I
will never forget that cold day in January of 1985 when Horseless
Carriage’s 18-wheel transporter pulled up in my driveway to
deliver its precious cargo; a Formal Black 300G hardtop. After 5
years of searching, my dream had finally come true. I was now the
proud owner of a Letter Car. I wish I could adequately describe my
feelings at that time. All I can say with any certainty is, I was
grinning from ear to ear! That was a year ago and I am still
grinning.
It
all started when I answered an ad in Old Cars Weekly for a ‘61
Chrysler. That is all it said. I don’t think I controlled my
enthusiasm too well when it turned out to be a 300G. The owner, Joel
Cox of Elyria, Ohio kindly sent me pictures, a description and a
complete history of the car. I really liked what I saw, so I called
the previous owner who confirmed the car’s history. It had
never left the State of Ohio and had only been used on occasion
between both of its previous owners. Just to be 100% sure, I asked a
fellow club member who lived nearby to check out the car for me.
After being completely satisfied that the car was everything everyone
said it was, I came to a very fair price with Mr. Cox and the rest as
they say, is history. This Beautiful Brute was now mine. Now, all I
had to do was get it back to New York. It was in the middle of
winter, so I wasn’t happy about driving it home through snow,
salty roads and careless drivers. Enter Horseless Carriage. I
called them and luckily, they had a rig coming East from Nevada
enroute to New Jersey, so I had them make a little detour through
Ohio, pick up the Brute and bring it with them. The cost was well
worth the peace of mind, knowing the car was safe. Actually, it was
a bargain because I only had to pay for one way.
When
that big green and white rig rolled down Main Street, it was like the
circus had come to town. Despite the weather, people were stopping
to see what was in the trailer. What a sight it was too! Then came
the moment we were all waiting for. I heard the Brute before I saw
it. There is nothing subtle about a ram-inducted 413! The driver
very carefully inched it out of the trailer and into my driveway.
What a beauty! The G is in excellent condition. The body is
straight as an arrow with no rust or bondo and it had been
beautifully painted in the original color. The odometer showed
42,000 miles, which I had already researched and knew to be correct.
The bumpers and some trim pieces had been re-chromed, it had Goer’s
seats and it was mechanically sound. The only thing that was
incorrect were the tires, so the first project was to replace them
with the correct wide whites. The car was just what I had been
looking for; clean, straight and ready to enjoy. Now, all I had to
do was wait for summer and show it off to all of my friends and club
members. The rest of the winter passed by very slowly.
The
Brute made its debut, here in Albany in July of ’85 and it won
first place in class. I also noticed that it was the only Chrysler
300 in a field of over 200 entries. I love being part of a legend.
This was the first time that the G and I had been anywhere together
and it was exciting. Now I couldn’t wait to take it to the 300
Club Meet that was being held in Dayton, Ohio later that year so my
friends could see this prize.
There
was an unexpected honor bestowed upon the G before my friends got to
see it. 1985 was the 60th
anniversary of Chrysler Corporation and the WPC Club was holding its
National Meet in Detroit, Michigan. To celebrate the event, they
chose various Mopars to represent each year from 1925 to 1985 for a
group photograph to be taken at the Chrysler Proving grounds. I was
informed that my 300G had been selected to represent 1961. Was I
excited! “Lady G” was going to be immortalised on film!
I was looking forward to the ride out there too. Now I would have a
chance to turn the Beautiful Brute loose on our nation’s
interstates and let her do what she does best-----RUN! I had a lot
of fun on that trip. From leisurely cruising through small towns to
blasts past the century mark on the super highways. The highlight of
the trip, along with all of the appreciative looks and thumbs up from
other motorists, came when a guy with a Porsche 914 tried and failed
to lose the big Chrysler. He really should have known better. Boy
was he mad!
A
few weeks later, we were on the road again, this time out to Dayton.
This is what I had been waiting for. No Porches this time, just lots
of smiles. What a feeling it was when I pulled into the motel
parking lot to join all of the other Letter Cars. I knew I was in
the right place. I hurried inside and proudly announced to my
friends that “The Black G in the parking lot with New York
plates was mine!” Finally, they could see what I had waited so
long for. “Lady G” was a hit too. I had her entered
into the concours to see how good she really was. I figured I would
let the experts tell me and tell me they did. The Lady had a few
words of her own though as she totalled 887 points, which earned her
a second place in class. She also won the People’s Choice
Award. That made me feel very good. It was then that I knew my
patience had paid off. Also, I was now armed with the Judges scoring
sheet so I now knew what I had to do to make her as correct as
possible.
That
winter was spent on a few minor projects and in the spring, it was
off to the Club meet in Allentown, PA. More cruising on our
interstates. Didn’t encounter any Porches this time either.
They must have got the message. There were plenty of other
adventures though, like enjoying the company of good friends once
again and getting lost trying to find the banquet hall. “Lady
G” continued her winning ways too. She was honored for Best
Exterior, Best Interior, Best Engine and Best Coupe. I was beside
myself! Of course, a little good-natured kidding is sure to follow
such notoriety as evidenced by then President, Jeff Miklas when he
nicknamed me the “Lumber Jack of Allentown”. The meet
also brought other goodies for my Lady. It was my good fortune that
P. J. Ehmann brought along four original G seats, in excellent
condition; that he wanted to sell. Wanting to keep the car as
original as possible and not one to pass on a golden opportunity, I
bought them. The Goer’s seats have since been replaced with
the originals. Nice touch. I have also treated her to a correct
battery, complete stainless-steel exhaust system, new grille and
wheel cover medallions, new shocks and a few front suspension
components. This Lady deserves to be spoiled.
Unfortunately,
Allentown was the last meet that I attended with “Lady G”.
The others were either a little too far away or has been the case
lately, health problems had me hospitalised at the time. That is why
we were not at Rochester or Annapolis. Hopefully the future will be
kinder to me so I can once again experience the joy of getting behind
that Beautiful Brute and go cruising. Ideally, that cruise will take
me to a meeting of the 300 Club, where good friends and good times
await.
