$5 Million Dollar HEMI CUDA Convertible!!

[mrriggsohara]

njsteve,

Thanks for the picture of the 4-door Impala. Maybe I'm wierd, too. I must be. I think I love the car. The body style is so ordinary, the wheels and tires dull, but something in my brain cannot let me avoid facing the reality that something extraordinary resides under the hood. Putting the bland body with the most powerful engine available gives rise to cause emotional stir beyond that of looking at another hemi cuda or big block muscle car. Am I wierd?

About your hemi cuda convertible: Did Greg Joseph do the actual negotiating with you on Otis Chandler's behalf? By the way, that yellow/white color combination is awesome. You are a very fortunate man to have enjoyed that car the way you did. I bet it never sees the drag strip again. Unless of course you get it back.

Some of us drive our cars, no matter what they are. I have driven all of mine. Some, though, are only driven short distances, more infrequently because they are restored to perfect condition, and it seems silly to risk a road hazard. In the past, when I was truly so crazy about the way any certain car looked, one too perfect to sensibly drive, I just bought another one of the same breed in less than 100% perfect condition and drove it whenever I felt like it. You must know what I mean. Some cars are daily drivers, some are trailer queens, with many varieties in between. Years ago, I had several of each. Now I live in Manhattan with minimal need to drive, and much less space for automobile storage and maintenance.

[njsteve]

Actually I do really like that Impala (far more than the Coronet). Brings back memories of our old Impala family station wagon with Dad at the wheel, going 95 mph on the Merrit Parkway to Grammas house in Westchester. We would all yell WEEEE! whenever the car got airborne over the hills and dips...The NY state road crews flattened out the road and it's just no fun anymore.

Yup, Greg Joseph was the one to show up with the money, back in '87. It was a rainy day when he came to pick up the car and he almost had a coronary when I drove it to meet him in the drizzle.

Kinda like last night. I had the hemi out and went to a local cruise. I met my buddy who has a 39 Plymouth Coupe with a 392 hemi in it. We hung out in the rain while most of the other cars went scrambling home. Hey, it's only (acid) rain.

Are you going to the auction?

[Charley Lillard]

Riggs... The current owner of Steves old 71 Hemi Cuda convert just told me he wouldn't even pay 30K for the 4 door car. He has plenty of cars but has ne desire to own that 4 door.

[mrriggsohara]

Charlie,

Does that Woodland in your address stand for Woodland Hills in the San Fernando Valley?

Regarding the guy who owns Steve's old 71 Hemi Cuda not having any desire to own that 4 door: I certainly don't hold that against him. I appreciate his taste, too.

But let me say this: When a guy says he wouldn't even pay $30K for the rarest hemi car in the world, it sounds like he is just being nasty. Any one who owns, collects, or merely knows about hemi cars knows that the parts in that 4 door alone are worth much more than $30K. Right??? Perfectly restored parts cost a fortune these days. Even crappy original parts cost a lot of money. Restoring crappy old original parts costs a fortune, too. So, what is this guy really talking about? Fine, he doesn't desire the car, but it sounds like we're getting back to insulting other hobbiests.

[Charley Lillard]

Riggs.... Woodland is North near Sacramento.
My Friend is not trying to be nasty. He has no use for that car. He also is not into buying cars for parts so parting out the sum of it's parts because they might total more than 30K has no appeal to him either. How many parts off a 4 door are usable on another car anyway ? I just watched a 2 door Hemi car sell at Russo and Steel for about 65K and I would take that 2 door over that 4 door every time. We all know it will bid to more than 30K. I came to that # by removing 0's from anothers comment.

[Charley Lillard]

Riggs..Same friend also has a 70 Hemi Cuda convert and the other Hemi Coronet convert. So he does like Mopars and variety.

[mrriggsohara]

Charley,

You wrote: "Riggs..Same friend also has a 70 Hemi Cuda convert and the other Hemi Coronet convert. So he does like Mopars and variety."

Your friend owns those 2 cars, too. Wow. He is one of very few who owns hemi cuda convertibles of both years, and the only one I know of who adds the 1 of 2 Coronet to the equation. My hat goes off to him. Reminds me of Otis Chandler who we've discussed above, and who used to own all 3 of the same models at the same time, too.

[mrriggsohara]

Charley (sorry I misspelled your name last time),

You asked, "How many parts off a 4 door are usable on another car?" Answer: All of the drivetrain. Basically everything except some interior and some mouldings.

I would not have guessed nor ever suggested that your friend who owns one of the most valuable muscle cars in the world would be motivated by a deal he could make that would get him a few bucks profit after dealing with selling parts. But I did think there was a strong likelihood he might endulge in restoration projects of his own, which would make all of the above parts useful to him on any 1966 car built around the same time.

In fact I am looking for a perfectly restored 1966 hemi car for this very purpose. I have spent ridiculous amounts of money restoring old parts, buying aftermarket parts, and buying NOS parts for too many cars in the past. For the most part (with one exception), I stopped that a long time ago. Years ago, after learning this lesson, I have found it better to buy cars already "done" by someone else. That way there are less headaches and you don't bury yourself financially.

It just so happens that I have a car needing total restoration, and it is one my family wants me badly to restore to O.E.M. Gold, and since I am not one to say no to my family (unless I have no choice), I will be seeing this thing to the end. Since I am going to do it, I am going to do it by starting with a perfectly restored car so I don't have to go through every single itsy bitsy part, send them out, have them restored, and pay through the nose.

Thank you for your input.

[442w30]

The red Chevy is actually a Bel Air or Biscayne, if memory serves correct. It was in a feature with a similar (albeit 2-door) '69 car in black.

[mrriggsohara]

njsteve,

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner.

I figured it was Greg Joseph. Yet I am surprised about the rainy day coronary story. Greg ended up with a lot of the nice cars from Otis Chandler's collection. Including the 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T hemi convertible for sale at the upcoming NYC auction. I spoke to Greg almost 10 years ago about a few of his cars. At the time he had, if I recall correctly, the only RS ZL-1 Camaro, too. In any case, he was a pleasure to speak with. I wonder if Greg is the current of the above mentioned Coronet convertible.

The auction: Yes I'll be there.

Thank you for all of the information.