BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY!

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY!
- BS Brash

Video is not new, but selling classic cars with it is a new wrinkle. YouTube.com, a Google website has pretty much set the stage to post any video for the public to see. Once you post a video to YouTube, you can use the URL to send it to anyone by email or YouTube offers you the html code to embed it in your website or your ebay auction. The following two examples are samples of both a personal and an ebay video.

Most people don't have the knowledge to jazz up, read that edit, a video for posting.

This is where the business opportunity come in, if you do have a video camera, the knowledge and the software to edit the videos, it would be worth a lot of money to people who don't have that knowledge or equipment to help the make a video to post on their eBay auctions.

There are also some websites that allow you to make slide shows and videos from still pictures. Here are a few of those sites, http://280slides.com/, http://preezo.com/, most of these have a small learning curve and look pretty professional when done. Some of them even allow audio and music too.

Just as an idea, how about this; you take a video of cars for sale and post it to YouTube. You change the owners anywhere from $50 to 100 depending on how in-depth the video of their vehicle is, then you put 5-20 cars on the video and post it on YouTube. I am sure you can refine the business plan to suit your time and ability.

CLASSIC IMPALA CARS 4 SALE!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ6Dml8YukU
---------------
1968 Chevy Impala Fast back RARE and PIMPED OUT for sale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5N9ZLDRG88&NR=1

If this idea interests you, I am sure that a little digging around on the Internet will come up with a lot more info on it. Mean while, you will learn how to do this just for yourself.

Copyright 2008 BS Brash

HOW NOT TO SELL YOUR CLASSIC

Nick Cash

A lot of people think that putting a for sale sign in the window of your classic & parking it down at the Wal-Mart parking lot will do the trick. Well, the concept is good, but your classic may be vandalized, stripped, stolen or towed to an impound lot because Wal-Mart is not happy about the liability you are forcing on them, plus in some cities, even parking a car in your driveway with a for sale sign in the window is illegal! This is a law that a city council has passed to make the local car dealers happy (they pay a lot of taxes).

You need to protect your classic investment, and parking it where the public has unattended access to it, is a real bad idea! I have heard horror stories of classic cars loosing steering wheels, chrome, door handles, tires & wheels, hubcaps, and even engines when left unattended. A #2 car can be reduced to a project car by a couple of determined parts thieves. It used to be that it was kids looking for parts or a crooked body man, but with the advent of eBay, your classic may wind up being parted out nationally! The unfortunate problem is that unless the thieves are actually caught in the act with the parts in their possession, most car parts are unidentifiable when found later and as such make recovery difficult is not impossible.

Another BIG No-No is letting a prospective buyer take your valuable classic for a drive alone. First of all, this may invalidate your insurance and never trust a buyer’s affirmation that his insurance covers him in your car, because he may be lying or may not have any insurance to start with and if he has larceny in his mind, he may just never come back with it. I have seen engines blown, transmissions ruined, clutches blown, parts stolen and in on case a wonderful person took the car and used it in a wedding! Never underestimate the devious nature of a potential buyer. Make sure you are perched in the front seat right next to the driver testing your classic and that way maybe you can ward off a potential wheelie popper!

Is there any safe way to show your classic? Yes the odds are in your favor that the guy looking at your classic is a good guy, but use your street smarts to make decisions on him. If he had “I feel the need for speed” tattooed on his arm, give him a good third degree grilling and wear your T-Shirt with, “I have The Cops On Speed Dial!”.

A little more advice, show your car somewhere public and not where you have it stored! The reason for this is that classics can be car-jacked too! And if the crook knows where your car is stored, it may not be there the next time you look.

Copyright 2008 by K & L Enterprises

CarWorldConnect.com Blog

CarWorldConnect.com.....Connecting Buyers and Sellers CarWorldConnect : Your Number One Source for Classic Cars on the Internet. Yes, We have a large selection of Fine Classic Autos in our inventory. But, We also have a large selection of New and Used cars listed as well. ... - http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/CarworldConnect.com.314-775-6424

Hearing Postponed to Consider California

Hearing Postponed to Consider California Bill to Require ANNUAL Emissions Tests for Vehicles 15-Years Old An Aug. 20th Senate Appropriations Committee hearing to consider legislation (A.B. 616) to require annual Smog check inspections for vehicles 15-years old and older has been postponed. A.B. 616 would also require that funds generated through the additional inspection fees be deposited into an account which can be used to scrap older cars. The hearing will be rescheduled after the Legislature approves a budget for the state. We are aware that certain e-mail addresses for Appropriations Committee members are being blocked. Accordingly, we are providing phone and fax numbers for your use.

We Urge You to Call or Fax Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee (List Below) Immediately to Oppose

A.B. 616· A.B. 616 ignores the minimal impact vintage cars have on air quality.

A.B. 616 could entice vintage car owners into allowing these vehicles to be scrapped.

A.B. 616 ignores the fact that vehicles 15-years old and older still constitute a small portion of the overall vehicle population and are a poor source from which to look for emissions reduction.

A.B. 616 ignores the fact that classic vehicles are overwhelmingly well-maintained and infrequently driven.

A.B. 616 would increase costs by creating an annual inspection fee for owners of these vehicles.

A.B. 616 represents another attempt by California legislators and regulators to scapegoat older cars.

A.B. 616 would dramatically impact the ability of fixed and low income motorists from owning and driving their older vehicles.Please contact members of the California Senate Appropriations Committee immediately by phone, fax or e-mail to request their opposition to A.B. 616.

Please e-mail a copy of your letter to stevem@sema.org. Thank you for your assistance.Senate Appropriations

CommitteeSenator Tom Torlakson (Chair)
Phone: (916) 651-4007
Fax: (916) 445-2527
Email: Senator.Torlakson@senate.ca.gov

Senator Dave Cox (Vice Chair)
Phone: (916) 651-4001
Fax: (916) 324-2680
Email: Senator.Cox@senate.ca.gov

Senator Samuel Aanestad
Phone: (916) 651-4004
Fax: (916) 445-7750
Email: Senator.Aanestad@senate.ca.gov

Senator Roy Ashburn
Phone: (916) 651-4018
Fax: (916) 651-4018
Email: Senator.Ashburn@senate.ca.gov

Senator Jim Battin
Phone: (916) 651-4037
Fax: (916) 327-2187
Email: Senator.Battin@senate.ca.gov

Senator Gilbert Cedillo
Phone: (916) 651-4022
Fax: (916) 327-8817
Email: Senator.Cedillo@senate.ca.gov

Senator Ellen Corbett
Phone: (916) 651-4010
Fax: (916) 327-2433
Email: Senator.Corbett@senate.ca.gov

Senator Robert Dutton
Phone: (916) 651-4031
Fax: (916) 327-2272
Email: Senator.Dutton@senate.ca.gov

Senator Dean Florez
Phone: (916) 651-4016
Fax: (916) 327-5989
Email: Senator.Florez@senate.ca.gov

Senator Sheila Kuehl
Phone: (916) 651-4023
Fax: (916) 324-4823
Email: Senator.Kuehl@senate.ca.gov

Senator Jenny Oropeza
Phone: (916) 651-4028
Fax: (916) 323-6056
Email: Senator.Oropeza@senate.ca.gov

Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas
Phone: (916) 651-4026
Fax: (916) 445-8899
Email: Senator.Ridley-Thomas@senate.ca.gov

Senator George Runner
Phone: (916) 651-4017
Fax: (916) 445-4662
Email: Senator.Runner@senate.ca.gov

Senator Joe Simitian
Phone: (916) 651-4011
Fax: (916) 323-4529
Email: Senator.Simitian@senate.ca.gov

Senator Darrell Steinberg
Phone: (916) 651-4006
Fax: (916) 323-2263
Email: Senator.Steinberg@senate.ca.gov

Senator Mark Wyland
Phone: (916) 651-4038
Fax: (916) 446-7382
Email: Senator.Wyland@senate.ca.gov

Senator Leland Yee
Phone: (916) 651-4008
Fax: (916) 327-2186
Email: Senator.Yee@senate.ca.gov

Terms under which this service is provided to you: sema.org/disclaimerSEMA's mailing address: 1575 S. Valley Vista Dr., Diamond Bar, CA 91765Copyright 2007. Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)

The crusher is coming to Christy's auto salvage in Leavenworth, Kansas

I just found out this afternoon that an old junk yard in Leavenworth, KS is preparing to crush their entire inventory. The yard opened in the 50's and the are being forced out by the City. The Owner, Randy, would like to sell complete cars and in some cases parts, to anyone rather than crushing them. The crusher was supposed to arrive already but has been delayed at least a week due to the recent rains/floods.

Please do not reply to this message as I am telling you everything I know in this email. The yard is open evenings until dark and Saturday and Sunday. This will probably only last until May 21st or so. Most cars are $200 to $300...or less. One particularly nice and complete 54 Chrysler 2dr with the hemi is $500 or so. Most of these cars are rough and I would estimate that 33% are restorable or rod-able. The rest would be considered incomplete parts cars. Many are rusty, many have some rare equipment intact. Some glass is good, some stainless is good, most pot metal is not usable. Most of the sheet metal is bad at the ground level if you know what I mean.

You can go to Craig's list for more info and a few phots that do not do the yard justice.

craigslist.com
Kansas City search: Leavenworth for
Old Salvage yard closing in Leavenworth KS (Pictures)

The following list is partial and represents my best recollection:

10 or 11 - 50s and 60s panel trucks and sedan delivery's
Busses, lots of busses
Busses full of doors and hoods,
Chrysler airflow (37?)
Airflow tanker truck, poor condition, most of cab gone, tanker is there,
Old auto transport trailers, 3 or 4
Old moving van trailer +/- 30' long
Pickup beds full of hub caps and wheel covers
30, 40, and 50s sedans and coupes, Chevys, Packards, Plymouths, fords, Olds, Buicks, etc etc
Caddy hearses and a few limos in the late 40s and 50s
3 each 38 or 39 Packards
1940 Chrysler
1948 Windsor 4dr
1968 barracuda
1955 (or 54) Ford 2 door wagon complete
Several 54-55 Fords
Several edsels including a few wagons
1949? dodge truck panel
3 each 1959-60 imperials
A few nashs, frasier, fiats,
Lots of corvairs
several cab over trucks
one old steam shovel
2 or 3 late 60's mustangs
Rear ends, engines, trannys, wheels, etc

I am guessing 200+ cars and 50+ trucks from the 30's thru the 60's

The yard is about one mile West of Leavenworth Kansas on Highway 92/Spruce street. Drive West out of Leavenworth on 92 until the road curves South, you are there.

Christys Auto Salvage 16595 Springdale Rd Leavenworth, KS 66048-7603 (913) 682-2121

BARRETT-JACKSON CAR AUCTION 2007

By Mark C Bach
The 36th annual Barrett-Jackson car auction held in Scottsdale, AZ is now long over and yes, over $112 million changed hands as nearly 1300 cars passed over the auction block. SPEED channel showed forty hours of the live coverage (and plenty of re-runs as well). People were chagrinned over a Shelby Cobra going for $5.5 million and afterwards there was plenty of web chatter making some serious allegations of wrong doing, which were later withdrawn or retracted! All in all a great car time!

This car auction is unique in that ALL cars are sold at no reserve. That means the seller can’t set a minimum price that the car must fetch at auction. That means that if your 1952 MG convertible recreation (a fancy word for fake) only brings a winning bid of $4,950 it is still sold. For clarity sake all listed prices shown here in this article are the final sale price including a 10% commission the buyer pays Craig Jackson. So in this case the bidder actually bid $4,500 and had to pay the price of $4,950, plus maybe sales taxes! Plus Barrett-Jackson also charges a commission to the seller so that bid of $4,500 gets 8% taken off the top so the seller nets $4,140. Quite a spread between what the seller paid and the buyer gets.

Sure go ahead and do the calculations on the $5 million winning bid for that Shelby. But I don’t begrudge the auction house. They put on a great show, go to great lengths to bring the buyers and sellers together, pay lots of money upfront for advertising, site rentals and scads of manpower and they risk lots if the numbers don’t add up.

Probably one of Craig Jackson’s smartest moves was teaming up with SPEED. He gets plenty of free publicity and they get some captive eyeballs during a slow TV season. SPEED reported that over 10 million viewers watched part of their telecast. The Speedtv.com web site had an average of over 900,000 hits daily, a 300% increase over their normal activity!

There were probably two major disappointments at the show. The auction house offered some artifacts previously owned by the famous California pin striper Von Dutch. Some of his original paintings drew some interest from the gear heads but his rustic GMC bus/workshop only garnered a bid of $44,000. Guess his logo on T shirts for all the dudes and dudettes is still trendier for now. The other surprise, to some, was that after extensive publicity and showings, the ProTeam’s “Last” Sting Ray a 1967 coupe only drew a $660,000 bid. Bidding was sparse and didn’t come close to the “predicted” $2 million dollar bid the sellers were hoping for. In my opinion this sale was diminished because it was heavily displayed for a year at most of the major Corvette shows prior to the sale, hence a new owner couldn’t show it off as much. Plus while it was the last unit in the C-2 generation’s run, there was nothing exceptional or noteworthy about it – no cloth top and no “tanker” fuel tank race car.

These prices do raise a question. Are the cars worth it? Well the cars are great to look at but cosmetically some of these are less than perfect. But many of these cars are unique or hard to find. Many cars are also fully listed as a tribute car, a clone, or a recreation – fancy terms for FAKE. Now buyer beware and forewarned, but me thinks a Plymouth that didn’t originally leave Detroit with a Hemi engine, but now has a “period authentic” Hemi won’t ever be as worth as much as the real thing! Or they’ll forget to describe the recreation as such to their friends and family. Plus many buyers get caught up in the moment and if they were patient (and sober) they could probably find a similar deal at a lower price elsewhere. But then they couldn’t claim they bought it at Barrett Jackson or show off their 45 seconds of videotaped fame. And for some buyers they don’t care to wait and have the money to prove it.

Plus for those of you who wondered, yes, cars are auctioned off during the frequent commercials. The schedule is artfully arranged to make sure which specific cars don’t get their two minutes of fame of TV coverage. You can bet those buyers and sellers are bummed!

An interesting note for the “You should drive it” faction was a 1978 Corvette Pace Car edition. This coupe only had 60 miles on it, all the paper stickers were still on the windows and the plastic hadn’t been removed from the interior either. He hadn’t even installed the Indy Pace Car decals on to the car. He stored it in a big climate controlled storage garage. But it ended up with a big crack on a wheel well when it was stored in that garage during a California earthquake. Guess no matter how much you try to protect a car, you can’t be sure. It went for only $46,200 – not much of a return on a nearly 30 year old “investment”. Another cute truck was a red Chevrolet 1955 custom pick up. It sat forlornly in the lower display parking lot after being sold early on. Although the new buyer paid $35,200 for it they didn’t seem too concerned about keeping it protected or out of the elements.

For full auction results check out http://www.barrett-jackson.com/ Next year’s auction will be held again in Scottsdale and should be just as eventfully and set even more new records.

See ya’ on the road.

Copyright 2007 Mark C Bach

Finally A Roadster That I Want!

If you know me, you know that I love cars! Since I am involved in the classic car field this works out well for me. Due to this involvement, I am a little jaded, haveing seen a lot of the glamorous classics, collector and streetrods. But when I ran on to this beauty, I was stunned. It is the 2007 789 and it gets it's name from the melding of design cues from the 1957, 1958, and 1959 Chevrolet models. The 789 is built on a 2005-2007 Corvette C6 chassis, and shares the stock C6's 6 liter GM V8 400+ hp engine as well. It was built by n2a Motors, the price tag, $135,000 seems low to me. The headlights and nose are most similar to the 57 Chevy, while the mid-section and interior are much like the 58, and the rear and tailfins are styled after the 59. It is stunning and I want one!
n2a Motors has two other beauties on the design board, so surf on over to http://www.n2amotors/ and check them out!

Nasty Little Car!

1959 BMW Isetta WHATTADRAG
This car is just like the small toy HotWheels version
Except that it actually runs.
And it is very very fast.
And it is very very loud.
With a Big Block Chevy 502 motor and SuperCharger,BF-Goodrich G-Force P215/60R14 tires in the frontand a single Sumitoma HTRZ II 285/35ZR18 tire in the rear,it will smoke any other microcar out there.
It uses Premium 93 Octane Fuel
Yes, there is a switch to make it throw flames out about 4 feet on each side
Manufacturers:Body by Bayerische Motoren Werke, Munich, GermanyEverything else done by The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum.

More here.....

Barn Finds - All Over The World?

"So, this guy buys a house on a plot of land in Portugal. This property has been vacant for 15 years. He moves in and goes off to explore his new property. He finds a locked barn on the property. He breaks in and finds dozens of classic cars in pretty good condition."

The above quote, came from an unknown source, and although I am not above swiping the ocassional news item from parts unkown, this particular item has been all over the Internet for the past couple of weeks, so I am only repeating what is common knowledge.

Barn finds, are a particular interest of mine. I have traveled a lot and in my travels I keep my eyes open for the odd car in the weeds and I give locals the third degree about local stored vehicles. I do so, because this turns up an ocassional classic for sale, but every now and then I find "Barn Finds"! For instance, one time in Iowa, the locals directed my attention to a retired printer who collected antiques. He, it turns out, had close to 150 classic vehicles stored in every vacant building in this dying farm town. Most were unrestored classics, but some were daily drivers when they were parked. None of which he would part with for decent prices, he was an Old Cars Price Guide person and wanted top dollar for everything, restored or not.

No I don't remeber which town it was, just that it was in Iowa.

I just mentioned it here to make the point that it can pay to keep your eyes peeled for classics, no matter where you are!

Copyright 2007 CarNewz.org

QUALITY CONTROL?

BS Brash
Some time in the 50's, during the time I lived in Kansas City Missouri, I had a neighbor that worked in the GM assembly plant called Leeds, I think. Anyway he was a sociable if not mouthy neighbor and most of the neighbors liked him enough to encourage him in his conversations. This particular time, he was talking about GM Quality Control and the fact that on the previous day he had a 50 something Chevy come thru the line that was 290+ pounds over weight. Who knew that they actually weighed the new cars?
Any way as the story goes, the car a 4 door was also unusual in that the interior ceiling was about 4" lower in the middle than it should be. This led the curious neighbor to remove the interior ceiling, which led to the discovery that the top was in a large part, lead. It seems that the cars roof had been slightly caved in an assembley line accident, during assembly and the car had been pulled off the assembly line and sent to the body shop for the repair of the roof. This is where the problem occurred, in the body shop. Some redneck decided not to change the roof, but to fill the roof dent with lead. Lead was used a lot around that time for body repairs. (It has since been relegated to restoration shops & replaced with body putty) The roof was duly leaded and painted at which time it was sent back to the line for completion of assembly. There must have been a lot of chuckling in the body shop that day! The body shop's little trick was only revealed when my neighbor caught it by accident.
Another story for the books, a friend of mine, a farmer purchased a new 50’s GM Light Dump truck for use on his farm. From the start it didn't run right, it's engine loped and frequently stalled. My friend, being a pretty good mechanic, compliments of a stint in the US Army Motor pool, decided after the dealer finally threw up his hands over it, he would just rebuild the engine himself. Upon tearing down the engine prior to the rebuild, he discovered that all 6 cylinders were different sizes. After a little snooping around, he found that this was not unusual practice for an end of the line, end of the model season vehicle, when the boys in the assembly line ran out of the proper parts, they would tailor make some of the components to fit that last one or two vehicles off the assembly line. My friend got a brand new engine and a big laugh out of the deal.
Now what does all of this mean? To me, it is indicative of the attitude of the American car makers, "git 'er done for the company'. Try that with the new cars and all of their computers? I think not! But even with their quality problems, give me a good old car over a new car any day!

Copyright 2006 BS Brash Contact BS Brash

2007 Ford Geiger Mustang GT 520

Source: ConceptCarz.com

How much excitement and sporty character can the current Ford Mustang really offer? The answer to this question delivers 520 hp / 382.7 kW, reaches a top speed of 287 km/h, and in addition to racing-inspired body styling painted a hot GeigerCars.de orange offers an exclusive interior with 10,000-watt sound system. The show car Mustang GT 520 from GeigerCars.de (Truderinger Str. 265, D-81825 Munich, phone: +49 / (0) 89 / 42 71 64 13, fax: +49 / (0) 89 / 42 71 64 10, e-mail: info@GeigerCars.de, website: www.GeigerCars.de), Europe's leading tuner of American automobiles, demonstrates the true potential of the reborn sports car legend.

More power through more displacement and supercharge the whole thing to boot is the recipe behind GeigerCars.de's performance tuning of the Mustang GT V8 engine. Displacement was increased from 4.6 to 5.2 liters, and the engine was extensively reworked. Precision-machining of both cylinder heads, installing sport camshafts and reinforcing the valvetrain are part of the GeigerCars.de power treatment as is a belt-driven supercharger with generously dimensioned intercooler. A fully stainless-steel high-performance sport exhaust system with high-performance manifold and metal catalysts round out the engine conversion.

In this guise the eight-cylinder engine produces a proud maximum power output of 520 hp / 382.7 kW, up from stock 300 hp / 220 kW. The peak torque of 563 Nm is available at 4,730 rpm. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a modified six-speed manual gearbox and a sport clutch. The GeigerCars.de Mustang GT 520 delivers exceptional performance: The sprint from 0 - 100 km/h takes just 4.2 seconds; top speed is 287 km/h. For an optimal supply of cooling and intake air the Munich tuner has also developed a special hood with large air dams.

Read more of this article at

SEIZED ASSETS

By BS Brash

An often over-looked (at least by the public) major source of funding for the US Gov, State and Local Law enforcement organizations is the Ricoh Act. The jist of the act is, if you are a criminal and you make money from your criminal endeavors, and the Law catches you doing so, they can take your profits and the proceeds thereof away from you. That includes any cash on hand, bank accounts, real estate, cars, jewelry, planes, etc, etc, etc. Anything that isn’t cash already, the Law then sells at auction, and this is where the links below comes in. An example of these auctions is the auction listed last that has the United State Marshal Service selling several seized assets including a 1995 Ferrari F355 Spider. The reserve is only $25k. You do have to register and pay in advance, but what auction doesn’t require some registration, including Kruse Auctions. So keep an eye out for bargains from these sources;
http://www.bid4assets.com/storefront/index.cfm?fuseaction=USMS&sfid=150, http://www.firstgov.gov/, http://www.ustreas.gov/auctions/, http://www.autoauctions.gsa.gov/, http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/gsaauctions/, http://www.treas.gov/auctions/irs/,
http://www.treas.gov/auctions/customs/realprop.html, http://www.propertydisposal.gsa.gov/Property/,
http://www.drms.dla.mil/ , http://www.fcc.gov/, http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/, http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/of/ofaucrt.htm.

These are a few of the US Gov auctions, they each have regulations and sometimes they are different from one US Gov Div to another.

Just one caution, there are sites that are scam sites, some of them even link all of the above links into their site and charge you for access to them, so be careful where you surf!

BS Brash Copyright 2006

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The Land Speed Record I almost Had?

Or my lost 15 minutes of fame!
BS Brash

Late in 1957 I decided to try out my dad's 1957 DeSoto Adventurer, it was absolutely beautiful! It was Gold and White with white vinyl seats, it had 150 big ones on the Speedometer, this in a day when tires weren't rated for speed and what seat belts there were lay unused on the back seat floor! The dang thing had a 3/4 race cam (the factory said it was full race) and two 4bbls on a hemi engine, it didn't idle, it loped. Two things happened when you floored the gas pedal, the car was so light that it fishtailed and the gas gauge made a quick trip done the dial to empty. Gas was only .25 cents a gallon, but when you got on this thing, the gas mileage dropped to 4 or 5 mpg. That 30-gallon tank just didn't stay full very long at that rate. One good, or bad thing, depending on your view, it attracted so much attention at the gas pumps, that the attendant forgot to collect payment for the gas as often as not. I got propositioned by so many women it was scary, even by some of the moms! I was in hog heaven and the King of KC when I drove it and the envy of all the guys, even the dads! The car was a repo from a local TV personality and my dad sold cars and he had been assigned the Adventurer as a demo car, I lived high for about a month, then dad was assigned an Isetta? Still got me a lot of dates, but not much envy, but that’s another story for another time.

It was a Friday in June of ’58, I had just been graduated from SE High and all was good. I would soon go to work full time and my life would change, but that Friday night after I dropped off my date, I decided to give the Adventurer it test. I drove out 63rd St to the where the 63rd St Drive-in and 50 highway met and then turned left on what was then a fairly lonesome stretch of double lane highway and dropped the hammer on the Hemi. The car fishtailed and then leaped like a gazelle. The speedometer needle sped across the dial till it was buried out of site and still the speed increased. About then I went thru a speed trap and back then, you didn’t run from the cops, especially if your dad was and ex-KC cop! I started slowing down and stopped, about 10 minutes later the cop caught up with me. I got out of the car to face him and as I did I realized that I knew him and he knew me, he had been a partner of my dad back in the day when KC Cops all rode in pairs. His face fell when he recognized me and he wasn’t vary complimentary when he told me that he was going to forget this incident, but if he ever saw me again, even walking down the street, he was going to throw me in jail for sure! I thanked him and as I climbed back in the Adventurer, he said, “Man that is some car!”As I quietly and slowly drove off, I figured that the 142mph that he said I had registered on the then state-of-the-art equipment, two chalk lines and a stop watch, absolutely must have been a record for an KCMO speeder ever caught up to that time. Oh well, the Guinness Book Of Records wasn’t even circulated in the US back then and I was just happy that I didn’t get any jail time. But man oh man, what a rush!!

BS Brash copyright 2006

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A MESS OF MESSERSCHMITTS

By BS Brash

In the early 50's when the VW was just beginning to think of attacking the huge American Auto Market, if Messerschmitt had been given half a chance and a back seat, things might have been different! The Messerschmitt Kabinenroller KR175 was a microauto produced by Messerschmitt (a German aircraft manufacturer which was prohibited from making cars after WWII clear up to the 1950's due to a whim of MacArthur's), beginning in 1953, designed by aircraft engineers and not unlike a airplane cockpit in appearance. It has two wheels in front and one in back, a kick starter and other motor-scooter-like controls (handlebar for steering with twist-grip throttle and clutch lever), a hand-operated windshield wiper, and no reverse gear. The passenger (copilot) seat is behind the driver seat. Weight: 230 Kg. Cost: DM 2100, or about 500 US 1955 dollars. 65,000 were manufactured before production stopped in 1962. Later models had automobile-like controls, a reverse gear, and eventually four wheels.
After the War, only the very rich had full-size autos. Kleinwagen were more affordable and a very common sight, especially the Messerschmitt.
Not many of these made it to the US as the VW steamrolled over any competition on it's way to capture the American heart.

My guess is that this car would have a large acceptance here in the US now that gas is so pricey! It got 50-70 mpg, but dished out a lot of punishment in the quality of ride and comfort!
Copyright 2006 BS Brash

CAN AVERAGE JOE AFFORD TO SELL HIS CLASSIC AT THE B-J?

By BS Brash

Below, don’t look yet, but you will find the entry & sales fees from what is arguably the biggest and best classic car auction in the world, The Barrett-Jackson! Although B-J has more than one auction a year, but I am only talking about the Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona every January, this auction is the 36th Anniversary and will be held January 13th – 21st, 2007.

Okay, so you have a classic car that you want to sell and you are thinking about consigning it to the B-J. Now what are the costs? First there is the vehicle’s transportation fee to the B-J, assuming that you don’t live in Arizona which can be anywhere up to $1000's depending on the quality, speed, distance and insurance, etc. Then, since you will also want to go to the B-J, you will have your personal transportation, hotel room, and food costs not to mention incidental costs, these will not be cheap.

Then there’s the Sales Fee, let’s say you own a pristine 1959 Knucklebuster Convertible, which you value at $90,000. In order to sell it at the best time, which is Saturday Jan 20, 2006 between 10:00a & 5:00p, the cost of your entry is $1200, maybe more. B-J is either not posting the prices anymore or are hiding the costs on their website. A Reserve doesn’t seem to be available to the public any more, so we will say that a friend of mine who should know says the listing fee is $1200 at no reserve (these are 2006 costs, expect them to go up annually!).

AND if your Classic sells in the $70k to $90k range, your sales fee will be, at 8%, or $5.6k to $7.2k! Woooee!

One other little fee that will be of no concern to you, but may still effect the sale is the Buyer’s Fee of 8% or $5.6k to $7.2k, just a little side note, the Buyer also has to pay a $500 (up $200 from 2004) Registration Fee just to bid! (Just to be a spectator is $1600 for the week if you buy our ticket at the door and you can’t bid!!)

Plus the buyer will also have transportation fees to and from the auction, hotel bill, food and other misc. expenses too, noe of which is cheap (I would like to mention here that nothing about this transaction will be cheap for anybody, buyer, seller or visitor!), not to mention the cost of transporting the car home to his garage. I don’t know about you, but I am afraid these fees would defininatly color my bid on any classic car! So how much would the total costs be if your Classic sells? Conservatively $8k to$16k depending on how high maintenance you and your sweetie are. How much would the B-J possibly make on your Classic? Conservatively $12,000 - $14,000 and they don’t even own it! Man am I in the wrong business!!As of today (12/6/6), the B-J has 1240+ cars listed (and my sources now say that B-J considers the 2007 auction full and is inviting anyone else to the Palm Beach event on March 28th – April 1st, 2007. The B-J runs pretty high in sales percentages and not all cars are just $50,000 cars, so I will leave it to someone who has the time to figure how big the B-J 2006 take will be. But I think I can say that it will definitely be an interesting figure!

Here are the results from the 2006 B-J.

BS Brash’s Email Address is BSB@BSBrash.com Copyright 2006 BS Brash

The 1957 Chevy Nomad

By BS Brash
As most of you know, I don't think that the 57 Chevy is the ultimate consumation of man and machine. That being said, the 57 Chevy BelAir Nomad is one sexy looking vehicle! The picture on the right is one example of the 57 Nomad, I particularlly like it's Tourch Red Color. (It is for sale at http://www.FastToysForBoys.us )
If you just "Have" to own a 57 Chevy, let it be a Nomad! To that end, check out the Chevy Nomad Club at ttp://www.chevynomadclub.com

Below is a historical Synopsis of the Chevy Nomad:

History of the Nomad
1954 - 1 Nomad was made, it was a proto-type and is the only one
of the Nomads to have a name. It debuted at The Waldorf Astoria in
New York for General Motors Motorama and was subsequently
named The Waldorf. It looked a lot like the 54 Corvette as it was
made on the 54 Vette chassis. It was such a huge success that
some of the unique features were applied to a Chevrolet Belair
two-door station wagon and it was put into production as a Nomad
in 1955.

Creation of the Nomad; All of the bodies were made at the Cleveland
plant and shipped to the Flint, Baltimore, St. Louis, Los Angeles,
Jamestown, Tarrytown, Atlanta, Kansas City, Oakland, Willow Run,
and Norwood plants to be assembled. Some of the unique features
of the Nomad are the chrome tailgate bars, the ribbed roof and of
course, the slanted "B" pillars.

1955 - 8,530 Nomads produced. Special features unique to the 1955
Nomad are the headlight eye brows, fender and door spears, large
rear wheel wells, waffle pattern interior design, and other interior
trim pieces.

1956 - 8,103 Nomads produced. Chevrolet standardized most
features in 1956. Two special features for the Nomad were the
dogleg on the quarter panel and the chrome "V" under the tail lights
for eight cylinder cars.

1957 - 6,534 Nomads produced. The 1957 models received no
special trim. All interior and exterior trim are interchangeable with
other Belair models. Even though there were fewer 1957 Nomads
produced, and it had no special trim, it is arguably the most popular
with collectors today.

Copyright 2006 BS Brash

THE BANTHRICO AFFAIR

Some believe collecting is a curse and for those of us who fall prey to it's virus, it is generally a life long affliction!

My particular interest in cars began when my eyes first lit on the little car bank that my parent’s bank was selling for $2.95. $2.95 was a lot of money back in the forties and it may be that if my parents had bought me that little bank, that would have been the last of it! But they didn't and my little mind fixed on that bank and decided that someday I was going to have a million of those all my own!

Well, I didn't get quite to a million, but I still have a few years left to accomplish that goal.

The little bank I was later to discover, was a Banthrico Bank, and is probably one of the most unsung collector car models in the USA.

There were probably several million made, but I seldom see more than two or three at the swap meets or car shows. Although a recent search on eBay turned up over 100 for sale. But since there are over 140 million registered eBayers, it still seems like a small amount of Banthricos for sale!

All of the Banthrico banks that are made of metal (they make some of plastic and wood too) are hand made with the antique slush molding process one at a time, even today.

The company was first started in 1914 and was known then as the Strongheart Company and later as Banker's Thrift Company, which fell into bankruptcy during the Great Depression. It's assets were purchased by Joseph Eisendrath who changed the name to Banthrico Industries. In 1940 Banthrico purchased National Products, but the National name stayed on their products until 1951.

In 1949 Banthrico began to furnish promotional models for the auto dealers most of which were Chevrolets of which over 104,000 were made that first year.

Some of the first promos were painted, but for the most part, they are bronzetone plated, with the exception of the newer models, which are pewtertone plated. They currently make around 50 different models.

If you are a beginner collector, you could do far worse than to start your collection with Banthrico Banks.

Just for the record, there are a lot of other Banthrico Banks that aren’t automotive, there are busts of presidents and models of buildings & etc., so Banthrico, while being a good place to start, just may become a life long passion for you too!

If you want a new one for a gift, check out http://banthrico.com.


BS Brash’s email address is mailto:BSB@BSBrash.com
Copyright BS Brash 2006

2006 SEMA Show - By Mark C Bach

Well folks it was another successful year at SEMA’s – the Specialty Equipment Market Association – show held recently in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the show you’ll hear about in magazines in three of four months, where manufacturers bring out their new products and services and show off their equipment in spectacular cars. Over 6,800 companies have joined SEMA and at times it seems like every vendor was there at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

This event has grown from the first year they held a small show in Dodge Stadium in 1967. This year over a million square feet was utilized for displays (every available square inch of space at the three interconnected buildings), plus they used large tents and outdoor displays to show their items off. To see every display you’ll need some endurance and walking shoes, as you cover over 18 miles to see all the aisles of carburetors, tires, rims and accessories. If you can’t find it at SEMA, they don’t make it!

A highlight of the show is walking through their showcase of new products. Over 1500 items are submitted for review. Sometimes these are just minor alterations to fit a different engine or car and other times they are whole new, patented items. SEMA each year awards many of these items awards for their usefulness and inventiveness. Both Craftsman and Gear Wrench were showing off combination wrenches that are twisted 90 degrees on the handle, thus allowing users to have the handle fit into the palm of their hand better. Gear Wrench even had devices set up to see how much more torque and force you gained with this design.

For some it is the chance to have a conversation face to face with the managers and tech advisors for the company. Others are scouting the aisles looking for new products or companies that can augment their existing line of products. And for many it is a chance to eye ball some beauties – both the gorgeous models and the sensational cars. Over 2,000 cars are on display here at the show, from new offerings from the manufacturers and maybe even a concept car or two, to some historical vehicles and some current models customized with a bazillion monitors and mega watt sound systems. SEMA estimates that if all the cars were lined up bumper to bumper the line would stretch 5 ½ miles ! Son, that’s a lot of cars!!

As far as new cars, the most talked about had to be GM’s first suggestion of what the Camaro will look like, while Dodge showed the Challenger. For my money, Dodge nailed it right on and truly has emulated the old style. Good luck General, your work is cut out for you. GM also featured a 69 Camaro owned by Reggie Jackson with a new GM LSX engine. Jay Leno was not to be outdone with an “EcoJet” turbine powered car that produces 650 horses when powered up to 70% turbine speed. Chip Foose took time from his Overhaulin’ duties to bring out a lime green creation he named “Hemisfear”. If you were into celebrities from racing, they were all there from pioneers to rising starts. John Force hosted a NHRA breakfast that brought out legions of fans and lots of belly laughs.

Now for some bad news – this show is not open to the public. This is a trade show meaning that only those folks in the business can come and play! SEMA made a point this year of warning folks that they were cracking down on their credentials and making sure that voyeurs weren’t part of the 100,000 folks parading through the halls this year. But perhaps you can find a friendly shop will to sponsor you for the 2007 that will be held in Las Vegas from October 30 – November 2, 2007. For more info check out http://www.semashow.com . If you pre-register the show costs only $15 while walk up attendees wait in long lines and pay $50.