It would be my first job in the automobile industry. It was 1975 and Mercedes-Benz of North America hired me to create their first audio-visual technical training system. I would be creating educational programs to train technicians at the dealership. I was thrilled to be working for the iconic three-pointed star – A good company, with good people and great cars. I had no clue that I stood on the brink of what would be a  lifetime avocation.

It happened so serendipitously. One day early in my career at Mercedes-Benz I encountered the very polished Count, yes Count, Marcus Clary a Public Relations executive. He was discarding new car brochures from previous years. I asked if I could take some. Help yourself was the reply.

Thus began a lifetime of opportunistic dumpster diving at North American car companies as decade after decade I witnessed most automotive manufacturers indiscriminately discarding what they viewed as outdated sales literature and I saw as important future messengers of history.

Over 100 years ago the new car brochure came to life in a world cluttered with expensive hand built cars desperately seeking to be noticed.

Over coming decades the new car brochure would evolve as a powerful 20^th century sales tool and a valuable reference for the future study of automotive history.

Now as we witness, with some sadness, the sacrifice on the altar of digital efficiency of the high quality, brilliantly photographed, aesthetically striking and increasingly expensive bibles of the new car sales effort, I would like to take an admiring look back at whence they came.

Evolution of the new car brochure

(Part 1 – 1900 to 1940)

1936 Ford

In the early 1900s the emergence of the automobile as a commercial venture demanded printed material that would help present, position and promote this new contraption.

Over roughly the next one hundred years the new car brochure would tide a wave of evolution and sometimes revolution in design, technology, socioeconomic conditions, societal values, editorial style and graphic delivery.

One need look no further than the very first page of the very first Cadillac catalog to see the role set aside for the new car brochure. The year was 1903.

1903 Cadillac

“Being unable to reach the majority of prospective purchasers of automobiles by Agencies or personal calls we hand you this catalogue which, in a measure, gives a knowledge of the Cadillac and its most important features and at the same time illustrates and explains the vital points so that comparisons may be made with other vehicles and thus enable you to satisfy yourself as to our claims for superiority over all others.”

Granted while that explanation makes for one hell of a sentence, buried within that mouthful of wordy formal prose resides the essence of the new car brochure for the next 100 years. Its purpose was established as a means to “provide a tool to engage, inform and persuade prospects to purchase the product.” Its progress would be marked by increasingly higher quality materials, idealized imagery and persuasive copy integrated ever more professionally to motivate a new car prospect to be a new car buyer.

1903 Ford

It would do so, in part, with an emotional appeal that paired the purchase of a new automobile with a romantic vision of the real life experience that that automobile would deliver.

When the automobile arrived on the popular scene in the 1900s, it cost an average of $2000 to $3000 and up at a time when the typical American worker made around $500 a year.

In this early age of motoring most everything associated with the automobile, its operation and its value was an unknown. Skeptics abounded. Many viewed automobiles as the rich man’s toy and a passing fad. This skepticism posed a daunting challenge for those tasked with writing persuasive copy for the print automobile brochure. The challenge posed demanded that the early new car brochure advance a strongly substantiated value proposition to an often dubious populous dismissive of this new mode of autonomous mobility.

1909 Ford

Early new car brochures displayed the work of journeymen graphic designers whose names have been lost to history. Brochure content displayed a visually staid countenance featuring a forthright presentation of product and corporate stability.

1906 Cadillac Factory

An image of an imposing factory was often a prominent feature to assure a wavering prospect that this manufacturer was stable, substantive and here to stay. Even then, the very concept of and need for the automobile required explanation.

Designs featured basic type with custom hand drawn fonts for graphic interest. Art was predominantly illustration. Color was used sparingly, Image reproduction employed the recently available half-tone technique. From this basic beginning would evolve a century of ever improving methods of putting ink on paper.

Henry Ford

In this unsteady beginning all the automobile companies struggled. Then, late in the 20^th centuries first decade came Henry Ford’s announcement, “I will build a motor car for the great multitude.”

The game was about to change. The age of the automobile was about to dawn and with it the selling power of the printed brochure.

Between 1908 and 1913 Henry Ford revolutionized the automobile with the model T and automobile production with assembly line mass production. Together those two achievements launched both the American consumer and American society into the automotive age.

By 1915 America was home to 100 million people and most everyone wanted an automobile.

Between 1903 and 1917 yearly new car sales skyrocketed over 1000 percent from roughly 18,000 units a year to 1.9 million units a year.

1920 Ford

Through the teens the meteoric rise of the automobile business coincided with the ascent of the advertising agency foreshadowing a coming marriage made in sales and marketing heaven.

New Car brochures would soon reflect the increasing influence of professional copywriters. Copy now emphasized a more detailed, competitive, brand-specific, Feature-Advantage-Benefit message. Riding the tidal wave of automobile acceptance, brochure content, while still wordy, had started a decades-long journey to delivering a more crafted and focused message.

Paper quality received more attention for both its feel and visual appeal. Printing quality improved. However through the teens visual treatments continued to feature forthright mostly staid presentations of the product. The preponderance of images for the most part remained high quality illustration. This was about to change.

The Roaring Twenties arrived fueling a profound transformation of automobile ownership from the exceptional to the commonplace. Automobiles were not only for the wealthy, adventurous or early adaptors, the automobile was for everyone.

Model T price

1908 – $800          1914 – $490          1921 – $310          1924 – $265

By 1925 40% of the work force earned $2000 or more. The average work week had shrunk from six days to five. People had more time, more money and America had 700,000 more miles of paved roads. And just as more people had more money to spend, Henry Ford was lowering the price of new car ownership

1928 Cadillac

New car brochures entered the decade employing an almost clinically cold display of technical features. That would quickly change. With the suddenly booming economy and exploding appetite for new cars, brochure graphic treatments fanned the flames of desire by displaying automobiles not just as sturdy servants but as sources of excitement, pleasure and fashion. Evocative graphic treatments linked automobiles and lifestyle.

The emergent advertising industry to which manufacturers had delegated much of the responsibility for new car brochure production rose to the challenge and embraced the opportunity with creativity and skill. Visual presentations employed exceptional artistic executions including illustration, etchings, photography and a more compelling use of color.

Automobile ownership soared in the 1920s

YEAR             NUMBER OF CARS SOLD

1910         0.45 Mil

1915         2.30 Mil

1920        8.10 Mil

1929      23.10 Mil

America’s love of the automobile had forever changed American life. Depression and war was about to change the world.

“We are the first nation in the history of the world to go to the poorhouse in an automobile”

Will Rogers

1936 Cadillac

Just at the point when the North American new car brochure was coming into its own, the American economy hit the wall. The depression crushed the automotive industry. By 1932 new car sales plummeted by 75%. Luxury automobile sales literally dried up. Over 30% of the American workforce was unemployed and 40% of nation’s mortgages were in default.

Faced with the challenge of economic conditions, new car brochure copy reflected both an economic reality and, some might say, a Pollyanna-like optimism. Reference to de-contented models, reduced prices, high value, promotion of trade-ins, and financing from GMAC and Ford credit all spoke to the economic truth of the times. However…

1936 Dodge

As the 1930s progressed, new car brochure content, not unlike the glamorous fantasy world portrayed by Hollywood, displayed a comfortable even luxuriant lifestyle that for many was at best a memory.

When present, people depicted in new car brochures were decidedly of the upper middle class or higher. Even lower end brands such as Ford utilized imagery that portrayed the product with a bold countenance.

1934 Ford 3D catalog

Luxury makes such as Cadillac employed richly illustrated depictions of life being enjoyed to the fullest. Stronger visual imagery and more graphic layout design gave new car brochures vitality that foreshadowed the evolving visual character that would continue in the post war years.

The creative use of embossing, foil stamping, even 3D imagery together with photography, illustration and true 4-color printing sought to bring glamour to a marketplace and world that was anything but glamorous.

Through the Depression, the automobile industry had battled to fight its way back to solvency with technical innovation. As well, the sales literature that promoted those new products displayed a sophistication reflective of the same level of advancing capabilities. But, now, the automobile industry and the world were about to face an even more virulent challenge – World War II.

Part 2 – 1941, War and beyond (Coming later in the year)

Entering Ed Jurist’s Vintage Car Store in Nyack, New York offered a visual wonderment of not only vintage automotive but, as well, vintage aircraft art and artifacts. A 12-cylinder Merlin engine, the type famous for powering the P-51 Mustang, sat proudly cradled where it could be viewed through the building’s large front window that faced the street.

On this day in 1982, I had originally strolled in to interview Jurist about a Sherman tank he had sold to a Hollywood rental business years before. As the interview wound down to allow Jurist to depart for dinner, the topic of vintage aircraft surfaced. Suddenly dinner could wait as an animated Jurist held forth on his experiences purchasing vintage war planes from around the world. While the tank story was written and published, the telling of Jurist’s vintage war plane exploits never made it to print, until now.

Buckle your lap belts and hang on for the story of the sputtering Mosquito and the Virgin Loretto.

The sputtering Mosquito and the Virgin Loretto

DeHaviland Mosquito

Though pilot and copilot alike had faced death before while flying bombers in WWII, concern tinged their voices as their eyes flicked across the dead black skies above the jagged, unforgiving and equally black Pyrenees mountains somewhere below. As to how far below, they could only venture a sweaty guess. Spotting a light, any light filled the content of their unspoken prayers as an engine of the vintage WWII DeHaviland Mosquito twin engine bomber sputtered and coughed in what portended to be a death rattle if the plane could not find a place to land and land soon.

Jurist was never a stranger to aircraft adventure starting with his exploits as a wartime B-17 bomber pilot with the Eighth Air Force. Shot down over Nazi Germany, Jurist actually escaped from the Nazi prisoner of war camp where he had been held. In later years Jurist set up business in an old Cadillac dealership built in 1927 that was home to his Vintage Car Store. There, in addition to travelling the world in search of rare and valuable automobiles, he dedicated himself to finding and preserving vintage aircraft, primarily of the military variety. Jurist during his years of searching out vintage war planes brought in more vintage military aircraft to the United States than any other single private individual in America.

Hawker Sea Fury

In 1979 when Iraq was upgrading its air force to jets, Jurist arranged a deal with the Iraqis to purchase 24 of the propeller-driven Hawker Sea Fury fighters being retired. Jurist virtually lived in Baghdad to shepherd the deal. He oversaw the negotiations, watched the planes loaded onto a freighter and, once arriving in America, unloaded at Cape Canaveral.

It was in 1971 that Jurist located a WWII Mosquito fighter bomber. Purchased from its owner in England, the Mosquito, which had appeared in British films, had been maintained in flight worthy condition.

Known as the “Wooden Wonder,” the Mosquito began life as the subject of ridicule primarily because many viewed its wood construction as unworkable. Predominantly made of plywood, Its fuselage consisted of a frameless shell of balsa wood pressed between sheets of birch. However, the shortage of the light metal alloys required in airplane construction made the Mosquito’s reliance on wood a major advantage leading to its acceptance by the RAF. That decision proved to be a very good one for the RAF. By the end of war, the Mosquito’s speed, rate of climb, versatility and durability had made it one of the most respected and admired war planes of WWII. As a testament to its durability, elusiveness and ruggedness, the Mosquito experienced the lowest loss rate of any aircraft in the RAF Bomber Command Aircraft.

Powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, the Mosquito had a maximum speed of 415 MPH that made it the fastest aircraft on either side during much of the war. It had a range of 1,500 miles with the ability to carry a bomb load of 4,000 lbs. That bomb load equaled the capability of the four-engine B-17 flying fortress. With a crew of two consisting of a pilot and navigator/bombardier, the Mosquito filled a broad range of roles including bomber, fighter and special operations specialist. One wonderful Special Ops example highlighted the Mosquito’s ability to execute high speed, pin-point, low level attacks. It took place on the morning of January 31, 1943 at a parade in Berlin billed to feature an address by Hermann Goering. As head of the Luftwaffe, Goering had boasted that no enemy aircraft could fly unscathed over Berlin. As Goering prepared to present to the assembled crowd, a squadron of Mosquitoes appeared out of nowhere and effectively put an end to the morning’s festivities. Later that afternoon a second squadron of Mosquitoes  put an exclamation point on the RAF’s refutation of Goering’s claim of enemy free skies when a second parade intended to feature a Goering address received the same treatment as the morning festivities.

Squinting into the darkness blanketing the Spanish mountains below, the glorious history of the Mosquito ranked very low on the crew’s thoughts. One of the high performance 12-cylinder Merlin engines spewed bad noises that reflected declining performance. Though brave and stalwart men, the point of furrowed brows and sweaty palms had been reached. Almost like a cross between a curse and a prayer, Jurist recalled barking out in frustration, “There has got to be a God damned town somewhere down there.” At this point their greatest hope resided in finding a space big enough so they could crash land with some possibility of surviving.

With both hope and eyesight strained to the limit, Jurist spotted a faint blur with the luminance of a distant star. No doubt existed in either crew member, their fate would hang on the ability of that distant blur to be their salvation. The faltering engine would not tolerate a plan B.

As the Mosquito limped on above the unseen but none the less foreboding mountain peaks below, the dim blur began to acquire definition. Initially unsure of what they saw, it became shockingly evident that the character of the dull blur now taking shape came from two rows of torches that framed the full length of, unbelievably, a runway.

Jurist set the faltering Mosquito down squarely on a remote mountain airstrip at the center of a joyous celebration. As the crew left the ailing Mosquito and surveyed the robust life and jubilation that surrounded them, their abilities to comprehend were sorely challenged, and then the priest appeared.

The priest welcomed the unexpected visitors to the festival where the Aeroclub of the  village of Vigo, Spain was celebrating the Feast of the Virgin Loretto – The patron saint of pilots.

As joyous celebrants encircled the Mosquito crew someone placed a Virgin Loretto metal around Jurist’s neck. For the rest of his life Jurist never took off that metal.

A side note:

Hanging on the wall by the front door of the Vintage Car Store was a very large framed photo of the Mosquito crew, the priest and a few villagers in front of the Mosquito. I have never been able to track that framed photo down. I believe it was sold when the stores contents were auctioned off in the 1980s. If anyone has any information relating to that photo please let me know.

All Americans had been warned. No meaningful correspondence should be tossed into a hotel waste basket. Assume that your room has a listening device. Any private conversation should be held outdoors in the open square. These warnings were to be taken seriously when working behind the Iron Curtain during the cold war. So recalls Patty Moore a member of a unique team of exceptional design talent assembled by 20^th Century industrial design icon Raymond Loewy. Talented and brash, the team faced the daunting challenge of creating a world car for the Soviet Union to market around the globe in the 1970s.

Though an American citizen, Mr. Loewy was French by birth and thus acceptable to the Soviets. However, the small team he assembled to create the design was 100% American.

For American and Soviet alike, pronounced egos and sharp elbows bruised at every turn. Conflicting creative styles and attitudes born of clashing ideologies destined the project to be equal parts car story and John le Carre novel.

In the early 1980s, I had been in contact with Mr. Loewy as well as members of his design team. I have taped interviews conducted in 1982 with design team members as well as what may be the only existing images of the concept car.

What follows is the birth story of the ill-fated Moskvitch XRL.

Raymond Loewy’s 1970s Soviet world car adventure

Initial version of Moskvitch XRL

For the Soviet Union in the 1970s, it was a bold undertaking. The Soviet plan called for producing a family sedan, the Moskvitch, to sell in the new car showrooms of the western economies. To pull it off they reached out beyond the Iron Curtain to a Frenchman by birth and a naturalized American citizen by choice. He would be the man bold enough to succeed. He was Raymond Loewy, father of industrial design, creator of the Avanti, Studebaker starlight coupe, Shell logo, modern Coca-Cola bottle and hundreds more cultural icons.

Early Moskvitch sketch

In this era of Nixon and Brezhnev, Détente was in bloom. This warming of relations coincided with a Soviet 5-year plan that emphasized aggressively marketing consumer goods to the West. The red stars had aligned to create a profound need for a serious upgrade of Soviet consumer product aesthetics.

Loewy anticipated the extraordinary opportunity. As the creative genius who fathered the field of industrial design, he enjoyed a good relationship with the Soviets that dated back to the early 60s. The Russians liked and respected Loewy. Loewy had cleverly positioned himself to achieve something no one had done before or would do again.

Signing of 5-year agreement with Dr. Jermen Gvishiani of VNIITE

In signing an historic design services contract with the Soviet Union, Loewy stands as the first and only person to direct a design exchange between an American company and the Soviet Union. In his own words Loewy called this design exchange, “the most important achievement of my long career.” In addition to the Moskvitch, the contract called for the design of a broad spectrum of products including clocks, cameras, motorcycles, hydrofoils and more.

1974 witnessed Loewy assemble a unique collection of gifted American designers in their 20s and early 30s to create the Soviet dream car, the Moskvitch XRL (X – experimental, R – Raymond, L – Loewy).

Team members included Patricia Moore, then in her early twenties, and responsible for the interior. Moore would go on to be named the Most Notable American Industrial Designers in the history of the field. And in 2000, was honored as one of The 100 Most Important Women in America.

Raymond Loewy and Yuri Soloviev

Syd Mead served the team by creating contextual visualizations of the Moskvitch design. Mead would later become famous as a neo-futurist concept artist who visualized environments for science fiction films such as Alien, Tron and Blade Runner.

Though well respected by the Soviets, Loewy held no great admiration for their political system. Loewy’s impressions from his Soviet experiences where sharp and divided. He had great respect and admiration for many of the individuals and professionals with whom he dealt. Yuri Soloviev the Director of VNIITE (The Soviet All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Industrial Design) was one. However Loewy felt nothing but loathing and contempt for the communist system of governance. In a letter to partner William Snaith following Loewy’s first visit to the USSR in 1961, Loewy wrote, “In spite of the wonderful welcome, we returned more than ever convinced that communism is the greatest hoax in the history of the world. I cannot tell you the dreariness, the gloom of life under this system.”

Loewy after signing of 5-year agreement standing with iconic Avanti designed by Loewy

When worlds collide might best describe the cross cultural interactions between the two decidedly different cultures.

It evidenced itself dramatically when a young Patty Moore took a team of six visiting Soviet Project Managers and a Soviet psychologist on a walking tour of Manhattan. The Psychologist viewing the experience from a psycho-social basis was interested, intrigued excited by everything.

The Soviet engineers and scientists, however, displayed the attitude that the Soviet Union unquestionably stood superior to America. They clearly viewed America as the enemy and a competitor.

As the late afternoon sun lengthened shadows, the Russian Managers crossed Manhattan’s 5^th Avenue. Like Darwin first touring the Galapagos, they faced a world both foreign and fascinating. They swam through waves of American culture swirling in the canyons of New York City. High heels, long legs, bell bottoms and bright colors. Late summer of 1975 greeted them. They had come to see the automobile that Raymond Loewy, iconic father of industrial design has created. They ended up getting much more than they ever could have dreamed.

During the walking tour the Soviet psychologist would frequently become excited and animated at the New York experience. His exuberance would be quickly and consistently squelched by senior officials sharing the tour. In Russian he would be directed to refrain from speaking in such positive terms.

Final Version of Moskvitch XRL

American team members when visiting Moscow had significantly different but equally telling experiences. Never relaxed, team members would purposely leave important looking but useless documents in their hotel trash cans. Conversation outside of buildings enjoyed a significantly different flavor. Inside meeting rooms, positive comments highlighted deadlines being met and schedules moving according to plan. Conversations in open air parks revealed a totally different truth comprised of missed deadlines and poor follow-up. Still, under Loewy’s stern and sharp oversight the Moskvitch XRL concept itself moved on as promised.

Loewy, both confident in and adamant about his vision of the world car his team would create for the Soviets, envisioned the Moskvitch with wide tires and a wide body with flush wheels set out at the corners and a low beltline with a forward slanted body silhouette. However, having provided that direction he said, “Let’s see what the kids have on their mind when given leeway.” Those “kids” were his highly talented team of youthful American designers in their 20s and early 30s all who would speak  deferentially of Mr. Loewy throughout their lives.

Loewy, with steely conviction, directed the final concept accented by a color pallet featuring gold and a signature sharp slash at the “A” pillar. Loewy envisioned the driver’s seating position as a cockpit, executed in darker richer leather. In his mind the driver’s seat would be a throne superior to the other seating positions.

While delivery of the completed Moskvitch XRL concept received a warm welcome from the approving Soviets, it coincided with a perfect storm whose winds blew no good for the future of Loewy’s concept.

Moskvitch XRL Interior

As Loewy noted in a discussion of Soviet manufacturing capabilities, “In nucleonics, rocketry, steel plants, and heavy machinery, they do outstanding things. Consumer goods on the contrary are terrible, only fit for a captive market.”

Stated simply, the Soviets did not presently possess the ability to build Loewy’s design. The Loewy team had designed a dream for the Soviets which they were incapable of making. At the same time a new Soviet 5-year plan with a reduced emphasis on foreign markets now held sway. Loewy’s Moskvitch XRL would not be built.

Loewy’s greatest professional achievement proved to be his final professional achievement. Financial problems had surfaced with maintaining such a large operation on multiple continents. By 1977 Raymond Loewy International had filed for bankruptcy.

In retirement Raymond Loewy and his wife Viola moved to France where they continued to live an active life where all was art. Raymond Loewy died in 1986 at the age of 92.

After Loewy’s death two of his former associates wrote in the New York Times saying, “Raymond Loewy altered the look of American life by bringing his streamlined style to nearly every aspect of our lives.”

Loewy at the age of 82 boldly sought to do the same for the Soviet Union. While his designs for the Soviets did not make it to the marketplace, Loewy profoundly advanced the field of industrial design in the Soviet Union by introducing a new language of design and fresh insight into the importance of user-friendly solutions.

For decades Rosell’s Auto Repair has been a Muscle Car eye candy treat that snapped you to attention, compelled you to slow and maybe linger a little too long as you digested the visual feast, and only then, to move on. The small neat structure sporting two bays housed in an immaculately maintained shop, sits on neatly groomed grounds populated by an ever changing eclectic assemblage of really interesting special interest automobiles. Solid examples of rust prone mid-fifties Detroit iron, such as 1957 Fords and Forward Look Plymouths often grace the grounds as do hot rods, tweaked Model Ts, Mopar muscle, Corvettes, 442s and Pontiacs, lots of Pontiacs. The owner is a classic as well, he is as genuine a New Jersey product as Taylor Pork Roll and Bruce Springsteen. Meet Al Rosell.

90 GTOs, 30 Corvettes and counting

If there can be a middle of nowhere in Northern New Jersey, Rosell’S Auto Repair can be found in it. Like a collectible car oasis situated in a wooded sprawl of forest and fine homes, Al Rosell’s four acres of automotive finery, years ago, served this once rural area as an off the beaten path, back road Citgo Service station. To this day no other commercial property exists for a mile at least in any direction.

Raised in Westwood, New Jersey, Al harbors a real passion for Pontiacs. It all began at the age of eleven in 1974 when his sister’s boyfriend, now husband, blew the engine in his 1965 GTO and parked the dead Pontiac in Al’s family driveway where it sat all summer. Throughout that summer young Al could be found sitting in that GTO for hours at a time stoking the fires for his future Pontiac passion.

At the age of sixteen Al bought the first of his 90 (and counting) GTOs, a 1966 hardtop with no drive train. He swapped in a Chevy V8 by himself with sufficient expertise that he enjoyed driving that car for a year until someone offered to buy it for twice what Al had in the car. Sold! In that same year young Al started pumping gas at a local service station. Within a few months the skilled beyond his years teenager had been taken inside to apply his considerable talents to ever increasingly demanding projects. A few years passed and Al moved on to a repair shop with higher level challenges including electrical trouble shooting, air conditioning and some custom work. With a few more years of experience under his belt, Al knew the time had come to go out and run his own shop. 1n 1996 Al purchased the little back woods Citgo station in River Vale, New Jersey. While having  high hopes Al had no idea of the bright future in store for the little gas station as a classic car Mecca.

Given the opportunity to buy all four acres surrounding the station, Al jumped at the chance. He knew this would afford his business the opportunity to grow. Grow it did, but never to where it lost the appeal and high octane charm of Al’s small “can do” performance boutique dedicated to delivering a very personal and consummately professional experience.

Brokered car off to buyer

Rarely if ever caught without a lit Marlboro wedged between index and middle fingers, 58-year old Al, now a seasoned and gifted classic car technician and shop owner, moves through work areas cleaner than most kitchens with the poise of a relaxed predator scouting for a target. In Al’s case he stands ready to contribute to the efforts of his two expert mechanics Greg Martino and Scott Jodzio.

Al’s approach to business has earned him the respect of the classic car community as both a skilled resource and an honest partner in advocating for what he sees as the proper course of action even if it means turning the job down.

Al notes that less and less of his shop’s clientele involves the traditional everyday work associated with keeping the family vehicle running. With his reputation for skill and ease with conquering high performance and vintage vehicle challenges, the working lifts in his bays most of the time serve a second purpose as classic car display pedestals.

“We do everything except body and paint”,” says Al. Rosell’s Auto Repair eagerly accepts power train and chassis challenges. Al says, “We do new engines, great motors for speed, a wide range of conversions, suspension upgrades, disc brake work, all of that kind of stuff. We also do interior work.” In describing his favorite work Al says, “I love doing engines. We will pull an engine, rebuild it, dyno tune it, detail it and if the customer wants, we incorporate chrome touches to whatever degree desired. When finished, that engine stands out as a work of art that can smoke the tires through all the gears.”

In observing the state of the performance shop industry, Al bemoans the relentless disappearance of the machine shops, true auto parts stores with knowledgeable staff and the expert craftsmen that reside at the heart of custom performance solutions. Al says, “These guys are the very soul of the business. I am watching their numbers melt away without any replacements.” He also notes that the really good auto parts stores are disappearing. He says, “There is no money in it. Nobody has bearings pressed on and off anymore doing U-joints and such.”

1965 Bonneville 421 cu. in. tri-power 4-speed

In recent years Al has expanded his services to address the desire of classic car owners to separate themselves from the sale of their vehicles.

Al  says, “I have found myself selling more and more collectible cars for people.” Unlike earlier times when car guys bought and sold their cars, a new generation of owners don’t want to be troubled. They have the money to buy what they want. When they grow tired of it they want somebody else to deal with the inconvenience of its disposal.  Al says, “People with money come in expressing an interest in having me assume the process of selling their classic car. The reasons are always the same. ‘I don’t want people in my house. I don’t want to deal with scheduling. I don’t want to negotiate.” For Al it offers a double benefit. He brokers the deal and becomes the “Go To” guy who people come to rely on when they look for their next collectible car. Al says, “It’s like an annuity. Some people develop a pattern of short term fascination with a classic car and then quickly tire of it. I can benefit on both ends of that romance.”

One significant trend that Al has observed over the last few years is the ascendance of the restomod as a preferred choice by many enthusiasts versus the traditional classic car with its original equipment.

Pointing to a nice mid-sixties Corvette Al says, “If you took this car and put an LS motor in it, it would increase its value by $50,000. More and more that is what the new generation buyer wants today.” Many, now in the market, instead of seeking originality want reliability, handling, comfort and air conditioning. Al says, “They don’t want the old stuff. People are different today. They want all the creature comforts of their new car, but the look of the old. The demand is there.”  When asked when the market changed  Al indicates that the change in priories became evident about five years ago.

When asked about interesting cars that came out of his shop, Al recalls a 1930 Model A. He ripped out the original drive train and replaced it with a Ford Pinto four-cylinder motor with a C4 transmission. He used the same rear, put in an adapter kit and got rid of the torque tube. Al says, “Car’s phenomenal 90 horsepower versus 40, electronic ignition. Thing runs beautiful.”

Two very interesting cars reside in a special place in Al’s heart. In 2015 an older gentleman approached Al describing a 1966 Corvette that had been in his garage since a bad accident in 1971. Al saw the car. It rested under a deep shroud of dust. Al bought it. He did a complete frame-off restoration. Al says,  “Every piece of the car is new except the antenna and the grill. “The  Nassau Blue beauty sits proudly in Al’s personal two-bay garage he built on his 4 acres. The other bay holds the subject of a love lost and found.

In 1996 Al bought a 1970 Orbit Orange Pontiac GTO Judge. He then sold it to a friend who had it for fifteen years. It was sold again with the next owner keeping it for 7 years. When it went up for sale again Al bought it back. Since he first sold the car, the two subsequent owners had driven the car a total of two times. Of his 90 GTOs the Orbit Orange Judge ranks at the top.

In reflecting on his years running Rosell’s Auto Repair, Al displays a balanced perspective. He says, “I have a great group here. I love my business. I even still have 30% of my hair.”

Nowadays conversations about things that have traditionally mattered to those having the discussion often deteriorate into a bemoaning of the unchecked disappearance of the topic of interest in question. Whether products displaying exceptional craftsmanship or the skilled craftspeople possessing the ability to produce the superior product, both seem to live in the crosshairs of a culture fast losing its appreciation for hand crafted excellence.

In the face of such a perceived depressing trend, a rare feel good story came out of the pandemic that featured a world-class company renowned for producing premium trade show displays.

Though suffering a considerable loss of work from Covid-19 cancellations, the business, with a belief in better times returning, turned its attention to ensuring that it retained its staff of highly skilled craftsmen. With great hope for a better future when the world would return to normal, they allowed their imagination to stray way outside the box. Their brainstorming gave birth to an inspired plan to keep their highly respected craftsmen working, preserve a part of iconic Americana and possibly creating a new market opportunity. They would turn their craftsmen loose on restoring and updating vintage Airstream trailers.

Meet Dimensional Worldwide.

An inspired venture to preserve American craftsmanship and vintage Airstream trailers

Unbeknownst to all involved, the actual seminal moment for the vintage Airstream venture came when Dimensional Worldwide executive Lee Martindell asked Company President Doug Fixell if, during the Covid downturn, he could employ the company’s presently underutilized stable of skilled craftsman to rebuild his personal 1959 Airstream trailer. Martindell says, with the great skills our guys have, there was no reason our guys could not do the whole thing.” Fixell agreed saying that hours would be logged and Martindell would be billed. The agreement poised to unleash a torrent of talented carpenters, cabinet makers, metal workers, electricians. painters and printers on Martindell’s 1959 Airstream.

In recognizing the potential of this suddenly activated high quality Airstream restoration juggernaut, Martindell’s imagination took a leap. He approached fellow company executive Karen Samnick with one of those “this may be crazy but, what do you think” blue sky thoughts.

1936 Airstream trailer

Historically the original brainchild of Oregon native Wally Byam, Airstream trailers always had a following dating back to Airstream’s beginnings in 1931. They originated with a DIY Popular Mechanics article written by Byam on how to build the trailer. Soon people asked him to build the trailer for them. Airstream as a business came to life.

Since the beginning, Airstreams have earned an extraordinary reputation for longevity built on the quality of their materials and construction. Byam’s design focused on function with aerodynamics and low weight being critical design objectives. Airstream’s signature steel frame featured a riveted aircraft quality aluminum hard shell ensuring Byam achieved his desired superior strength and light weight.

Martindell suggested to Karen, “What if we went down the rabbit hole and restored vintage Airstreams as a business?” Initially aghast, Samnick’s says, her first thought was, “We are going to search for and work on trailers that have had more mice in them than people in the last, you know, decade or two?.”

However, Samnick quickly warmed to the idea as Airstream owner Martindell’s deep affection for Airstream trailers and the associated culture of quality and commitment that surrounds them took hold of her imagination. Samnick says, “So I am listening to Lee tell the story of why people like these trailers and what this world of Airstream people is really like. Then, the next day we are going to a meeting out in Montauk. We pass an RV trailer park, and there’s literally a bazillion Airstream trailers. I do a little quick research and find that you can’t even get a reservation. It’s all booked.”. That was enough for Samnick. She was sold on the idea.

With Karen on board Martindell pitched it to President Fixell. Without hesitation Fixell’s replied, “Great let’s do it.”

However, Martindell and his team quickly realized that the search for a solid east coast trailer would closely parallel the search for a solid vintage car not riddled with damage and deterioration. That said, the Airstream aluminum body represented a significant plus.

While being very particular in the quality of the trailers selected, success was realized with three being purchased. (1968, 1975, 1978)

At this point President Fixell had an epiphany. Fixell realized that it did not make sense for Dimensional to sell the trailers. They needed to establish a brand. They needed to create an entity dedicated to marketing and selling the restored Airstreams. Thus, Rivet Custom LLC came to life as the home of high quality restored vintage Airstream trailers.

As the Rivet vision morphed into reality the wisdom of its creation quickly displayed itself.

Martindell says, “We knew that even with no work in the shop or on the horizon, these guys were so talented, so special, that if we laid them off we were not getting them back. Not only are they skilled craftsman but, they are also really good people. The kind of quality individuals you want as the foundation of your organization.”

Fitzroy Hutchinson

Craftsman Fitzroy Hutchinson says, “ With the Covid lockdown we were all scared that we would lose our jobs.” Hutchinson’s last employer closed for good in 2009 when the economy took a nose dive. Hutchinson had worked there for 17 years. Being laid off deeply concerned all of the Dimensional staff.

Plant manager and super skilled craftsman Jerry Cardillo says, “As to Lee’s crazy Airstream plan, needless to say it excited the guys to have an alternative to having no work.” Initially some of the guys had known about Airstream trailers, other guys had no clue.

Hutchinson ads, “We quickly got the hang of it and, then, the fun began.” The Airstream adventure brought an added source of pride to already highly accomplished craftsman. Hutchinson says, “The guys love it because it’s like bringing a classic car back to life. Cardillo laughs saying, “Maybe we can get our own TV show, Trailer Tales.”

Jerry Cardillo

It soon became evident that the Airstream project not only provided meaningful work, but work that inspired already accomplished craftsmen with an elevated sense of purpose born of preserving recognizable and treasured pieces of American camping and highway history. And while the focus had been on preserving jobs, It became evident that Rivet may have stumbled upon a concept with significant sales potential.

Right now there is a two-year waiting list for a new Airstream. At this time Rivet can provide a totally rebuilt vintage Airstream for about half the cost.

A well spring of curiosity has bubbled up from commercial interests. Martindell with a smile says, “We would like nothing better than an order for a half dozen custom Airstreams from Corona Beer or a similar number from a glamping site looking to permanently station them for nightly renting.”

Each one of the Airstream trailers provides Rivet with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to preserve the past and at the same time introduce new families into a brand new “vintage” camping experience reflecting a past distinctively American lifestyle. Martindell says, “We believe Covid sensitized families to the value of being together.” He sees a real interest for the unique combination of high quality and the more traditional character of Revit Airstreams.

Martindell goes on to say, “I’ve got hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of TVs in inventory. None will go into a Rivet Airstream as a standard install. We have the ability to give you Wi-Fi so that the kids can have their iPads and their iPhones. Our Airstreams will have none of it. We believe Rivet Airstreams offer people a unique opportunity to personally reconnect with each other. I believe in these times it is a most worthy goal to pursue.” If people request an Airstream to be equipped a certain way, Rivet will of course integrate a quality installation.

Martindell’s own experience illustrates the powerful attraction of vintage Airstream ownership. He says, “With log books often available, we would love to provide new owners with a diary of the journeys experienced by the original owners. We want to  share the lives these trailers have already lived as part of the Rivet vintage Airstream experience. Connecting with the people and experiences once enjoyed paves the way for a new round of adventures and delivers a powerful emotional connection across generations.” Rivet offers products with the exceptional and unique power to generate fresh memories for a family afforded the joy of continuing in the spirit of the earlier family’s wanderlust.

Martindell personally owns a 1959 Airstream that came with a log of the campgrounds that the prior owners visited. Martindell says, “This September I’m intentionally taking the trailer back to Maine to the same camp grounds that they had visited in 1961.

Right now there is a two-year waiting list for a new Airstream. Rivet can presently deliver a totally rebuilt example for about half the cost. Examples will be on display May 22^nd At Dimensional Worldwide in Mahwah, New Jersey.

Rivet’s motto  says it all, “preserve the past, plan for the future, build for now. But above all enjoy the journey.”

Covid has not so much made time stand still as it has made everybody and every event stand down, nowhere more so than in the crowd oriented classic car venues. Car show after car show, concours upon concours, swap meets and cruise nights all fell victim to pandemic panic.

Like the freak year-long winter of 1816 caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora, the 2020 classic car season fell victim to the icy chill of pandemic fears. Now in 2021, like a green shoot in early spring, the Korzinski family of Paul’s Motors in Hawthorne, NJ boldly struck a blow for a return to normalcy when they hosted the April 10^th Man Cave Garage Sale.

Man Cave Garage Sale unmasks covid boredom

With a vigor just short of children departing school to start summer vacation, car enthusiasts eagerly flocked to Paul’s Motors’ Man Cave Garage Sale to experience, after more than a year long drought, an honest to goodness car event. Granted, masks adorned every face, yet it had a familiar social feeling that felt so good.

96-year old Paul Korzinski with daughter Diane and son Paul

Adding to the upbeat atmosphere was the opportunity to spend time with 96-year old Paul Korzinski whose father started Paul’s motors 101 years ago. Daughter Diane Korzonski says, “My grandfather began the business as a repair shop in 1920. My father took over after the end of WWII. He has worked here all his life.”

In 1957, the first year Volvo came to America, Paul took on a Volvo franchise. He liked Volvo because of its concern for safety. In a sign of the times, Paul’s Motors turned in its Volvo franchise after 60-years in 2017 as the corporate franchising demands placed on the small family run operation made for a money losing proposition. Always known for high quality used cars Paul’s Motors continues to be the go to place for a used vehicle.

The inspiration for the early season sale came out of a conversation between Diane and big time car enthusiast Bob Austin.

Diane says, “Bob and I were talking about how we have collections of things. As I showed him a great anvil and an old scale from one of our shipping containers, I mentioned that we’ve been here for a hundred and one years. We have a lot of old stuff. So Bob said, well, I have a lot of old stuff. Maybe we should have a Man Cave Garage Sale. What a great idea, I thought.”

While clearly car flavored, various vendor offerings provided an eclectic array of goods. Man Cave organizer Bob Austin says, “We had some interesting vendors with everything from gumball machines to airplane propellers and fur coats.” With a good size crowd throughout the day the feeling was festive and the selling was brisk. A smiling Austin says, ”Absolutely a fun day and for some of us it afforded a great opportunity to reunite with friends that we haven’t seen for the better part of the year.” As for Covid concerns, with a good breeze and everyone wearing a mask confidence ran high.

Vendor Rocco Scotellaro was clearly happy to be at the Man Cave sale. When asked about being there, Rocco said, “Excellent, historically as a vendor I usually do about two or three shows a year. Last year I did none. It’s great to be back in business.” When asked to evaluate buyer action, Rocco quickly offered that the show was much better than he expected emphasizing that the turnout was quite good. Rocco says, “A major challenge for vendors like me is deciding what to bring. It’s always a guessing game.” Sporting a big smile, Rocco went on to say, “I guessed right for the Man Cave sale and did very, very well.

Clearly people savored the opportunity to share space and time with others in a non-Zoom real world environment. Diane commented that, “I think a lot of people came in looking for something free of Covid gloom, something to make them happy. We’ve all been kind of cooped up all winter. Watching the news certainly hasn’t helped.”

Jaguar Land Rover Archivist Fred Hammond brought a treasure trove of classic car models and automobilia. Fred says, “The Man Cave Sale has been a tremendous success in so many ways. I mean one can put it in the context of saying that I sell stuff. Yeah, you bet. I sold a lot of things but the real enjoyment here was seeing friends, fellow car enthusiasts and talking to people sharing the joy of being outside with others, at last. Everyone seemed to be  basking in the joy of feeling a kind of normalcy.”

Pieces, parts and even a very clean 1996 Mustang Cobra changed owners thanks to being on display at the Paul’s Motors event.

Clearly, everyone has suffered through serious cabin fever with a nasty Covid hangover and could not wait to rub elbows with their fellow man. If the Man Cave Garage Sale represents any indicator, social distances show every sign of shrinking as humanity pokes its collective head out from under the Covid rock.

In retrospect, Ed Jurist’s Vintage Car Store clearly stood way out ahead of its time in the 1960s and 70s. Unlike today when a sprawling worldwide collectible vehicle business pretty much blankets the globe, the Vintage Car Store in Nyack, NY ranked as one of few top tier go-to places for connoisseurs seeking high quality classic cars. Ferraris, 4½-liter Bentleys, Rolls Royce Town Cars and Maseratis mingled with a 12-cylinder Allison air craft engine on display and striking transportation themed wall art. However, even in this rarified atmosphere of vintage collectibles, Jurist’s exterior display area featured a real show stopper, a 1943 M4A3 Sherman Tank, for sale.

A Sherman tank’s incredible journey from Nyack, NY to the final episode of M.A.S.H.

Bill Wahnish in his Sherman tank

Note 275 GTB for $35,000

While sitting in Ed Jurist’s cozy almost cramped Vintage Car Store office in the early 1980s I noticed a brass ring mounted on a wooden plaque. Inquiring of Jurist, I learned that this treasured artifact had been attached to the ripcord of a parachute that had safely floated him to earth after his WWII B-17 bomber had been shot down over Nazi Germany. Taken prisoner by the Germans, Jurist subsequently succeeded in escaping his captors. This pretty much tells you all you need to know about Jurist the pioneer classic car and vintage military aircraft aficionado. After taking ownership of the Vintage Car Store in 1961, Jurist traveled all over the world seeing South America, India, Europe, Middle East, Far East and Australia to set up agents and ferret out salvageable military equipment and locate desirable classic cars.

When I spoke with Jurist in 1982 the tank had been sold two years prior (February 1980) to Bill Wahnish, a gentlemen with a large film industry car rental business (Bill’s Car Rental) in Hollywood. In  1979 Bill had flown back east slammed a hatch or two, kicked the treads and said, “I’ll take it.” It would be two almost three months before Bill would take delivery in Los Angeles.

For Jurist selling a 73,000 pound Sherman tank with a seized engine is one thing. Moving it is quite another.

Jurist laughed when recalling and said, “It’s not like the town will let you drag it through the streets or over the sidewalks.” Transporting the M4A3 would require winching the tank onto a low flatbed. Jurist said, “That may sound easy, but how do you get that low bed into position? The flatbed is a huge trailer. It would require the street to be blocked off.

This operation called for serious planning, coordination, wide load clearance and timing. Local Nyack Police, NY State Police and NJ State Police stood poised and ready in the dark early morning of February 29, 1980.

Quiet streets allowed the loading to proceed smoothly though achingly slow. Once loaded, the flatbed with Sherman tank firmly lashed in place moved through the silent streets with all the dexterity of a house being relocated.

After slowly creeping towards and across the New York/New Jersey state line, the heavily burdened flatbed then made its way to a Paterson, NJ, rail head. As the railroad lacked the equipment to lift the tank, the Sherman had to be positioned on the loading platform so that the railroad flatcar could receive the beast.

With the tank loaded and firmly secured including the turret which had to be turned around to face backwards like a catcher wearing a baseball cap, the tank would head west. What could possibly go wrong? The answer, plenty, as time would show.

One day into the journey from Paterson, the tank broke loose. It took another week for riggers to lash it down again. After just ten miles of its rail journey to Chicago, it broke loose again. Another week’s delay. Just outside of Chicago, the tank came loose and was almost sideways on the flat car as the freight train rumbled towards the Windy City. Conrail was traveling west but the tank was facing south. Finally Santa Fe sent out a crew to lash the tank down once and for all. This added one more week. Lashed properly at last, the tank arrived three days later in the Los Angeles Rail Yards.

Bill Wahnish a warm and friendly bear of a man began in Hollywood as a truck driver for the movie studios. By 1980 Bill and his wife of 42-years Beverly had been restoring old cars as a hobby for over 25-years. During that period Bill’s collection of cars had attracted the attention of the film industry. By the time the tank arrived that hobby has morphed into a full time car rental business for the film industry with credentials that including the contracts to supply period vehicles for films like “Chinatown” and “Day of the Locust.” Bill’s Car Rental now had over 130 vehicles available.

When asked about the tank Bill said, “I have wanted to restore a tank for over twenty years.” At that time probably no more than a half dozen Sherman tanks could be found in the country that ran. Bill said, “I just wanted the feeling of accomplishment that I had restored one.”

Bill first set eyes on his new purchase as he drove down the Long Beach Freeway and saw it in the rail yard from an overpass. With the tank loaded by railroad crane onto his flatbed the tank began its journey to Bill’s storage lot. Crowds formed as the flatbed bearing the tank slowly navigated its way.

With all hands on deck the restoration took about 6 months. Happenstance and good fortune certainly helped in speeding the restoration. Job one for Bill? He needed to replace the seized 1100 cu. in. 500 horsepower Ford V8 that propelled the Sherman up to 24 mph.

1100 cu. in. Ford V8

Bill thought he would get some tips from his friends down at the local Fred George Military Surplus store. Indeed he did. When he asked a counterman for any suggestions, the counterman called to the back asking, “Do we still have that rebuilt 1100 cu. in. Ford V8 in the crate back there.” “Yes,” came back the reply. Clearly with the wind to their back, Bill’s dedicated team of employees and volunteers poured an enthusiastic 2,000 man-hours into the restoration.

Interestingly, Bill had never driven his completed tank. Bill said, “I just love to look at it go.” When I got my own opportunity to ride in the tank, it would be driven by, then, 23-year old Craig Michelson. Craig’s father, Donald Michelson founded the American Society of Military History Museum which gave young Craig incredible access to and experience with military vehicles of all types.

Craig Michelson at controls

Craig arrived and climbed up onto and down into the Sherman. It fired up with an angry growl. That served as my invitation to climb aboard. Bill’s storage lot provided a large open area for my test drive. Poised at the open turret hatch, I had a General George Patton-like vantage point to savor the opportunity to take a spirited ride in military history. The best part came when the Sherman under Craig’s capable control stormed up to the end of Bill’s property and pulled alongside the McDonald’s parking lot bordering Bill’s property. He locked up the tank to an abrupt stop and rotated the decommissioned 75-mm turret gun towards the parking lot with the customers munching away in their cars. You had to see the looks on their faces. Priceless.

Sherman in one of many feature film appearances

Bill’s Sherman had made many appearances in feature films but its most famous appearance resulted due to a serious forest fire in the Malibu hills where the M.A.S.H. set was located.

Much of the final episode had been shot for the 1983 finale. In the episode, a Chaffee light tank has been driven into the camp by a wounded soldier. With the tank in the M.A.S.H. camp, enemy mortar fire begins to rain down on the medical facility. The shot that had not been filmed before the forest fire required images of the tank being driven out of the camp by Hawkeye. However, not only was the M.A.S.H. set destroyed, which could be rebuilt, but so was the Chaffee tank. A call went out to Bill’s Car Rental and Bill and his Sherman tank answered the call. If you ever look at a rerun of the final M.A.S.H. episode take notice that the tank driven into the camp is not the same one driven out. Did not catch that the first time did you?