About Us . . . Bill


Hi!
My name is Bill. My life revolves around cars. Always has--always will.

Born with an umbrella in my hand in the rainy port town of Hamburg, Germany back in 1956, I realized early in life that I was stuck in the wrong place. I coveted the American Way of Life. While my high school peers drove to school in second-hand VW Beetles, I saved every dime to purchase the local American Consulate's old Ford Galaxie 500.

Well . . . one unfortunate incident made me leave girlfriend, Galaxie, and Fatherland for good.

Having studied Art History, I have always been fascinated by the unusual. I admire unique solutions in regard to industrial design and the creativity of the great engineers of this century. Walter P. Chrysler, Professor Porsche, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, Virgil Exner and Raymond Loewy are but a few of the men revered by me.
I have been fortunate to own and drive some very interesting vehicles. Among them, the smallest, such as the infamous Goggomobil and Trabant, as well as the biggest, such as Chrysler Imperial and Cadillac Eldorado.

Apart from size, Horsepower was important too. Some bubble cars had to make do with 13½ hp, which was barely sufficient to keep up with inner-city traffic. I really grew fond of the raw acceleration afforded by the 526 cubic inches of ex-Dragster-mill in my '29 Ford A Roadster.

Drawn to the almost mythical Speed Week on the Bonneville Salt Flats for many years, in 1989 I finally was able to make the trek to Utah for the first time. Having driven a 426-HEMI powered, museum-quality Plymouth Satellite quasi as a grocery-getter in Germany for many years, another MoPar seemed to be the logical choice in my pursuit of speed.

Following in the footsteps of Norm Thatcher, the first man to break the 200mph barrier in a production sedan, I spent untold hours of labor, multiple StageV engines and cubic dollars attempting to make my old '69 Dodge Coronet go fast. Ultimately, after many visits to Salt Flats and Dry Lakes, my top speed stands at 208mph. My East-German Trabant was timed at 59.78mph--aided by a dose of Nitromethane, and I have the brass timing tag to prove it!

However, priorities have shifted quite a bit: racing isn't my top priority anymore, though I still cherish the treks to Dry Lakes and Salt Flats. The Number One spot in my life is now occupied by my bright, 10 year-old daughter Helena.
We are blessed to live in beautiful Santa Barbara, California. And, what better place is there on Earth to enjoy cruising around in a nice, classic convertible or sports car?

In my line of work as an estate buyer and fine arts appraiser, I meet many interesting people and often happen to stumble upon hidden treasures on wheels. Cars, that have languished in garages for years, some neglected, some cherished and polished by appreciative owners. More often than not, I am drawn to purchase these sleeping beauties, hoping to find good homes for them.

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Move on to Bernard


Comments? Questions?
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