GMO Major Car Club Events for August 2003

Transcription

1 OLDSMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA EASTERN MA. GMO CHAPTER Issue #5 August 2003 ROCKET POWER NEWSLETTER!! GMO Major Car Club Events for August 2003 August 9th Cruise night at Riley s Roast Beef in Framingham. Please join us. You can arrive at Reilly s anytime, however, VIP Oldsmobile Club spaces reserved only till 5:00PM. August 10th New England Oldsmobile Club s. Great All Oldsmobile Show at Alderman Motors. Over 150 Oldsmobiles will be on hand from 4 states. Please do not miss this one. GMO caravan will meet at the Mass Pike rest stop just west of Rte 495 at 7:30 AM. We will leave at 7:50 AM. Take Mass pike to exit 9, Rte 84 south to Rte 91 in Hartford (left exit), Rte 91 south to 691 in Meriden, Rte 691west to Rte 5. At the end of ramp, go left under the highway and Alderman will be on your right. Alderman Motors, 380 South Broad St. RT 5, Meriden, Ct. Phone and rain hotline # $15.00 reg. Call # for more information August 23 24th Cape Cod Falmouth Two Day Show. 9th Annual National All Wheels Classic Car Show. Call for details. It is at the Barnstable County fairgrounds, Rte days of food, fun and cars. Over 1500 cars will attend. GMO and the famous Berejiks will be there!! Events Update Our second big event of the season is approaching and I m looking forward to attending the New England Oldsmobile Club s Annual show at Alderman Oldsmobile in Meriden CT. Last year we had a small contingency from the GMO Club attend and I m hoping that we can increase our participation this year. About seven GMO members caravanned to the show and a few others went on their own, and almost all of our members received an award. The whole experience of the caravan and arriving as a group was just amazing. You know that feeling when you spot an old car coming down the highway? Imagine that feeling for the entire ride, because you re surrounded by cool Oldsmobiles. As for the show itself, everything was extremely well run. Over 150 Oldsmobiles were on hand last year from all over the northeast. All the proceeds were donated to charity, and there was entertainment and refreshments as well. It was worth the trip as I am sure it will be again this year. This year we ll have a pre-show event as VIPs at Riley s Roast Beef in Framingham on August 9. Get there early as space fills up quickly. Then

2 we ll all meet at 7:30 AM on August 10 at the Westborough Rest Area on the Mass Pike. It s roughly a 1 ½ hour ride from there. The caravan for Meriden will leave promptly at 7:50 AM. Also, don t forget to set aside the weekend of August 23 and 24 for the All Wheels Nationals at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds on Cape Cod. I m also attempting to put together a Dyno Day for the fall. The place is in Worcester so it s centrally located. I need feedback on whether this is a good idea and if people from the Club are interested. I need at least ten cars to make it happen and Cost would be $65 which includes up to six pulls on the dyno and a BBQ cookout. Drop me a line and if I have enough interest I ll book the shop Bill Reilly william.reilly@comcast.net Sunday August 10th, The Alderman Oldsmobile Show By Paul Iantosca The last New England all Oldsmobile show, with very serious judging and over 150 cars! We are all looking forward to our caravan of Oldsmobile arriving at Alderman Oldsmobile around 9:30AM on this Sunday morning, 8/10/03. We will be led by President Doug Stavros, followed by Vice President Paul Iantosca and then by Ted Loranz and at least 30 other GMO members. We hopefully will be bringing large table and umbrellas so we can all have a COOL spot to hang out and socialize as we did at Endicott last month. Anyone who can bring those larger umbrella with a weighted bottom, please call me, Paul Iantosca, at , to coordinate. We are asking members to offer to bring any specialty food to share sandwiches, pizza, blueberry muffins and of course drinks. President Doug Stavros has already pledged to bring 2 coolers full of food and beverages - Isn t he the greatest? After all Doug does make sandwiches for a living. Bunjie and his wife are coming, Karen and Rich Santucci will be there for sure, maybe with more blueberry muffins and they are the best!!! Trust me; it is worth going to Connecticut this Sunday just to get one of Karen s blueberry muffins. Everett Horton will be set up selling his array of parts inside a service bag. He tells me this year it is air conditioned and out of the sun, GOOD MOVE! I will bet many owners will be visiting Everett just to cool off. Hopefully they will buy some parts too. If anyone needs to sell a bunch of parts, new or used, see Everett, he buys and sells, bring them to the show, he will have cash for purchases. The GMO Club is hoping to get a few first and second place prizes this year. My W 30 convertible will be there with all the corrections required to be very good. It seems a few interested members made a list of anything not perfect and submitted it to Bunjie to correct before the Alderman Show. Bunjie has complied and all is now set he says, he, Doug, Rich, Dave, John and Frank will all be on hand to see the results! Get ready and let s all of us go this Sunday. Pre-Alderman Riley s Roast Beef Night is scheduled for this Saturday. We arrive at 3:30 PM and save 10 spots for Oldsmobile owners. This show is packed by 5:00PM and lasts until 8:00PM. This is Olds VIP Night. Please call me, Paul Iantosca, at with any questions. As usual, Ted Loranz will be there at 3:30 pm to hold our spots. SEE YOU THERE! Please call me if you are coming - Paul. OCA President Requests Our Article for Journey With Oldsmobile By Doug Stavros Our editor and vice president, Paul Iantosca, wrote quite the article last month on Why join OCA?, remember it? Well it turns out that Pat Yancey, the National President of the Oldsmobile Club has requested permission to run it in the Journey With Oldsmobile (JWO). Paul gets kudos for his work and he has done a terrific job in making this club so well known now. Paul and I went to the Nationals last year and spoke to

3 Pat personally. Pat invited us down to Texas and we granted him a complimentary membership in the GMO Club. As a result of this, our newsletter went to the top, which is how Pat saw Paul s article. He refers to us as The Boys from Boston. From what I can see, President Pat Yancey and all the top OCA officials will hear a lot more about this great Eastern Massachusetts GMO Oldsmobile Club. Currently membership is up over last year, we hope to grow it by 10% each year. We are preparing more articles to send to JWO for publication and of course Lenny Kravitz, the rock star, is now a member of OUR GMO club. Let us not forget Mr. Joe Mondello s visit to Brian Tetrault, Bunjie and nationally famous George Berejik. We have a lot to offer. Thanks to everyone who has or will be offering something to GMO. Endicott Show Was Our Best Yet By Paul Iantosca Everyone had positive comments and the question we heard most was Do you have applications so I can join today? That is right, in total we got 12 new members to join. Welcome to OUR Oldsmobile family, all of you. The following people joined the GMO club on Sunday: Frank Salamone, Cleary Buckley, Stephen Hilario, Daniel Bernier, Randy Hatch, Kenneth Perry, Anthony Basile, Tom Verrochi, Angelo Leporini, John Joyce, Vic Barboza, and Lee Case. The president of Bay State Auto Club, Bob DiDominico, personally thanked me for all the help that the wonderful GMO people offered. We again got the award for most cars of one kind in attendance, yes we all did it! We broke our last years record of 67 Oldsmobile. The Bay State Club gave us a much better location this year, as everyone commented. We attempted to park the cars by year and type as best possible. It worked out great and many owners of similar cars seemed to respond positively to this arrangement. As per your request we will continue to do this in the future. 77 Oldsmobile were gathered on the lawn of the Endicott Estate, the Old Governors Mansion in Dedham, MA on July 13, Owners and guests were lounging at an umbrella table and chairs adjacent to the shady area under a large pine tree. We all had a wonderful time. We had our first outdoors monthly meeting and of course we had a record number of attendants. Spectators were hanging around to eavesdrop. President Doug Stavros, as usual, had everyone interacting and introducing each other to all of us.

4 A special thanks to a wonderful and personable young lady named Melanie Oberto, who helped us, gather up all the members for our meeting. She is the daughter of one of our new members Steve Oberto, who joined just two months ago. Steve, she is a keeper, you are a very lucky dad. Steve had a mint condition 1970 Rallye 350 that he bought on E-Bay. OLD days. Charles Iantosca (his first show) brought his convertible. I could go on forever, so if you missed out, you really missed a GREAT TIME. Just ask anyone who was there. To end, I predicted we would have cars this year, we actually had 77. Next year I am predicting Oldsmobile to be in attendance. We all need to come and bring a friend. Thank you everyone for allowing all of us to have an incredibly great time. The friendship, warmth and generosity were all there from everyone. OLDS FANS ARE THE GREATEST The Endicott Experience by Ted Loranz He had sent me pictures and we discussed values. I told him he got a Great Deal on the car. Club members, this is what we are here for, to help you whether selling or buying a car or finding parts --- JUST ASK! This is how we learned; no question is stupid, so give us a call anytime if you need information. Our s are on the newsletter for you to use. It was also requested and decided that next year we will have 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd plaques for 3 separate classes. The alarm went off at 5:45AM and I automatically hit the snooze button and then suddenly remembered This is Endicott Day. I had a quick breakfast and headed out to pick up my 1965 red 442 convertible. I headed East on Route 109 and had almost no competing traffic until I got to the Endicott estate in Dedham where I got into line with other cars waiting to gain entrance to the grounds. As I rounded the corner, the traffic director noticed I was pre-registered and guided me into a lane with no cars. I went directly into the show with virtually no wait and was pointed to the OC (Oldsmobile Club) area prominently located in the center of the grounds and just below the vendor area. I was amazed to find that LOTS of other Oldsmobiles were already in place. Paul Iantosca guided me to the mid-sixties area and I backed in behind a 1965 Cutlass. As much as possible, all the Oldsmobiles were parked by year and type. I hope that all of you enjoyed the car show. Those of you who did not come, you missed out on a great car show and party. We all really hung out, got to know each other, shared food and drink and had lots of laughs. Our ex and long time secretary Janet, and her husband Ed Lablanc came by and we had a wonderful conversation about the

5 The GMO had a table with an umbrella set up under the shade of a tree and great food was provided by Amanda Johnson and Karen Santucci (the BEST blueberry muffins and pizza in New England). President Doug Stavros arrived shortly after that with a big tray of goodies, two coolers full of beverages and a cooler of sandwiches provided by his company. If any Oldsmobile owner or guest went hungry on July 13, it was their own fault. At about 9:15AM the GMO held our first public outdoor meeting which was attended by more than 30 Oldsmobile enthusiasts. Special thanks go out to a wonderful helper, Melanie Oberto, who rounded up all the interested parties and was always there to help when needed. The meeting was led by Doug Stavros with Paul Iantosca, Ted Loranz and Bill Reilly adding info about upcoming events and the web page. It was announced that anyone joining the GMO at Endicott would get a free membership & newsletters for the remainder of the year. More than ten people took advantage of the offer and we all welcome the new members. The monumental task of judging cars in the Oldsmobile area was done by Ben Atkins, Doug Stavros & Dave Johnson. After much deliberation, they decided that Paul Iantosca s newly restored Red w-30 convertible be awarded 1 st place in the Oldsmobile class. Second place went to Larry Horgan and third places were won by the Great 1940 baby blue 4 door super 88. All the Oldsmobiles were beautiful and deserved recognition. The BSAAC advised us that, because of our outstanding participation, we would be able to present additional awards at The Endicott Thanks to all of you the 2003 Endicott Show was a great success for the GMO. There were more than 77 Oldsmobiles on the grounds and about 1,100 cars on display. We broke our record of 67 cars (set in 2002) and were the most represented marquee for the 2 nd year at the BSAAC show. We anticipate that in a few years we will have to provide the BSAAC with an area for their cars at the GMO Endicott Show. George Berejik and the 69 W30 By Glenn Johnson Most of us are aware of George Berejiks contributions to Oldsmobile, Olds Performance, the club and the club members, but were you also aware the guy has an incredible memory? I first realized this when I approached George at one of the Spring Dust Offs in the 80's. I had recently purchased a 69 W30 which was originally sold by Berejik Oldsmobile. I started telling George about this car he sold nearly 20 years earlier. Off the top of his head he recalled the name of the original purchaser, his approximate age and where he lived. Being a person who can't recall what I had for lunch yesterday, I was quite impressed. A couple years ago I purchased another Berejik car, this time a W31. Last year at one of the GMO meetings I approached George once again, this time with a digital photo of the car. Now remember he sold this car over 30 years earlier. After a quick glance at the photo and before I could give him any other info, he told me the original purchasers name and that he bought the car for his son. He knew the sons name, what car they traded in for it, the color of the trade in, the fact that the trade in had an engine fire, that they repaired the car and that his brother drove it for a while. He also remembered they had to get the car from another dealership and that it was purchased to race. I was absolutely amazed he recalled all those details! Thanks again for all the info George, it was a great help.

6 Lenny Kravitz s 442 By Roger E. Strawser (In response to an from Paul Iantosca) Thank you for contacting us in regards to Lenny s Olds. It was an absolute pleasure working with him. He was very knowledgeable about classic muscle cars and extremely cordial with the entire staff, many of whom have been Lenny fans throughout the years, and simply was like one of the guys. Lenny was here on May 15 th, 2003, and spent most of the day here. He originally came to look at another vehicle from our inventory, but after browsing our extensive collection he found the 1969 Olds convertible and fell in love with it. It was a beautifully restored and very rare car with gorgeous looks, awesome power, a nice smooth drive, a top that went down, and A/C among a number of options. A description as it appeared on our website and inventory sheet is included in the following lines: 1969 Oldsmobile 442 W-32 Conv. (1045) - Auto transmission, power steering, power top, tilt wheel, factory am/fm radio, ice-cold factory A/C, Firestone wide oval white letter bias ply tires mounted on five star factory wheels. Diamond gloss correct Trophy blue exterior with flawless parchment bucket seat console interior and white convertible top. The W-32 option package included anti spin rear axle, heavy duty radiator, w style hood stripes, under bumper forced air induction system, special black only plastic fender well liners. Oldsmobile made a total of 297 W-32s. Only 25 of them were convertibles. Over 6 years were spent on this spectacular restoration Olds Nationals Best of Class Winner with numerous Best of awards. In 2002 Oldsmobile decided it was time to make their display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit something the public would talk about for years. They searched the country for the best vintage Olds muscle car they could find. It had to be the right one, something that would stop everyone dead in their tracks and say wow!! After all it was going to be in the display surrounded by all the new Olds models the public was seeing for the first time. Over 750,000 people visited the Detroit show. Oldsmobile printed out thousands and thousands of color enlarged postcards with pictures and descriptions of this ultra rare find. This is probably one of the most photographed Oldsmobiles of all time. If it was good enough for Oldsmobile to put in the middle of million dollar concept cars, hundreds of automotive journalists from all over the world, and God knows how many television viewers, this could be the right one for you. EXPENSIVE BUT WORTH IT. IT WONT LAST LONG!!! You will notice that this car won 2001 Olds Nationals Best of Class Winner and was an attention-getting success at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It seems that lately there is an increasing trend toward the purchase of 442 Oldsmobiles. Every one we have sells quickly. Could it be because Oldmobiles have been discontinued? Lenny is truly privileged to own this car, and we were truly privileged by the opportunity of meeting and doing business with him. We anticipate that he will get a lot of enjoyment out of the car as will those with whom he shares it. Roger E. Strawser General Manager and Vice-President Classic Corvettes and Collectables, Inc. Tarpon Spring, Fla Eastern Massachusetts GMO Officially Supported Events This list is not by any means all inclusive. It s meant to be a sampling of what is offered in the Eastern MA area.

7 Riley s Roast Beef, Framingham. Oldsmobile VIP Night, 8/09 New England Olds Club, All Olds Show at Alderman Olds, Meriden, CT. August 10 All Wheels Nationals Car Show. Barnstable County Fairgrounds, Falmouth. August See for more listings. Other Area Shows Worth Checking Out Event Name: Skips Cruise In Mega Cruise II Date: August 9 Location: Rte 110 Merrimac, MA Trophies, cash prizes, raffles, music, 300+ cars Event Name: Mass Cruisers Annual Auto Show Date: August 17 Location: VFW, Holliston St., Medway, MA Description: Trophies in many classes, food, Bruce Palmer, $10 entrance fee Event Name: East Coast Camaro Club All Vehicle Show Date: September 7 Location: NH Community technical College in Nashua, NH 50 Amherst st. Trophies, raffles, 40+ classes $12 pre-registered, $15 at gate Event Name: All GM Car & Truck Show, Car Corral & Swap Date: 09/21/2003 Location: Ashland, MA Description: Sponsored by the Yankee Chapter, POCI at Mass Bay Community College, 250 Eliot Street, off Rt 126, 9 am-3 pm, $10 pre-registration by September 15, $12 day of show, goody bag and dash plaque to first 100 entries, $15 vendor fee, vendors must pre-register, Students' Choice, Top 5 and Best of Show in each class, rain or shine, trophies, entertainment, contests, food, door prizes, free admission. Contact: Tracey Dacko, 12 Field Road, Medway MA Sunday Local Area Cruise-Ins Tewksbury - Piccadilly Pub, Rte. 38 4:30PM Amherst, NH Hollis Road (last Sunday of every month) Haverhill - Dairy Queen Monday Lowell - Heritage Farms Ice Cream, 5:00pm Uxbridge - Haywagon Restaurant Hudson, NH - Burger King on Lowell Rd Tuesday Bolton - Hebert Candy Mansion Wednesday Danvers - Danvers Liberty tree Mall Harwichport - A&W Rte 28 Franklin - Florentina s Foxboro - End Zone Motel Chelmsford - Burger King at Drum Hill Rd. Thursday Saugus - Fuddrucker s Restaurant Shrewsbury - Hebert Candy Mansion Easton - Regional Vocational High School (Every other Week) Belingham - Patriots Lounge Westford 99 Restaurant Friday Ashland Burnham s Supper Club Cumberland, RI - Stop & Shop Saturday Hyannis - Cape Cod Mall Framingham - Riley s Roast Beef Millis - Cliquot Club Grille Londonderry, NH - Burger King Exit 4 Rt. 93

8 GMO Officers President Doug Stavros dr442@earthlink.net Vice President & Editor Paul Iantosca Iantosca@comcast.net Treasurer Kevin Crotty Secretary & Webmaster Ted Loranz ted@teds-olds.com Events Coordinator Bill Reilly billreilly@comcast.net Club Representative Everett Horton antiqolds@aol.com