Saturday, April 17, 2004
Otto Rosenbusch has passed away.
I was checking out the latest issue of Car Collector when I read their news of the passing of Otto Rosenbusch.
They attributed many great deeds to Mr. Rosenbusch, including his efforts to preserve the Chrysler Historical Collection, which is now under the auspice of his son Brandt.
I don't pretend to have a substantive connection with this great man, but his name is so unusual that I had to go digging around in my records to look for a phone conversation I had with him back in 1998.
At that time, I was heavily researching the history of the Metropolitan for a documentary that I planned (and still plan) on doing. Someone somehow mentioned that Otto might be helpful.
I talked to him on July 17th, 1998, and he didn't have much involvement with The Watch Charm Rolls Royce, but he did have some great anecdotes. Here's what I wrote in my journal right after that conversation:
Talked to Otto Rosenbusch this morning. He remembers setting up the Met Fifth Avenue display in Milwaukee. He said first the bunny fur carpeting they used caught fire when the Fire Marshal took a scrap of it and lit it up in the restroom.
He had to call a company that made fireproofing material and buy some of their chemical so spray down the fur, which made it wet when the display opened.
Then the car fell off the display! They put it up on an H-frame turntable and then carpeted the turntable since it wasn't a normal round platter. Unfortunately, no one put the parking brake on, so the car just rolled off the platform when it started to turn. They damaged the muffler and had to repair it after the show.
Other than that, Otto didn't have too many Met memories, but he said he would check his files for photos, etc. A nice man."
Thanks for the memories, Otto, and farewell.
posted by Todd on 4/17/2004 06:14:12 PM
Two more marques added!
The list now stands at 25 makes or marques (and growing) with the addition of DeSoto and Edsel club listings.
Check it out in the Links to Orphan Car Clubs section!
posted by Todd on 4/17/2004 06:10:58 PM
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Three new marques in our Links section
I've been snooping around the internet, and I've found three more marques to add to the Links to Orphan Car Clubs section. (Actually, "how could I have forgotten these marques??" would be a more accurate statement.)
Look for links to Durant, DeLorean, and Plymouth clubs. Just click on the red link above or the yellow link to the left.
(I can't add Oldsmobile until the end of this model year.)
posted by Todd on 4/13/2004 03:59:54 PM
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Mag Wheels: Gremlins in Cars & Parts
Eddie Stakes, a well-known AMC parts & memorabilia dealer, has sent in a great photo of '73 Gremlins on their way to the dealers. (Look for it in the Taillights section on the back page of the May 2004 issue of Cars & Parts.).
Gremmy fans will salivate at the sheer number of vintage Gremlins in this shot.
Hey, Eddie: any Gremlins with Levi's interiors in that photo?
posted by Todd on 4/11/2004 07:34:16 PM
Mag Wheels: 1934 Packard in Cars & Parts
Although West Peterson has left Cars & Parts, it looks like there's a backlog of unpublished articles that he's written.
This feature penned by Peterson tells the tale of LeBaron up to the point of the 1934 LeBaron-bodied Packard featured in the article.
Custom-bodied Packards are simply stunning, and this one is even moreso when you consider that most of it is a recreation.
There were only 6 cars built with this body style, so how did RM Restorations of Ontario, Canada, rebuild this almost destroyed beauty?
Sorry. Can't give away the ending. Check it out for yourself in the current issue.
posted by Todd on 4/11/2004 07:29:00 PM
Mag Wheels: 1970 Trans-Am Javelin in Cars & Parts
In their last issue, Cars & Parts featured a special giveaway '69 AMX with the red/white/blue paint scheme.
This issue features a great article about the AMX's big brother: the Javelin.
Bob Stevens tells the story of owner Dean Hensinger's super scarce 1970 Trans Am Javelin.
This car is one of 100 that were built for sale to the public so that AMC could qualify to race in the SCCA's Trans-Am series.
There's much more info than I can possibly relate here, so check out the article in the May 2004 issue.
posted by Todd on 4/11/2004 07:16:10 PM
Mag Wheels: 1940 Packard in Collectible Automobile
I'm a little late reporting this orphan car story but better late than never.
Check out the Photo Feature on the 1940 Packard One Twenty Club Sedan in the June 2004 issue of Collectible Automobile.
The photos of this beautiful and rare Packard are stunning.
This car is one rare One Twenty. Its body style was produced for one year only.
Styling features include suicide doors, a trunkback, and the famous Packard radiator shell shape duplicated in the style of the rear luggage rack.
A beautiful ride.
posted by Todd on 4/11/2004 07:07:31 PM
Mag Wheels: Kaisers in passing in Hemmings Muscle Machines
The May 2004 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines features an article called Marketing Maven: Jim Wangers.
Jim Wangers spent the glory years of his career marketing Pontiac muscle cars, particularly the introduction of the GTO.
But read a little more closely, and you'll see that Wangers got his start in the biz pitching an ad campaign to Kaiser promoting the speed of their supercharged six in 1954.
I've heard other stories about talented people working for Kaiser right near the end just as they were beginning their careers. It's another interesting instance of woulda/shoulda, but Kaiser was took weak in '54 to continue in the American passenger car market.
Wangers is another interesting anecdote to file away.
posted by Todd on 4/11/2004 06:59:18 PM
Mag Wheels: Vintage dragsters in Hemmings Muscle Machines
Look for some great vintage photos in the May 2004 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.
You'll see vintage snapshots of super stock drag racing at the New York National Speedway on Long Island.
The real interesting pix are the orphans, of course, on pages 84 and 85.
Look for the red S & K AMX and the stripped Javelin from Ranger Rambler. The other orphan is a Plymouth GTX taking on a Chevy Biscayne.
The photos look like they could have been taken yesterday, but they're actually about 35 years old.
posted by Todd on 4/11/2004 06:52:40 PM
Monday, April 05, 2004
Can't forget the King Midgets!
We've had our Links page up for awhile now, and we're proud to finally add the King Midget to the list. Click on the Links to Orphan Car Clubs button on to the left to get to the list.
On a personal note, I grew up in Oakwood, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, and I remember either John Weitlauf or Vivian & Bob Craven (don't remember which one, because I never acutally met them) tooling around town and in parades in their impossibly cool King Midget. Summer wasn't complete unless you saw the King Midget at least once.
I'd love to go to the annual hill climb, but I'm not sure when it is this year. If anyone knows, please leave a comment by clicking on the red "Comments" box below.
posted by Todd on 4/05/2004 12:23:51 PM
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