Another idiot hoards car, takes it apart, leaves it in pieces for decades, then dies

[sugarwood]

[mocha07]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

another situation,similar!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYuUHyJ8OVA

[fintstone]

The guy parked it when these were not really an especially valuable or in demand car.

These cars were relatively cheap and considered nothing special in the late 70's/early 80's...just like longhoods and 454 Chevelles. When gas prices peaked, people dumped these like hot rocks. The speed limit was 55 nationwide for a while.

You could easily trade a used economy car for an almost perfect muscle car. I knew lots of folks that left lots of muscle cars in out in fields. My Uncle had about a dozen '55s and '57 Chevies and several 30s and late 40's pickups he had hauled off to be crushed. All had almost perfect bodies ad interiors but had minor mechanical issues that cost less than $100 to repair but were worth less than that broken. He had no mechanical skills and the tow bill to the big city to get one fixed was more than it was worth. He could buy a running one for about $50-$100. They were considered basic transportation.

I had two guys with Shelby Mustangs that constantly nagged me to trade them my 6 cyl 1965 notchback Mustang when I lived in Denver in the late 70s because I was getting close to 30 mpg (mine still looked like a fast car with custom paint and big wheels and tires). All of my friends had very cheap cars at the time. These guys were making less than $500 a month. Two enlisted guys in my office (when I was stationed in a small town in SC) had 428 CobraJet Fords (one a Mustang and one a Mercury Cyclone) and two that had early jags. All sold them cheap to buy economy cars except the guy with the 428 CJ Mustang. I had the '65 Mustang, my next door neighbor (in the trailer park) in SC had a beautiful 65 GTO Convertible and the teen neighbor across the street had a rare and valuable (now) mid 60s factory race car (Galaxy 500 427 with a 4 speed) that his mom bought him for his first car (late 70s). Just because it was a cheap old car that looked new. She did not even know that it was a hot rod.

[pwd72s]

Fint said it well. Back in the day, we were just guys playing with cars. Nobody heard of the collector car world, vintage racing, or any of the scenes that make these cars the sought after overpriced things they are today.

Oh, we knew there were "antique" car buffs...but they lived in a totally different world than ours.

[fintstone]

Yep, and the "antique" and "collector" car guys were looking for Model As and Model Ts. 60's and 70's muscle cars were just old beaters to most people. It was embarrassing (for many) to drive an old car. People constantly made fun of my '65 Mustang.

[Daves911L]

With regards to the thread title, “ I resemble that remark”.

I’d have gotten along real good with that old guy. The one who parked it in 1981. Now the ones that made the video? Sure, they’re ok but they seem a little on the ocd side. It’s a car, not a national treasure. The old Nebraska farmer had it because he liked it. He was a car guy, not a stamp collector.

We have guys locally with neat old cars stashed. A few have them not even stashed, just sitting out in a field. Guy down the raid from me has an xk120 jag out in the brush. It’s been there for the 26 years I’ve known him. No, it’s not for sale. He’s going to restore it. His daughter will sell it when he dies. But it makes him happy to have it. He’s a good dude. Fun to hang out with. Always helping his neighbors. Maybe why he never has time to follow through on the jag. Or the other 20 odd little British things sitting around the place.

I’m not much better. Some runners. But several more interesting projects waiting in the barn. The outcome of having been a sports car nut but since I was 3 years old. And stumbling across fun things back when they were cheap. Maybe I’ll get to them, maybe not. No matter. I have fun puttering around out there in the barn. When I’m gone the daughter will have fun finding out some of that “junk” isn’t. I’ll leave instructions so she doesn’t get cheated.

Plenty of guys around here who have fancy collections. . Polished floors and memorabilia on the walls. Bars and tvs in the garage. 2, 5, 16 vehicles. All restored to perfection, polished to perfection. All by someone else. Not fun guys to hang out with. They just talk about themselves, and all the money they spent having some shift knob or something handmade in Italy.

[VenezianBlau 87]

No motor, transmission, just a tub. Collectors of these are aging out...value is in the nostalgia

And you're spot on Dave in your last sentence.

[Por_sha911]

Have you ever seen how many sets of wheels one of our long time members has?
How about folk who buy beautiful guns and then hide them in the back of a safe?

[herr_oberst]

How DARE he die before getting his car restored.

[varmint]

Figure I’ll die in 20-30 years and leave a couple unfinished projects in the garage.

[quicksix]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

How DARE he die before getting his car restored.

Imma go over and put his name in the Death Thread

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

Have you ever seen how many sets of wheels one of our long time members has?
How about folk who buy beautiful guns and then hide them in the back of a safe?

Hmmmm..

I use to know a guy (RIP Bill) who traded a station wagon for a 550 Spider.
Here is that 550 in its current home .




The gentleman pictured next to the 356 is Bill.

Figure I’ll die in 20-30 years and leave a couple unfinished projects in the garage.

I may have 10 years, but probably won't make that and have way too many unfinished projects, both Porsche and BMX

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

Hmmmm..

Hmmmm, indeed. Wheels, engine parts, etc....

I use to know a guy (RIP Bill) who traded a station wagon for a 550 Spider.
Here is that 356 in its current home


The gentleman pictured next to the 356 is Bill.

Awesome! But who's the scoundrel that's standing on the other side of it?

[Norm K]

Originally Posted by masraum

Hmmmm, indeed. Wheels, engine parts, etc....



Awesome! But who's the scoundrel that's standing on the other side of it?

And where's a shot of the wagon?

_

[Daves911L]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

The gentleman pictured next to the 356 is Bill.

Damned if I can find a 356 in any of those photos?

[fintstone]

I think any guy with the forethought to put a Shelby Mustang in a dry barn to preserve it (back when they were not worth much) is a lot smarter and did more for preservation of the marque than most people ever will. Hopefully his descendants will enjoy the appreciation of this fine example.

I turned down buying a Shelby Mustang in '76 because it had a flat tire and needed a water pump. IIRC, it was $400 and neither the seller not I realized just what he had. Of course Hemis, GTOs, and Cowl inducted 454 Chevelles were common among average high schoolers. They were not even considered especially cool by then as a Chevy Van and VW Beetles were in vogue. My wife called/calls them "redneck cars." My first "sorta" girlfriend worked at the grocery store as a checker and drove a cherry '67 GTO (like a maniac) and a high school dropout that lived in a nearby mobile home drove a Superbird.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by masraum

Hmmmm, indeed. Wheels, engine parts, etc....



Awesome! But who's the scoundrel that's standing on the other side of it?

That is Chris Hoyt, one of the very first people I met when I joined PCA.
This is the picture that didn't get posted above with Bill Benker.

[rfuerst911sc]

Geez how many of us on this forum have projects in work ? You wake up dead tomorrow guess what there's another unfinished project . Happens all the time .

[Daves911L]

Originally Posted by fintstone

Of course Hemis, GTOs, and Cowl inducted 454 Chevelles were common among average high schoolers. They were not even considered especially cool by then as a Chevy Van and VW Beetles were in vogue. My wife called/calls them "redneck cars." My first "sorta" girlfriend worked at the grocery store as a checker and drove a cherry '67 GTO (like a maniac) and a high school dropout that lived in a nearby mobile home drove a Superbird.

I’m younger than you, but still those were the days! Good clean fun burying your right foot in big hairy v8s and slamming 4 speed boxes. I still think back with amazement at some of the stuff that my friends drove in high school.

My wife is like yours though with the muscle car stuff. She just thinks they are hideous trailer park cars (Superbird, cool)! She loves sports cars, but thinks Detroit iron is redneck central. Of course she’s the smart sophisticated girl who grew up in Austin. I was just a bumpkin from West Texas😳

[Daves911L]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

That is Chris Hoyt, one of the very first people I met when I joined PCA.
This is the picture that didn't get posted above with Bill Benker.

Cool. My friend Dave has owned 043 since God was young (‘72) but apparently your friend Bill beats that. I’ll have to see if Dave has that photo.

Like the 356, Carrera? I see the wheel spacers and louvets. Thanks for posting.