Steve_Mack_CT

Do the Junior cars contain structural wood - specifically sedans? I may be looking at a car that has been described as very solid but am not sure about this aspect. Also, seller describes car as a 110 but I thought all 6 cylinder '37s were 115s? thanks

My wife shares the car interest and she knows what I would want - she actually did buy me a Model A once which was really cool. We both want a series I or II Jaguar E Type, FHC, which would be what I would hope to find as we are looking for one... I have also been missing a pre-war or prewar style car so anything interesting from say, '37 to '48 would be nice. (Auburnseeker knows he could help out here but we'll see.... ) Last, she does not want one of these but knows I do - an MG "T" series would be cool.

Dave, while technically impressive the Tesla is really a high performance version of an electric car, I am sure the 362 HP delivers a thrilling ride, which is great, but this is essentially a toy - Admittedly, I LOVE toys but I think the Fed has no business funding that to the degree it has. As noted above, their future is questionable at best - I guess we'll see if they ever reach their corporate goal of making a less expensive unit. One way to get there quicker might be to focus on that rather than a boutique performance car with taxpayer money.

Nice to see such efforts expended on a closed car - very elegant. Thanks for sharing your updates, Ron.

Bob, you have already paid for a significant part of each Tesla that ends up in the hands of some well heeled buyer. Let's see, this is a $57,000 vehicle, solidly out of the "basic transportation" class and the government pays the buyer back $7,000. This on top of the funding Tesla has already received from us to bring technology that so far, is not ground breaking as it relates to electric cars. Ouch...

Great info Woody - I have been looking for a nice copy for some time, and really do not care if it is an early edition - in fact I would prefer new. Will be ordering one as an early Christmas gift to me...

Seeker, you clearly need space.. See my PM.

Steve let's plan to take a run up there together in the spring season, you are more than welcome to use the house for a "pit stop" - cancellation probably just as well for us - we spent the AM finishing the fall clean up and put around 75 miles on the MB in NW CT yesterday afternoon, a real nice day...

Marty, if I remember his bio correctly he did some work for GM and presented a design that was very simillar to what became the Cord 810/812 - it was rejected in a designer's contest. My guess is that at that time the design was likely seen as too unusual for companies making more or less very high volume mainstream vehicles. I could see where his design ended up in the right place - Buehrig did some great work and enjoyed a long career, and while in his bio he himself passes credit to others for his work on the Continental Mark II it certainly seems like his influence of a clean understated design. He successfully sued for patent infringement against GM when they brought out the T-top Corvette in 1968 - and I believe earned a royalty on every T-top produced afterwards, for a long time.

Interesting thread, but I think certain cars that may not have been historically significant in the day, but have been unusually well preserved, and ideally well documented are also in a unique class. Matt Harwood's new Packard listing seems like the ideal example of this. http://forums.aaca.org/f119/1934-packard-eight-4-door-sedan-339502.html The line between "better preserved" vs. "should be restored" is different with each case most of the time. (only an idiot would restore the above Packard) Sometimes, preservation means preserving old features that are not necessarily original to the car but part of its history - I think your Mercer, if I remember the details right, fits this bill. On the other hand, I do think the overall good trend towards presevation has caused some cars that really should be restored or at least refurbished in some way to be scooped up in the preservation phase - for now. If there is more surface rust or primer than paint, and the car is less than 80 + years old, chances are you may want to consider restoration. Anyway, great thread, surprised not more people have weighed in.

Hey Daytona, sorry I missed you last night, been flat out at work for weeks. I spoke with our friend Ray this morning - he mentioned you might have "A" fever! Will keep my eyes open, lighter clutch, steering and braking than the Caddy for sure. I am aware of one or two but no vickies. No doubt you have seen Tom L. is taking in an A-400 which is a very interesting and unusual bodystyle.

Don't be too concerned about Fisker. They have been the beneficiary of millions of Federal start up dollars and no doubt will be made whole by the taxpayers to produce very high end electric toys - I mean "green vehicles that will benefit the masses..."

Good point A.J., in thinking about Dave's comment on the tranny I actually thought, "well, it can't be tougher than my Model A was"

Thanks Dave. I prefer the covered headlights as well, and from what I have found so far a '65 - '66 would be ideal, but will look at a series II if it is clean.

Thanks David, I was not aware of the internal painting issue but not surprised. Finding one in the type of condition I want may be a bit of a challenge, at least in my neck of the woods trashed projects or perfect show cars seem to be available, it is that middle ground that is tough. I figure I can have the luxury of one vehicle that is a little more finicky now that we have the SL which is dead reliable and built to an amazing standard, but more of a boulevard car than a sportscar. So the XKE would be different enough in style and driving experience than some other cars we have been thinking about. That said, I do want to be able to drive the car and understand the 6 can be made pretty reliable, but need to do my homework. THANKS for your input - and yes, I hope some with experience dive in here.

I still don't see a downside to this. 1) Anyone who posts here prior to the meet is doing essentially what such an app would do on a small scale. 2) Not everyone has the luxury of spending 3 - 4 workdays at a swap meet. Not to put words in his mouth, but 35Packard comes to mind, first Hershey and his time was very limited, if I was him, I might want to know where my best shot is in obtaining that special part or parts. I would take the time to post a want ad so I would be sure not to miss that vender. 3) This is something younger people might adapt to easilly, which could help with the whole building interest in the next generation thing. 4) Doubtful all vendors would participate or want to. It's just another avenue (like this forum, CL, HMN online, eBay) to leverage technology and possibly put parts in the hands of someone who really needs them to finish their restoration. Just like calling your buddy on a cellphone (or walkie talkies, which I used to see more of) at the next field over to let him know about th one of one widget you just found. 5) Possible it would cut into program sales, all the more reason for the Hershey Region to take a close look a this. The only way to see if it makes sense would be to do a try to do a cost benefit analysis. My guess is they have the funds to seed such a program... 6) this is just a tool, not a replacement for walking the fields, meeting people and seeing items in person. 7) Nick is right, the % of people with smartphones will be increasing. I just tried to dump mine as I have one for work and a personal one, well, you do not have many "non smartphone" options anymore, the industry is driving people to these and the simpler cellphone is getting pushed out like it or not. (I wanted to go back to a regular cellphone but they make it so you don't save hardly anything.) Lets be honest - how many here would give up Internet or cell phones if nothing else as tools to help with this hobby? Not many, I bet, who are seriously looking for cars or parts. Why not make it better?

Bloody neat item their, Marrs!

Yeah, just another silly idea with no merit, kind of like a social networking site on the Internet for antique auto enthusiasts!!

IMHO $12K on the coupe, $7.5K on the touring. Both look like they would be a lot of fun for fall touring if you can get them sorted quickly enough. Personally I would clean them up but I would not paint or restore either of them at this point.

On the seller side it could add value for desirable stuff. For example I have some unique items I know people would be interested in, or if you had something for a relatively rare car it could be worthwhile to list. I recently "wholesaled" the last of my nickel and dime Model A stuff as you literally trip over it at a meet like Hershey - not worth listing Model A taillight brackets, for example. Some of my better stuff, though, might be worth listing. I think it has merit for both buyers and sellers. John, imagine being able to search "32 Buick" and a stone gaurd came up from a vendor who took the time to list it because he knew it was one of his better parts, but with a somewhat limited market. See, that is where I think this would add value. Maybe a nominal listing fee would keep "junkers" from overloading the app but even if not, it is just data and if the app is robust enough what difference does it make. It takes a fraction of a second to search CL for a specific item, actually quicker than eBay which is not really that long when you think about it. Someone needs to do this.. BTW - Marrs, those hi tech types seem like they are all in Portland, I have a developer on staff I have never met in person who lives there - heck he may be living in your building - hopefully not complaining about leaking oil!

Thanks Dave. Now I am kicking myself for letting a set of OEM wheels in boxes go from CL a couple mos ago thinking, "these are around, I just need a couple spares to refinish, swap tires around and refinish another pair" If they come up again I am going to grab them. I just had not been in the HPOF mindset for this car at that time.

Brilliant idea, actually. I wish I thought of it. Nick, somehow you should be able to make a dollar or two from that idea. With promotion from AACA or the Hershey region it would really be a value add to the meet - or any big meet, for that matter.

Anyone on this forum familliar with these? I am primarilly interested in a series I or II, 4 speed car, OTS or coupe, preferably in driver condition - older restoration or nice original, would like to avoid a project unless it is a really good start. Interested in learning what to look for besides obvious electricals and rust issues, and would be interested in any leads particularly in the Northeast. Am I wrong to dismiss the series III? So far I am hearing stay away. Thanks,

Been following the HPOF thread involving a restored car in the Hershey section with some interest but I wanted to post this separately so as to not "hijack" the OP's thread and question. Our 1989 560 SL is not quite an AACA antique yet, however as I consider some cosmetic improvements I wonder if I should go about it wiht an eye towards HPOF certification. On one hand, I believe there are a good number of these cars out there in excellent original condition, and I get the thought process that it may mean less on a newer vehicle. On the other, it may encourage folks to consider preservation rather than restoration for it down the road, and it could be fun to pursue. Having gone over the car carefully in recent months I am comfortable that the interior, and all major mechanical components are original. Simillarly I am 99% sure the paintwork is original, as it is totally even in terms of any signs of wear, and is all the factory single stage applicaiton (in '89 clear coat used for some colors but not red) and all VIN tags MB puts on major body panels are present and match. So here are my questions: The top appears original to my eye, in that I know it is the correct material, and wear is consistent with occasional use. How does one verify this? While rechroming constitutes restoration, what about the removal and professional polishing of stainless steel trim parts? If only paintwork is repainting alloy wheels is that inappropriate? What about replacement carpet - perhaps select pieces only if better used were sourced? That's about it, aside from wear items such as tires, etc. Any advice for the later model vehicles like this one? Thanks

Interesting post. No argument that dealers bring a certain value by bringing cars to market that may otherwise be missed, trading opportunities, etc. but sometimes it is funny when you can see what they likely paid vs. what the asking prices are. Case in point in this month's HMN, there is an ad for a Morgan that was likely placed by the car's owner prior to selling (as far as I can see) to the above dealer. Owner ad describes car in great detail $18,500. GW ad one or two down describes what is clearly the EXACT same car, mile, history, etc. for $23,500... Hmmm... Of course these guys are in business to make a profit, it is just funny to see that once in a while.