A GDYNETS®
PUBLICATION Car Collector
Chronicles
© 2011, G. DAVID
YAROS. ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED.
Volume IV, Issue I Car Collector Chronicles
Exploring:
 Car Collecting Today Car Collector Chronicles®—THE FORUM
 Classic Rides It is with extreme pleasure
that I announce the creation of
 Reports From the Field
Car Collector Chronicles®—THE
 Oldsmobile (1897-2004) FORUM. This site provides
you a means to interact elec-
 Cadillac (1902- ) tronically with me, fellow read-
ers and the many fans of old
 Allanté (1987-1993)
rides. Feel free to make use of
the forum to talk about anything
 Corvair (1960-1969)
you have come across on the
pages of CCC®, and anything
pertaining to car collecting.
Why Car Collector Chroni-
cles®—THE FORUM? Because
I never intended, nor do I want,
CCC® to be a one-way street. I
IN THIS ISSUE: am by no means the font of all
knowledge when it comes to
car collecting. If anything, I am
but a mere novice. I know we
Car Collector 1 say …” paragraph which closes
all can, and will, benefit from the
Chronicles® — sharing of our experiences.
THE FORUM
I encourage you to indeed feel
GDYNets 1 free to make use of the forum
On the Web to bring anything collector car
related to our attention. Use it
to ask questions, or tell us
Fate of Our Rides 2
GDYNets® on the Web
Oldsmobilography 2
and Other Reads
Find GDYNets on the web:
CCC® -THE FORUM
Coming Next 4
Issue http://ccc.activeboard.com
Car Collector Chronicles-scribd
Photos 5 Saved 62 - 1962 Olds web site
http://www.freewebs.com/
jeandaveyaros
The Gray Lady - 1955 Cadillac
CCC® Forum Coupé de Ville web site
EMail:
OldsD88@gmail.com
®
January 2011
about yourself, your ride(s).
and interests. Think of the
forum as your place to meet
and communicate with others
who share our passion.
There are a number of
dedicated sections on the
forum. Use of them will assist
in getting your message in front
of those most interested in
what you have to say.
All I ask is, enter nothing you
would not want your teenager
to see. As the forum
administrator, I shall exercise
control over the delete button.
You will find links to the
forum at the bottom of this
page, and in the “Ok, I’ve had my
participatation CCC® can, and shall,
each issue. For those who want
become a better pub. Hopefully,
it, the actual web address is
through use of the forum we can all
http://ccc.activeboard.com/ get to know one another better,
learn and reap even more enjoyment
I do hope you find the forum
of interest and value. My real out of our mutual obsession?
hope is that you will make use
See you on the forum!
of it regularly. With your active
SAVED 62: A website devoted DAVE’S DEN: A website de-
to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dy- voted to a myriad of interests.
namic 88 convertible. The site Foremost is extensive informa-
also has a lot of information on tion on the “Steel City” of Gary,
Oldsmobiles and its founder, IN. There are also offerings on
Ransom Eli Olds. steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary
Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14
THE GRAY LADY: This web-
assault rifle, of course Oldsmo-
site features our 1955 Cadillac
bile, and the tragic story of the
Coupé de Ville and Caddy in-
murder of Gary, IN Police Lt.
formation.
George Yaros.
Car Collector Chronicles Page 2

FATE OF OUR RIDES

With the dawn of 2011, our Allanté, Oldsmobile and Coupé de Ville
became 19, 49 and 56 years young, respectively. Meanwhile, yours
truly becomes a Medicare enrollee!

It does make one stop and think. In the year 2025, who will remem-
ber, let alone be interested in, the Oldsmobile offerings of 1962? Are
our rides, like their owners, doomed to become relics?

Not long ago I saw message traffic on the net between a recent seller
and buyer of a ‘55 Caddy. The seller was highly upset that the buyer
was already thinking of putting the car on the market. He openly stated
he regretted having sold it to the buyer, and proclaimed he would not
“In the year
have done so had he known the ride was going to be placed in the
2025, who will hands of some unknown third person. The degree of emotional attach-
remember, let ment to the driving machine was more than evident, to say the least!

alone be I have a sticker on my car barn lift that reads: “If I am going to Hell,
interested in, I’m going in an Oldsmobile!” Fact is, I shall go wherever it is so or-
dained, and the Olds will remain here. How do we assure our rides are
the passed on to someone who will appreciate and lavish attention on
Oldsmobile them? This predicament is particularly troublesome for those (like me)
without children or relatives interested in vintage iron.
offerings of
1962?” Alas, it is a definite conundrum that awaits resolution. Your ideas?

OLDSMOBILOGRAPHY AND OTHER READS

Would I be amiss in stating that car collector folk tend to devour any-
thing and everything they can get their hands on related to their rides
and the hobby? I plead guilty to such. My first interest is in Olds; not
only the car, but the man behind creation of the vehicle.

For any Oldsmobile fan, the book you must have/read is Setting the
Pace: Oldsmobile’s First 100 Years by Helen Earley Jones and James
R. Walkinshaw (1996) 496 pgs. It is the definitive work on Oldsmobile
motor vehicles. Not only does it provide a history of the company, it has
the car data you want. How many 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 con-
vertibles left the plant? The number is there. How long is the car? The
measurement is provided. You get the idea. If you see a copy any-
where, do latch on to it! You won’t regret the expenditure.

One of the factors that makes Oldsmobile a marque of note is the man
himself, Ransom Eli Olds. There are a few biographies on Olds out
Car Collector Chronicles Page 3

there. Some are authorized, some are not. All are out-of-print and
make for interesting reading. The two of which I know of, and have, are
R.E. Olds: Auto Pioneer by George S. May (1977) 458 pgs., and Auto
Pioneering: A Remarkable Story of Ransom E. Olds by Duane Yarnell
(1949) 212 pgs.
Both works make two salient points about R. E. Olds: 1- He was an
inveterate tinkerer, of the hands on variety. 2- He was not a good busi- “[T]wo salient
nessman.
points about R.
In fact, he may have had what we now diagnose as ADHD? I make E. Olds:
such presumption predicated on the fact that once he completed a pro-
ject, his interest in its continued development waned rapidly. Cases in 1- He was an
point: Within seven short years after having created his automobile, he inveterate
left Olds Motor Works. Within a year he was making and selling REOs,
and in fact soon outselling the Olds Motor Works! Having bested his tinkerer, of the
former company, he ceased active involvement in REO Motors after hands on
only a decade at the helm.
variety. 2- He
Other works on Olds of which I am aware are: Ransom E. Olds:
America's First Automotive Pioneer Daniel Alef (Kindle eBook - 2009); was not a good
R. E. Olds and Industrial Lansing Michael Rodriguez (Paperback -
businessman.”
2004); The Automotive Career of Ransom E. Olds Glenn A Niemeyer
(1963) 233 pgs.; Metta and R. E. Olds: Loves, Lives, and Labors
Patricia E. Heyden (Paperback - 1997) 96 pgs.; Oldsmobile: Ransom
E. Olds: REO Motor Car Company, Oldsmobile Curved Dash, List of
Automotive Superlatives, In My Merry Oldsmobile, 20th Century Limited,
Oldsmobile 88 Surhone, Timpledon, Marseken Editors [Paperback-
2010] and R.E. Olds--Benefactor to the Holy Lands Rajee Tobia (1965).
The Metta and R. E. Olds: work sounds like it would be interesting?

Speaking of Ransom; evidently he was so rich he could print his own

money? Note the signature in the bottom, right-hand corner.
Car Collector Chronicles Page 4;;

… AND OTHER READS—Cont’d

Let me now turn to a periodical I feel worthy of your attention. It is Auto Restorer®,
published by BowTie Publications™. You can check it out at http://
www.autorestorermagazine.com. Let me state upfront, I am a subscriber. I find the
magazine very useful, and an excellent read. The information is stuff you can/will use. It
is presented in a readily understandable manner and accompanied with explanatory pho-
tos. I must say, these folks are very knowledgeable and serve up interesting material
every month.

Lastly, there is the “bible” of the hobby, Hemmings Motor News®. I doubt it needs
much of an introduction? Both the commercial and classified ads are informative. The
classifieds do provide a sense of both what is available on the market, and what sellers
think their rides are worth. I say “think,” because I question how much of a grip on reality
some of the listing owners possess. Likewise, the auction results reports provide a ba-
rometer of current market conditions in the rarified circles of the moneyed class.

The publication is not limited to classified ads, be they from individuals or business enti-
ties. There are monthly columns and feature articles as well. I particularly enjoy the col-
umn where readers ask questions of the resident wrench turner on what is causing this,
what if I do this, or how do I.

Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now its your turn! I invite/encourage submission of
your comments, opinions and contributions, and ask that you help spread the word about
our pub. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent
to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com.

Now, that you have finished reading our pub, come join in the ongoing dialog between
other CCC® readers and like-minded car collector folk on the CCC® Forum. Stop by,
check us out and share your views … .

_______________________________________
-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM!

COMING NEXT ISSUE:

 Right now, I have absolutely no idea what shall grace the pages of the February issue?
 If I am lucky, just maybe your comments on CCC® –THE FORUM will provide grist for the mill?
Car Collector Chronicles Page 5;

The plush Crosley (1948) interior!

The AMC Clipper (circa 1964).

You tell me?