An extremely rare 1956 Lincoln Premiere, the one classic car that Robert Rader has wanted ever since he was a young man, finally is his. It'll be the only car he takes with him when the garage doors close for the final time on his classic-car business, Rader's Relics, a Winter Park landmark for 23 years. Rader plans to sell the two dozen or so antique and classic cars and all his automobile memorabilia within the next 60 days and vacate the lot near Interstate 4 and Fairbanks Avenue. Amerada Hess Corp. will knock down the building and clear the land for a new Hess Mart gas station and convenience store. Hess spokesman Carl Tursi in New York said the new store could open next year. When Rader's Relics closes, auto enthusiasts' daily commute through Winter Park will not be the same. For many westbound drivers locked in Interstate 4 traffic jams, it has been a ritual to glance down to the right at Fairbanks Avenue and see the great old bombers parked at Rader's Relics, near the giant, colorful 1940s Packard sign. It will not be easy for Rader, 62, to leave this place. Among the shadows cast by Studebakers, Hudsons and old tail-finned Cadillacs are plenty of memories that make his eyes misty when he thinks about the time he has spent here. "My wife has worked with me all the time,'' he said. "All three of our kids, as they were growing up, worked here. This business put them through college, and now they are all doing what they want.'' Selling antique cars was something Rader wanted to do when he was chafing at his job as a computer salesman in the mid-1970s. His co-workers, he said, would stay at their jobs from dawn to dusk, trying to solve computer bugs or other problems. But at the end of the day, Rader left so he could get home and tinker with his old cars. Rader was fired from his computer job when a man he trained was made his supervisor, and Rader complained about it. "I rented a place to play with my cars while I looked for a new job. But I never found one," Rader recalled. Instead, he mortgaged everything he owned and used all the credit he could obtain to buy his land, which was an old Texaco station. To stock his lot, Rader went to old-car auctions. He bought only properly restored or pristine originals, and he gained a reputation for square dealing. People who bought a car from Rader could bring it back after two years and get all their money back, as long as they had cared for the car properly. Only 25 or so people ever did that, though, Rader said. He figures he has sold about 3,000 classic and antique vehicles since 1977. As Rader's reputation grew, local owners of antique and classic cars started bringing their classics to him; he either bought them outright or sold them on consignment. Because of his great knowledge of old cars, insurance companies trusted him to appraise antique cars for them. Customers started coming from all over the world. Through the years, Rader has steered clear of expensive Ferraris and other megabuck exotics and has sold affordable cars, such as 1965 Mustang convertibles, 1957 Chevrolets, Austin-Healey sports cars, Thunderbirds and other classics in the $10,000 to $25,000 price range Ñ cars that average people could afford. Rader has always had the entrepreneurial spirit, but he had no success before his old-car business. "I tried a couple of previous times to go into business," said the soft-spoken Rader, "but I lost my shirt. This was the first one that I truly loved." Rader said he has placed ads in old-car publications to announce the closing of his business. He will not have an auction for his office full of memorabilia, tools and other items because he wants to avoid the "circuslike atmosphere" an auction brings. After he leaves, Rader plans to take a vacation in the mountains. Then he and his longtime business manager, Dick Schoppe, may buy and sell a few old cars each year, just for the fun of it. With the passing of Rader's Relics, Central Florida will not have an old-car business with such a wide variety of antique vehicles. For longtime customers such as Gary Reid of Orlando, that will be sad. Reid, owner of Vista Cooling Services, has bought about 20 classics from Rader over the years. "I'll miss it," he said. Rader's closing was news to the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, which counted Rader's Relics as one of the city's most visible businesses. "Like the Colony Theater ... it's one of those hallmark businesses that you hate to lose," said Gary Brewer, president of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce.

Posted Aug 31 2000 10:18PM

 

7-1-2000

NEEDS OR WANTS CARS? Our neighbor, Nort Northam, sells modern sports cars and maintains that he does not sell cars for people who need a car but does sell cars to people who "want" a car. It's a totally different type of car and a different type of sale.

This reminds me of my wife, who years ago, when told the price of a new Mercedes SL, complained that the car could only carry two people.

"How could it cost so much?"

I told her that according to her method of valuing a school bus should be the most valuable.

We sell "attitude" cars - for people who cherish memories and attitudes we used to enjoy.

6-15-2000

MORE YOU MIGHT BE AN OLD CAR LOVER IF.. -You can't name the Secretary of State but you know who used to own Jeep. -You know what AACA, CCCA and VMCCA mean but not OSHA, ATF, or FTC. -You know the only place in Florida where, for a dime you can get an icy cold bottle of Coke from a fifty year old machine

6-14 2000

DO YOU KNOW THIS GUY? Too many people get started in the old car hobby for fun but quickly lose sight of that good because they become obsessed with winning a prize. While not wanting to detract from the values of excellence and perseverance, I must admit after forty years in the hobby that there have been times when it wasn't fun. But that can happen in any hobby. How many golfers have come home from a round more frustrated than when they left? This is life. That's why we have a hard luck trophy, to acknowledge and reward effort for goals not attained. Life is too short to not enjoy it right now. We're not here to be frustrated and if we find ourselves too often upset by not meeting our goals maybe it's time to realize that somewhere along the way we lost sight of the most important goal.Having Fun. I could go much farther with this but there's not enough space. Hopefully it can be a springboard for your own thoughts.

6-1-2000

In an article in Old Cars Weekly a couple years ago Linda Clark shared some old car slang. Some of her glossary included: Fierce Sparrow---Pierce Arrow Michigan mistake---Ford Chevrolet 490---meant 4 days on the road and 90 days in the garage Fiat--- Fix It Again Tony Agony wagon---ambulance Draggin wagon---wrecker Boneyard express---hearse Glass house---sedan Chicken coop---any open car Bender---steering wheel Georgia overdrive---neutral Go juice---fuel Rolls Kinardly---rolls down the hill kinardly make it up I bet you could add some and we haven't even started on truckers' lingo. Why not share them? I'll print them here.

5-27-2000

UNDERDOGS GET RESPECT(From Classic Auto Restorer, June 1995 by Dan Burger) "There are quite a few readers who can identify with an underdog like a 1960 Valiant. They appreciate loyalty to one's true feelings regardless of status or class. They like to know that someone outside their small group of friends recognizes their passion. Just because some people collect rare coins of the Roman Empire doesn't mean that those who collect Indian Head Pennies should be ignored or disrespected." "Many of these hobbyists believe the hobby is most pure at its grassroots level. But as soon as cars are bought and sold like investments, it's ironic but something valuable is lost...Like it or not, this system establishes that some things are more valuable than others. Typically we seek the things that are assigned greater value." "It's fortunate though that we still treasure some things exclusive of monetary value and that there are people with a passion for these items. When they point it out to me, I to say ' thank you.' It's times like these that I realize this hobby hasn't lost its heart."

 

3-23-00

RADERS RADIO AD Door opens and closes. Bell tingles ( the kind a door brushes past)

Girl: Welcome to Raders Relics.

Census taker: Ah yes! I'm from the government. Here to take the census.

Girl: Oh! No one lives here. We sell antique, milestone, vintage, classic, pony, muscle, sports, veteran, collectable cars. We'll handle anything as long as it meets our two criteria regardless of age. It must be going up in value and it must be a nice car. After all there are some cars in salvage yards going up in value too. Also we offer a two- year buy-back warranty as well as an immediate up-grade policy. We take trades and....

Census taker: Well our official printout shows you have a home with residents by the names of Plato, Shakespeare, Sluggo, Ashwood, Hannible, Leonardo...

Girl: Oh! Those are antique cars! You see we give all our cars names and....

Census taker: Be that as it may! I must fill out my form here so if you'll just answer a few questions ..

Girl: But...

Census taker: Are any of the above related to each other?

Girl: Wellll...I guess so. Longfellow and Shakespeare are both Model A Fords , and Plato and Socrates are Buick convertibles....

Census taker: Yes..How old is this "Sluggo"?

Girl: Sluggo's a 44 year old Chevy 1 * ton stake bed truck. Hannible's a 6 year old van, a Henway...

Census taker: What's a Henway?

Girl: About 4 * pounds!

2-15-00

DOING THE WAVE It's a shame how good old words get changed. You just don't say today. "It was a gay party." meaning everyone was happy. I do the wave all the time. Bet you do too. And we're not even in a stadium jumping up and down. We're in our car and we see someone in a car like ours. The wave used to be more prevalent. If you lived in a rural area you did it all the time to everyone especially on Sunday, and in the south we always waved on a dirt road and to people sitting on a front porch. After W.W.II when sports cars and hot rods became more popular everybody waved, but then it became a social thing. An MG would wave at anything. Porsches only waved at Porsches. Isn't it great when a Packard and a Model T wave? This hobby is so egalitarian. Raders Relics are from the wave era. They're already broken it for waving.

 

2-1-00

RADER LISTENS, SCHOPPE TALKS You've heard of course, how old cars talk to Rader, telling him their name, telling him they can be beautiful again with a little help from him. But recently it became obvious there's something more going on. There have been signs all along during the last fifteen years that something different was going on between Dick Schoppe and old cars. He doesn't just listen. He talks to old cars. No big deal you say, but the truly amazing part is THEY LISTEN TO HIM! And they do what he says. He coaxes and strokes and they do everything he wants. If they were dogs they would roll over and beg him to scratch their tummies. He talks their language of flathead or straight eight or planetary and cajoles them into doing whatever he wants. He's no mere mechanic. He communicates on a much higher plane. I'm sure glad he's here. The cars are too. They told me so.

1-21-00

...YOU MIGHT BE AN OLD CAR LOVER IF-

You might be an old car lover if you park a foot from the curb so you won't rub your wide whites.

You might be an old car lover if the girls in the tag office hide when they see you coming.

You might be an old car lover if the county zoning officer knows your phone number by heart.

You might be an old car lover if the EPA is looking at the creek that runs through your property.

You might be an old car lover if you're on a first name basis with the guys at the inspection station.

You might be an old car lover if you know the only place in the country you can buy a car with a two year buy-back warranty.

You might be an old car lover if your wife's friends think she's a saint. We can add yours to this list. Just send it in.

12-22-99

YOU MIGHT BE AN OLD CAR LOVER IF--- (With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy) --

You might be an old car lover if- Your newer car sits outside.

You might be an old car lover if- You buy your wife a new hair dryer so you have one to dry enamel.

You might be an old car lover if- You take your shoes off when you get in your car.

You might be an old car lover if- You park a hundred feet from the nearest car in the parking lot so you won't get a ding.

You might be an old car lover if- You take the family vacation to Walt Disney World because it's near Raders Relics.

You might be an old car lover if- The tree in the back yard where the kids swing has an engine hoist in it. Please send us your additions to this list and we'll keep it growing.

 

Summer 1999

WHICH KIND OF COLLECTOR ARE YOU ? Some of us are "dating". We look behind barns and into the back rows of dusty used car lots in the hope of finding a romance, a new attraction. There's always room at home for one more love. Some of us are "married " to one special love. like Dick Schoppe here with his Buicks. Some are "divorced". He was previously married to Fords. We "flirt" with other attractions. I personally, am rather promiscuous, but they are all so seductive; each in their own way. The 1956 Lincoln Premiere was sensual and gracious, but a56 Saab Monte Carlo was feisty, even kinky. But a few of us, not really collectors are looking for "mistresses", we buy not because we love them, but just to be seen with or "in the company of" maybe a very expensive car we don't really understand. Hopefully you can find a good relationship at Raders Relics.

 

12-6 1999

A MUCH OLDER GENTLEMAN........................ (that's a man older than me), well dressed and dignified, came in recently and bent my ear about how his first car was just like our 37 Ford Tudor (named Mistletoe) in folkstone grey with red hub caps and stripe. His second car which he liked even better was a forty coupe. He hung around a while -not unusual -and asked if he could sit in Mistletoe. But of course. I unlocked the passenger door. He climbed in and was immediatly overcome with emotion - to the point of crying. He later said while wiping his face that his reaction had been a total surprise to him. In truth it didn't seem to be grief or anxiety but simply an overwhelming, instantaneous flooding back of all memories at once, adolescent joys and regrets, positive and negative all at the same time. Is it any wonder that we love old cars like old friends? They've been with us in the most memorable times of life.