[Dr. Eric M. Schiffer]

I have to be honest with you guys. You can ask Tenney and Keith how I was very reluctant to get involved. But they asked and I agreed. It has been enjoyable.

I have been trying to get some of the guys who worked at Royal to pipe up. A few are not interested. One or two said they'd look in. I don't know if they actually did. One of them said they gave up trying to sign up for the PY forum. They just couldn't get in.

Now as for DREAM CRUISE. If you really want to participate with your car and get a REAL taste of Woodward. It is not the day of the Cruise. That Saturday you get an early cruise then park your self and watch it go by. Don't forget to bring a camera.

It is the few weeks leading up to the event that is the most fun.

The week leading up to Saturday there are many events every day and night. People actually take the week off from work and line Woodward and go to different party's on Woodward. GM had several events at the Radison Kingsley Inn on Woodward in Bloomfiled Hills.

Jack Doc Watson has a party in Grand Blanc, more to kick off the lesser known event in Flint. "Back to the Bricks". Back to the Bricks is a very large show too. Its jsut over shadowed by the much larger Dream Cruise.

The Royal Pontiac Club is waiting to hear from Fresard Buick GMC about parking there for the 2012 Dream Cruise. They hosted the Royal Pontiac Club and served lunch and gave us approximately a $30.00 goodie bag. These are the people who bought Ace Wilson's in the 70's. The New GM had them move the dealership from 400 North Main in Royal Oak to their current location on Woodward Ave in Ferndale. The move and the loss of Pontiac has hurt them financially. A larger automotive group is buying them out. We need to wait and see if we are parking there. Anyone of you guys would be welcome to join us.

You will meet many of these Royal and PMD guys you've read about. Go to www.royalpontiac.org. on the left side menu click EVENTS. Once in the EVENTS section look for the 2011 Dream Cruise. Many pictures and two video's of a little racing in front of Fresard on Woodward. We had great fun.

[Silver Judge]

Wow, this thread keeps getting better and better

DR. SCHIFFER FOR PRESIDENT

[Dr. Eric M. Schiffer]

Since several peopel never knew Jim Wangers was involved with Chevrolet. Here is a 1972 article on Jim Wangers' Chevrolet's "Image" car. The Milwaukee Classic.

Jim also stocked and sold 50 Black Vegas. Jim knowing how the COPO system for fleets worked wanted to have a special Vega. In order to get them painted by the factory in black he would have to order 50 of them. He did.

When customers went price shopping a black Vega at other dealerships they couldn't find them. The other dealers would tell customers that there is no such thing as a factory black Vega. That Wangers Chevrolet was repainting the Vega balck at the dealership.

Knowing how to work the system some times hurt them.

[gto4door]

Originally Posted by Dr. Eric M. Schiffer

Since several peopel never knew Jim Wangers was involved with Chevrolet. Here is a 1972 article on Jim Wangers' Chevrolet's "Image" car. The Milwaukee Classic.

Jim also stocked and sold 50 Black Vegas. Jim knowing how the COPO system for fleets worked wanted to have a special Vega. In order to get them painted by the factory in black he would have to order 50 of them. He did.

When customers went price shopping a black Vega at other dealerships they couldn't find them. The other dealers would tell customers that there is no such thing as a factory black Vega. That Wangers Chevrolet was repainting the Vega balck at the dealership.

Knowing how to work the system some times hurt them.

Adding to Dr. Schiffer's post regarding Jim Wangers Chevrolet in Milwaukee. Jim's dealership modified a '73 Laguna powered with a "hot" 454. Externally, Jim had this car accessorized with Appliance mag wheels, BF Goodrich Radials, landau top with window blanks (to create that Monte Carlo opera window look. This was a year before the factory started offering the opera window look on the A-body Colonnades). Jim was very in-tune with the up and coming "disco era" luxury performance car.

[muscle_collector]

anyone know where any are at today???

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by gto4door

Adding to Dr. Schiffer's post regarding Jim Wangers Chevrolet in Milwaukee. Jim's dealership modified a '73 Laguna powered with a "hot" 454. Externally, Jim had this car accessorized with Appliance mag wheels, BF Goodrich Radials, landau top with window blanks (to create that Monte Carlo opera window look. This was a year before the factory started offering the opera window look on the A-body Colonnades). Jim was very in-tune with the up and coming "disco era" luxury performance car.

I was going to take issue with the big window/small window comment and it the process of researching it - it appears you are right....

I had no idea. What's ironic is my Dad had to fight like crazy to get our '74 built with the big window.

K

[gto4door]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

I was going to take issue with the big window/small window comment and it the process of researching it - it appears you are right....

I had no idea. What's ironic is my Dad had to fight like crazy to get our '74 built with the big window.

K

Keith....here is a thread about the formal window option posted in the 73-77 A-body section. Pretty crude how they converted the triangular big window into the formal small window early in the '74 model year. Sorry to get us off topic.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=618481

[rad400]

My not have made too many not sure though.

[gto4door]

Even when Wangers was a Chevy dealer...he was selling performance Pontiacs out of the used car department. Some vintage ads from Wangers Chevrolet.

[70Steve]

Found this pic some time back and posted it in the Vintage photo thread in the lobby. Imagine Wangers advertising at a dragstrip!

Check out the Royal Bobcat emblem styled sign on top too...."The Milwaukee Classic".

[Dr. Eric M. Schiffer]

Originally Posted by 70Steve

Found this pic some time back and posted it in the Vintage photo thread in the lobby. Imagine Wangers advertising at a dragstrip!

Check out the Royal Bobcat emblem styled sign on top too...."The Milwaukee Classic".

I have a close up of the "Milwaukee Classic" emblem some where.

Jim Wangers like playing with paint schemes and emblems form the very beginning. Jim being about "Image" is the person most responsible for all of the Bobcat paint and emblems designs. He'd doodle these things out then have others from the ad agencies art department finalize them.

[Dr. Eric M. Schiffer]

How about a red 1969 Grand Prix Royal Bobcat 428 with white Bobcat paint scheme? This was Jim Wangers Model J 428 4 speed Grand Prix.

Continued one more post

[muscle_collector]

Originally Posted by Dr. Eric M. Schiffer

How about a red 1969 Grand Prix Royal Bobcat 428 with white Bobcat paint scheme? This was Jim Wangers Model J 428 4 speed Grand Prix.

Continued one more post

got any color pics of this car? i bet that was really good looking combo. hood had to have looked about 2 miles long.

[SD421]

Originally Posted by Dr. Eric M. Schiffer

How about a red 1969 Grand Prix Royal Bobcat 428 with white Bobcat paint scheme? This was Jim Wangers Model J 428 4 speed Grand Prix.

Continued one more post

I wonder who the other magazine was?

I bet Wangers was pissed off about getting bad press.

What was the real problem as to why the Grand Prix ran bad??


Don

[projectfolly]

Just thought I would add to this excellent thread.
This is a pic of Asa Sr & Jr at "Ace's" place "up north" in Michigan.

Mark

[Dr. Eric M. Schiffer]

Originally Posted by projectfolly

Just thought I would add to this excellent thread.
This is a pic of Asa Sr & Jr at "Ace's" place "up north" in Michigan.

Mark

Mark,
Great old picture. I'm assuming this is from Walloon Lake.
Ace Sr. told me about a hunting lodge on several acres he bought for his friends to hunt on up north. Do you know anything about it? When Sr. was in his 90's he had already given up driving. He told me he was upset he had no one to go with. Even though I was not a hunter. I sometimes regret I never volunteered to take him one last time.
Eric

[projectfolly]

Originally Posted by Dr. Eric M. Schiffer

Mark,
Great old picture. I'm assuming this is from Walloon Lake.
Ace Sr. told me about a hunting lodge on several acres he bought for his friends to hunt on up north. Do you know anything about it? When Sr. was in his 90's he had already given up driving. He told me he was upset he had no one to go with. Even though I was not a hunter. I sometimes regret I never volunteered to take him one last time.
Eric

Eric,

Yep, your assumption is correct, the picture was taken at Walloon Lake. These pictures were shared by a friend of mine Matt Figurski. Matt's father, Donald worked at Royal back in the day. Matt tells me he and his family spent a lot of time with Ace up at Walloon lake.
I wasnt personally involved, I'm just sharing on Matt's behalf.
Might have another picture to share as well.

Mark

This is a shot of Ace's place at Walloon Lake from the outside...

[quicksilver97ta]

Originally Posted by SD421

What was the real problem as to why the Grand Prix ran bad??


Don

Per the article, it was later found to have some broken piston rings.

All this info and the articles/attachments are great, thanks for posting!

[SD421]

Originally Posted by quicksilver97ta

Per the article, it was later found to have some broken piston rings.

All this info and the articles/attachments are great, thanks for posting!

Ah, now I see it mentioned. Didnt look too close at the caption under that pic.

Yes, Quicksilver these are all great articles.

Don

[Dr. Eric M. Schiffer]

Continued.

I throw in a couple of other items. One is just before the Woodward Dream Cruise in 1997 at the Royal Oak Tribune. We used the hood of my '68 GTO to display Jim's art work with Jim.

The other picture is an all day shoot we did in 2004, We had film crews every where. The results: "Cruisin' Wooward with Jim Wangers", "Hot Rod TV" and for "PBS Great Cars GTO".