Short Tracks: Update - A Cut Above (and on the side)


Dec - 15 | By: Performance Plus | no comments.

Filed under : 4. Jul / Aug 2009
If you read Short Tracks last edition, you would have seen this little beauty that was up for auction on eBay. And if you put in a bid, you would know by now that it was unsuccessful. I chased up some details and found that the car got an offer of US$25,000 but still did not reach reserve (still couldn’t find out) and so the owner pulled it from the auction.
The car is not actively being sold at the moment BUT if someone were to make some enquiries with an honest, sincere offer, then I was assured that the owner would entertain it. Once again, I cannot help with the sizing of the ‘offer,’ but if it appeals to you and the current economic climate hasn’t emptied your wallet, call and make an offer. Call Dan at (209) 836-8958.
Car Auctions – Results continue to grow
Results from recent auctions still give a good message on the economy. Mecum has had two very successful events recently. The results for the 22nd Annual Mecum Original Spring Classic Auction, May 13-17, 2009, in Indianapolis, Ind. boasted total gross sales approaching $40 million. Top 10 Sales were:
1.1966 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra Roadster CSX 3034 (Lot F248.1) at $1,165,000
2.1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Ex-Tom Payne Competition Roadster CSX 3020 (Lot F246) at $1,000,000
3.1967 Shelby GT500 Convertible (Lot F248) at $825,000
4.1964 Cooper Monaco King Cobra (Lot F237) at $600,000
5.1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Convertible (Lot S126) at $375,000
6.1938 Indy Blue Crown Special Race Car (Lot F256) at $375,000
7.1965 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Z16 (Lot S122) at $335,000
8.1969 Chevrolet Chevelle COPO Hardtop (Lot S124) at $310,000
9.1955 Chevrolet Corvette Duntov Test Mule (Lot F208) at $310,000
10.1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird (Lot S180.1) at $300,000
On June 26-27, they held a ‘Corvettes only’ event in Bloomington, Ill. Close to 400 Corvettes in one spot is enough of a celebration for anyone, be they seller, buyer or browser, but for the lucky few who walked away with the 46 percent of cars that were sold, I’m sure they were happy to hand over the grand total of US$5,623,900 to the previous owners. A highlight of the event is the Corvette Gold Tour, a seven-mile road trip that up to 2,223 Corvettes (1994 record) participate in. Top ten car sales were:
11.1968 Corvette L88, 427/430 hp, 4-Speed (Lot S119) - Sold for $300,000
12.1967 Corvette Convertible, 427/435 hp, 4-Speed (Lot S109) - Sold for $196,000
13.1967 Corvette Convertible, 427/435 hp, 4-Speed (Lot S115) - Sold for $152,000
14.1960 Corvette Convertible, 283/290 hp, 4-Speed (Lot S125) - Sold for $147,500
15.1963 Corvette Split Window Coupe, 327/360 hp FI, 4-Speed (Lot S63) - Sold for $145,000
16.1957 Corvette Convertible, 283/283 hp FI, 4-Speed (Lot S99) - Sold for $122,000
17.1966 Corvette Convertible, 427/425 hp, 4-Speed (Lot S61) - Sold for $118,000
18.1991 Corvette Callaway Speedster, 403 hp Twin-Turbo, 6-Speed (Lot F57) - Sold for $115,000
19.1966 Corvette Convertible, 427/425 hp, 4-speed Manual (Lot S104) - Sold for $105,000
20.1964 Corvette Coupe, Ozzie Olson GM Styling Car (Lot S108.1) - Sold for $100,000
Stars & Cars
With the untimely passing of several ‘stars’ recently, it brought to mind the cars they may have driven – and of course what will happen to them now, besides the inevitable increase in collectibility (and $ value).
First up we have Farrah Fawcett. Perhaps not surprising to most, car-star guru George Barris was commissioned to make a one-off for Farrah back in the early ‘70s – and for that era, the result was probably a pretty cool car.
Affectionately known as “Farrah’s Foxy Vette” and based on a 350/300 hp Corvette, this sleek coupe was given the sculptured body look by Barris Custom Industries. The interior was custom designed and hand-sewn including TV, telephone (with a direct line to her house and studio), AM/FM stereo and cassette with CB. The redesigned and custom exterior body styling was not so extreme at the front, however much more noticeable from the rear. The guards were flared out to give it a more accentuated hip line. The custom paint with hand pin-striping and lettering worked well with the custom chrome and painted wheels.
Back in 2001, it was put up on eBay for sale. Descriptions at the time had it at 50,800 miles on the clock, the hand lettering on the side was seemingly intact, and they would throw in the original nylon tires. Described as ‘well maintained,’ the owner reported it needed some touch-ups. Details of recently completed work (at that stage costing US$2,800) included entire front end replacement, brakes, brake lines, new master cylinder, new battery, new BFG T/A radial tires, major tune up, all additional lines and reservoirs flushed and filled, radiator hoses replaced, thermostat replaced, all belts replaced and wheel bearings packed.
The car was even further immortalized by making a 1/25-scale plastic model kit for ‘modelers 10 years through adulthood.’ What could have been more exciting to an acne-faced teenager back in the ‘70s, than building and proudly displaying this on your dresser. The picture with Farrah shown here is actually of the box the model came in.
Where is it now ?  Who knows, but keep an ear to the ground – I’m willing to bet that it, or a well-executed facsimile, will turn up very soon!
Next – Michael Jackson. True to his eccentric lifestyle, he had an equally eclectic collection of ‘motorabilia’, including:
1999 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph limousine (for which Jackson designed the interior himself, using lots of 24-karat gold)
1999 Rolls Royce Silver Spur II limousine
1986 GMC Jimmy High Sierra Classic
1988 GMC Jimmy
1993 Ford Econoline E150 Van
1988 Lincoln Town Car limousine
1954 Cadillac Fleetwood (used in the film ‘Driving Miss Daisy’)
1997 Neoplan Touring Coach
2001 Harley Davidson Touring Motorcycle (complete with Police insignias)
At various stages over the last few years it has been announced that a collection of items belonging to ‘Wacko’ would be auctioned off, including his own fleet of vehicles. Up until now, the auto collection has remained largely intact. I personally feel that we will now see it ripped asunder by various collectors/investors to service the supposedly astronomical debt he left. Hopefully at least some of it will end up in museums that are accessible by auto enthusiasts.
As you can see, Jackson owned at least four limousines, including the dark blue 1999 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph that was unusually decorated, to say the least. It was once described as wearing an interior which looks to have been pulled directly from the Palace of Versailles. Jackson was said to have designed the interior himself, which probably explains the generous use of 24-carat gold. The vehicle was said to have a 5.4-litre V12 aluminum engine that generated up to 322 horsepower. The 1990 Rolls Royce Silver Spur II was trimmed in contrasting white leather and black fabric. Dark, tinted windows were adorned in white curtains, and a full-service bar that was used for….well, whatever bars are used for!
His white, 1988 Lincoln Town Car had a much more subdued interior that used gray leather and fabric. The fourth limo is the same 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood used during the filming of Driving Miss Daisy. The 1997 Neoplan Tour Bus had individual seats and booths, and a king’s crown (what else for the ‘King of Pop’!) embroidered in the carpet. Quite possibly used on the History World Tour, the bus featured a bathroom lined in porcelain, gold, and granite.
A world away is the 1993 Ford Econoline van (yes – you read that right) that had leather seats, individual TV screens, and an old-school video game console. No less austere was the 1986 GMC High Sierra firetruck and 1988 GMC Jimmy. Amongst the collection, he also had a replica of a 1909 Detamble Model B Roadster and an electrified horse-drawn carriage.
Economy Muscle
Okay, so gas prices are creeping up again....and this shocks you how? Well, how would you like to hear the wonderful, harmonic sound of a small-block in full song, for hours on end…….all for the cost of a coffee?
The downside is that you won’t be going far. Jim Moyer is a guy from the States that builds scale model motors as a hobby. He has several in his stable, the latest one of which is a Chevy 327 as fitted to a ’64 Corvette. Here’s the basic details:
Type: -------------------------------------------------------------- 1/6th scale V8
Displacement: -------------------------------------------------1.10 cu in, 18 cc
Bore: --------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.600 in
Stroke: ------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.487 in
Ignition:--------------------------------------------------------------------- Spark
Construction: --------------------------------------------------- Machined Billet
Began Construction: ------------------------------------------------------- 1998
First Ran:------------------------------------------------------------------11/3/05
The pics here show the size in proportion to common items; it’s really amazing that this actually runs…but it does. On his website, there are some YouTube clips of it fired up. Don’t forget to crank up the volume.
Jim has some other projects to his credit also -  a single cylinder of 0.92cc displacement, a four cylinder of 3.5cc and a flathead Challenger V8 of 102cc (6.3 ci) that powers a friend’s 1/3 replica Remote Control Model T Bucket Roadster.
So, if you’re like me and can’t afford your dream muscle car, maybe a more cost-effective project might be to buy one of those scale model kits, shoe-horn in a 1/16th size 327 and fire it up on the mantlepiece. Check out www.moyermade.com for some brilliant engineering.
Snow Muscle
If anyone can help me understand how you would pilot a snowmobile that packed a 351 for kicks, then maybe it’d go some way to understanding a guy called Mickey Rupp.
Mickey headed up a company called Rupp Manufacturing in Mansfield, Ohio. From its first year in 1959 to its last year in 1978, the Rupp company produced high quality snowmobiles, mini-bikes, ATVs, and three wheeled motorized tricycles with a certain amount of style.
In 1969, Mickey constructed a unique ‘snowmobile’ for a crack at the world speed record. This little project turned out to be, effectively, a quarter-mile dragster on skis!
It was powered by a specially-prepared hot version of Ford’s ‘utility’ V8 – the 351. It ran Gurney-Weslake heads and a set of big-bore Webers. Legend has it that the whole project was given the blessing of Larry Shinoda, then director of Ford Special Projects, who helped create the legendary Boss Mustangs.
The chassis was made from chrome-moly tubing with lightweight aluminum and fibreglass panels. No rear ‘wheels’ for this baby – nothing short of extreme heavy-duty tank tracks would suffice to put all that power to the snow. Is it any wonder when the engine was rated at 525 hp?  Whilst it was claimed that the beast was capable of hitting 150 mph, the fastest recorded run was 95.5 mph at West Yellowstone in 1969.
Sadly, the company folded in 1978, but the quality of old Rupp snowmobiles still makes them sought after by enthusiasts. I wonder if the ‘Super Sno Sport’ is still in existence? It would be worth a few bucks.

MJ Rolls Short Tracks: Update A Cut Above (and on the side)If you read Short Tracks last edition, you would have seen this little beauty that was up for auction on eBay. And if you put in a bid, you would know by now that it was unsuccessful. I chased up some details and found that the car got an offer of US$25,000 but still did not reach reserve (still couldn’t find out) and so the owner pulled it from the auction.

The car is not actively being sold at the moment BUT if someone were to make some enquiries with an honest, sincere offer, then I was assured that the owner would entertain it. Once again, I cannot help with the sizing of the ‘offer,’ but if it appeals to you and the current economic climate hasn’t emptied your wallet, call and make an offer. Call Dan at (209) 836-8958.

Car Auctions – Results continue to grow

Results from recent auctions still give a good message on the economy. Mecum has had two very successful events recently. The results for the 22nd Annual Mecum Original Spring Classic Auction, May 13-17, 2009, in Indianapolis, Ind. boasted total gross sales approaching $40 million. Top 10 Sales were:

1.1966 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra Roadster CSX 3034 (Lot F248.1) at $1,165,000

2.1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Ex-Tom Payne Competition Roadster CSX 3020 (Lot F246) at $1,000,000

3.1967 Shelby GT500 Convertible (Lot F248) at $825,000

4.1964 Cooper Monaco King Cobra (Lot F237) at $600,000

5.1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Convertible (Lot S126) at $375,000

6.1938 Indy Blue Crown Special Race Car (Lot F256) at $375,000

7.1965 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Z16 (Lot S122) at $335,000

8.1969 Chevrolet Chevelle COPO Hardtop (Lot S124) at $310,000

9.1955 Chevrolet Corvette Duntov Test Mule (Lot F208) at $310,000

10.1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird (Lot S180.1) at $300,000

On June 26-27, they held a ‘Corvettes only’ event in Bloomington, Ill. Close to 400 Corvettes in one spot is enough of a celebration for anyone, be they seller, buyer or browser, but for the lucky few who walked away with the 46 percent of cars that were sold, I’m sure they were happy to hand over the grand total of US$5,623,900 to the previous owners. A highlight of the event is the Corvette Gold Tour, a seven-mile road trip that up to 2,223 Corvettes (1994 record) participate in. Top ten car sales were:

11.1968 Corvette L88, 427/430 hp, 4-Speed (Lot S119) - Sold for $300,000

12.1967 Corvette Convertible, 427/435 hp, 4-Speed (Lot S109) - Sold for $196,000

13.1967 Corvette Convertible, 427/435 hp, 4-Speed (Lot S115) - Sold for $152,000

14.1960 Corvette Convertible, 283/290 hp, 4-Speed (Lot S125) - Sold for $147,500

15.1963 Corvette Split Window Coupe, 327/360 hp FI, 4-Speed (Lot S63) - Sold for $145,000

16.1957 Corvette Convertible, 283/283 hp FI, 4-Speed (Lot S99) - Sold for $122,000

17.1966 Corvette Convertible, 427/425 hp, 4-Speed (Lot S61) - Sold for $118,000

18.1991 Corvette Callaway Speedster, 403 hp Twin-Turbo, 6-Speed (Lot F57) - Sold for $115,000

19.1966 Corvette Convertible, 427/425 hp, 4-speed Manual (Lot S104) - Sold for $105,000

20.1964 Corvette Coupe, Ozzie Olson GM Styling Car (Lot S108.1) - Sold for $100,000

Stars & Cars

farrah fawcett corvette7 300x197 Short Tracks: Update A Cut Above (and on the side)With the untimely passing of several ‘stars’ recently, it brought to mind the cars they may have driven – and of course what will happen to them now, besides the inevitable increase in collectibility (and $$ value).

First up we have Farrah Fawcett. Perhaps not surprising to most, car-star guru George Barris was commissioned to make a one-off for Farrah back in the early ‘70s – and for that era, the result was probably a pretty cool car.

Affectionately known as “Farrah’s Foxy Vette” and based on a 350/300 hp Corvette, this sleek coupe was given the sculptured body look by Barris Custom Industries. The interior was custom designed and hand-sewn including TV, telephone (with a direct line to her house and studio), AM/FM stereo and cassette with CB. The redesigned and custom exterior body styling was not so extreme at the front, however much more noticeable from the rear. The guards were flared out to give it a more accentuated hip line. The custom paint with hand pin-striping and lettering worked well with the custom chrome and painted wheels.

Back in 2001, it was put up on eBay for sale. Descriptions at the time had it at 50,800 miles on the clock, the hand lettering on the side was seemingly intact, and they would throw in the original nylon tires. Described as ‘well maintained,’ the owner reported it needed some touch-ups. Details of recently completed work (at that stage costing US$2,800) included entire front end replacement, brakes, brake lines, new master cylinder, new battery, new BFG T/A radial tires, major tune up, all additional lines and reservoirs flushed and filled, radiator hoses replaced, thermostat replaced, all belts replaced and wheel bearings packed.

The car was even further immortalized by making a 1/25-scale plastic model kit for ‘modelers 10 years through adulthood.’ What could have been more exciting to an acne-faced teenager back in the ‘70s, than building and proudly displaying this on your dresser. The picture with Farrah shown here is actually of the box the model came in.

Where is it now ?  Who knows, but keep an ear to the ground – I’m willing to bet that it, or a well-executed facsimile, will turn up very soon!

Next – Michael Jackson. True to his eccentric lifestyle, he had an equally eclectic collection of ‘motorabilia’, including:

1999 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph limousine (for which Jackson designed the interior himself, using lots of 24-karat gold)

1999 Rolls Royce Silver Spur II limousine

1986 GMC Jimmy High Sierra Classic

1988 GMC Jimmy

1993 Ford Econoline E150 Van

1988 Lincoln Town Car limousine

1954 Cadillac Fleetwood (used in the film ‘Driving Miss Daisy’)

1997 Neoplan Touring Coach

2001 Harley Davidson Touring Motorcycle (complete with Police insignias)

At various stages over the last few years it has been announced that a collection of items belonging to ‘Wacko’ would be auctioned off, including his own fleet of vehicles. Up until now, the auto collection has remained largely intact. I personally feel that we will now see it ripped asunder by various collectors/investors to service the supposedly astronomical debt he left. Hopefully at least some of it will end up in museums that are accessible by auto enthusiasts.

As you can see, Jackson owned at least four limousines, including the dark blue 1999 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph that was unusually decorated, to say the least. It was once described as wearing an interior which looks to have been pulled directly from the Palace of Versailles. Jackson was said to have designed the interior himself, which probably explains the generous use of 24-carat gold. The vehicle was said to have a 5.4-litre V12 aluminum engine that generated up to 322 horsepower. The 1990 Rolls Royce Silver Spur II was trimmed in contrasting white leather and black fabric. Dark, tinted windows were adorned in white curtains, and a full-service bar that was used for….well, whatever bars are used for!

His white, 1988 Lincoln Town Car had a much more subdued interior that used gray leather and fabric. The fourth limo is the same 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood used during the filming of Driving Miss Daisy. The 1997 Neoplan Tour Bus had individual seats and booths, and a king’s crown (what else for the ‘King of Pop’!) embroidered in the carpet. Quite possibly used on the History World Tour, the bus featured a bathroom lined in porcelain, gold, and granite.

A world away is the 1993 Ford Econoline van (yes – you read that right) that had leather seats, individual TV screens, and an old-school video game console. No less austere was the 1986 GMC High Sierra firetruck and 1988 GMC Jimmy. Amongst the collection, he also had a replica of a 1909 Detamble Model B Roadster and an electrified horse-drawn carriage.

Economy Muscle

Okay, so gas prices are creeping up again....and this shocks you how? Well, how would you like to hear the wonderful, harmonic sound of a small-block in full song, for hours on end…….all for the cost of a coffee?

The downside is that you won’t be going far. Jim Moyer is a guy from the States that builds scale model motors as a hobby. He has several in his stable, the latest one of which is a Chevy 327 as fitted to a ’64 Corvette. Here’s the basic details:

Type: -------------------------------------------------------------- 1/6th scale V8

Displacement: -------------------------------------------------1.10 cu in, 18 cc

Bore: --------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.600 in

Stroke: ------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.487 in

Ignition:--------------------------------------------------------------------- Spark

Construction: --------------------------------------------------- Machined Billet

Began Construction: ------------------------------------------------------- 1998

First Ran:------------------------------------------------------------------11/3/05

The pics here show the size in proportion to common items; it’s really amazing that this actually runs…but it does. On his website, there are some YouTube clips of it fired up. Don’t forget to crank up the volume.

Jim has some other projects to his credit also -  a single cylinder of 0.92cc displacement, a four cylinder of 3.5cc and a flathead Challenger V8 of 102cc (6.3 ci) that powers a friend’s 1/3 replica Remote Control Model T Bucket Roadster.

So, if you’re like me and can’t afford your dream muscle car, maybe a more cost-effective project might be to buy one of those scale model kits, shoe-horn in a 1/16th size 327 and fire it up on the mantlepiece. Check out www.moyermade.com for some brilliant engineering.

Snow Muscle

snow sportdragster.jpeg 300x198 Short Tracks: Update A Cut Above (and on the side)If anyone can help me understand how you would pilot a snowmobile that packed a 351 for kicks, then maybe it’d go some way to understanding a guy called Mickey Rupp.

Mickey headed up a company called Rupp Manufacturing in Mansfield, Ohio. From its first year in 1959 to its last year in 1978, the Rupp company produced high quality snowmobiles, mini-bikes, ATVs, and three wheeled motorized tricycles with a certain amount of style.

In 1969, Mickey constructed a unique ‘snowmobile’ for a crack at the world speed record. This little project turned out to be, effectively, a quarter-mile dragster on skis!

It was powered by a specially-prepared hot version of Ford’s ‘utility’ V8 – the 351. It ran Gurney-Weslake heads and a set of big-bore Webers. Legend has it that the whole project was given the blessing of Larry Shinoda, then director of Ford Special Projects, who helped create the legendary Boss Mustangs.

The chassis was made from chrome-moly tubing with lightweight aluminum and fibreglass panels. No rear ‘wheels’ for this baby – nothing short of extreme heavy-duty tank tracks would suffice to put all that power to the snow. Is it any wonder when the engine was rated at 525 hp?  Whilst it was claimed that the beast was capable of hitting 150 mph, the fastest recorded run was 95.5 mph at West Yellowstone in 1969.

Sadly, the company folded in 1978, but the quality of old Rupp snowmobiles still makes them sought after by enthusiasts. I wonder if the ‘Super Sno Sport’ is still in existence? It would be worth a few bucks.

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