Classic Cars, Tech Center News, March 05, 2001

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TOP HAT JOHN-CLASSIC CARS COLUMN- Tech Center News, March 05, 2001

THE year 2001, 49^th Annual Detroit Autorama is now history and it was a good one. Year 2000 Autorama was real good, 2001 was excellent. And oh boy, wait till 2002 for the 50^th Annual Detroit Autorama.

The cars at this years show were, overall again, excellent, with the feature vehicles and Cavalcade of Custom cars a great throwback to what we all enjoy in customs of the past. If you were at the show you know what I mean.

Cadillac cars are among my favorites and in the feature area was two of John D’Agostino’s works; a ’54 Coupe and a wild ’59 Coupe turned two seat Roadster. The stock appearing ’54 Coupe-called the ‘CADSTAR’-has been seen on many magazine covers and featured a chopped top, early roadster style chromed spoke wheels with body finished in a beautiful candy lime gold color. The ’59 Coupe turned Roadster is radical-called ‘CADSTER’-this wild custom is reminiscent of GM Design Staff creations of the 50’s Motorama shows. Lilac pearlescent with white hues, the ‘CADSTER’ was chopped, channeled, sectioned and cut down by over 30-inches to its present size of 17-feet. You know its a Cadillac-or was originally-by those signature dual bullet taillights and homungus fins.

Posie’s Ken Fenical exhibited the ‘EXTREMELINER’ that somewhat resembles the PT Cruiser but with a wonderfully executed Art deco styling and Gold Razzelberry color. Yep, I got one of them models right here on my desk.

Chris Dixon’s Cadillac Northstar powered ‘INTRUDER’ ’58 Chevy wagon … most don’t know that the two door Yeoman model was planned to be the Nomad for 1958, but last minute changes relegated the Yeoman to low price category, as four door Nomad wagons would garner more sales than a specialty two door model as in previous years of the Nomad. And the ‘INTRUDER’- a ’57 Ford two door Ranch Wagon of gentleman farmer George Poteet and ‘done’ by Trepanier. All way too cool. Wagons again are very popular.

Walking the show for all three days is pure heaven for someone like me that loves this stuph as much as moms homemade apple pie. Seeing the reincarnation of the Barris’ Ala Cart truck that was made into a model car kit when I was way younger, that was a treat. ‘And a ‘55 Caddy Coupe all refrigerator white color and a continental kit, dressed just like ‘Elvis Matts’ Lincoln that cruises Detroit suburbs … and his change of clothes for the "events".

Old factory zoomers were alive and well along with some worthwhile clones too. Pontiac restorer Scott Tiemann with his ’63 Tempest wagon-the factory never built a two door-and an old bathtub style 2x4 barrel intake akin to the original 421 Super Duty cars of that era. Next to the Tempest was a ’62, SD-421 Catalina with aluminum body components…. Oh sweet fields of ambrosia! And not fair was Jim Stubbings concour 1969 ZL1 Aztec Silver Camaro. One of 69 built.

Hemi cars, 426 wedge cross rams, ’27 and 385 Series Ford powered vehicles of the ‘60s … all all too good to be true. No doubt there was enough horsepower present to move Cobo Hall all the way to New Zealand if wished. Just have to pay the fuel bill.

The kids from Warren Mott High School came in second in class with their restored version of the Gold Royal Pontiac GEETO TIGER car. Good memories as Tom Lazaar and I once raced the original car and wore the tiger suits at dragstrips locally. Memories of Thursday nights it was five well endowed Pontiac cars that would leave Hurst Performance Research and cruise Woodward and Gratiot till the wee hours, some thirty five years ago.

The RIDDLER AWARD winner, a 1949 Chevrolet from Escondido, California, ‘done’ in a vibrant bright red color, had every panel and component of the car "massaged" into a typical Barris style full ‘50s custom.

This year the weather was again cooperating on Sunday, for the exit of the vehicles from Cobo Hall-and that is always fun to hear, watch and … smell the fumes.