Cafeoutdoors.com: Godspeed

Thank you. I will keep that in mind, as we often get speakers in the desert and around my parents' down there.

We are really fussy about what we buy now. Unless it's a keeper, it's unlikely that we buy it. It must be something that really appeals personally, or be significant in some way. This year we purchased a 40 Ford Convertible that pioneering hot rodder and author Don Montgomery built for his wife. It's a real sleeper, street racer. Being able to drive them, is a MUST, unless they are really rare and for show only.

Below is a photo of my farm when this board opened, and a small number of cars in inventory. The numbers have dwindled significantly. Here's why:

The little red car on the end, is The Flame. It's a fully custom Henry J, and took legendary race and custom car designers Holynski Bros. of N.Y. 7 years to build. My Dad bought it over 45 years ago. It rarely gets shown, but has been a favorite of George Barris and Gene Winfield. We'll take it to Canada's biggest concours in a few weeks. These are the cars we keep now. This is one of the first photos taken of it, when it was completed, and one of the builder's sons is coming to the show to see it, because it has meaning to him. Made with his father's hands.

I batted 0 for 2 at the auction in Auburn, Indiana yesterday though. Demand for these cars, have never been lower....

I'll be keeping what's left though, because my family still cares about what their grandfather built. Even if you were to gift them to museums, they don't want them, because of insurance and maintenance costs. It's a systemic problem now, across all art forms and for all collectors world wide, in this throw away world.

It's a challenge, and I don't expect to lose this one.

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