Volume VIII, Issue 4

4/18/1964 - Sunbeam debuts Tiger 4/21/1967 - GM makes 100th mil-lion car 4/25/1901 - NY first state to re-quire license plates 4/28/1953 - Kaiser-Frazer buys Willys 4/29/2004 - Last Olds manufac-tured - Spring is getting closer!

Typical of April in SE Wis-consin, it is still too cold to be behind the wheel of our rides. That does not stop one from thinking spring though, does it? Actually, we did have one day with temps in the high 50’s. I took advantage of the “warm spell” to awaken Saved 62. I will also tell you to be able to hear her engine purr got my blood flowing a bit quicker and my heart pounding a bit faster! It is predicted to get to 60 degrees this week. If it does, I shall take that opportunity to awaken The Gray Lady. I have been pondering of late what to with/about The Gray Lady. The stars are quickly aligning such that some serious decisions have had to be made regarding her. They have been made. You may read all about it in

this month’s issue, and in the separate mailing I sent out a few days back. I also en-courage all to check out the related web site and let oth-ers know of the link. April Automotive Milestones 4/1/1961- Amphicar debuts, N.Y.C. 4/1/1964 - Plymouth Barra-cuda introduced 4/1/1969 - Last Chevrolet Corvair built 4/1/1970 - American Motors debuts the Gremlin 4/2/1875 - Walter P. Chrysler is born in Wamego, KS 4/3/1885 - Daimler patents water-cooled internal com-bustion engine 4/7/1947 - Henry Ford dies 4/17/1964 - Ford debuts Mustang 4/17/1969 - Ford debuts Mav-erick 4/18/1955 - Lincoln becomes separate division of Ford

High RPMs

GDYNets® on the Web

Find GDYNets on the web: CCC® -THE FORUM -A web site to discuss the newsletter, the hobby and our cars.

Car Collector Chronicles® Saved 62 -Our 1962 Olds convertible, Ransom Eli Olds and things Oldsmobile related web site. The Gray Lady -1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site.

SAVED 62: A website devoted to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dy-namic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobile cars and the com-pany founder, Ransom Eli Olds.

THE GRAY LADY: This web-site features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.

DAVE’S DEN: -A site de-voted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive informa-tion on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmo-bile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. George Yaros.

A GDYNETS®

PUBLICATION © 2015, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 2015 Ca s

Car Collector Chronicles®

Exploring:

• Car Collecting Today

• Classic Rides

• Reports From the Field

• Oldsmobile (1897-2004)

• Cadillac (1902- )

• Allanté (1987-1993)

• Corvair (1960-1969)

= Clickable Link

IN THIS ISSUE:

High RPMs GDY Nets®

1 1

On the Web CLC Grand

2

National 2015 Rousing the

2

Slumbering Readers React

3

The Gray Lady

4

Pics That Caught My Eye

5

CCC® Forum EMail: OldsD88@gmail.com

If you read this pub with any regularity you have to know that my hometown of Milwaukee with be the host for the CLC 2015 Grand National. Technically, the proceedings shall be held in Brookfield, WI; a burb in the metro area. The event begins on Tuesday 23 Jun, and concludes on Saturday, 27 Jun. The Mrs., myself and The Gray Lady all plan to be in atten-dance. Look for us, as we shall be looking for you! There are a number of events being held for the attendees. They include a driving tour, trips to view the 350 car private Klairmont Kollection , the WI Auto Museum and the Harley-Davidson Museum . It is not possible to come to WI and escape seeing both beer and cheese being made, or to take part in a fish fry. Those tours are also on the agenda, along with visits to the Frederick Pabst Mansion and a Frank Lloyd Wright de-signed Greek Orthodox church. What sounds to be a particularly interesting side trip is the one to the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) in Oshkosh. While the annual EAA Airventure show does not take place until July, there shall be plenty to see and do at the venue. In preparation for the Grand National, the CLC is putting on a Regional Judge’s Train-ing Workshop in April. It shall be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Heritage Cadillac, both in the Chicago area. The training encompasses six hours of instruction, including hands-on judging of a high point car and one of driver quality. I intend to get trained for a number of reasons. I shall be able to put the training to good use in the conduct of my hobby. I will know for certain what at least this group thinks is a “driver quality” ride. With the benefit of the training I should be able to better prep my rides for display at car shows? Lastly, I may also serve as a judge at the up-coming Grand National and other car shows I attend. Rousing the Slumbering In the midst of a one-day heat wave I had occasion to rouse Saved 62 from her winter nap. It was necessary to do so, as I had to get the car resting above her off of the lift. Much to my pleasant surprise, all went forward without a hitch; unlike the horror of last year. I filled the carburetor with fresh gas via the fuel bowl vent tube. I then cranked the engine a short bit with the coil disconnected to get the oil circulating. Putting the coil back into the circuit I turned the key and the engine fired up as though I had turned it off only 15 minutes ago. I was truly amazed! My reaction was obvious, as I was grin-ning like a Cheshire cat. Believe me when I say that I did indeed learn my lesson from last year. Before ever moving the gear shift lever I repeatedly tested the brakes. I stepped on them multiple times! More than once I stood on them for extended periods. I gave them ample op-portunity to go south on me if that was in the cards. Fortunately, it was not. For those who are not aware of the 2014 disaster, I wrecked the car last year on wak-ing it from its seasonal nap and backing it out of the garage. Then, I put it in reverse and stepped on the gas without ever touching/testing the brakes. To my chagrin, I learned I had no brakes! Without any brakes I ran into the neighbor’s retaining wall across the alley from my garage. That was not a fun time, to say the least. This year was different. Not only did the car fire right up, she exited the car barn with-out incident and I was able to take her for a short spin. The drive included a trip to the gas station for a fill-up. At the gas station folks gathered around Saved 62 and com-mented favorably. I departed with a lighter wallet, a full tank of Shell and an ego ready to burst. I am ready for the warm weather to stay and to go motoring in the Oldsmobile! I am sure you are ready to break out your rides too. Then there are our friends south of the equator who are just now putting their rides to bed. It is our turn. We are ready!

Cadillac-LaSalle Club Grand National 2015

Car Collector Chronicles Page 2

“It is not

possible to

come to WI

and escape

seeing both

beer and

cheese being

made, or to

take part in a

fish fry .”

Readers React My article last month on the 1949 Talbot-Lago must have struck a nerve, as it did elicit reaction: Reader Steve S said—I often wondered when somebody bought an old rusted hulk to restore whether or not there was enough original car left to be even considered restored. In the case of the ‘49 Talbo-Lago I would think that a new car would be built. $2 million + at auction is crazy. Even the Corvette Museum considered how much original would be left and decided that 5 of the 8 cars would lose so much originality that they chose not to restore them. As for the new Cadillac? Yuk. Although better than a Hyundai, the interiors still look cheap. David L chalked it up to vanity— I suspect there are few who understand the rationale behind the purchase of the Talbot-Lago T26. The high price of rust. “Vanity, Vanity…..all is Vanity!” I also enjoyed your trivia inclusions. Now I know why “pick-up” truck is called a pick-up. Additionally there was insightful support from Steve M—Dave, I would just like to coun-terpoint your article on the 1949 Talbot-Lago. As a lifelong Olds guy the classics were not only out of my range, but out of my mind as well. Over the last decade I have become immersed in the classic car world having help start a concours, judge at national concours and usually judge classics for AACA national awards. I have come to know many of these owners well, so my feelings are either tainted or bolstered by the familiarity. Most of us will look at what we call an outlandish purchase and decry how foolish the buyer was to waste his money. The key thing here is HIS money. What seemingly is a fortune to most of us hardly seems to matter to many of these people. However, most of them are hard core automotive fans and enjoy the restoration and competition with their cars. They are “car guys” through and through, although they may use Grey Poupon while we use French’s. To tell these owners that they should have saved their money or used it for another pur-pose is to deny them the respect we should give them for saving automotive history. I do not care that much about how much is saved on that car as long as the car was a correct car and it is restored correctly. I will admire deeply the talent to resurrect this car and dream about being able to own a custom coachwork car. In the end if this is what hap-pens to the Talbot another generation of car fans will get to see an amazing car, and one you do not see every day. I remember a time when Olds fans laughed at the thought of a $140,000 Cutlass. How about a $3 Mil Olds Limited! Times have changed. Were the owners smart in restoring 4-4-2’s for more money than they were worth back in the day? How well have Ferrari own-ers done? Who could imagine we would have $50K cars! Yes it seems insane, but I will never question someone for spending money on something they love. To me it is well spent if it makes them happy and they can afford it. Could the money be put to better use? Surely, but that can be said of many things we all do. In the end, these men are saving a part of automotive history that none of us are able to and I think they deserve respect. Just my opinion, I may be in the minority but I also remember when we spent $250K on restoring a limited and a few people said we were nuts….not so nuts today. Thanks for putting out your excellent Chronicle. I do enjoy them! Steve M does make some good points. He is certainly correct that it ls HIS money and s/he has the right to spend it however s/he damn well pleases. Nor can I deny that the end result may be the preservation of automotive history. Perhaps the most insightful analysis by Steve M is that the French’s Mustard and Grey Poupon crowds inhabit two different worlds and the twain shall never meet?

“To tell these

owners that

they should

have saved

their money

or used it for

another

purpose is to

deny them

the respect

we should

give them for

saving

automotive

history.”

Car Collector Chronicles Page 3

Car Collector Chronicles Page 4;;

The Gray Lady On Page 1 I referenced star alignment mandating decisions regarding The Gray Lady . What is that all about? While it has been in the back of my mind for a while, it came to the fore last month due to a message I read on the AACA Forum. A post asked what factors would cause an owner of multiple old rides to sell one car over another. It got me thinking. The Gray Lady was acuired by us in 2009. During our six years of stewardship we have not put 100 miles on the car. She spends her time silently, parked in her car barn stall. It is next to criminal to not be driving, showing and sharing her! Such a beautiful car should be seen and appreciated by all who admire old cars. Given this view, I have reluctantly come to the decisiion that the time has come to pass on stewardship over The Gray Lady .

Why now? Now is the time because the best opportunity to find a suitable caretaker presents itself with the staging of the Cadillac-LaSalle Club Grand National Meet in Milwaukee this summer. The stars have aligned to bring Cadillac owners and admirers to Brew City for five straight days. Never again will such exposure before like minded people present itself. I owe it to myself and The Gray Lady to utilize this op-portunity to the fullest to find someone who will appreciate all that she is and represents. To that end, I have created a web site to market The Gray Lady online. It is not extravagant, but tells her story in word and picture. I have tried to be transparent in the telling of her story. I have included 74 pic-tures on Flikr® and detailed both what has been done to the car as well as what needs to be done. Feel free to check it out here. Should you know of anyone with an interest in owning a truly fine automobile that exudes both style and class, send them my way.

Factoids In the days of the horse and buggy the dashboard referred to the screening material that stretched be-tween the horse and the carriage being pulled. The hooves of trotting horses threw up road debris as they stepped in puddles, snowdrifts and other muck. Without this protective barrier, driver and passengers suf-fered the inconvenience and indignity of having their clothes soiled by the dashing horses. Horseless carriages incorporated a permanent splash shield into their newfangled contraptions which was designed to serve the same purpose. And it was called what else, but a dashboard!. This statement got my attention recently—When leaning over a fender, I have found that your arms get shorter as your belly gets bigger!

Car Collector Chronicles Page 5;;

Pics That Caught My Eye Is one able to say “ v i n t a g e Olds?” 22 years young at the time, not even an antique!

1940 Cadillac radio with pre-set push buttons. Were the station labels a dealer installed option? – Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Sub-missions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com. –– Now that you have finished reading this month’s issue of the newsletter, if so inclined, like CCC® on Facebook® by going here ______________________________________ -- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE: • TBD