Yearning for the Cachet of a Classic but Coming Up Crass October 28, 2006
Neoclassics are cars with bodywork that evokes luxurious, timeless designs of the 1920s and 30s, but with chassis and powertrains lifted from more prosaic donors.
IN the world of classic cars, authenticity is everything. When a serious collector endeavors to restore a car, every lug nut must be original, or at least correct. Every stitch of the upholstery must look as it did from the factory (or, more commonly, look better than it did from the factory).
Not only that, but the car should possess a rich and glorious history, with a paper trail to prove it. For an automobile to catch the eye of a concours judge, it would ideally have been locked away in a climate-controlled bank vault except for the brief time when its owner, Stirling Moss, was driving it to victory at Le Mans.
Such vehicles are rare, expensive and eligible for competition in the most exclusive events.
Then, on the other hand, there’s the neoclassic.
Neoclassics are cars with bodywork that evokes luxurious, timeless designs of the 1920s and 30s, but with chassis and powertrains lifted from more prosaic donors.
The neoclassic’s primary calling cards are upswept fenders, upright grilles, wire wheels and tangles of exhaust pipes (often fake) snaking out of the hood. But under all the glitz you might find the frame and suspension of a 1980s Mercury Cougar (in the case of the Classic Tiffany) or a Volkswagen Beetle (as with the Gazelle, which apes a Mercedes 540K).
Some neoclassic makes opted for more upscale propulsion. The Jaguar-powered Panther DeVille, for instance, appeared in the 1996 film “101 Dalmatians,” where it was driven by ? who else? ? Cruella De Vil (played by Glenn Close). According to the Panther Enthusiasts Club U.K., Ms. Close isn’t the only celebrity to get behind the wheel of a DeVille ? the short list of owners includes Elton John. Another reputed Panther owner, the late British actor Oliver Reed, dressed up like Al Capone and posed next to his new De Ville for a 1980 article in a British tabloid, The Daily Mirror, that carried this headline: “Big, extravagant and drinks like a fish, and that’s just the car!”
Indeed, understatement is not part of the neoclassic experience. A recent eBay listing for a 1997 Sunrise Viva boasted, “This car is so unique and pretentious.”
With a wood dash and door panels, “wire style” wheels and side-mounted exhaust pipes that are claimed to be operational, the Viva is almost certainly more pretentious than the car that gave its chassis for the cause, a 1982 Buick Park Avenue.
While a search for a used neoclassic will bring plenty of results (Mercedes-Benz SSK replica with a Chevette engine and manual transmission, anyone?), the choices for new cars are slim.
Back in the 1980s, Zimmer and Excalibur were the giants of the American neoclassic world. But by 1988, gratuitous flash was becoming pass? and both companies went out of business. (A bit of random trivia: Brooks Stevens, the founder of Excalibur, also designed the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile and the Miller High Life logo.)
Of the neoclassic Big Two, Excalibur remains defunct, but Zimmer Motor Cars has enjoyed a rebirth at the hands of Art Zimmer, a newspaper publisher in Syracuse.
Mr. Zimmer entered the neoclassic business by happenstance in 1997. “I saw a car with my name on it, and, at my wife’s insistence, I bought it,” he said in a telephone interview. “I thought, ?Somebody should build this.’ ” By 2000, the Zimmer Motor Car Company was back.
“If the original company had a different name, I wouldn’t be doing this,” Mr. Zimmer said “The guy who owned the Excalibur name tried to sell me the rights, and I said, ?My name’s not Excalibur.’ ”
While no mainstream manufacturer has offered a four-door convertible in decades, Mr. Zimmer’s company is ready to sell you one today for a cool $175,900. Modestly billed “the most awesome automobile in the world,” the Zimmer Golden Spirit four-door convertible is based on a Lincoln Town Car chassis.
Mr. Zimmer said the car had found several takers, mostly Middle Eastern potentates. “I’m getting some of our oil money back,” he said.
Mr. Zimmer’s target market is understandably small. After all, his Mustang-based two-door version starts at $109,900. That’s a lot of money for a Mustang, no matter how heavily modified. But Mr. Zimmer says the competition for his neoclassics are not new cars, but authentic classic cars.
“The difference between these cars and collectible classic cars is that these are cars to drive.” he said. “You can take them on the Interstate at 90 miles per hour. You can get parts. You can have them serviced at any Ford dealership. It’s a very usable car, and people really use them. You don’t just park it and look at it.”
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- Author : arnold
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