My most recent acquistion!
 

I made the deal on this car over a month ago. We had a written agreement, and I wired the guy a deposit. It was supposed to be picked up today. I mailed the balance to a friend in Pheonix in form of a cashiers check to pay the car off in full. But, two days ago the owner calls and says he's backing out. I wouldn't agree, and after a hour long phone conversation, he finally realized it was the right thing to honor the sale.

Then last night he calls me and says he rolled the car. I respond, "right, and you expect me to believe that?" I didn't believe it until my friend in Pheonix (Dave C who also had the cashiers check still) goes to look at it. Dave called a couple hours ago after looking at it, and just emailed these photos.

http://www.corvettes-musclecars.com/.../HurstOlds.jpg

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

It was a 68 Hurst Olds, one of the first 7 that were sent to the top Olds Dealer in each of the 7 districts/region of the country. This one I remembered when I was going to College. It was from a dealer Russ Dunmire in Tacoma, just South of Seattle. This car won 67 of the 73 events it raced in. It set an NHRA record at Lions Dragstrip in its heyday.

What a waste!

http://www.corvettes-musclecars.com/yenko.net/68-5.jpg

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Unreal.

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That is a waste, Another neat car lost, Did he say why he was even driving it when it was supposed to be sold?

Bud.

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At least it should be cheaper now. Save it!

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WOW! What a bummer. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif[/img] And I thought I was having a bad day.

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

This car was featured in Musclecar Review a few issues before MCR went out of publication. It was an excellent restored car. Had the Vintage racing slicks, mags etc. I bid on this car 2 years ago at Barrett Jackson. The guy with jeans and glasses in the second photo outbid me and got it. Now I'll be thankful just to get my deposit back.

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Who was driving it?

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The fellow with jeans and glasses standing by it in the second photo. He's probably a very lucky person to not have been seriously injured.

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That's just about sickening! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/no.gif[/img] What the hell is wrong with that guy??? What was he thinking?? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Obviously he wasn't or the car would still be in one piece. That truly sucks Kevin. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif[/img] The Muscle Car world has lost a true warrior indeed. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif[/img]

Ed

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

must have been one of those ill take it for one last ride things and low and behold he bit the bullet That sucks that that car had that happen to it. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif[/img]

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

Totally agree that it is a bummer that this car had this happen to it. There are cars that were worse that are now highly prized. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

I hope this accident drills a lesson into the heads of Bill Porterfield and Bill Stepehenson (OlRedalert). I know these guys are members of this board but for the life of me can't figure why they run those cars full tilt down the strip. Build a clone and run it and bring the original for display.

I know I'm going to get flamed over this. It always cracks me up when people say this is what these cars were built for so their going to keep dragging them. Bull pucky. Put em out to pasture, they deserve it.

When one of these cars ends up like the one above I don't know whether I will laugh or cry.

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

I cant say i agree whit you, if you take Zl1 #1, restored back to its former racing style, and not to how it came from factory, it deserves to be used on a strip, and whom wont get a kick out of seeing,a nd heering a ZL1, running down the strip, and knowing that it is a orig ZL1 gives you an extra edge of it.

Of course its up to each owner to decide what to do,and when. But i admire those people, doing this stuff, whit their rare cars.

Using them this way, is to me, like honoring them!
NEW [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif[/img]

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

Kevin you can get the car real cheap like for FREE
I have seen cars worse than that get fixed
How many of the seven are left
That Guy had no business driving that car after it was sold [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] and by the looks of it he shore does not know how to drive a car with that kind of power What a knuckle head [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
Hope you get your deposit back with interest
what a waste [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif[/img]

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

Man... that is tragic!!!! What exactly happened????
Peter

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It is a tragedy but I hope somebody repairs it. It's a full frame car so maybe a good body shop can pull it back into shape and replace the sheet metal.

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Idiot. Sure, I have no problem with someone driving a rare musclecar, but if the car was sold, it should have been safely stored away. Every time I've taken a deposit on any of my vehicles, they go right into the garage until the buyer comes to pick it up.

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

Come on fix it as long as the frame is not hurt real bad the sheet metal can be fixed. Beleave me at the shop I run we have fixed car that have looked worse. It can be saved!
[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif[/img]

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

The cars not totaled..Junk that guy and fix the car

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Wow....I wonder if it had the vintage slicks on it when he rolled it ! What were the circumstances ?

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

My uncle raced and was sponsored by Olds from '68-'72 and I have a bunch of period pictures of that car as well as 8mm movies, converted to VHS, of it. What a tragedy. I sure as HELL wouldn't total it though. I'd buy it. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif[/img]

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

Bob, the Slicks and front tires were taken off by him. He had the street tires with black rims, so he could drive it on the street. But he claims he only put 12 miles on it in the 2 years he owned it. He was headed the one mile from his house to his storage unit to retrieve the Slicks, etc, for shipping. He claims a tie-rod came loose and he lost steering. It was this mile that became his last mile and total mileage of "13".

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

------In point of fact I havent raced "Red Alert" for about five years now,but not because I dont want to.Would love to still be out there driving but just cant seem to get cranked up to do the labor anymore.The longer you delay,the more work there is to get back in the saddle.Im guessing that this may be the case with this formerly beautiful Hurst car.I dont know anything about the specifics,but making a pass on slicks,on the street,can have disastrous consequences.Slicks are made for a controled environment.As you guys know,the least amount of almost anything under one tire can kill you.Plus,if this car was restored without thought to going back on the strip,who knows how the suspension was set up.The driver obviously didnt build the car,didnt campaign the car,and just plain didnt know what he was doing with it.Once a deposit is accepted,the car is effectivly sold.This man was not driving his car when he lost control and destroyed it.Very sorry to hear all this,Kevin........Bill S

-----Kevin.....your last post came on while I was writing this post.Obviously,alot of what I just said apparently doesnt apply.Just as obviously alot still does.I still feel just as bad for all concerned!!!!!!.....Bill S

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

Hello Bill
I quess we can respectfully agree that we disagree on how hard these "one of one" treaures should be run. I would not personally run your car down the strip for fear of some calamity happening. Almost like taking a B-17 back into Iraq for a sortie.
Dave

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

-----While bad things can happen on the strip for sure,equally as bad things can happen to these cars every day of thier existence.On the way back from Scottsdale "Ol Red" got loose in the trailer and due only to pure,unadulterated luck very little damage happened.I used it as an excuse to go over a few things and freshen up a little.Another ten miles would have been disastrous.
-----Ask Bill P about trailering problems!Most of the time it seems as though its not the racing that gets us.
-----Yesterday I went to my storage building and noticed a rather large section of steel corrugated roof flapping in the wind.Thankfully it was at the opposite end of a rather large building,and not a problem to my cars but it could have been over mine just as easily.You just never know!..........Bill S

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

Man I can't belive it! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] Sorry to hear that Kevin. I was just reading the Muscle Car review article about a week ago. It has a cool vintage pic of the car with aluminum slots on it! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

I hope one unfortunate accident does not stop the way these rare cars are treated. If we put them out to pasture and drive clones, we might as well put up a tombstone for out hobby, as it will soon perish. Ask anyone who has raced and or cruised at a SCR and see how they feel. It does not get any better then that. Yes, I would hate for something to happen to one of the cars, including one of mine, but I would hate it worse if I, other owners, and the public, were unable to enjoy the cars outside of a roped off show area.

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

-----I guess,what I was trying to say(not too eloquently)was that the only true way to protect these "musuem pieces" is to build bomb-proof buildings and never take them out,or show them to anyone.Well,,,,,there go car shows,cruises,and a huge number of similar fun get-togethers.Tom is right,you have to get them out!Thats the fun of all this.Of course,much care and diligence must be applied.That goes without saying,but you can limit the danger to the best of your abilities and still get a tremendous amount of pleasure out of this hobby!........Bill S

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Tom/Bill,
I tend to agree on this one. Using the warbirds as an example since they were brought up. I was not around when the (now) million dollar plus aircraft were being flown. Thank God there are several collectors who still fly them so theat some of us can get to enjoy them. If not for those people, I would never have gotten the opportunity to fly a B-17, P51,T-6, B-25 and many others. I cringe every time I hear one has crashed but I don't want to have to drive to a museum every time I want to see one either.

If not for the people who bring their cars out to race or show, some of us who are less fortunate and do not own one still get a chance to see them and possibly ride in them. Nostalgia Drag Races are a perfect example. This is a place where people who where not fortunate enough the see these cars in action in the 60's and 70's can now see, hear and experience it. Yes we will have unfortunate accidents but unless these cars and aircraft are shown in the theater of operation, our youth will never appreciate them for what they are/were. If you have ever had the opportunity to hear a P51 or B-25 fly overhead at speed, you will appreciate it. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif[/img]
Rick

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

What a shame, once a car is sold it should be taken off the road. Race cars should be raced, every summer I watch Grand Sport Corvette #1 run at Road America. This car is worth well over one million. Many valuable cars participate in wheel to wheel vintage races.

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SS427
I guess I'm alone on this. Your point about the warbirds is good. However while flying them to shows is o.k. with me, the owners are not flying sorties over Iraq dodging SAMS which is akin to taking ZL-1 #1 and Red Alert down the drag strip proceeded by a 3 ft. wheelstand.

SYC
I don't equate Yenko 427 Camaro's with the 2 cars mentioned above. Many more Yenko's were made and survive. If one get totalled there are many more that look identical to take it's place. Like I said above these cars are "one of one" with a grand history. Also, if an identical clone is made how is it going to look/sound differently than the original going down the strip? How can anyone really compare these cars to the originals anyway. In my mind the aura is faded somewhat-they are a caricature almost(Red Alert is more close to the original). Why? tubbed out, modified rear ends with new fangled aluminum cover plates, modern tachs and gauges, modern intakes/fuel systems, paint schemes changed (Bill P. put his name on the front fender, modern style decals) etc.

Olredalert
Yes these cars can be destroyed in a myriad of ways other than drag racing but as you increase your goal for increased speeds/elapsed times you are increasing the odds something will happen. These cars are much faster than they were when originally run.

I've noticed other famous race cars that are restored to like how they were way back and for some reason the owner has to go faster and faster and parts start geting updated/changed. Why can't anyone be satisfied with the times these cars originally ran?

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

Maybe the clone looks and sounds the same, but IMO, there is NO comparsion, which is why I go to great lengths to get these cars to perform in public. I get goosebumps just watching the video from from SCR5. To see some of these cars on the cruise and at the track, well, hard to put into words. To be there as Charley airs out ZL-1 #3 in the hotel parking lot, standing only a few feet away as Barnhart launched his ZL-1 at MAR or watching Joe S. dropped the hammer on his low mileage, ALL original Harrell Chevelle, I will never forget.

If it gets down to just clones participating, I will stay at home and play with the grand kids.

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Tom
Doing a burnout or dropping the hammer in a hotel parking lot is a lot whole different than what Zl-1 #1 and Red Alert are subjected to. I don't have a problem with running the cars and getting on them on occasion but someday the *alls to the wall, all out runs these cars do is going to catch up with them.

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Kevin, what a sad loss. The car was sold should not been driven period. I in turn will race my 70 camaro. It is NOT a yard ornament. Kim [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif[/img]

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

I will say I can appreciate seeing a musclecar or supercar driven. It's great to see. But I have to wonder what kind of insurance you guys have to be able to run your high dollar supercars down the quarter mile? Every insurance company I have spoken to will not cover your car(new or old) if it is raced. That being said, I know that I can't afford to restore my car twice(I can barely afford it now) so there's no way you will ever find me racing my JL8 anywhere. I thought the same thing about the vintage racing. Do those guys actually have insurance on those cars that are being raced?

Re: My most recent acquistion!
 

I really don't know what most vintage racers have, my vintage race Corvette (beat Don Yenko in 67 & 68 June Sprints) is raced by me without physical damage coverage. I break it, I pay for it. GS #1 had an incident at Road America a few years ago. It was during the practice session on Thursday if I heard the story correctly. The car lost a wheel and hit a guard rail or concrete wall. It may cost $20,000 to repair but you still have a valuable car. Most of the cars have been hit before.

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Excuse me while I am sick! Do everyone a favor, grab the car, advertise for a '68 cutlass parts car and put that bad boy back together. It may look hidious, but sheet metal, frames, and motors can either be replaced or rebuilt. I know that some of the value of originality may be lost, but it is a legend in the Olds community and does not deserve to die a death such as that! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif[/img]

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Wow! I'll stay out of this one. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif[/img]

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-----Any insurance on a race car I ever heard of will only cover the car when its not being raced.Have often thought of the ramifications,but it was always more important to race,than worry.I went to great lengths to race safe and never had a problem.Do I think I was pressing my luck?...No...Loads of Drag racers have gone thier entire careers without a problem.Others have not been so lucky,but you do your best to take the problems out of the equation.There is something intrinsicly exciting about seeing the actual original car race.
-----Yes,"Red Alert" is faster than it was when it held the world record,but it is in every racers nature to go faster.Had Bob Hamilton kept racing he surely would have wanted to go faster as well.The only reason I never ran in the nines was because I would have had to change the nature of the car to meet new NHRA rules beyond what I felt was acceptable to me and "Red Alert" fans everywhere.I just didnt want to cut the car up any further.........Bill S