlet seems to be over, you can no longer find excellent condition 1959-1966 Chevys of any two-door flavor for cheap, coupes or convertibles. Bubble tops that were $10,000 a couple years ago are now $25,000 and going up. ’65 Malibu coupes that you couldn’t give away in 2000 are an easy $15,000 sale. In a nutshell, while the top cars may not be escalating dramatically, the cheapest cars have really started to move.” “So if you’re in the hunt, I suggest you look in the slightly dark regions of the collector car world, where the Pontiac Catalinas and Tempests, Ford Galaxies and Mercury Cougars live. Buy the best, and pay retail. Even with the latest increases, good examples of all of these models are all still too cheap.” Bob’s Footnote: Scottsdale’s January auction results show mind boggling prices. More to come.INCREASED GRAVITATIONAL INTENSITY Walt Reynolds of the Classic Car Club Indiana Region has written a thesis on IGI (increased gravitational intensity) which explains a lot as to why things aren’t working as well as they did in the sixties. The difference has not yet been verified by scientific documentation yet (perhaps in fear that it will cause public uproar and even panic) We, of the older generation have been in a position to observe with keen physical senses the quantitative comparison that it is true. The quantity of energy that is required to rise from a chair or get up off the floor after you have been under a car has changed (sometimes called the bug on its back effect) Surely you have noticed other changes that are attributable to IGI, like increased air density and it’s side effects that causes a person to move slower and the fact that light and sound do not travel as well as they did in the sixties. Time itself has increased in speed, perhaps an inverse effect of IGI. Witness the fact that what I used to accomplish in an hour now takes most of a day. The problem with sound has a direct effect. For years I could hear my turn signal blinking at seventy MPH with the radio on and the window down. Lately I have been observed driving many miles with the turn signal flashing away. More a problem with our older cars that may not have self-canceling signals. This is something the scientific community should stop covering up since the effects seem to be growing. |
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