I was an auto insuranceclaims adjuster with experience in liability, property damage and medical claims in my previous career. It was a tough job. I was often overworked, as claims are a Sisyphean task and you’re never caught up, plus no one likes to chat it up with their insurance guy. I mean, who likes to talk about their recent car accident?
Despite those aforementioned issues, it was a good job because you could often help people at a bad time. It’s also a time to educate them about insurance coverage and the claims process. Like many aspects of daily life, you never think about your auto insurance unless you have to, and the claims process can be daunting.
As a former insurance dude, I tend to be the guy my family, friends and coworkers go to when they a claim and want to know what to expect. I always help as much as I can to make the process easier and relieve any anxiety from an often-traumatic experience.
Not all claims are the same. There are variances on what is covered, the coverage amount and claims handling process. Each claim is unique to the situation and to the insurance company involved. With that in mind, here are some tips, and expectations from the auto insurance claims process.
Make sure you exchange insurance information with the other folk(s) involved and to take pictures of the other vehicle’s license plate and their driver license. This might sound like paranoia, but it’s not uncommon for a driver to skip out after an accident, or never file a claim or police report. People might not answer the phone after an accident but their insurance info, and pictures of their driver license and license plate can help your claims adjuster track down the other driver.
From my claims experience, the police don’t come out for low-velocity accidents, accidents without serious injuries or incidents that occur in parking lots. Obviously your accident is a big deal, but the local police are often over inundated with calls and will advise you to exchange info with the other driver in many instances. If law enforcement comes out, give a statement to the best of your ability, and take pictures of the police report information.
My excessive documentation sounds like a form of distrust, and that might be so, but I worked claims with the simple concept of “If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.” Your claims adjuster works for you but can’t take word-of-mouth as facts. Plus, one’s memory can falter, and to have pictures of everything benefits your claim.
I recommend keeping all documents from the claim (police report, insurance exchange forms, etc.) organized in an envelope or folder. This includes notes that you might write while on the phone with the claims adjuster or law enforcement. A claim can be a CYA moment, and your records will help you.
Your initial phone call with the adjuster will likely include going over the facts of loss, injuries sustained and reviewing coverage. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about anything related to the claim. It’s the adjuster’s role and responsibility to inform you of expectations, processes and your coverage.
Depending on the nature of the claim, you may have to give a recorded statement to the claims adjuster from your insurance or the other guy’s carrier. The purpose of it isn’t to interrogate you, but rather to get the facts in a manner that protects you from having your statements misconstrued or altered.
Recordings are more accurate for the facts of loss if there are any disputes. In my personal and professional life, recorded statements benefit you.
The adjuster’s liability decision is based on the information provided to them. This info includes the physical damage from the vehicles and property involved, your statement, the other driver’s statement, statements from passengers and/or witnesses, police reports and if any vehicle involved has a dash cam. Dash cam footage was a rare occurrence in my time, as I had only one claim with dash cam footage. It was one of my easier liability decisions.
Like I mentioned before, this is an overview of the claims process, and each claim is unique to those involved, the incident and insurance.
Take care on the road, safe travels and hopefully you never have to use this guide.
Do you enjoy watching cars race each other in any of its formats? Would you enjoy a car like the ones you see racing?
That’s how Los Angeles-based photographer Larry Chen felt. He’s a commercial automotive photographer, but he’s also knee-deep into automotive culture as well — especially the JDM kind. In particular, he’s a fan of Formula Drift, the U.S.-based grass-roots drifting series that has inspired many teens to do dumb things, much to your chagrin. Larry, on the other hand, has demonstrated his inspiration in other ways.
Formula Drift cars are not legal for the street and, additionally, cost a lot of money. Larry didn’t care to spend $150,000+ on a car he couldn’t drive on the street, so he built a Formula D-influenced street car that could leave his wallet (and creditors) happy. The canvas of his choosing is a Toyota GR86.
Check out the AutoHunter Cinema video taken at SEMA where Jalopy Jeff and Brad go over Larry’s GR96 “Daily Drifter” creation. Aside of the aesthetic Formula Drift-inspired modifications, he’s added a supercharger frothat bumps horsepower from 228 to 300. Also note the liberal use of carbon fiber under the hood. Of course, you’ll find modifications inside, underneath, and on all four corners.
For any aspiring car guy in the early Sixties, hearing the Beach Boys’ “409” on the radio induced dreams of owning one of the big Chevys. Nineteen-year-old Bob Vencevich was one of those young motorheads.
Growing up in North Chicago, Illinois, Bob worked at a gas station in 1963. He owned a 1957 Chevy convertible at the time but, inspired by the Beach Boys classic, he and a friend decided one Saturday to stop by the local Chevy dealer to see a 409 in person.
“I looked around, talked to a salesman, and said ‘I want a 409,’” Bob recounts. “Everyone had a red or white one, but the book had the color chip for a metallic brown. I said that’s the color I’m gonna get.”
He decided to order the car, but the decision wasn’t that easy. “I was leery about it because I was 19, living at home,” Bob says. “What was my mom going to say?”
But he made a $20 deposit at McCallum Chevrolet in Lake Forest, Illinois, and ordered the 425-horsepower, 409-powered two-door Bel Air sedan that he still owns today. Bob ordered the Bel Air with one thing in mind: He wanted to go drag racing. Why choose the more-expensive Bel Air over a similar Biscayne, Chevy’s lighter, bottom-of-the-line model? Bob says that was an easy decision — he wanted carpet on the floor, not the vinyl covering that came in the Biscayne.
Buying the Bel Air turned into a family affair. Because Bob was just 19 at the time, his older brother’s name was on the order sheet and his mother’s name was on the dealer invoice. And his grandmother was the bank, loaning him the money to make up the difference between the price of the new Chevy and the proceeds from selling his ’57 convertible. “I paid her every week to pay off the loan,” Bob says.
He chose McCallum because the dealer was known for giving discounts for cash purchases. The original invoice confirms that point. With the options that Bob ordered, the price of the Bel Air came to $3,586.82. A $567.70 discount brought the purchase price down to $2,999.12. That’s 16 percent off retail!
Bob Vencevich ordered his Bel Air brand new with the L80-code 425-hp dual-quad 409. This one is a replacement, but dressed appropriately for a ‘63.Photo by Dave Doucette
Here’s what Bob ordered: The 425-horsepower 409, four-speed manual (which included the tachometer), 4.11 Positraction rear axle, and a few creature comforts, including tinted glass, push-button AM radio with rear speaker, two-speed electric wipers, front safety belts, padded dash, and white wall tires. Bob’s color choice — Cordovan Brown — was a one-year option. It wasn’t available on 1962 or 1964 Chevys.
Bob’s special-order Bel Air was produced at the Janesville, Wisconsin GM plant. He ordered the car on June 19 and took possession about a month later on July 13. Just two months later Bob drove the Bel Air to Union Grove, Wisconsin and made his first quarter-mile run.
“I ran high 13s on street tires,” Bob says, “just to see what it would do on the stock U.S. Royals, and it burned them up.”
A month later Bob learned a lesson about the 409’s limits — especially the rpm limits.
“I didn’t know they couldn’t go past 6,000,” he says. “I floated the valves and everything went to hell.”
Photo by Dave Doucette
The somewhat good news? The dealer replaced the blown 409 under warranty. However, they said they’d do it just once, Bob recalls. Indeed, they didn’t cover the work the second time around, but that came a little later when the replacement 409 died. By that time, Bob was able to take advantage of his then-job as a parts manager at a Chevy dealer. The newer big-blocks were coming online in the late Sixties and Bob acquired a healthy 396 for the Bel Air.
By 1970 he was using a friend’s built 454 for power at the strip. Bob was running mid-11s on 10-inch slicks when another broken-parts situation ended the car’s drag racing career. Bob said he had to launch the car at 8,000 rpm to get it to hook up, but he shifted at 6,000 rpm.
Eventually the torque from the 454 on one of those hard launches broke both axles. The engine went back to a friend and the Bel Air, with barely 11,000 miles on the odometer, was parked. That was about the time Bob and his wife Marilyn bought their first house, so the Chevy was able to rest in the garage until 2014. Numerous people wanted to buy the car, even without the engine, but Bob wasn’t interested.
As time went on and life and work adjusted his priorities, Bob was able to use his job as a GM parts manager to acquire all the pieces required to reassemble a period-correct 409 when the time came to tackle that project.
“I had access to all the GM parts that were available,” Bob says, “Through the late-’70s and into the ’80s, I was collecting parts with the goal of putting it back together. Everything is new, and genuine GM — I used no internal aftermarket parts.”
Bob selected a Bel Air over the Biscayne to get carpeting rather than a rubber mat. The interior remains factory original today, but Bob added a Hurst shifter nearly 60 years ago.Photo by Dave Doucette
Bob and Marilyn moved from northern Illinois to Spring Hill, Florida, during those years. The ’63 moved with them, first inhabiting the Florida home’s garage, then moving to a detached workshop where it shared space with a street rod that Bob built in the ’90s. There it hibernated until Bob succumbed to several years of encouragement from a nephew to bring the Bel Air back to life.
In 2013 his nephew journeyed to Florida, and with Bob’s help, loaded the ’63 and all the accumulated parts into a trailer for the trip back to Illinois, where the engine was reassembled. Bob spent two months at his nephew’s home working on the project.
Bob is clear to point out that the car you see today is not restored — it’s reassembled. The engine is new, but period correct. The rest of the car is original — paint, interior, trim pieces, chrome… Other than the engine, the only non-original parts are the synchronizers in the Borg-Warner four-speed and the replacement axles.
The new powerplant is based on a 1964 409 block, Bob says, since the ’63 409 block was a one-year design because of the camshaft. The heads are era-correct, as is the aluminum intake and the two Carter AFB four-barrel carbs.
Two items, though, are not stock from 1963. Early in the car’s racing career, Bob realized that the stock shifter was not up the high-stress shifts on the drag strip, so he replaced it with an iconic Hurst shifter. The chrome wheels on the car today were not an option in 1963, but Bob’s work in the Chevy parts department turned up the chromed steel wheels as a dealer-installed option in 1964.
Photo by Dave Doucette
How rare is Bob’s ’63? It’s hard to tell, because available production numbers from those early Sixties years are not as precise as they became later in the decade. However, there are hints in some of the data. If published numbers are somewhat accurate, there were more than 135,000 two-door sedans produced in the 1963 model year. There were nearly 17,000 409 engines that year in all horsepower ranges.
Numbers for the L80 option — the 425-horsepower 409 engine — indicate just less than 4,400 were produced. There doesn’t appear to be any data on how those L80 options were distributed among Impalas, Bel Airs, and Biscaynes.
So, considering the lack of detailed production breakouts, it’s not clear how many 1963 Chevys like Bob’s rolled off the assembly line. But when you consider that Bob’s Bel Air is a one-owner, 18,000-mile survivor, you’d be hard pressed to argue that there’s another one like it.
While the drag racing career of Bob’s 409 Bel Air is over, it’s still racking up the miles — just not in quarter-mile bursts. Bob and Marilyn now enjoy driving the car to local car shows and cruise nights.
Photo by Dave Doucette
SPECIFICATIONS
PRICE
Base price: $2,610.45
Options on car profiled: 425-horsepower engine, $376; four-speed transmission and tach, $236; tinted glass, $37; push-button radio and rear speaker, $75; two-speed electric wiper and washer, $17; front seat belts, $18; padded dash, $18; white wall tires (800-14), $35; Positraction rear axle, $43.
ENGINE
Block type: Chevrolet Mark I “W-series” OHV V-8, cast-iron block and cylinder heads
Displacement: 409-cu.in.
Bore x stroke: 4.3125 x 3.5 in
Compression ratio: 11:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 425 @ 6,000
Torque @ rpm: 425 @ 4,200
Valvetrain: Overhead, solid lifters
Fuel system: Two Carter AFB four-barrel carburetors, aluminum manifold, mechanical fuel pump
Type: Chevrolet third-member type with Positraction limited-slip
Ratio: 4.11:1
BRAKES
Type: Hydraulic, single-circuit, unassisted
Front: 11 x 2.75-in drum Rear: 11 x 2.5-in drum
SUSPENSION
Front: Upper and lower control arms, coil springs, shock absorbers
Rear: Four-link-type with upper control arm, lateral control bar, two lower control arms, coil springs and shock absorbers
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels: Chromed stamped steel (dealer-installed option in 1964)
Front/Rear: 14 x 6 in
Tires: Bias-ply white wall
Front/Rear: 8.50/D14
PRODUCTION
During the 1963 model year, Chevrolet produced 135,636 full-size two-door sedans and 16,970 409 V-8 engines; of those engines, 4,394 were L80-code 425-hp versions. It is not known how many two-door sedans received the L80 409/425-hp engine.
In the not-too-distant-future, Volkswagen is going to unleash a new-age Transporter on Americans from sea to shining sea. The threat has been made several times over the decades, but the concept cars that have hinted at this have never panned out. This time it’s different, and maybe it took the world of EV to make it happen. To get a preview of the van Volkswagen has in store for us, all we have to do is go to Europe and see what’s going on with the ID. Buzz.
We already have an ID. in the States called the ID.4. This SUV is sized like a Taos but is purely an EV. The ID. Buzz is the vehicle that will carry Volkswagen’s electrification efforts further in America and, possibly, may be as big a hit as the New Beetle was (note: the Beetle hasn’t been produced since 2019). Production of the ID. Buzz began in June 2022, and we can expect to get ours in approximately a year.
“In the ID. Buzz, iconic design meets innovative technology, and this is reflected in new convenience and assistance systems. We are taking the next step forward on the way to highly automated driving with the use of swarm data in the latest Travel Assist,” explains Kai Grünitz, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Development. “This is in line with Volkswagen’s commitment to offer premium technology and innovations in as many models as possible.”
While you ogle at the ID. Buzz pictures and get mad Volkswagen is making you wait approximately a year to buy, allow us to give you the skinny on one of the features that will save your life if you’re prone to watching TikTok on the road: Travel Assist. An optional feature for Euro-spec ID. Buzzes, Travel Assist helps keep your vehicle in lane and maintain space with the vehicle in front. An adaptive lane guidance system even can adapt to your driving style to help keep the vehicle leaning to left or right (instead of the middle) if needed. Predictive cruise control and cornering assist are also part of the package, which means vehicle speed can be adapted to courses along the road like bends and turns.
Swarm data is key to the upgrade in sensor technology. It’s an anonymized system that collects automated information from other Volkswagen models for navigation data. Think of it as crowd-sourcing for quasi-automated driving and maybe it’ll make some sense, as information and data from each car’s travels is collected and sent to a cloud up in the blue sky (well, cybersky), with that data being sent to Volkswagen vehicles that are traveling along respective routes.
When driving on roads at speeds greater than 55 mph, Travel Assist with swarm data can support lane changes with the sensors determining the surrounding area to be free from objects. The driver’s steering wheel must detect the driver’s hands in order to complete the procedure, with the driver able to intervene at any time. And get this: the procedure can only be initiated when the turn signal is activated. (Bimmer drivers are likely having a conniption at this very moment.)
Park Assist Plus is another tech highlight. It may sound like it’s for Lexus folks who can’t parallel park, but this driver assistance system can be taught five different marking maneuvers, which comes in handy for carports and tight garage spaces, as well as your typical parallel parking job (though we dare to say that if you can’t parallel park, you shouldn’t have a license). All that’s needed is to park the vehicle once and then “save” the parking procedure; afterwards, the ID. Buzz can repeat the learned parking maneuver on its own the next time you need to park as long as you monitor the situation like any good driver should. “The assistance system parks the ID. Buzz with the aid of the sensors that monitor the surroundings – it steers, accelerates, brakes and changes gear,” says Volkswagen.
Volkswagen has a portfolio of other driver assistance systems to make up for your distracted existence. Here’s a few: swerve support, oncoming vehicle braking when turning, Driver Alert System, Autonomous Emergency Braking Front Assist with Pedestrian and Cyclist Monitoring, lane keeping system Lane Assist, Dynamic Road Sign Display, Car2X traffic hazard alert function, Adaptive Cruise Control ACC stop & go, anti-theft alarm system with interior monitoring, Keyless Advanced locking and starting system, Park Assist Plus, Area View and the lane change system Side Assist.
That comes off as an alphabet soup of sorts but, then, so does ID. Buzz.
Ram Trucks and Grammy-winning artist Chris Stapleton have teamed up for a one-of-a-kind Ram “Traveller” truck. Stapleton’s Ram is built on a 2500 Heavy Duty platform and features numerous custom touches that pay homage to one of his favorite trucks, the 1979 Dodge Ram Palomino.
“Our relationship with Chris Stapleton is special because he is not just a partner, we consider him to be a friend. He represents our shared values of hard-work, determination, and perseverance,” says Ram brand CEO, Mike Koval Jr. “Our journey with Chris throughout his career is something we are extremely proud of and to see this Ram Truck collaboration come to fruition is an endeavor we will cherish for a long time.”
Ram “Traveller” truck
The Traveller’s exterior is finished in a Palomino-inspired motif of Linen Cream, Radar Red, Bison Brown and Cashmere. The colors were updated to complement modern finishes, and the Palomino’s striped graphics are revised for the 2500 Heavy Duty’s body. Traveller badging has been modified to blend the past and the present. A multi-faceted, three-dimensional Ram hood ornament was added to maintain the vintage style. It rides on retro-style Turbo Fin 18-inch wheels with bright chrome center caps.
The Ram Traveller’s interior has a custom, monochromatic Bison Brown theme throughout, with buffalo plaid flannel material integrated into the headrests as a tribute to the jacket Stapleton wore on the cover of his debut album. It features Walnut Burl wood trim throughout the cabin, with speaker grilles and cloth-wrapped seats inspired by guitar amps. Wrapping up the custom interior is a Chris Stapleton signature inserted into the wood of the instrument panel.
A roadtrip of a lifetime in a 1960 Buick Electra 225
Story and photos by Jim Jordan
Jim Jordan’s 1960 Buick Electra 225 convertible and Ryan Richards’ 1968 Dodge Polara convertible as they set out for Detroit, after a stop at the Lincoln Motel in Chandler, Okla., and its great, old sign.
My big summer adventure began when my friend, Ryan Richards, said, “Have you heard about the big Lambda Car Club International’s (LCCI) Detroit Invitational Car Show that is held every 10 years?” (It had been postponed the last two years due to COVID.) He said, “We should go.” I already had plans to drive from my home in Oklahoma City to the Cadillac & LaSalle Club’s Grand National in Chicago a month before this July event, so I thought another big trip was not practical.
The more I got to thinking about it, it hit me — I would turn 50 this year, and my birthday would be right in the middle of the LCCI meet. Maybe I needed a good 50th birthday story. I started planning the trip to Detroit with Ryan and we discussed which cars we would take. When I said I would take my 1990 Cadillac Brougham, he said, “No!” and insisted that I must take an old car. I guess 32 years of age isn’t old enough for him.
Well, the next most road-ready car I own is “Endora,” my 1960 Buick Electra 225 convertible, which has never let me down. We made plans, purchased event tickets and started preparing our cars for the trip. I arranged for a full tune-up plus belts, hoses, tires and a full check-over by my mechanic to ensure she was ready for the journey.
All of my friends said I was a mix of brave, crazy and stupid for planning to take a 62-year-old car without air conditioning on such a long trip.
Ryan drove from Georgetown, Texas, on July 29 and crashed on my couch so we could leave for our odyssey early the next morning. Of all of his incredible cars, he brought his 1968 Dodge Polara convertible with 440 Magnum power.
Day 1: July 30 – OKC to Cuba, Mo.
We left my house and headed for Route 66. We stopped for fuel and refreshments at Pop’s in Arcadia, Okla., with the giant pop bottle, where we ran into a father and son cruising in their family heirloom 1953 Imperial. Then we headed to the abandoned 1920s Lawless Gas Station, which reportedly once housed a counterfeiting operation, and drove on to Chandler, Okla., home of Route 66’s Lincoln Motel and many rescued vintage signs.
The road trip included many stops along Route 66 at sites with vintage signs, often glowing with neon. The “Chrysler/Plymouth” sign (above right), is located near Route 66 in Bristow, Okla.
Next was a stop in Stroud, Okla., for pictures with the sign at the Skyliner Motel and lunch at the Rock Café, who’s owner, Dawn Welch, was the inspiration for the “Sally” character in Disney/Pixar’s “Cars” movie series. From there, we headed to Bristow so he could see the huge, previously neon-emblazoned “Chrysler/Plymouth” sign that was erected to lure motorists from nearby Route 66 to see the latest MoPar offerings. The dealership closed more than 30 years ago and the building is now an oil company. Fortunately, the sign remains.
Ryan with the top down on his 1968 Dodge Polara convertible outside the Skyliner Motel in Stroud, Okla.
After leaving the old dealership, the Polara began shrieking from the left-front wheel bearing. We pulled into a parking lot to see what was up and no fewer than seven civilians and a highway patrolman stopped to offer assistance. They brought Ryan tools and one even invited us to his house so his wife could cook us a meal. Another gentleman offered the use of his car lift. With the help of the loaned tools and a nearby O’Reilly Auto Parts store, Ryan had the bearing swapped in less than two hours. The people of Bristow, Okla., are terrifically friendly, helpful people.
We hit Interstate 44 from there for the next leg of the trip to see the blue whale in Catoosa. This was built as a play area for the children of the adjoining trading post and alligator farm, and it became a local attraction.
Dawn Welch, the owner of the Rock Cafe (pictured) in Stroud, Okla., was the inspiration for the character “Sally” in Disney/Pixar’s movie franchise “Cars.”The gas pumps only pump out memories and photo ops at this old station at the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Mo.
Our next stop was dinner at Wilder’s Steakhouse in Joplin, Mo., which has a swanky, retro atmosphere, and its neon sign is incredible. It’s even recommended by Duncan Hines! After a great meal, we headed to our beds at the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Mo., which is the oldest continuously operated motel on Route 66.
Day 2: July 31 – On to Auburn Hills
Upon check-out at the hotel, we met a man and his son who were traveling from Germany to experience Route 66 between Chicago and Los Angeles. They loved our old cars and took photographs of themselves with the cars at the motel’s old pumps, which remained from when the Wagon Wheel Motel had an operational service station and café. Next stop was St. Louis, where we stopped for photos at the famous Ted Drewes Frozen Custard stand, then met our friend, Matt, for breakfast. Matt took us to a few good spots to photograph our cars with the arch, and showed us his Frank Sinatra Edition Imperial.
The 1968 Polara as it prepares to cross the border into Michigan with its top down.A friend gave Jim and Ryan insight into the best places to photograph their cars near the famous arch in St. Louis.
After the arch photos, we crossed the Mississippi River on the Martin Luther King Bridge in St. Louis and hit the road. After traveling through Illinois and Indiana, we arrived in Michigan. We cruised down Woodward Avenue in the Polara to One Eyed Betty’s for a late dinner. After eating, we enjoyed the sights while cruising Woodward Avenue.
Day 3: Aug. 1 – Gilmore and more
Monday, we loaded in the Buick with our friend, Richard Burgess, from Atlanta, and headed out to tour the Gilmore Car Museum grounds in Hickory Corners. What an incredible place! Here we enjoyed the Cadillac and Lincoln clubs’ museums and other club museums there. Among many other cars, we saw a Chrysler Turbine Car and a Tucker, but these would not be the last examples of these cars that we would see on this trip.
Another photo-op, this time at the famously dazzling Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit.
After leaving the Gilmore Car Museum, we went shopping for antiques and returned to the hotel to find a beautiful 1931 Chrysler greeting us in the lobby. We rested, then hopped in the Polara for dinner at the O.W.L. diner on Woodward before heading into downtown Detroit to explore. Detroit is going through a renaissance and is far from the scary, bombed-out-looking place we’ve seen in so many reports. It is very active, clean and inviting. We were able to get some great pics of Ryan’s Polara at the famous Fox Theatre in all of its neon glory before heading back to the hotel.
Day 4: Aug. 2 – The Henry Ford
Tuesday morning, we headed out in the Polara to tour The Henry Ford. This museum never ceases to amaze with its displays of cars, truck, trains and Americana. Here I sat on the bus where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, saw the presidential limos and the Dymaxion House of the Future, as well as another Tucker and Chrysler Turbine Car. We left the museum and had lunch at Ford’s Garage in Dearborn, then hit several antique stores.
Day 4 included a stop at The Henry Ford, the famous museum that houses American history which, naturally, includes automobiles. Displayed there was the museum’s Bugatti Type 41 Royale.
Day 5: Aug. 3 – The Sloan
We decided to explore Flint, Mich., with our Palm Springs friends, Scott and Sandy. The newly remodeled Sloan Museum in Flint displayed the 1956 Centurion and 1954 Wildcat II Motorama show cars, along with other significant General Motors products. After visiting the Sloan, we headed into downtown Flint. “Endora” was born at the old Buick plant in Flint that is no longer there, but she returned to her birthplace 62 years later.
Day 5 included a stop at the Sloan Museum in Flint, which houses many incredible cars, including several concept cars such as the 1954 Buick Wildcat I.
Day 6: Aug. 4 – Collection overload
Thursday morning, we were part of a caravan to the Stellantis (formerly Walter P. Chrysler) Collection for a tour. This collection is housed in an old spark plug factory and Dodge Viper assembly facility. We were told ours was the first group to see the collection since the Walter P. Chrysler Museum was liquidated. There were still many great cars there, including yet another Turbine Car (three on this trip now), Jeeps, muscle cars and several MoPar concept cars, including the 1954 La Comtesse glowing in its pink-and-white finish with clear roof panels and lavender-and-white interior. Unfortunately, the collection forbids photography, so the great vehicles there are pictured only in my mind.
Day 6 featured a stop at the GM Heritage Center where the famed 1938 Buick Y-Job show car (left) wowed visitors.
We left Stellantis and headed for the General Motors Heritage Center. Wow! We were greeted in the lobby by a gleaming black-and-white 1955 Buick Century and it just got better from there.
When walking into the main hall, the first thing seen is the 1951 Le Sabre concept car. The collection had even more to offer, from Corvettes to GMC Motorhomes and everything between. I was particularly smitten with the 1953 Oldsmobile Fiesta and Le Sabre, Y-Job and Cadillac Cyclone show cars.
Later that day, we went on a dinner cruise on the Detroit River. Ryan found an incredible set of Chrysler promotional MoPar “Forward Look” Pilsner glasses with matching pitcher in an obscure little antique shop that looked it was nothing but shabby chic and junk.
Day 7: Aug. 5 – Birthday ‘treats’
Friday morning, we formed another caravan and headed to view the Stahl Collection of amazing cars, signs and mechanical musical marvels. This place is truly a multi-sensory treat of chrome, color, sound and sheer amazement. Its chief mechanic, Seamus Hnat, even played “Happy Birthday” for me on the 1924 Mortier 97-key dance organ, which is a visual and musical masterpiece. Among the unbelievable cars there were Duesenbergs, “Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang,” Fatty Arbuckle’s custom-bodied Pierce-Arrow designed by Harley Earl and, yes, another Turbine Car and Tucker. (That’s four Turbine Cars and three Tuckers in one trip!)
Day 7 included a rare opportunity see and photograph Jim’s car at the GM Tech Center’s famous reflecting pond, where many GM promotional photos were taken in the 1950s and ’60s.
After we left the Stahl Collection, we met up with a friend who works at the GM Tech Center in Warren who arranged our visit to this 1955 masterpiece, which was designed by Eero Saarinen. Security is tight there, and I relied on the generosity of a friend who works there to get us on campus for a tour. What a treat it was to photograph “Endora” by the fountain at the Tech Center’s reflecting pond with the gleaming stainless water tower in the background, a place where so many historic GM photos have been taken!
After leaving the GM Tech Center, we eventually headed back to downtown Detroit for a visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts for some cultural enrichment. This is truly a world-class museum with exhibits to enthrall everyone. After savoring the art at the museum, my friends took me out for a birthday dinner at Wright and Company, a great restaurant in a former piano warehouse.
Just as we were turning into the hotel upon our return, I hit a huge chunk of loose Michigan road concrete that somehow perfectly struck and broke off the end of my Buick’s exhaust manifold, making her sound like a race car running open headers. To make matters worse, it happened the night before the big LCCI show.
Day 8: Aug. 6 – Show Day
At the suggestion of folks at the meet, I woke up early and waited at the Midas on Woodward Avenue in hopes of getting “Endora” in for an exhaust repair. Luckily, the folks there were top-notch and among them was an “old school” mechanic who said, “I can’t fix the manifold, but I think I can figure out a way to get you home.” After an hour, I was on my way to the show and the “temporary fix” is still holding up today. He was able to wedge and tack weld a piece of exhaust pipe into the broken manifold and weld the exhaust to it.
A piece of concrete broke part of the Buick’s exhaust manifold, which was temporarily repaired at a Midas station on Detroit’s Woodward Avenue.
Show day came and so did the fabulous cars, and from all over the country. “Endora” was between a 23,000-mile 1959 LeSabre sedan and a stunning, dark-blue 1960 Electra 225 convertible that had received a body-off-frame restoration. Endora’s 80,000-mile original paint and interior showed its flaws compared to these two stunners, but she did get lots of admiration and respect for her unrestored condition and for driving all the way to the meet. Cars from the 1910s through 2022 were present, and it was a grand time despite the heat.
Some of the fantastic cars at the Lambda Car Club International’s Detroit Invitational Car Show, Jim and Ryan’s ultimate destination on this road trip.
After the show, Ryan and our friend, Chris, took the opportunity to get photographs with Ryan’s Polara at the Stelantis headquarters in Auburn Hills.
After the awards banquet on Saturday night, one of Ryan’s many Instagram followers wanted him to come see his beautiful, mostly original 1959 Mercury Monterey. We took a wonderful night drive in the Polara through beautiful lakeside country to the Big Dip Burgers Drive-In in Walled Lake, Mich., to meet Jon and see his Monterey. Jon then took us for a cruise and I couldn’t believe it, but there was another 1960 Electra 225 convertible sitting at a muffler shop! It even appeared to wear its original paint (Titian Red).
Day 9: Aug. 7 – Going to Hell
Day 9 was the start of the trip home. We loaded the cars and Ryan installed a fresh wheel bearing on the Polara and we were off. We headed to Jon’s beautiful lakeside home where he lead our caravan with his incredible 1959 Monterey to Hell, Mich., just so we could get shirts and bumper stickers to prove we had been to Hell and back. After going to Hell, Jon took us on a scenic drive to a fabulous 1962-built A&W root beer stand in Dexter, Mich.
Jim, Ryan and their friend Jon, who owns the 1959 Mercury at right, secured three adjacent spots beneath the wacky wavy roof of the 1962 A&W root beer stand in Dexter, Mich.
Jon left us at Dexter and we headed toward home. “Endora” became a little fussy when we stopped at an antique mall. With rain approaching, I tried to raise her top, but it wouldn’t budge. Ryan checked the top motor and the switch and there was nothing. Just as I was headed for shelter at a car wash, the top started working and we browsed the mall in peace.
That night, we stopped for dinner outside of Indianapolis where Ryan discovered yet another wheel bearing was failing on the Dodge. We pressed on to Terre Haute for the night where Ryan began the search for a solution.
Another day, another wheel bearing failure in the 1968 Dodge Polara convertible. This time, the mechanical trouble surfaced just outside of Indianapolis.
Day 10: Aug. 8 – Meet me in St. Louis
We awoke Monday and headed for O’Reilly Auto Parts for another bearing. The hub was so worn by now that the race for the bearing spun freely within it. Ryan’s “never give up” attitude and mechanical prowess got him to improvise with a temporary solution. New bearing and race — combined with JB Weld and a cut-up Monster Energy Drink can — had the bearing and race snugly seated back in the hub. By this time, Ryan had contacted Clay and Sons MoPar Salvage outside of St. Louis, who had a spindle, hub and drum. They were closed on Mondays, but agreed to open in order to help a fellow MoPar fan who was traveling. We arrived in the evening and were given a tour of their incredible, 300-plus-car inventory. After purchasing the parts, we headed home. Ryan installed the new hub and drum and all was well. It was raining by the time we arrived in Springfield, Mo., and without wipers in the Buick, I stopped at a hotel for the night. Ryan headed on to Joplin and then south to visit friends in Arkansas.
Clay and Sons MoPar Salvage, outside of St. Louis, was a ble to supply Ryan with a spindle, hub and drum on a day they’d usually be closed. The owners even gave them a tour of their 300-plus-car inventory.
Day 11: Aug. 9 – The home stretch
“Endora” and I leisurely headed down I-44 toward Tulsa. Once in Tulsa, I drove to the home of my friend, Levi, whom I met for a great barbecue lunch at Elmer’s BBQ, a Tulsa staple. After stuffing ourselves, “Endora” and I embarked on the final 100 miles of our trip.
We arrived home safely after 11 days, 3,059 miles and numerous memorable adventures in which we saw incredible cars, historic buildings and neon signs and many friends. It was the trip of a lifetime, and I am so glad Ryan talked me into it. I spent time with old friends and made many new ones. I guess 50 ain’t so bad after all.
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I’m fortunate to live close to Phoenix Raceway and each year I have two chances to fulfill my jonesing of watching a NASCAR race up close from the grandstands. My love of NASCAR, plus the convenience of nearby racetrack, has granted me the opportunity to spend a lot of time at Phoenix Raceway. Though it will always be Phoenix International Raceway to me, and no amount of remodeling or name updates can take that away. I have similar sentiments for Chase Field, it will always be the BOB (Bank One Ballpark) despite more than a decade of a new moniker.
But that is neither here, nor there. I’ve been in The Valley of the Sun since 2005 and in the ensuing 17-years I’ve spent a lot of time at Phoenix Raceway as a fan or reporter. Heck, I even got to ride in a NASCAR racecar around the track.
This past Sunday was my first opportunity to cover a NASCAR Cup Series playoff race, or see one in person for that matter, and a day at the track is good for the spirit when the Arizona Cardinal continue to disappoint, and my beloved Nevada Wolf Pack isn’t particularly competitive.
The garage and paddock before the race (Photo by David P. Castro)
On Sunday morning I left the house at 8:00 a.m. with a 30-mile drive to Avondale ahead of me. The track is in the Phoenix suburbs, and one must traverse numerous subdivisions to make it to the one-mile oval. I left five-hours before the race started and there was quite a bit of traffic. We NASCAR fans and media like an early arrival on race day.
My early arrival afforded me time to walk the garage and paddock area. Even at the early hour the area was bustling with mechanics preparing Cup Series cars and fans with preferred access were still shaking loose some cobwebs from the night before. Say what you will about NASCAR, but it rewards the fans with incredible behind the scenes access that’s almost unheard of in athletics. If one is inclined there’s a chance to peak behind the curtain and see the motorsports machination with almost unlimited access.
The media center isn’t action packed (Photo by David P. Castro)
After my stroll I set up shop in the media center. We media types are given assigned seating on press row and work in close quarters with other reporters. Not for the claustrophobic but the catering is great, and you get to see Jamie Little or Bob Pockrass working. Contrary to popular belief motorsports reporters largely cover a race by watching it on TV at the track. In many ways it’s like watching a race at home, except the background noise is awesome and you can’t imbibe.
I don’t watch a lot of the race outside of the media center, except the first few laps to get the blood going from the overwhelming noise of 40 stock cars in unison. I do this without ear plugs, and this explains my hearing issues, but alas I’m good with some minor auditory damage from a sport I love.
After watching the first few laps near the pits I headed back to the media center and settled in for a cool afternoon of racing for the Cup Series Championship. My NASCAR reporter techniques involve taking a lot of notes that a reader would find incoherent and not very legible. I also follow the race stats online with the race on TV. This involves multitasking, statistical overload and a general overwhelming feeling I enjoy.
A dejected Chase Elliott after Sunday’s race (Photo by David P. Castro)
After a couple of hours watching the race, I stepped outside to get some fresh air. This break was short lived as Chase Elliott spun out on Lap 205. The incident was 30-yards from where I was standing but all I could see was tire smoke. I had no idea what happened until I looked up at the jumbotron.
I can not take responsibility for Chase’s incident that forced him a lap down and effectively eliminated him from a championship with 107-laps left, but I feel guilty knowing that his fortunes dropped after I interviewed him in August. Since that magical morning he’s had an average finish of 17.5 and hasn’t won a NASCAR Cup Series championship since our paths crossed. I’m sorry, dude, but I don’t think we should chat again. It’s for the best.
Feeling that I cursed a championship contender, I headed back to the media center and got back to work. With about 10-laps left in the race it was readily apparent that Joey Logano was going to win his second Cup Series title and I headed to the pits to witness it. I’m neither a Logano fan nor hater, I’m fairly indifferent to him, but I wanted to see a little bit of history. How often do you get to see championship clinching moment and celebration?
A wild scene in the pits (Photo by David P. Castro)
Everyone seemed to have similar thoughts and it was jammed in the pits as the laps wound down. Chastain wasn’t going to catch Logano, and the race results were almost etched in stone. The final laps were quick and drama free. No miraculous comeback was coming. Logano started on the pole, led a race-high 187 laps, and dominated the weekend. It was a well deserved second championship and I am happy for the guy. The finish was inevitable and Logano’s team celebrated while he spun donuts. The scene was chaotic for fans of the 22 and it was dope to be a part of it.
Ross Chastain rehashing his Sunday (Photo by David P. Castro)
I headed back to the media center and the press conferences began with the three drivers that came up short on Sunday and didn’t beat Logano for the championship. Elliott, Christopher Bell, and Ross Chastain answered numerous questions with dignity, but you could tell that they didn’t want to discuss their respective Sundays at Phoenix Raceway. Would you want rehash a bad day at work with questions from a bunch of strangers?
I was at the press conferences in the media center for an hour or so and then made my way home. Even though the race had been over for almost two-hours there was a lot of traffic to get out of Avondale and back on the highway. I didn’t care about stop-and-go traffic in suburban Phoenix as I listened to a Bill Simmons podcast and took in a day at the track. Ninety-minutes later I was home and a day later I’m still riding high.
The Gilmore Car Museum’s Outdoor Holiday Lights Experience and Christmas Through The Decades have quickly become welcomed parts of families’ holiday traditions.
Hickory Corners, Mich. – Winter Wonderland at the Gilmore Car Museum is back for its second year, with an expanded drive-through and walk-through nighttime holiday lights experience on the museum’s beautiful 90-acre campus, just outside of Kalamazoo. Tickets are on sale now at GilmoreCarMuseum.org.
Presented by Hagerty, Winter Wonderland is unlike any other holiday lights show attraction you can imagine. Guests can enjoy a driving tour through the lighted grounds, surrounded by festive music and decorations, then head indoors to meet Santa Claus and explore the Festival of Trees throughout galleries filled with hundreds of classic cars.
Josh Russell, Executive Director of the Gilmore Car Museum, reports that the museum staff has been working with nationally-renowned lighting specialists to create exciting new outdoor lighting installations, which include dynamic programming, motion, animation, and sound.
In addition to the twinkling lights and delightful decorations, Winter Wonderland offers a variety of memorable experiences for Gilmore guests to enjoy this winter:
Gourmet hot chocolate, adult drinks, holiday-themed food & sweets, and holiday gift shopping
A giant, one-of-a-kind maze of holiday inflatables
A nostalgic 1960s fresh Christmas tree and wreath lot, complete with vintage Shasta camper trailer
Dashing Through the Snow family rides through the lights in Ford Model A’s, a Checker Taxi Cab, a ‘63 Cadillac convertible, and several other vintage cars from our collection
A stop inside Santa’s Garage, the big man’s hot rod workshop, located inside our 1930s Shell Station
Classic cars from the museum’s collection dramatically displayed inside Gilmore Snow Globes
Featured outdoor artwork exhibits from legendary automotive illustrators, including Art Fitzpatrick, Van Kaufman, and Jeff Norwell
“The Gilmore Car Museum celebrates both cars and history on an exceptionally beautiful 90-acre campus in the Michigan countryside, so it’s truly the perfect place to host a drive-through and walk-through holiday lights experience for our community,” Russell said.
Upon arriving at the Gilmore Car Museum grounds, guests will be directed to follow winding roadways through the museum’s historic campus to view the thousands of lights within dozens of dazzling themed displays, lighted barns, and vintage-era car dealerships. After your twinkling tour, head inside the museum to explore our Festival of Trees as you make your way through our decorated galleries, take a walk down memory lane through our popular Christmas Through the Decades exhibits, then finish your evening by visiting with Santa and enjoying special holiday treats & beverages.
“This spectacular Christmas and holiday lights show will bring our Michigan Winter Wonderland to life, and create lasting holiday memories for our guests in the museum, in their family car, or perhaps taking a ride through the lights in one of our classic automobiles,” added Russell.”
Winter Wonderland at the Gilmore Car Museum will run throughout the holiday season, on select nights from Friday, November 25, 2022 through Friday, December 30th, 2022.
Open weekly Thursday through Sunday from 5pm – 9pm ET
Vehicle entry gates close one hour before end of night
Tickets are now available for purchase at GilmoreCarMuseum.org
Tickets are sold per person, and include access to the museum during that same evening: Adults 18+: $20 at door/ $17.50 online in advance, Children ages 5-17: $12 at door/ $9.50 online in advance, Children ages 4 & under: FREE
Dashing Through the Snow family rides in vintage cars (up to 4 guests) are FREE with donations highly encouraged, first come first served
About Gilmore Car Museum – The world-renowned Gilmore Car Museum – North America’s largest auto museum with more than 400 vehicles on display — is located midway between Chicago and Detroit, just 20 minutes north of Kalamazoo, or 45 minutes south of Grand Rapids. The museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, whose mission is to tell the history of America through the automobile. Learn more at GilmoreCarMuseum.org
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Headlined by the SEMA Show, SEMA Week will evolve the annual event into an “all-city” experience with new concepts, activities and celebrations created specifically for automotive enthusiasts in 2023.
Diamond Bar, Calif. – SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) announced a five-year vision to expand the SEMA Show into an “all-city” experience. Officially called “SEMA Week,” the expansion’s goal is to create the most passionate and exciting automotive event in the world. SEMA Week will kick off in 2023 with new concepts, activities and events introduced over the five-year roll-out period including SEMA Fest, an immersive festival-like celebration.
SEMA Week will be headlined by the SEMA Show, which will remain a trade-only event Monday through Friday. On Friday, the final day of the SEMA Show, a limited number of enthusiasts will be able to attend the SEMA Show through the Friday Experience program, which launched at the 2021 SEMA Show. Beginning on Friday evening of SEMA Week, SEMA will take over the Las Vegas Festival Grounds through Saturday night with an all new SEMA Fest.
“We have been watching the connection between enthusiasts and our industry grow for more than a decade and, as the industry’s trade association, have a responsibility to help facilitate that connection in new and meaningful ways,” said James Lawrence, SEMA Chairman of the Board. “By creating SEMA Week and SEMA Fest, we will be able to maintain the integrity of the trade show that makes it a must-attend event for automotive professionals while introducing a new platform for enthusiasts and the industry to engage with one another.”
For 2023, SEMA Fest will take place at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds and be open to everyone, bringing together automotive enthusiasts with the aftermarket industry in a high-octane and immersive festival-like celebration of car culture. SEMA Fest will feature top music and entertainment, car show and cruise, VIP experiences, craft food, automotive celebrities and motorsports. It will run alongside the popular SEMA Ignited Cruise and SEMA Show after-party which draws thousands of enthusiasts on Friday night.
SEMA Week is also scheduled to include a SEMA Auction, featuring some of the best builds from SEMA and many more amazing vehicles to headline the festivities. SEMA will continue to expand and refine SEMA Week over the next five years, rolling out new events and activities throughout the city of Las Vegas. The evolution of SEMA Week preserves the trade aspects of the industry and business components of the SEMA Show, while enabling enthusiasts from all over to join in the festivities and enjoy car culture-focused events throughout the SEMA Week experience.
Additional details for the 2023 SEMA Show, SEMA Week and SEMA Fest will be announced in the coming months.
About SEMA – SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association founded in 1963, represents the $50.9 billion specialty-automotive industry. The industry provides appearance, performance, comfort, convenience and technology products for passenger and recreational vehicles. Association resources include market research, legislative advocacy, training and product development support, as well as leading trade shows such as the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nev., and the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, Ind. For more information, visit www.sema.org, www.semashow.com or www.performanceracing.com.
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