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| Atlantic City -- February 2001 |
| February -- the lowest point of the car-show year here in the Northeast. What a welcome break to have the annual antique car swap meet and auction in Atlantic City! We usually don't go there with the idea of buying a car, but rather treat it as a mid-winter car show. The swap meet, on the other hand, is fair game -- we always come home with some goodies. This time, I was on the prowl for items for Virgil, the '78 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham that I picked up from Delaware the following day. We didn't take too many pictures in Atlantic City but here's what we did take. |
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| This '39 Chrysler Imperial C23 Coupe is one of just 492 built, so it's understandable that it's the only one I've ever seen. With a presentable but amateur restoration, the $50,000 asking price seemed a bit unrealistic. Still, it was a treat to view such a rare car. |
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| Chrysler's 1953 D'Elegance show car was, in my opinion, the star of the show. The Exner-designed vehicle was built by Ghia and was the styling influence behind the Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia. The car was originally finished in black but was repainted to it's current maroon hue at some point. The car recently changed hands at the Barrett Jackson auction in Arizona in January 2001 for $315,000. At the Atlantic City auction, the high bid was over $300,000 but did not meet the reserve. |
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| Yes, it really is a 1956 Cadillac station wagon! Less than a dozen of these Sky View wagons were built by Hess and Eisenhart for use by hotels and such. Very few still exist, so it was a treat to see this perfectly restored example. |
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| '55 DeSotos have a special meaning for me, as I owned one back in the late '60s and thoroughly enjoyed it. This Fireflite Sportsman, one of 10,313 built, was freshly restored with a beautiful green and white paint scheme. |