Trip to Autos International Part 3Hosted by Central Coast 356 Club, USA
Friday afternoon the phone rang and it was Augustine from Autos International, "Mr. O'Kelly, we have completed your project
and your car is now ready to be picked up". In an instant there were a thousand thoughts going through my head. My
trailer is open and there is a storm approaching, it's been there a long time and I really want to get it ASAP, what's my
work schedule like, can I make time to get it, I have to transverse Los Angeles on the freeway system, always a daunting
task, do I have enough money to pay the bill... But the human mind is a great processor of information and in about three
seconds out of my mouth came, " I'll be there Monday morning to pick it up".
I really was concerned about the weather. The storm was supposed to pass by to the north with no rain in Central California,
but a 90% chance in San Francisco. My location is half way between SF and LA and the skies were supposed to be clear to the
south. If there was one thing I didn't want to do, it was trailer this beautiful, clean and all new car through a muddy mist kicked
up during a rain storm. I watched the approaching storm like Mission Control in Houston and on Sunday evening I got a GO
for a Monday pickup.
Autos International in Escondido, CA
I left at dawn on Monday morning and remarkably I didn't encounter any of the usual Southern Cal traffic jams. It was crusin'
speed the whole way. With just a couple of pit stops the drive was 6.5 hours and I made it down around 12:30 PM, just in
time for lunch. I snuck in the back door and there was Joe working on a roadster top frame. I am really impressed with Joe,
he does all their soft top work and is truly a master craftsman. He pointed at my car which was all cleaned up and ready to go.
It was surrounded by other beautiful cars in various stages of restoration. He took me over and gave me the tour of all the
nice work on the top and then went over the raising and lowering procedures. Augustine came over and said hello and asked how
I thought it looked. "Fantastic!" or something to that effect was my reply.
Don't stop reading yet, the best it yet to come!
My next stop was the office where I had to fork over the big bucks. The gal who works in the office is really nice and just as cute
as a button, but just a tad camera shy. I handed over the check and tried to catch her photo but she was fast!
Good work like this doesn't come cheap and I felt a void in my bank account after paying. The pain was quickly relieved when
I was reunited with my car back in the shop.
Autos Office Master Seat Upholsterers
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When it came time to load my car up on the trailer it was all hands on deck. Half the crew at Autos joined in very carefully
pushing the car up the ramps to its spot where it would travel back to the home garage. I took my time tying it down in all
four corners for the 350 mile trip home. After about 5 trips around the trailer checking and rechecking everything I was ready
to head out. One quick trip back inside to say goodbye and thanks and then I was on the road again.
Loaded Up and Ready to Go
\Big Red with Trailer in Tow Humble 356 Kid
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I slowed the pace down a little for the drive home with my new precious cargo. Once again luck was on my side and I didn't
encounter any traffic slowdowns. Now for you folks in other parts of the country, to transverse Los Angeles twice in one day
with no traffic jams is nothing short of a miracle. I guess today luck was on my side. It started to get dark and once again my
thoughts went back to the storm racing across the state to the north of me. Monitoring the radio it was raining in Fresno which was
about 100 miles north. A quick call home to my wife and the report was no rain so far. Now if the traffic luck could just
extend to the weather, my trip would be all thumbs up. I had made some contingency plans for stopping in sheltered areas if the rain
made it this far south, but now I was at the point of no return. One more stop for gas in Lost Hills and then one hour drive going west
and I would be home, I had my fingers crossed.
Final Pit Stop in Lost Hills
OK here is where the story gets interesting (Cab Owners Read This)
I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but when I take my old cars somewhere at night, they REALLY look good under the lights at the gas stations.
I think from now on I will refer to this as the Barrett-Jackson effect. I was pumping gas, gazing at my car, when I noticed a man who I will call
The Eagle Eyed Gent, approaching. He fit the profile of a typical 356 owner, and the conversation went something like this.
Eagle Eyed Gent, " Hey, is that a '59?" I instantly knew he must be 356 savvy, or incredibly lucky.
Humble 356 Kid, "Yeah, I'm just bringing it home from Autos International"
The Eagle Eyed Gent slowly circled the car on the trailer and commented, "Beautiful paint, who did it?"
Humble 356 Kid, " Vintage Auto in San Luis Obispo painted it 15 years ago, you can't get paint like that today, that's real Glasurit."
I then opened up the drivers side door so he could feast his Eagle Eyes on the beautiful red leather interior and German square weave carpet.
Eagle Eyed Gent, "They do good work, this is a nice car, the running gear is all done and it looks good, where is the motor?"
Humble 356 Kid, "I have the original motor completely rebuilt on a stand at home, this car should be done pretty soon."
Eagle Eyed Gent, " I'll give you $100,000 when it's finished."
Humble 356 Kid, "Excuse me...you can get one cheaper somewhere else."
Eagle Eyed Gent, " I'll pay that for a car I don't have to mess with, yours is done and it's better than the one that sold at Barret-Jackson
last week for $135K, yours is all matching numbers and original color scheme."
Hmmm...I'm thinking, that's true, mine is better, but to me it's still not worth that much.
Insert complex economic theory here - Stuff costs more these days.
Humble 356 Kid, "Well, it's not for sale but thanks for the offer."
Eagle Eyed Gent slips a business card my way, "Call me when you're ready."
(Did James Frey write this?)
I left the truck stop and thought about that encounter the next 30 minutes while on the last leg of my trip. Was this guy just full of it or what?
I think he was for real and he was just a little ahead of the curve. There aren't that many nice cabs for sale and if you want one,
you just have to plunk down the money.
Barrett-Jackson Effect
After 13 hours of driving I had 10 miles left to go, rain drops started to fall on my windshield, yikes. Just a slight mist at this point,
nothing to worry about. The road stayed dry and I pulled up my driveway glad that I wouldn't have to do a pre-concours type
cleaning. It didn't take long and the '59 rejoined it buddies in the garage. My wife came out and was really excited, (no really
she was), and checked it out. We lowered the top and got the full effect of the fine work Autos had done.
I was never too sure about the blue/red combo. It's not something someone would normally choose for a color scheme, but since
those were the original colors, and this has the potential to be a Kardex matching car, I went with it. Now that I've had a
chance to let it soak in a bit, I must say it really is quite striking. I guess Porsche knew what they were doing.
Th next step is to install the motor and a few other final assembly items. The bumper, overriders, and bumper guards also need
painting and plating. I haven't been too anxious up to now about getting it running but now I CAN'T WAIT!
This going to be one fun car when it's done. (big smile on face).
Safely Tucked Away in the Garage
It Wants to be Driven
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