One of the minefields in an interview with the owner of an old car is the custom side of the vehicle. I've seen tens of thousands of cars and done thousands of interviews. In that time, I've seen things done to old iron that I would rank as excessive. I have to remind myself that old vehicles are a very personal statement. You don't own them because they're practical. You own them because they reflect something from your past. A mental cue locked in your memory banks triggered a need for a particular old car, or truck, or a look, and eventually you are the proud owner of an iconic ride. That highly impractical vehicle is for you, not mainstream society – otherwise buy a Subaru. That's how I rationalize the "off the beaten path" cars, but this 1963 Plymouth pushed the envelope in a big way. I'm a huge fan of the 63 Plymouth for the most basic reason – my Dad drove one. I saw this lime green neon car across the parking lot, and it had the unmistakable profile of a 1963 Plymouth. I could live with the paint, but from a distance it looked like the guy had rolled this car on the way to the show because the clearance between beltline and roofline was askew. It was a misshapen monstrosity. I had to talk to the guy, but my first reaction wasn't good. I respect these cars based on my own "mental cue from the past". I don't see many 63 Plymouths at shows, so this version was a shock. You have to fight through your bias in an interview and ignore what repulses you…and this car repulsed me. Admittedly, it's not even close to the same level of anxiety that imbedded combat reporters coming under live fire face to get a story but this car was a shock. Consequently I submerged my personal bias, brought up my impartial inner car guy and found out that the car's owner is a guy named Herb Dueck. He bought the car on an impulse. In his own words, "I had to have it". Herb's an interesting guy and clearly he didn't mind the spotlight that followed this car around. Most car guys at the show condemned the Plymouth on sight for its excess but they were also in the first wave of sightseers around this car. Car guys are hardwired to be naturally curious, so they had to see how this thing was built from a technical point of view. Chopping a roof is an art form, so they wanted to examine the quality of the work and the degree of difficulty. Most real car guys will admit that they are on a constant learning curve. This was a great opportunity to see something different. They were still appalled by the look of this Plymouth, but techniques are transferable across projects. They also like to look under the hood, and in this case, it was a 440 big block with dual quads. That met their standards, but they were a little lukewarm about the devil airbrush on the dash. Herb's a big guy, and he definitely displayed a latent Barnum and Bailey circus gene when he pointed out that people had to wait until he left to see a large guy squeeze into a small driving area. When he did leave, it took him 5 minutes to get behind the wheel. It probably would take less time for Herb to squeeze into a suitcase. Herb was a really good guy about the wild-looking Plymouth, because he had a great sense of humor. He bought it on spec and he knew that it was probably going to take him more than an ad in the local paper to sell a chopped lime green 1963 Plymouth, but until that happened, he was simply going to have fun with this car. Ultimately, I never did change my opinion on this car. To me it was still a monstrosity. I did get used to it – more or less. But it was the biggest test I've ever faced as a car guy/interviewer. As for a sale? Push the marketing side, because this car is an advertising campaign on 4 wheels. It took me half an hour to get a picture of it without 20 guys looking at it. For more of J Sutherland's work go to mystarcollectorcar.com from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com | |||
| |||
| |||
|
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Car Collector’s Corner: A 1963 Plymouth Raises A Few Questions About Personal Tate
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Archive
-
▼
2012
(7297)
-
▼
March
(728)
- BMW i8 Concept Spyder Debuts: Same Plug-In Hybrid,...
- Sound and Fury
- New or Used: Replacement for Rusty Rocker’d Ride?
- Opel Labor Leader Threatens Mother Of All Plant Cl...
- This Week's Most-Read Stories
- Interest For EVs Fading
- Hammer Time Rewind: Hit Em Where They Ain’t!
- Speed, And The Cop Might Get A Free Pizza
- Pocket Rocket Lovers Of The World, Rejoice! Uhmm, ...
- Automotive Lawsuit History Unearthed, Junkyard Sty...
- Junkyard Find: 1987 Toyota Corolla FX16 GT-S
- 2012 New York Auto Show Preview
- FS: One-of-a-kind Mercedes “Benzamino”
- Most-Watched Video Reviews of the Week
- Car Collector’s Corner: This1939 Rolls Royce Wrait...
- Bye, bye, Miss Emm Kay Five.
- Volkswagen Reveals Alltrack Wagon Concept, Don’t G...
- How To: Mess With Your Buddies’ Cars
- 2012 GMC Yukon and Sierra Heritage Editions Announ...
- Volkswagen Alltrack Concept; A Diesel Wagon, But A...
- 2013 Lincoln MKZ Shows Off a Big Retractable Glass...
- 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee Tested: 470 HP o...
- GMC Celebrates 100 Years With Heritage Edition
- You Thought That Car Was Expensive? Wait Until You...
- 2013 Subaru Legacy Quietly Drops 2.5GT Model
- 2012 New York Auto Show: What to Expect
- Dodge’s Facebook Campaign For SRT Viper Backfires
- Boo, Hiss: Daimler And BYD Launch Denza Brand
- Cars.com Buzz Index: March 2012
- Sergio Marchionne Confirms Third Fiat Model By 201...
- Fiat Brazil: Uno Kicks Gol Off Top Spot. Films At ...
- 2014 Fisker Nina Spied Nearly Completely Uncovered
- Cars.com News Briefs: March 30, 2012
- What Is The Model T Of Our Time?
- SRT Reveals one More Viper Pic
- Recall Alert: 2002-04 Honda CR-V, 2003 Honda Pilot
- LeMons Good/Bad Idea of the Week: Two-Stroke Miata!
- Junkyard Find: 1975 Mercury Comet Sedan
- Modern Marvels: IG Metall Hires Bob King As Opel B...
- Young People Drive Less, Surf More
- Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Volkswagen Passat...
- Cadillac XTS' Seat Buzzes for Danger
- Car Collector’s Corner:1948 Plymouth Convertible w...
- SRT Previews 2013 Viper’s Interior on Facebook [Ne...
- Mini Baker Street, Bayswater, and Highgate Special...
- 2013 Volkswagen CC First Drive: New Nose, Same Goo...
- Shake, Rattle, and Squeak: Long-Term 2011 Mini Coo...
- Chrysler Dealers Who Regained Their Franchises Bac...
- Mitt Romney Slammed for Joke Referencing Plant Clo...
- What Car Would You Buy if You Won Mega Millions?
- Edmunds Sees SAARing March Sales
- New Ram Truck Teased Before Debut, We Expect Refre...
- You Won’t Need A License To Drive This Renaut
- 2013 Subaru Legacy at the 2012 New York Internatio...
- Mercedes Will Cut Platforms In Half
- Capsule Review: 2012 Subaru Impreza Sport 5-Door
- Cars.com News Briefs: March 29, 2012
- 2013 Subaru Outback at the 2012 New York Auto Show
- Introducing The 2014 Mercedes C Class
- Toyota Bumping Up RAV4 Production By 50,000 Units ...
- Americans Paying Off Car Loans Before Mortgage, Cr...
- New C/D YouTube Channel to Launch May 1; Here’s Ou...
- Honda Fit. Officially Hecho En Mexico
- OnStar's Family Link Helps Parents Keep Tabs on Te...
- Junkyard Find: 1975 Ford Maverick
- PSA And Toyota Open Tie-Up Season
- Opel Supervisory Board Meets, Decides Nothing. Eis...
- Would You Buy It? 2013 Ford B-Max
- 2012 Audi Q5: Car Seat Check
- Vellum Venom: 2012 BMW 328i Sedan
- 2013 Chevrolet Traverse: Hard Candy Shell, Soft Go...
- 2013 Acura RDX First Drive: A More-Mature Compact ...
- 25 Cars Worth Waiting For: The Choicest Rides Arri...
- Italy Seizes Gaddafi’s Stake In Fiat
- EXCLUSIVE: Jost Capito, Head of SVT and Performanc...
- Lotus Vehicle Development on Temporary Hold, Long-...
- European Patent Filing Reveals Possible Chevrolet-...
- 2013 Lexus ES Confirmed for NYC, Previewed in Phot...
- Cadillac Previews Driver-Assistance Systems for XT...
- Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 129
- 2013 Chevrolet Traverse at 2012 New York Auto Show
- Ford Explorer Sport Gets 3.5L Ecoboost
- 2013 Ford Explorer Sport: First Look
- 2013 Ford Explorer Sport: The Closest Thing to an ...
- Fiat’s Future In America And Elsewhere: A Counterp...
- Ontario Cutting Electric Vehicle Subsidies, $43 Mi...
- GM Issues Media Black-Out For Ellesmere Port
- Renault Opens Import Company In Allegedly Closed M...
- Hammer Time: Buy! Buy Buy!
- Generation Why: Jeep’s Old Man Truck, Pinterest An...
- 2012 Jaguar XFR Video
- 2013 Maserati Quattroporte Spied: Maserati’s Next ...
- Cars.com News Briefs: March 28, 2012
- New Lexus ES at New York Auto Show
- Buick Encore May Get Chevrolet Variant
- New Mitsubishi Outlander Sport at New York Auto Show
- UAW’s Bob King Will Fire 7,000, Close Two GM Plants
- Azure Dynamics Files For Bankruptcy, Suspends Ford...
- Junkyard Find: 1970 Toyota Corona Sedan
- Car Collector’s Corner:1966 Coronet 426 Hemi 2 Doo...
-
▼
March
(728)
No comments:
Post a Comment