Classic Auto Mall - #214 - Stewart Howden with Guest Keith Martin
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Car
Porsche 924
The Porsche 924 is a car made by Porsche that was sold in the late 1970s and 1980s. It was designed to be a more affordable sports car compared to their other models.
Car
Porsche 918 Spyder
The Porsche 918 Spyder is a very fast sports car that uses both a gasoline engine and electric motors. This combination helps it go really fast while also being more efficient with fuel.
Car
Porsche 917
The Porsche 917 is a famous race car known for winning many races in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It's recognized for its unique design and powerful performance.
Car
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a well-known sports car that has been around since the 1960s. It's famous for its unique shape and powerful performance.
Car
Porsche 928
The Porsche 928 is a sports car that was made from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. It is known for being comfortable and powerful, with a unique front-engine design.
Term
La Carrera Panamericana
La Carrera Panamericana is a famous car race in Mexico that used to happen in the 1950s. It's known for being very fast and difficult, and now it's a fun event for classic cars.
Car
Ford Gt40S
The Ford GT40 is a famous racing car from the 1960s that won many races, including the Le Mans. It's known for its unique shape and speed, and it's very valuable today.
Term
automatic braking
Automatic braking helps stop the car if it sees something in front of it that could cause an accident. It's like having an extra set of eyes that can hit the brakes for you if needed.
Term
adaptive cruise control
Adaptive cruise control helps your car keep a safe distance from the car ahead by automatically speeding up or slowing down. It's like regular cruise control, but smarter because it watches the traffic around you.
Term
Distronic
Distronic is a feature in some Mercedes cars that helps you keep a safe distance from the car ahead by automatically adjusting your speed. It can slow down or speed up without you having to do anything.
Car
Mercury Montereys
The Mercury Monterey is a big car that was made for families to drive around comfortably. It has a classic look and was popular for its roomy inside.
Car
Chevrolet Corvette
The Corvette CX is a prototype car made by Chevrolet to show what future Corvettes might look like. These cars are not for sale and are used to explore new designs and features.
Car
Cadillac Escalade
The Cadillac Escalade is a big, fancy SUV that many people like because it's comfortable and has a lot of cool features. It's often seen as a status symbol.
Car
GMC Typhoon
The GMC Typhoon is a sporty SUV made in the early 1990s. It has a powerful turbo engine, which makes it faster and more fun to drive compared to regular SUVs from that time.
Brand
Laforza
Laforza is a brand that made luxury SUVs, but not many people know about it. It's not as common as brands like Ford or Toyota, which makes it interesting for car fans.
Concept
Corvette concept car
A Corvette concept car is a special version of the Corvette that is made to show new ideas for future models. It's like a sneak peek of what the car might look like or what new technology it could have.
Car
Pontiac Bonneville
The 1969 Pontiac Bonneville is a large car that was made by Pontiac. It has a lot of space inside and is known for being comfortable to drive.
Car
Pontiac Catalina
The Pontiac Catalina is a large car made by the Pontiac brand. The 1967 version is especially sought after for its vintage look and powerful engine options.
Term
four speed
A four-speed transmission is a system in a car that helps it change gears four times. This helps the car go faster or save fuel depending on how fast you're driving.
Term
428 HO
The 428 HO is a powerful engine made by Ford that was used in some of their muscle cars. It helped these cars go really fast and perform well.
Car
Jeep Jeepster
The Jeep Jeepster is an older model of Jeep that was made in 1967. It's known for being a fun and stylish vehicle that can be used for different purposes.
Car
Packard
Packard is a brand of cars that was very popular in the early to mid-20th century. They are known for their luxury and classic style, and many people enjoy restoring them today.
Car
Alfa Romeo 8C
The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is a fancy sports car from Italy that looks amazing and goes really fast. It's special because there are only a few of them made, and car lovers really want to own one.
Car
Aston Martin DB4
The Aston Martin DB4 GTZ Coupe is a stylish car from the 1960s that is famous for being fast and beautiful. Many people admire it and want to collect it.
Car
Mercedes-Benz 540K
The Mercedes-Benz 540K is a famous car from the 1930s, known for being very luxurious and powerful. It's a collector's item today and can be worth a lot of money.
Car
Ferrari 250
The Ferrari 250 is a classic sports car made by Ferrari in the 1960s. The short wheelbase version is especially known for being fast and good at racing.
Car
Bugatti Chiron
The Bugatti Chiron is a very expensive and powerful car that can go really fast. It's made by Bugatti, a brand known for luxury sports cars, and costs millions of dollars.
Car
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is a very luxurious car that was made a long time ago and is known for being one of the best cars ever. It's famous for its comfort and high-quality craftsmanship.
Car
Plymouth Barracuda
The Plymouth Barracuda is a classic car that people loved for its sporty look and speed. The 1969 convertible version is especially special because it's rare and has a lot of fans.
Term
cubic inch
Cubic inch is a way to measure how big an engine is. A bigger number usually means the engine can produce more power and go faster.
Term
slant 6
The slant 6 is a special type of engine that has six cylinders arranged at an angle. This design helps save space in the car and makes it easier to handle.
Term
3-speed automatic transmission
A 3-speed automatic transmission is a part of the car that helps it change gears without the driver needing to do anything. It has three different settings for different speeds.
Term
Barrel carburetor
A barrel carburetor is a part that helps mix air and fuel for the engine. It makes sure the engine gets the right amount of fuel to run well.
Car
Ford Gt
The Ford GT is a super-fast sports car that looks really cool and is built for racing. The 2007 version is especially impressive because it has a lot of high-tech features and a strong engine.
Car
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a famous sports car that many people love for its cool looks and speed. The 1974 model, especially in a shiny blue color, is special because it shows how Mustangs have changed over the years while still being fun to drive.
Car
Dodge Charger
The Dodge Charger is a strong and fast car that many people admire. When someone talks about a V8 engine with a turbocharger, they mean it has a really powerful engine that can go super fast.
Car
Porsche 356S
The Porsche 356 is one of the first cars made by the famous car company Porsche. It's loved by many for its stylish design and sporty feel, and it has a special place in car history.
Car
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a well-known sports car that started being made in the late 1960s. The 1969 Z28 version is especially popular because it's fast and has a strong racing background.
Car
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is one of the first cars that many people could actually buy. Made a long time ago, it changed how cars were made and helped more people own a car.
LIVE
This is the Classic Automall Show.
Broadcast from the studios inside the Classic Automall in Morgantown, Pennsylvania.
Just one hour west of Philadelphia at Pennsylvania Turnpike Exit 298.
Featuring nearly 1,000 classic vintage and barn-fine vehicles for sale under one climate control roof.
Now, here's your host, Classic Automall president and the man with all the toys, Stuart Howden.
And here we are. Welcome to the show. Welcome to show number 214.
Thanks to the Pat Travers, man. We don't thank them enough. I know we...
We do.
Well, I know we do. We did last week, actually, didn't we?
Well, as soon as they come in or in town, we should have Pat Travers right here, talk about cars.
Exactly.
We ought to.
So, yeah, we ought to. So, just Steve today.
Just Steve.
Steve.
No guests.
That's all right.
Well, actually, we've got Keith Martin coming on for his weekly segment.
So, he's always entertaining.
Yes, he is.
And just so now...
Stay tuned.
It'll be just Steve. Happy birthday to our dear friend and show helper, Judy Stropis.
Oh, hey.
Happy birthday yesterday.
And fair.
Happy, happy birthday.
A little late.
Are you having sinus issues, you said?
No, I just had a little...
Yeah, I had a little...
Good to know.
Allergy issue.
Yeah.
So, just Steve and just Stuart.
That should be the name of this.
No.
Just Steve and Stuart.
Just Stuart.
No, thanks.
Steve, probably.
Is W before V?
No, just barely.
Oh, I'd be first in alphabetical.
And by the way, speaking of Pat Travers, it comes up and says, bummer, there aren't any events.
Right.
They're not touring at the moment.
They're not touring, so...
He's wrestling.
How many cars in inventory, JR?
921.
That's a pretty good guess, because they're coming in pretty strong.
Pretty strongly.
Pretty strongly.
Pretty strongly.
Yeah.
There's no Porsche reference, right?
No.
There's one off from a Porsche reference.
925.
That would be...
Oh, 924.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Only you would pick a 924.
915.
Okay.
There may be a 9...
No, there's a 918, Spyder.
Both of us went over.
Yeah.
Both went over.
So...
There's a 918.
There's no bonuses for this week.
There's a 917, 918.
Yeah.
908, 910, 906, 911.
You're going backward through it.
928.
I'm just going really nearly.
I'm just going randomly.
Did you get creative and call it a name like the Autobahn or something?
We could.
We could come up with something.
I'd like to.
What's a Panoramamerica?
Panamerica.
Panamerica.
And then there's a Panamer...
What's the race in Mexico?
Panamer...
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
The La Carrera Panamericana.
That's right.
I think I referenced it in one description.
That's tricky to say.
So, anyway, that's our show.
Okay.
Well, good night, everybody.
Bye-bye, everybody.
So, if you don't go to our website, you better, because there's all kinds of new
inventory there all about.
Classicautomall.com.
It's also got information on our auctions that we have done and will continue to do.
We don't post our results on our auction site.
Right.
And we don't do that just...
I don't know, because I don't...
I get it that people want to know what things sold for, and I get that everybody's
looking for a reference.
But it's really...
If you want to come here and you want to write down every price that something
sells for, that's cool.
And it's not like we're, you know, we're setting, you know, we're not...
Setting the world on fire.
Right.
We're just doing a little...
House cleaning.
Yeah.
We're getting a few little cars out of the way.
And almost all of them are picked up.
Did you notice that when you came in?
I don't know.
There's a few Army vehicles.
Three ones still out there?
No, the Jaguar.
Oh, Jaguar's gone?
Yes.
But the Street Sweepers still here.
Oh, good.
Yeah.
And a few of the Army trucks are still here.
But surprisingly, there's some of them that people bought that I thought they may
never come get.
125 dollars.
It was like...
125 dollars.
It was like drinking whenever.
You know.
No, it was just...
There was some that were just, you know, parts cars basically or parts vehicles.
Yeah.
So we weren't sure what was going to happen.
There was no alcohol present.
Far as I know.
Well, I mean, unless you brought a 12-pack in the parking lot.
That's right.
Yeah.
We didn't serve alcohol.
There's no tailgating.
There's no alcohol.
No tailgating, no alcohol.
Maybe we should.
We could make some more money.
Yeah.
I think, you know, isn't that the philosophy is that the guy the next morning goes,
I paid what for what?
Why?
What?
You don't want a bunch of drunk guys walking around classic automobile.
No.
No.
Hey, let me just lean on this guy with my big old belt buckle.
You know, I wonder how they do kind of deal with that at some of these other auctions,
because they do serve alcohol.
And they do walk around the cars.
And people do walk around.
Yeah.
And people may get a little bit...
Well, they're...
If I remember right from being at Barra Jackson, they're...
What do they call those things?
Not all.
Stanchions.
Stanchions.
Thank you.
I always want to say escushions, but that's...
Stanchions.
Stanchions.
Stanchions.
And they...
So you can't walk up to the cars specifically.
But not every auction has that.
That's right.
And most of the Concorde elegance do not have that.
I know.
And we were at Audrey and last weekend.
No stanchions.
You could get as close as you wanted to.
$40 million Aston Martin was there.
Yeah.
You know, $20 plus million, six or seven Ford GT40s.
Wow.
8C Alpha pre-war Alphas that were like six or seven of the...
I mean, it was...
It was overload.
It was such a cool event.
We'll talk about that in a minute.
But if you get a chance, you know, go to our website, check out our new inventory.
We'll talk about our new inventory in the second segment.
As I said earlier, we don't have a guest today, so it's just going to be me and Steve just...
Chatting it up.
Chatting it up about the cars and everything that's going on.
We gots going on.
How about our YouTube channel?
How about that YouTube channel?
How about it?
I mean, how about it?
It's...
Almost $100,000.
I wonder where that came from?
How about it?
I wonder where that came from?
How about it?
Is that...
That's got to be just short.
How about it?
Right.
It's slang.
It's Southern slang.
But it's one letter off.
You couldn't say the A. How about it?
It's going to be a very substantive show today.
Dallas was having a bad game and I said, how about them cab eyes?
And my wife had no idea what I was doing.
What you said or what you were doing.
You don't remember that?
No, she never heard it.
So our YouTube channel is growing, venture to say exponentially.
It's just growing like about a thousand people a day and new subscribers.
And then our past two shows have gone 150 plus thousand views and the other one 60 thousand
plus views.
And the average is about in the last...
Wait a minute.
I can give you a drum roll if you want.
If you want some drama here, we can do it.
The average show is about probably 20 to 25,000 in the past 10 weeks, 12 weeks or so.
I mean, it's really gained a lot.
I mean, think about this way.
We have 96,420 subscribers this day.
We're going to hit the 100,000 by this weekend.
Today being October the 8th.
So 100,000 by this weekend, which we get some kind of plaque.
They're going to give us something and they're going to put something.
We're going to replace the cobra with the...
Yeah.
Is it going to be that big?
Is the plaque that big?
No.
Could we make it that big?
Yeah, probably.
Did we really want it to be that big?
We absolutely have to hang it up though.
That's going to be awesome.
But we could put it on the red right there.
Yeah, we could.
That would be cool.
We could still keep my cobra.
Yeah.
I'm thinking about replacing the car though.
Okay.
Another trade-in.
You can't keep the same car, can you?
Podcast at classicautomall.com if you have a suggestion.
There's a cool martini liveried Porsche 918 we were just talking about.
That's white.
So it's not that gray like we have behind.
But it would be kind of a cool back up.
That would be cool.
Man, I might have to order that.
We'll see.
What it looks like.
Anyway, YouTube, a year ago today.
So we have 96,420 subscribers.
One year ago today, exactly, we had 5,279.
Wow.
So we've gained 91,000 subscribers in 365.
Must be doing something right.
Thank you, folks.
Yeah.
And 1,516 videos.
Almost, we're getting across over 3 million views.
Amazing.
On our side.
It really, it's a testament to what you guys are doing here, JR and you and Randy.
And everybody, what everybody does.
And also a testament to everybody that works here.
It's not just us doing it.
You know, it's not just the Steve and JR and Randy and Stuart show.
It's the whole classic automobile team show.
Sure.
And it all has bearing.
I mean, if we'd not been successful out there, we could have never even started.
We would have never thought about starting this, nor would we have wanted to start this
because we wouldn't want to take away from our core business.
Yeah.
But we'd said four years ago.
Is it four years ago?
We're in our fifth season, but it's four years ago this month, actually.
So yeah, that's right.
We started in October of 2021.
Wow.
Yeah.
That's hard to believe.
It's been a while.
It has been a while.
So go to YouTube and subscribe and be the 100,000th person.
Yeah.
And a lot of those early episodes have been reposted.
Right, right.
We're going through and reposting some that we did.
And of course, it'd be a good time at some point in time to look at having some repeats
of guests when we only had four or 500 subscribers or 5,000 subscribers.
Right.
And we're only getting maybe 200 views a show.
Now getting, you know, now we're something.
Yeah.
We're a little something.
Something, something.
A little something, something.
And it's, you know, credit to you for being a great interviewer.
Oh, thank you.
I appreciate that.
Very personal.
Everybody leaves here with a good feeling and they're a little nervous at first
and then they leave just having a great time.
And you can also listen to it.
I mean, we promoted YouTube.
That's really been our focus of what we do.
But you can also listen to it on all the podcast sites.
All the major podcast carriers.
And we're really getting some good numbers on that as well too.
You know, we're, we're getting lots of listens and downloads and it's funny.
I, you know, a couple of interesting things happened when I was at Audrey
in this past weekend.
Number one amazing place, Newport, Rhode Island is like, if you ever dreamed
about being rich, that would be the place you'd want to live.
Yeah.
That's what I hear.
Did you drive up there?
We drove.
And that's always a disaster.
What is it?
10 hour?
8 hours?
No, no, no.
It's normally it could be five hours and eight minutes.
Is that right?
Well, we never catch a clear highway.
So we left at 2.30 on Sunday.
If you touch any part of Connecticut, right?
Yeah.
Well, we go right to the middle of Connecticut.
That's the end of that.
Yeah.
I-95 in Connecticut.
I-95 anywhere is a disaster.
Maybe in the middle of North Carolina, rural, whatever, where it goes through,
it might not be a disaster, but it's a disaster everywhere.
So we left at 2.30 and got home at 9.30.
So it was seven hours.
And you can make it five hours and eight minutes.
Yeah.
If there's no traffic.
There's no road traffic.
The opposite of traffic.
No traffic.
And so it took us quite a while to get back.
And we never know what time to leave.
We probably could have left at 4.30 and gotten home at the same time.
Oh, right.
But the traffic is crazy.
And I don't understand traffic.
And don't try to explain it to me.
I'm not asking for you to send me an email.
You don't want a solution.
Tell me an explanation.
I don't want a solution.
I just know that I don't understand.
If there's no stop signs or no red lights on a road,
how the hell do people stop?
How do we get to the point where this guy slows down,
this guy slows down, this guy.
And then all of a sudden this guy stops.
It's just like cholesterol.
It just builds up in your veins.
And then it's got to slow down or stop at some point.
Ah, it's just, I don't understand it.
It doesn't make sense to me.
It doesn't even.
No.
Unless, what do they call it here, a gaper delay?
If there's one little car off to the side of the road,
everybody's got to slow down and see what's going on.
I've never seen a car on the side of the road.
Yeah.
And God forbid there's a flashing light or whatever.
Yeah, that's right.
But the worst thing is that the distance that people leave,
if we had autonomous cars,
we probably wouldn't have traffic jams.
Because they could be right up against each other
and they would know how to, they would stop.
And you can't react as quick as, you know,
as an automatic braking thing.
But, you know, I have automatic braking on some of my cars
and it's a little scary.
I mean, it did it to me.
I'll never forget I bought a pickup truck one time
and it had that, where it would brake
if it caught something in front of you.
And a bug must have flown on the camera.
Oh really?
And it slammed on the brakes.
On the I-81 heading down towards Tennessee.
Yeah.
And it slammed on the brakes.
And thank God nobody was behind me.
Does it factor that in?
I got to believe technology is past the point
where a bug would stop your car, but it could be.
I mean, if it covers that camera,
that thinks that something's right there.
Yeah, that's crazy.
And my wife's has the adaptive cruise.
Right.
But it lets you, if you have,
I don't 100% trust it because sometimes
if there's a car stopped at a light,
it waits until it gets a little too close
and then slams on the brakes.
Right.
Like, wait a minute.
Yeah, I mean, you can in theory
drive and stop and go traffic.
And it's actually the best way to drive
and stop and go traffic is with the automatic
or the adaptive cruise.
Yeah.
Because it'll stop.
Yeah.
For you.
And it'll keep you a little bit closer
than you would comfortably do on your own.
But like you said to your point,
I'm not sure it's going to work.
Yeah.
And I don't want to be the guy,
well, I had it on cruise.
Does your car have the thing where
you're stopped at a light,
maybe you're playing with your phone,
the car in front of you moves
and the car will tell you.
No.
The car in front of you is moving.
Yeah.
You've seen that on something.
Maybe it's a rental car or something.
Got it on my Subaru.
It's pretty cool.
A rental car or something.
I get busted once in a while.
Yeah.
And you could set your distance
and this is when I have the distance
all the way out,
it still stops too late.
Too late.
Right.
Well, Mercedes has what they call
dystronic and that's what it is.
And you can set it from 300, 200
or 100 yards feet or centimeters.
Right.
I don't really know what the
math is.
Metric.
Metric is for that.
But it's interesting that it does stop it.
But boy, you just,
I just don't know that I've never had
the comfort level to say it's going
to get it right.
I've driven a bunch of new car dealer
trades, just, you know,
has something to do.
Right.
And so I've driven a bunch of
different brands with the
different safety features.
And I've said I trusted about
95% now but not 100%.
Yeah.
You've got to pay attention.
You really do need to pay
attention.
I just can't see people
sitting back reading the
newspaper, although.
But they got some driverless
cars now.
That doesn't date me.
Who read George Jetson?
Remember Jetson?
Do I remember George Jetson?
I'm a product of the 60s.
Steve, of course I remember
George Jetson.
It always looked like we'd have
flying cars by George.
Boy, Elroy.
Grizzly.
Daughter, Judy.
But they had self-driving cars,
right?
They would just get them.
Well, they had flying cars.
Flying cars.
They didn't.
I don't think they had to
control them.
They just knew where to go.
And Spacely Sprockets was
where it worked.
That's right.
Spacely.
How did I remember that?
It was a great show.
Yeah, it was.
Jetson.
Jetson.
I love that show.
So what are we going to do this
next?
Oh, I know what we were going
to do.
We were going to talk about the
Audrain Auction.
Okay.
That's Rhode Island.
That's in Rhode Island.
Newport, it happens to be.
And the actual concourse on
Sunday is at the Breakers,
which is the Cornelius
Vanderbilt summer cottage
home.
Oh, tacky.
Yeah, it's massive.
It's just the most unbelievable
thing you've ever seen.
Huge steps.
And right on the point of the
water.
And it's just an amazing place
and it's a beautiful setting.
And it's somebody said,
I think it was Jay Leno who said
that he likes this concourse
because he's part of it A.
But B, he likes it because
they're not quite so bunched
together in the cars.
You know, some of these
events you go to, cars are so
close together that you don't
really feel comfortable looking
at them.
You can't really, you know,
get a good, you know,
what happens here?
You can't get that good three
quarter visual of a car,
which is the money shot
for these things.
And so when you're too full,
you don't get that.
Yeah, so Greenwich is like
that a little bit.
We got there early and it was
nice, it was great because
you had all the room and then
suddenly it filled up and it's
like you can't see the car.
Yeah, you can barely see the
car.
And then if you even try to
take a picture, you better
be, you know, way early.
Way early.
Or time it just perfectly
because otherwise you're just
going to get a bunch of
people standing in front of
you.
Of course, being early,
you wait in line and we were
on the onward.
We were down the corner on
the on ramp.
Well, there we were.
We had that happen one time
here.
Remember?
Yeah, we had a swat.
No, I mean physically standing
on the on ramp.
Oh, right.
Oh, the walking people were
saying, oh, that on ramp,
that, or the off ramp,
actually.
It's the off ramp.
That's right.
That's right.
Yeah, Art Street.
That's in Granite Street.
They were lined up that way.
We had that happen when
they were lined up here
for the swat me one time
and they were lined up
onto the turnpike.
Not, not standing.
Cars.
Cars lined up.
Right.
Just about everyone except
they didn't have one in 2020.
But it's an amazing event.
It's kind of a car week event.
There's a bottoms auction going
on there.
There's a tour.
There's seminars.
There is a gathering on Friday.
The the Saturday tour is awesome
because they all come back
to downtown Newport and they
all park on the street
and they block the streets
and you talk about anarchy.
It's like it is so many
people because a lot.
I mean a ticket,
a general mission ticket
and I'm not faulting them for this.
Don't get this wrong.
It's $250.
Just for general mission.
So if you're a local
and you know you don't have $250
but you can still see
most of the cars
on the street.
On the street.
And so and it's awesome.
I mean it but it's.
Is it comparable to Monterey
now that you've been to both?
Yeah it's pretty comparable.
Monterey's got a lot more going on.
But it almost feels like
it's the Monterey of the East Coast
and I know they would hate us
to say that.
But I mean I don't mean that
again derogatory.
I just mean that it's just
it's getting that feel.
And like it or not
Pebble Beach is the benchmark
for Concorde elegance.
Right.
I mean but like what we do
at Radnor Hunt
has got a unique feel to it
with the fields
and the horses
and all of that.
What they have there
at the breakers
and Rhode Island
is that nice cool
New England breeze
that you get
that kind of the same
in California you know
not a lot of air
conditioners
in Newport.
That's right.
I bet.
And you had pretty
gorgeous weather.
And the weather was
absolutely perfect.
And the leaves are
changing up there right?
Quite.
Not as much as I thought
that they would.
They have changed a little bit
but not as much as you thought
that they would.
But you know one of the
most interesting cars
I saw there
and this will be
anti what I normally say
is the Corvette CX
concept car.
Oh my God.
This thing is
if swoopy were
a descriptive word
descriptive word
of a vehicle.
Man this thing
they had the
whole top lifts off
and kind of moves forward
and it's kind of
at a cantidangle
and the seats
don't even look like
they're going fast.
I mean the interior pieces
are all just
to a point
and they're just
I don't know
I'm not a designer
and we need to get
Kip Pusinko on
to give his
concept car.
Is this a new
concept car
or recent
maybe in the future
we might see something.
It's some kind of
hybrid something
I don't know
if it was battery operated
or what it was
but it was really cool
and of course Cadillac
had a huge presence
up there as well too
and they've got
the new escalate
electrics that
are kind of acting
as a shuttle
they have five or six of them
there in the concept cars
which is a great idea
you know you get in
oh I like this
hey don't check it out
it's quiet you know
whisper quiet
so it's like
you know I could
learn to drive
one of these
this would be kind of cool
so you know
I'm not the biggest
fan of electric cars
as we all know
but I'm not
but I don't
completely
throw them out the window
and say they don't
have any practical purpose
or they don't have
any fun factor to them
or some people
just like
I don't have a car
I get that
not having to go to the gas station
pretty much of a huge plus
unless you
have to charge it
are traveling
but I mean
for the most part
your day to day stuff
you're not going to have to
go to a gas station
if you're driving
around town
50 miles a day or less
you're never going to
go to a gas station again
and nobody's going to
complain about that
nothing
you know we have a gas
station here
that actually pumps
your gas for you
it does
I love that
I got out of the car
one time there
get in
there
they do clean your windows
in New Jersey
in most places
most places
I think
yeah I was there this weekend
got
they pumped the gas
didn't have to get out
and it's a good thing
my back hurt
and hey shout out
Alan Parsons
yeah I
saw Alan Parsons
project on Friday
was that
yeah ocean casino
nice
nice
do a little gambling
my wife did
well
he didn't mean it
like that
I need
more days a week here
at the
it's a release
it is a release
a lot of people love it
so
when we return
yes
we'll talk a little bit
more about the Conqueror
we'll talk about some new
inventory
we'll talk about where cars sold
on the Classic Auto Mall show
are you bored with your commute
listless in your lane
and you don't even have
the get up and go on green
night out of ten doctors
recommend Classic Auto Mall
to cure the common drive
the Classic Auto Mall
in Morgantown PA
is a veritable
classic car supermarket
with classics of all prices
types and years
so if you need a cure
for the common drive
check out Classic Auto Mall
in Morgantown
or classicautomall.com
side effects include
not wanting to come home
going to car hop drive-ins
recenter your finger day
old car smell
and bias play bias
this is the Classic Auto Mall
show
if you have questions
or comments
write podcast
at classicautomall.com
Oh, I like that
now we're back with
the Classic Auto Mall show
Classic Auto Mall studio
Morgantown, Pintz, Elvania
How are you?
I'm good, how are you?
Good.
Did you have a good weekend?
Did I?
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Okay, you have to think about that.
I have to think about it.
I went to a car show.
You did?
What car show did you go to?
What car show did I go to?
Yeah.
I went to, yeah,
a show in Horsham
brought the Laforza out
was 2.5 miles from my house
so I figure I'll make it.
The Laforza, beyond that
I take the typhoon.
People don't realize
what a Laforza is
it's just a money pit.
Well, it's a fun money pit.
It is a fun.
It's my project.
It's been your project
for quite a while.
Everybody says
I've never seen one in person
this is the first time
I've seen one.
I always tell them
it's not the best example
but it's an example.
Is that the brand?
That's the brand.
That's the brand.
You can look up Laforza.
That's right.
Most people haven't.
And we like it that way.
That's right.
Keep it that way.
So I saw my band
is coming back to life.
Rush.
Yeah.
We were talking about Alan
Parsons project.
I heard.
I was not a Rush fan
until I started drumming
and then I learned about
Neil Pert.
Yeah.
And then I realized
genius then he passed away.
Yeah.
Or Pierre.
Or Pert.
People always try to
pronounce his name
like more British sounding.
What is it?
What's the actual?
I think it's
Pert.
Exactly.
But you hear it
all different.
You hear all different
versions of it.
Pert.
And so you know
and he's Canadian.
No.
Yeah.
I'm going to go over a guy's got
like a snare and a kick drum.
Yeah.
Right.
One symbol.
Jazz.
Dang, dang, dang, dang.
Yeah.
So Rush is coming back.
They've got a female drummer.
Nice.
They've approved it
with Neil Pert's family.
Wow.
Which was important.
I mean they were all buddies.
They were all three
and remain buddies
throughout their whole career
which was really cool.
So that's my music
for the day.
Awesome.
We were also talking
about earlier about radar
detectors.
Yeah.
They were built in because
you know the state.
They're using laser now.
Yeah.
Oh you know what
maybe I'm thinking of the
1980s Corvette I wrote up
last week.
Had actually a radar
built into it.
So back then they
They did.
They had a sensor
that you could mount it
somewhere hidden.
On the grill.
On the grill.
And you had a sensor
in there.
And of course
some state.
So what was your
did you have
did you have a fuzz buster?
S-Court.
The big S-Court.
The big S-Court.
The big one.
Yeah.
Okay.
Does it still work?
Yeah it still works
but it picks up
microwave ovens along the way.
And is it illegal
to speed past a microwave oven?
No it just slows you down
every two feet.
Right.
It's just like
I gotta hit the brakes.
I gotta hit the brakes.
Listen I figure if you
you know if you're nice
to the officer
your polite
it's your first defense.
You can almost
talk your way out of
most speed.
Unless you're going
120 miles an hour.
So you've never
had a speeding ticket?
I've never had.
In Utah.
Right.
It was a long time ago.
Long story.
Is there a statute
of limitations
in this story?
So then there was also
you know S-Court
made the passport.
They had a cordless one
and then the Valentine one
was supposedly the one
that was the real deal.
Right.
They were expensive.
They were like 329.
Yeah and the time
when the others were
like 100 or
and then there was
some other kind of
not knockoff versions
but cheaper versions
that were that you could
buy they're like
$69 or whatever
and they worked okay.
But I feel like
the issues
changes all the time
so it's hard for
the radar detectors
to keep up with it.
Right.
When I came back from
when we came back
from Newport this past weekend
it took us over
the Cuomo Bridge
and then we did
a first exit off of there
and went through
this Backwood's
neighborhood.
It was bizarre.
I don't understand
these GPS's
that send you
these places
that it's like
you know there's
a locked gate
you got to get through
and then there's
a ferry you got to
take.
No way.
If you find out
you could have stayed
on the main highway.
No, no, no.
Are you going on these
back roads
or you know
Blind Hills
and right on the Hudson
River there
and yeah it was kind of
it was kind of
if it had been later
at night
that kind of would have
been a little spooky
back through there
because
I know where you're at.
But on the Turnpike
here they've got
these big things
over the highway now
and there's a million
sensors on there
and they're
checking your speed
and taking a picture
of your license plate
and we're going to
get tickets from those
trust me
not just the
easy pass tickets
which they're eliminating
they're tearing down
all the
toll booths.
I was late today
yeah.
Construction
the construction
of the toll booth
is good.
Sure we buy that.
Yeah they're
tearing all those down
and you know
that they're
only using those
for easy pass
right now
but you know
coming soon
they're going to
use them for speeding.
How about the little
truck that they
give you ticket if you're
they give you a warning first
I got one of those letters
I got one of the warnings
and then they give you a ticket
I got a warning
and then now I remember to
slow down
of course I don't hardly see
them as much anymore
and or
the guy next to me
is doing like 80s
so I think that should
counteract me doing 65
right so
it doesn't work
it doesn't average it out
yeah and I'm thinking
those sensors
over the road
are also going to be
checking for like
nuclear and maybe
some other kinds
of terrorist type things
yeah sure
sure I think
that's absolutely the truth
so
so if anybody can figure out
a way other than owning
a helicopter how to get home
from Newport Road
on Sunday afternoon
I would like to hear it
private helicopter
make a friend with somebody
that has a helicopter
yeah exactly
but man oh man
that was just a great show
the Corvette concept car
the breakers where the
Cornelius Vanderbilt's house
well I mean just
all that stuff
is just so
Newport-ish
you know and it's just
such a cool area
there's great restaurants
and great things to do
and
do you see any of our
former guests
and friends of the show
of course we see Judy Stropis
at these events
and she's always
working with us
and helping us get things
but we ran into
a really cool thing
happened we ran into
a Wayne Carini
who was on the show
about
I don't know
three or four months ago
and
for a long time
I don't think
you know he really
knew who I was
and of course
why would he
he meets millions of people
yeah it's like
he gets you know
he takes a hundred pictures
every hour
in a car event
you know
I always going to
I said he's been on the show
so when he was walking down
the street and he said
I said
hey Wayne
he said hey Stuart
how you doing
and I said oh great
I said thanks so much for
being on the show
and he gave me a great compliment
he said you know what
he goes I watch your show
and he could tell
that I was looking at him like
what
right
and he goes yeah yeah
he goes I watch it
or listen
or whatever
chance of being
then I ran into some other people
who'd been on the show
that said they listen
or you know they'll
download it for a podcast
and listen to it on the car
on the way home
you know
capable of doing that
you don't really want to do that
driving
so Wayne is one of our
100,000 subscribers
yeah probably
one of our 100,000
yeah we're going to
pass 100,000
we're going to get a plaque
yeah
and all that's cool
so who else did we run into
we ran into Jay Ward
from Pixar
who runs it
the guy we had on
Nick Waller
no
sorry
Jay Leno's buddy on the
show
but Donald doesn't run it
anymore he's a consultant
that's right
and now Nick Waller
runs it
I misspoke
he was up there
he was great
and enjoyed it
and we visited with him
yeah
was Jay up there?
Jay Leno
Jay was there
and he got a funny story
to tell about Jay
so
but I'm not going to tell you
I'll tell you off there
like waiting
no no no
so Jay Leno
outbid me on a car
oh that's right
on his auction
really
except as my wife
would point out
in order for him to
have outbid you
you would have had
to have raised your hand
at least one time
and you didn't
and the reason that
I missed
because the bidding started
higher than my max bid
was going to be
was the opening bid
yeah
and it was a 1967
Pontiac
Catalina
2 plus 2
triple black
four speed
428 HO
not the eight lug wheels
not I was going to say
eight lug
didn't have the eight lugs
which I would have
added to it
had a little small
steering wheel
that was factory
but it was weird
interesting
and he had a factory
one that was the normal
size
on the top
or something
and they changed it
to triple black
and it was a cool car
did Jay Leno
end up winning that car
he did
and I didn't know that
because we left
a minute
so my bid was
my high bid was
going to be 35,000
right
and they opened
the bidding at 35,000
listen
I learned my lesson
don't let that
stop you
yeah
go up another thousand
what's 36
what's 1,000
exactly
and what was
the final bid
like 58
8,240 with the premium
so
so I didn't know
that he bought it
because when the bidding
went to 35
it was the third
or fourth the last car
and I told Kavya
I said let's go
we were going to dinner
with some friends
I said let's just go
and I didn't even watch
the end of it
so I didn't know
who bought it
so we're standing on
the curb
all the cars
are coming in Saturday
this was Friday 9th
the auction
Saturday morning
we're standing on the
curb waiting
for all the show
cars come in
here comes that
he bought it
was he there bidding on it
or was there somebody
no no no
he was actually there bidding
on it
and yeah
and so
it's awesome
I like that car
so you have similar taste to Jay
well exactly
so that might be a good
reason to have him on the show
yeah
come on Jay
so the show
was like I said
done it
short of amazing
the GT40s
and the 8C alphas
were unbelievable
it was really cool though
we have two 30 under 30
classes
one convertible
one closed
30 under 30 classes
under 30 years old
under $30,000
you can be in this
conquer
you get judged
just like a
$10 million Ferrari
or $50 million
whatever
you know
you get judged
exactly the same
and my friend
Parker Roof
who has a
daughter
who just turned 16
they restored a
1967 Jeep
Jeepster
oh yeah
and
this car
was probably
one of the
most famous of the show
and it was not a
commando it was a Jeepster
open top
sure
and Darcy
his daughter
and the whole family
restored it
he's got a company called
Parker's Packards
okay
easy to say
and he normally
restores Packards
and works on Packards
and all that
but he did this
for his daughter
she was the car
she won
and she won
first in class
oh wow
and she was
bawling
crying
really
and it was
an incredible
moment
it was one of the
most incredible moments
I've ever seen
at auction
or at
a conqueror
yes very cool
and
other cars in the
conqueror of course
the best in show
nominees
two of them I picked
so there was
a 1933
Alfa Romeo 8C
a 1961
Aston Martin
DB4
GTZ Coupe
probably worth
40 million
1936
Mercedes Benz
540K
special Roadster
April
and then a 1960
Ferrari 250
short wheelbase
Caberle special
that was in this
beautiful green color
and I've become quite a
fan of green cars
after the
Aston Martin
and so on
was Tom Yang up there
Tom was there
young
Spell Yang
pronounced young
yeah he was there
Ray Evernham was there
oh wow
half our guests
half our guests were there
so
the best in show
ended up being
the Alfa Romeo 8C
it was really
really a beautiful car
and
and you know
just one of those ones
that deserved it
it was just
such a lot of history
and a lot of
just great things
go online and
check it out
auditorinconcours.org
or .com
excuse me
and check it out
so
I will definitely
make that on my
bucket list
and oh and other
highlights of the
auction cars
they had a
2022
Bugatti Charonne
5.7 million
and a
1909
Rolls Royce
Silver Ghost
yeah
$621,000
which is encouraging
that a car
like that
who you would think
might be
its demographic
might be dying off a little
bit
for it to still trade
at that price point
pretty darn cool
nice
what are we talking about now
new cars
new cars
cars we sold this week
cars we sold
where did we sell cars
this past weekend
it was a little light
it was a little light
cause I was away
and when the
cats away
the mice will play
nobody's answering calls
that's right
how about where we sold
cars
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Peach
Bottom, Pennsylvania
Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Chad Ford, Pennsylvania
Comanche, Texas twice
Newmarket, Virginia
Richmond
ville, New York
Jonestown, Pennsylvania
and Newcastle, Maine
nice
so a little light
on car sales this week
gosh you know
we only sold 11
one week
it's funny
my perspective
probably took in 30
though
we're really
bringing in a lot of
cars so
and some of those
cars included
the 1969
Plymouth Barracuda convertible
Scorch
Red
Over Black
69,000
actual miles
one of 245
builds
got the 225
cubic inch
slant 6
8904
3-speed automatic
transmission
the Hollywood Barrel
Barrel carburetor
this is one
fine fish
it's a good
it's a good looking car
it's a nice looking car
isn't it
I like Barracudas
I do too
they're like the Marlin
which there was one
at the Concord
place
but I like that
and we have a Marlin
yeah we're going to talk about it
we're going to talk about it
other new arrival
is the 2007
Ford GT
factory 5
GTM
Coupe
now this is factory 5
who you normally would think of
who builds
Cobra replicas
they also build
a race car
like a Ford GT 40
for light
it doesn't look like a GT 40
but that's
resembles it
that's the inspiration
you know
as a GT 40
this thing is
really called
burnt orange metallic
on the surface doesn't sound
very nice
it sounds like
an odd color
but it's really nice
yeah and it's mixed with black
and it's really striking
on this car
it is beautiful
and 1288 miles
since built
5.7 liter
EFI LS1 V8
nice
that'll do
and a Porsche
G50 5-speed manual
it does
those aren't cheap
nope
oh no
it's well done actually
heat and air
and pro car seats
and this is an affordable
rocket ship
I mean the performance
you get for this car
is something
in most worlds
so check that one out
again
showstopper
yeah
and check that out
it's on our website as well
other new arrival
the 1969 Pontiac
GTO
the judge
hard top tribute
tribute car
it's carousel red
over black
which always baffled me
because carousel red
to me is orange
but it's
what they call it
so who am I to argue with
can't argue with legends
can't argue with legends
so truth 242
meaning that in the
VIN number
it's got a 24
and a 2
judge
that's right
GTO
400 cubic inch
4-barrel
via turbo hydromatic
400
3-speed automatic
transmission
nicely done tribute
and it's got the
ph s
documentation
you've asked before
what does that mean
shows what the car
was billed with
doesn't mean what it has now
but it means what it was
built with
when it originally came
off the line
with all the options
and different things
and it came with
it's very nicely done
and it's probably
a little less
than a
nice and it's a GTO
and it is a true GTO
and it's okay
I get the tribute thing
it's not
it's not the end of the world
very close
the 1960 next
the 1965 Ramler
Marlin
Fastback
Antigua red and black
over black
this is a cool looking car
I love these
really too
95
91,521 actual miles
very well restored
287
cubic inch
via flight
automatic
okay
like a prison break
3-speed automatic
leather interior
and this is a great cruise
leather interior
it's got black leather
with red piping
beautifully done
really nicely done
if you get a chance
to check that out
and all the others too
how about the 19
this was a beautiful color
1974 Mustang Mach 1
diamond blue over black
oh yeah
the one that's right here
in the rain hallway
it's a beautiful car
everybody's looking at that car
everybody looks at their car
but have they bought it yet?
no they haven't
somebody will
somebody will
because it's such a special
looking car
numbers matching
351 cubic inch
Cleveland VA
top loader four-speed
manual transmission
wood
true Mach 1 as well
and it's got the fold down
rear seat
how cool is that?
it is like a race car
yeah
they can haul all your
whatever you're going to haul
back there
kids
and last but not least
the 1979
Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
silver metallic over blue
two owners
garage cab
numbers matching
350 cubic inch
L48 V8
with a turbo charger
yes
unusual to see
that you're making
model with a turbo charger
and it's a period
turbo charger
and it's a period
turbo charger
just like my little
matchbox car
right it's a turbo
it's kind of the
swoopy leather
yeah the fade
and it's 300 horsepower
with that turbo charger
and it's the numbers
matching T10 four-speed
manual this thing's a
show winner
it's cool
really really
really a cool car
so we were talking about
last week
we were talking about our
auction
and we're going to do it
again March the 20th
2026
so if you got anything
start thinking about it
because we're going to
start taking consignment
probably sometime in
December
and then we'll
want you to bring them out
as soon as you can
so we can line them up
across the
front of the turnpike there
like we did before
which looked really cool
we've got so many people
that stopped in from seeing
that yeah
and I've always wanted to
stop there and then I see
100 cars out there
sitting out there
and I'm like
I think I should stop
the number of people
who tell me they've
passed by here a million
times and haven't stopped
in is just to me
because it's
I mean there's signage
but they don't know
that there's 900 cars
they really don't
understand the
concept of it
to make them
get the word out there
you know the cool thing is though
is that all of our friends
that we know at these
auction and events
are the biggest cheerleaders
for Classic Automall
I can't go anywhere
and be standing with somebody
that we know
that knows about
Classic Automall
that when some strangers
or somebody comes up
that they know
and I don't
oh do you know Stuart
he has Classic Automall
yeah I've seen
Classic Automall
and invariably the guy
will say either
I've been there
or I know about it
I've heard about it
I'm going to go there
I've got it on my hands
or you know whatever
and it happens
just all the time
in these events
and that's why
you know an argument
to my wife
is why we have to go
to all these shows
because we don't want to
miss any of that marketing
yeah and it's a tribute
to your both and
to the concept
of what this is
that it worked
that it absolutely worked
I mean you walk in this place
I still go back
to my first day in here
and I pass by
at a thousand
I love cars
hey man here's like
wow
yeah just wow
that's why we always
used to say
where do you see
this place in person
that was my tagline
I've heard that a couple of times
haven't you
it's like
do you think if you work
for Pink Floyd
is there a sound man
you would be tired
of Pink Floyd
you'd be like
you got Elvis
oh suspicious minds again
oh gosh
not again
one more time
but do you think about that
it's probably true
it is true
that's why a lot of them
they start playing
their new stuff
and the audience is like
no
I sold my
special car
does that say that
Mercedes
oh it's sold
oh yeah I did see that
I saw that leaf
and it was like
it fired it up
and they were leaving
that bubble of that
is that the AMG
King of the Hill
B12 twin turbo
awesome car
621 horsepower
738 foot-pounds
top dog
top dog
I just took a good look
at the interior
last week
and it was like
wow that's like
your living room
yeah it's nicer
than your living room
it is
really is
and then we got rid of
Molly and got a white one
and everybody's mad at me
it works for me
because they want it
we should have got rid of
the black one
well they had an engine out
recall
so I think we didn't have
much choice
to get rid of it
and thank God we did
at the time we did
because that's kind
of manufacturers
afford to do
an engine out recall
on thousands
and thousands of vehicles
I don't see
you'd think that
that'd be tough
for them to
overcome that
financially
you know it's why
vintage trucks
or trucks from the
80s and 90s are
old
well when I bought
my 2021 Denali
they were like
yeah the 6.2 liters
the way to go
and then this time
when I'm buying the
2025 they're like
yeah the 6.2
this one's better
good to go
I'm like wait
you said that about
the last one
what's going to change
you know why is this
one not going to have it
well nobody knows
if they're going to
be a recall or not
if you knew
there's going to be
a recall
you wouldn't
build it the way
you built it
or fix it
the way you fixed it
and then that's it
this is our
new sport's car market
magazine
we'll see in a couple
minutes
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Be in the know with Sports Car Market.
And we're back with a Classic Auto Mall show from the Classic Auto Mall studio
joining us via Zoom.
Mr. Keith Martin, publisher of Sports Car Market Magazine.
Good morning, afternoon, evening, Keith.
Good morning to you too, Stuart.
How are you today?
I am doing great.
The weather looks pretty good.
I might take the top down on the car and go for a drive.
I think that sounds like an excellent idea.
You know, this time of year is a great time to own a convertible.
It really is.
Especially if it's funny, if it's got a good heater.
Yeah, because my feet get a little cold and I don't want them to have cold feet.
You want the top down, but you want your feet toasty.
Yeah, not funny how we're so spoiled.
You know, I tell you, back in the old days, you know, they would have said
you're just a bunch of crybabies and you don't need heat for everything
or air conditioning for everything.
You'd have all those car blankets that they give away free of car shows
that you never actually use.
I know, but you know what's funny?
We actually, we got some at Pebble Beach when we were there this year
and Kathy actually the other day we were driving somewhere
and she actually grabbed the blanket.
Weren't they free with your ticket?
Well, with your ticket, yeah, which was $1,100 a ticket.
So, yes, they were free in all relative terms that they could be.
She actually used the blanket in the car.
She put it over her legs and it was like, hey, we're actually using
a blanket that we had in our car for, you know, ever.
So, your blog comes to life this week is, I love this one.
Should you Resto-Mod your Alfa Romeo?
Oh, the shame and the horror.
What are you thinking?
I, what I've been watching is how the Porsche guys get away
with this Resto-Mod stuff.
And the rest of us are supposed to say, oh, my God, don't change that.
I mean, not only do you have singer porches now,
but think of the outlaw of 356s that were going on long ago,
way before anybody else was thinking about doing this stuff.
I think there's a real question with our old cars today.
They were designed for 60 to 75 mile an hour, two lane roads
back in the 60s. Exactly. Exactly.
And people go faster today.
Yeah, and want to go faster and don't want to be limited
because they've got an older car.
They want the look, but they want the performance
and they want the braking and they want the handling
and they want because they just got out of an escalate
and an escalate and a 1969 or 60s alpha anything drive night
and day different.
Well, I always tell my son when we're driving,
remember every car on the highway goes faster and stops
faster and handles better than you do every single car.
And I wish the other drivers would know that we have
that limitation and therefore can't stop and don't pull out
in front of us because we don't, you know, you can pull
out in front of, you know, you know this trick,
you can pull out in front of any Tesla if you're waiting
to get out of traffic because they can't help themselves.
It breaks automatically.
So the 69 Pontiac Bonneville convertible doesn't do that.
It might take a half a mile to slow down.
I think Stuart, also it's the reason that we go on old
car tours because if there's 10 or 15 of you that all
have really crappy braking and handling together.
It's like a clock and there's safety in that number.
Yeah, or a gaggle.
Maybe it could be a gaggle.
Yeah, absolutely can.
So you own and restore to 750 series Alfa Romeo
Sprint Veloce or Comfort Tavale.
I wouldn't even say that, right?
I'm sure.
So had numbers matching engine and a correct tunnel case gearbox.
What do you do?
Do you want to make it better?
I bought the car because it had all the right pieces.
Right.
Everything was original to the car, the motor, but those
gearboxes and motors from that era are fragile.
Right.
And getting parts for them is really expensive.
I mean, camshafts were three thousand bucks for that car.
But it's a really good camshaft.
Yeah, it's a really good camshaft.
It'll turn for three to four thousand RP or revolutions, right?
Yeah, I did it right and it cost me a lot of money into the
lot of time.
And when I was all done, I thought, couldn't I have
just put a bigger motor in the car right to start from?
Right, right.
And put or put a five speed gearbox in it because the
five speed will slide right in where the four speed goes.
And does value matters much with originality in 60s
alphas versus a 69 Z 28 Camaro?
Yes, in the sense that if this is a numbers matching
Veloce from that era, it's worth a buck and a half.
Right.
If it's a regular car that you slap the bigger motor into
it's worth 60.
And arguably more drivable, more enjoyable, less fearful
that it's, you know, half the value.
Well, where's the line that you go under over there?
If I were to do one again, I would buy a forty or
fifty thousand dollar improperly restored car and slap a
big motor in it, right?
Something that you're not harming.
So it's already been the damage is done, so to speak.
That's what I wrote a column on Stuart that said, thank
you for ruining my car.
If the car comes to you and they've already swapped
the motor out, right?
Then you're just going along for the ride.
Yeah, well, it wasn't my fault.
I didn't do it.
You know, I got proof this guy, that guy did it.
And you know, but I'm you know, I'm going to
take advantage of it now because use it.
You know, I get rest of minds.
I do, you know, it's it's it's also a personal personal thing.
You know, like hot rods were back in the thirties and forties
and fifties and sixties that that it's a personalized thing
that you want certain things to be on your car and you
want it to be a certain way and you wanted to do
certain things.
I understand that.
And it's your own damn choice, right?
If you want to take a whatever and make it a
rest of mind, then that's your business.
I think the only place you have to be thoughtful is
if you have a car that's that's very correct and
there aren't many of them.
Right, right.
You got a, you know, big, high horsepower L88 Corvette.
You obviously don't go put a 350 in it or something
like that.
If you don't, you also have to respect the respect
the rarity of the car.
Well, aren't we just stewards of all these cars anyway?
I mean, you know, yes and no, I guess, you know, I
think, well, they're passing through your hands.
Right.
The question is it really it really is when you know,
the word rest of mind is a little bit misleading
because when we think about that, we think about
Barry Jackson and all those multi hundred thousand
dollar transformational cars.
We're really what I'm really talking about here is
putting a bigger motor, putting bigger brakes,
putting a five speed with an overdrive instead of a
four speed.
So we're not talking about creating some kind
of weird monster.
Right, right.
It's not going to have flame shooting out of it
and big pipes coming out the back and, but you
know, and that's what you just brought up as
interesting to you because, you know, a four speed
sixty nine Dodge Charger really needs that fifth gear.
It really needs something more and most cars,
whether they're they're foreign or domestic,
four gears are not enough in the way the gearing
was.
And so you felt like it's, you know, in fourth gear,
the thing was going to just shake to death.
Yeah.
When I had that Mercedes 250 C, we ended up swapping
out the rear end from a diesel because it was
so buzzy.
Right.
Sixty miles an hour.
The car felt like you were in a blender.
And that's not the feeling that you'd like in a car.
Right.
That's not something you're trying to achieve.
And in a lot of rallies today, there are long
transits.
There may be a hundred miles along and stuff.
And you want to be able to go 80 miles an hour
and chill.
Yeah.
Because you also don't want to be the last guy
who shows up, you know, after dinner.
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah.
That's the problem they have with a lot of
these rallies that they do.
And I think Pebble Beach kind of solved it as
they made the rally one way.
Basically, you get to wherever the stopping
point is and then you're on your own.
To come back.
I think they saw that a little bit at all drain
this past weekend where cars were getting separated
and civilian cars were getting in between them
or they had a Model T trying to lead some later
model stuff that can go faster.
And so, you know, it's it's a logistical thing
to try to make all that work properly.
Well, you know, we were thinking about doing
when we do our next tour, which will be
in a couple of years.
I was thinking of doing cars through 92 and
then splitting the groups up into early
cars and later cars and having the faster
cars, the later cars go half an hour earlier
than the older cars.
I like that idea a lot.
I think that makes absolutely perfect sense
because terrible for the guy to be in a, you
know, a 61 short wheelbase Ferrari behind
a guy in a Model T.
I mean, it just the poor guy, you know,
can't stretch it out.
It's going to overheat.
There's going to be all those issues
that you have.
Right.
Right.
So so you've decided that have you gotten
a response on this this blog quite a bit.
And it really falls into two very black
and white categories.
A number one is don't touch it.
Leave it alone.
And number two is do whatever the hell you
want.
Yeah.
Enjoy it and do whatever you want.
And again, we're not we're not talking
about one of one cars.
And they built 400,000 Alpha four-door sedans.
Right.
So there's not going to be a shortage
of them anytime soon.
I mean, they built 3000 boat-tailed
duettos and they're still it's
again, it's not like it's the last one
there.
Right.
And what you're doing is no different
than if you have a 283 Chevy and you go
to a 302 or a 350.
Right.
Right.
27.
I mean, the manufacturers increase the size
of the motors for a reason.
Yeah.
And especially if the original motor
is long gone, you know, then you
kind of then you can like as we were
saying a minute ago, you can do what
you want because there's really no
there's no template.
You'll never find that original
motor again.
I would say never, but most likely
that original motor is long.
It's either in a junkyard or it's in
something else and it'll never be found
and never see the light of day and
you'll never have a chance to get it
back.
So what do you put in it then?
Well, obviously why not put a little
more power in it?
Well, yeah, I also think that this
is where pricing comes in where if
you've got the original motor and it's
all correct and it's worth X amount.
Right.
And if it's if you don't have the
original motor anymore, then it's
worth Y amount.
And I mean, I could have saved
myself $50,000 like going to a
non-original motor in my car.
Absolutely.
And probably enjoyed it just as much.
I am or more or more.
Probably right.
You know, yeah.
So anyway, thanks again for being on
Keith.
We love having you on every week and
we hope that we'll see you soon.
We've got some events coming up that
we'll hope to cross paths face to
face in the near future.
All right, sir.
Take care.
Catch you next time on the Classic
Auto Mall Show.
We'll see you then.
The Classic Auto Mall Show with
their host Stuart Howden, executive
producer Steve Seth here, produced and
engineered by yours truly J.R.
Russ, video editor Randy Lammy available
on Classic Auto Mall dot com, YouTube
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Music courtesy of the Pat Travers
band for tour dates, contact and
stuff, visit pat travers dot com
produced by car smarts media copyright
all rights reserved.
About this episode
Stewart Howden and co-host Steve discuss the latest happenings at Classic Auto Mall, including inventory updates and recent car sales. They share insights from the Audrain Concours event in Newport, Rhode Island, highlighting standout vehicles like the Corvette CX concept and a touching moment involving a young car restorer. Keith Martin from Sports Car Market joins the conversation, tackling the controversial topic of Resto-Modding classic cars, weighing the pros and cons of maintaining originality versus enhancing performance. The episode is filled with humor, anecdotes, and a deep appreciation for classic automobiles.
3‑speed automatic transmission
428 HO
adaptive cruise control
automatic braking
barrel carburetor
Corvette concept car
cubic inch
Distronic
four-speed
La Carrera Panamericana
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
Aston Martin DB4
Bugatti Chiron
Cadillac Escalade
Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Corvette
Dodge Charger
Ferrari 250 GTO
Ford GT
Ford GT40
Ford Model T
Ford Mustang
GMC Typhoon
Mercedes-Benz 540K
Mercury Monterey
Plymouth Barracuda
Pontiac Bonneville
Pontiac Catalina
Porsche 356
Porsche 911
Porsche 917
Porsche 918 Spyder
Porsche 924
Porsche 928
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Original notes
Show #214 airdate 10-08-25 Stewart and Steve discuss Stewart's trip to the Audrain Concours, another anticipated auction in March of '26 and more fun car stuff. Also joining is Keith Martin of Sports Car Market with opinions on performing a "Restomod" on a classic car. @judyStropus #JayWard of #Pixar #JayLeno TomYang.net @RayEvernham
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Recorded in our Showcase Studio just inside the entrance of the Classic Auto Mall in Morgantown, PA, Host Stewart Howden, Classic Auto Mall President and Classic Car Specialist Steve Saffier talk about this unique and amazing place often with amazing guests.
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