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As if the lineup of Camaros isn't enough, check out this wall of nusclenachines. lt's packed with a 1968 Shelby GT500KR convertible in BavenBlack, a 1967 Ram Air GT} conveftible, 1970 Buick GSXStage 1 in SaturnYellow, 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 tS-6 Converlible in Tuxedo Black, anda Palladium Silver 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge Converttble Ran Arr |V,4001370HP 4-Speed. It's all enough t0 get ylur heart pounding and your head spin-ning, picking out whrch one is your favorite.

From this angle you enclunter a wall of power. stafting with the 1970 442W-30 bornwith a 455ci notlr, naking 370hp. The 1970 LS6 454 Chevelleconvertible and El Camino each check in wrth 450 hp, the Boss 429 has anunderrated 375hp factory rating and the '69 Chevelle at the far end is noMalibu, but a 427-powered Yenko, naking a 450 hp. All of which adds up tonearlv 2, 1 00 horsepower!

c: tors, th is sot ive equiv

: the end o{rere actor I

.s al l the boYet such arot ive storelrat 's going

: to 18 at thThe selection is rare, bordering on obscure, and include such high-horsepoweii:tring Classioddities asthe one-of-six 1970 429 Super Cobra Jet Ranchero 500 in back. ' liana. We l-Nexttoi tahighlyopt ionedl9T00lds442W30Convert ib lernred,evenm0r6' lestoneswunclmmln rs the same model rn Ebony with Parchment rnterior. Not t0 be lut t 3 ed accessdone by the 1lds brothers, this Black Cherry 1970 Chevelle LS6 convertrble : : lection in i

. ent . In add! :se and perr^d speakingl^r istenholz,I 'ecum's Dan

3nif icance c

3, and garn:neral b iddi

vVhi le musce big exci tee auct ion sc

- e di f ferent?lhe respectr tors have tan classic c,

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Not to be lut dlne, the '67 Yenko 427 Canaro rcars lut 425hp. The factory )clained thatthe'69 Canaro ZLI only made 430hp-550hp rs c/oser t0 reality -Dittl flr the #57 Daytona Yellow ZLl, the Limelight Hemi Superbee clnveftibFthat produces 425hp, and the 1970 Silver GTO Judge BAM AIB lV convertrble :which makes 370 hp from a "mere" 400 cubic inches. This row pounds the :ground with 2.080 factory-rated ponres.

:na Mecum.'s tend to b' : ies and Si>,. yers have e. r ing in smz=al fashion,:heir col lec

caps off the row.

You can tell a '67 Yenko 427 Canaro in part by the Corvette-style "stinger" hood. Tuxedo black,red interior, and a single white pinstrrpe give thts big-block 'beaut a James Bond look, like it'sdressed for a formal dinner party. Factoid. )nly 107 Yenko Camaros were produced rn 1967.

,Vhat sets a: : ect ion is t l1-al i ty, condi t

of a l l the c:y are al l f r r

-e owner, Di

- r t up the c<=ars, througl'oughout th

them al l i r: I boi ls dov-- p le changr

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, ' . are way 1, . csed to th: "n 'S WO! Ol

ctors, th is scenar io is the auto-ot ive eouivalent to that scenethe end of National Treasure

here actor Nicolas Cage discov-rs al l the booty.Yet such an astonishing auto-ot ive storehouse is exact lyhat 's going up for auct ion May5 to 18 at the Mecum Original

such high-horsepower| cring Cl assic i n I n d ia na po I is,nchero 500 in back. -diana. We here at Muscle Carrtrble rn red, even mor\,i lestones were granted privi-inter ior . Not to be out *qed access to the Chr istenholzel teLS6convert ib le : t - i lect ion in advance of the main

i i ent . In addi t ion to gett ing up) ose and personal wi th the cars,l rd speaking with the owner Dave!hr istenholz, we also interviewedl ' lecum's Dana Mecum about the

gni f icance of th is special of fer-g, and garnered a few t ips onneral b idding strategy.Whi le muscle cars have beene big exci tement in general fore auct ion scene, what makes this

di f ferent? " l t 's groundbreakingthe respect that muscle car col-

ctors have been di f ferent to datean classic car col lectors," notes

t 425hp Thefact l rv lana Mecum. "Classic car col lec-i)hp is closer t0 reality.i.ts tend to buy anything from theni Superbee convertibl{ ft ies and Sixties. while muscle carAM AIB lV conveftible 7 :l,sTs have a different mentality,-hrs row pounds the : ty ing in smal ler numbers, p iece-

- 'eal fashion, and rotat ing the cars^ their col lect ions."

What sets apart the Chr istenholzr l lect ion is the t remendously highLral i ty, condi t ion and authent ic-

:y of a l l the cars, and the fact thatrev are al l f rom one indiv idual .ne owner, Dave Christenholz, has

i l t up the col lect ion over manyears, through exhaust ive researchrroughout the country. So why

I them al l in one fel l swooo?al l boi ls down to largely to ample change in taste: " l 'm now

:oking for muscle cars I can dr ive^d enjoy on the street." In otherords. he wants to col lect dr ivers

^stead, because the cars he ownslw are way too valuable to be

V

The 1969 Boss 429 was ford's answer t0 chasing the Hemi-powered machines, but on the lpen track,notthe drag strip. This particular exanple is desirable because she is blackand unrestored, wearing herfactory-original coat. Details under the hood preserve exactly how the car rolled out 0f the factlry in thelate Sixties.Looking under the h00d 0f this pafticular /969 Soss 429 can quickly settle slme disputes amlng clnclursjudges, ceftain hobbyists, and restorers alike. Bemembeq these cars were upfitted by hand at 4.0. Smith.Variations in hardware used are clmmln. The tower clamps used on the hoses are just one of tuvo typesthat are acceptable in a concours restuatiln.Notice the NASCAR sticker in the quarter window. That is why these cars were built, in order to qualifu astock car with the thundenng Boss 429 "Hemi Killer" so it could do battle with nother Mopar. A NASCARrules change made the motor illegal and stlpped that natch-up from ever happenrng.)ther clues that the Boss 429 was bred for racing are the collapsible nini-spare and trunk-mounted bat-tery. Whrle flaws, oxrdation on the exhausL and patina can be found everywhere you look, this car is alsoa benchmark quality origrnal.

f A lmost never do you f ind atnl f , t rove of superb muscle carsI t la l l in one place, and al l up"$r sale at the same t ime. For col-

hood Tuxedo black,Bond look, like it'sroduced in 1967

: rpoSed to the elements or put in- : rm's way on the open road.

0f the 69 ZL 1 Camaros created in 1968, how many do you figure are completely unrestored? This exanple is worth nany trmes what a rest7red example would

likely sell for. lt nay have signs of wear and a dult patina, but she reveals so nuch about how things were done when originally assembled. lt is even n1re amaz'

ing considering that this car was purpose-built to endure the rigors of drag racing. This is a "benchnark car," one that many, nany other people who are looking

t0 restlre their car will look to as an exenplar.The engine bay is beautifulty preserued, the patina on factory netal finishes, original inspection markings, intact parts that are usually /osl, ri is the details that

makes this car such a desirable vehicle.The interior is also unrestored, and the lack of wear in all the high-touch areas, such as the pedals, steering wheel, driver's door handle, etc. seem to confirn the

odoneter A good paper trail confirns the 7,700 miles are indeed original.

There'sson he's srVecum nocusinessmJne muscladding exr

MecumChristenho:he cars b(cefore the:an benef i3ut i t 's nols ince he dr- luscle car'egroup an:t a later d^im was th' ,1ecum no

Why did:re Mecun:S the Ven:s wanted: ol lect ion,-eserve. Ar: on in ther mOre pelJa na seerr; . avelengt l: ' the col le

What are. ' , 'h i le the e: om ment€

=xpert Patrs ' rowyoura: cns), prol- .special ly Ilamaro, p<l- 1 engine'- e most-p

' . lminum-l' 's t produri SO nave €

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- : : -makinl. - 'u l enginr' - e publ ic.. :unds, ab:.7-c id V-8

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Having a passion and unshakeable vision often commands a high price. Theengineering Chevrolet pelormed to prep an open-road engine for drag dutywas considerable. So were the costs Gibb anticipated on paying $400 perengine, with Chevrolet picking up the tab for the developnent costs as it nor-mally did. Chevrolet changed its policy and passed all the engineeering costsrequired to produce the C0P0 package to his dealership, boosting the pnce to$4.160 per car.

This 1970 Linelight Super Bee Heni Converlble sits in sharp contrast t0 thenon- and under-restored vehicles in this collection Everythtng is showroonpefect, with the workmanship far exceeding anfhing that the line wlrkersever turned out. Mother Mopar only built three of thent rn | 970 Thrs onehas 12.000 actual miles, documented with a butld sheet, and an ortgrnal sell'ers invoice. As it should, the average clncluts rcsllraltor clsts more than$100.000, not including the car.

We managed t0 pull this fully optioned 1969 Chevrolet Camaro B/S 427/430hp, 4-speed outside for a breath of fresh air. Arned with a ZLl, probably themost powerful engine Chevy ever offered to the public, it had to be changedout by the factory prior to delivery when the original was discovered t0 have aIeak Both engines are included with this car.

The king of all Great ?nes is quite arguably the 1970 GT} Ran Air lV Therewhere onlv 24 Ran Air lV 4-spd convertible GT?s Add "The Judge." finishedin Palladiun Silver, and you have the Greatest )ne The detail, docunentation,and equipment would make this GT] Judge an easy candidate for the center-piece of a collection. The problem is, just ablut any ofthe cars shown herehold the same splt-a good problem to have.

'ed example wouldts even n2re amazle who are looking

the details that

:een to confirm the

a,p contrast to the,ng rs showroomihe ltne workersr 970. fhis one;td an original sell-costs more than

Ram Air lV. Therehe Judge," finished?tail, documentation,tdate tor the center-' cars shown here

There's probably another rea-son he's sel l ing them al l as wel l ,Mecum notes- "David 's a goodbusinessman, and he knows thatone muscle car feeds of f another.adding exci tement to the auct ion."

Mecum points out thatChr istenholz purchased many ofthe cars between 1998 to 2000.before the run-up in pr ices, so hecan benef i t f rom that appreciat ion.But i t 's not just about the money,since he doesn' t p lan to leave themuscle car hobby, as he' l l l ikelyregroup and start col lect ing againat a later date. " l th ink the thr i l l forhim was the hunt and research,"Mecum notes.

Why did Chr istenholz choosethe Mecum Original Spr ing Classicas the venue? Other auct ion hous-es wanted to spl i t up thecol lect ion, and wouldn' t promise areserve. And Mecum has reputa-t ion in the muscle car market. .Ona more personal note, David andDana seemed to get on the samewavelength as to the s igni f icancecf the col lect ion.

What are some of the highl ights?,Vhi le the accompanying photos,commented on by automot ive

exDert Patr ick Krook of www.showyourauto.com in the cap-: ions), provide further detai ls, note:special ly the blue Ral ly Sportlamaro, powered by an ul t ra-rareZL1 engine. Simi lar in design to:he most-potent i terat ion of thealuminum-head L88, i t was the'rst product ion Chevy engine to: lso have an aluminum block. l tshared the 188's 430hp factory rat-rg, but actual ly had wel l over 500^p-making i t l ikely the most pow-=rful engine Chevy ever of fered to:re publ ic. And i t weighed just 500:ounds, about the same as Chevy's327-cid V-8.

Only 69 of these ful ly loaded-3rs were bui l t , and this part icular=<ample has just only 7700 mi les

- r i t , wi th al l or ig inal paint and-:er ior . Even with i ts extraordinary: :gree of authent ic i ty, there's one::rai l that adds to the intr iguing. : ture of the car.

/Vhen the car was del ivered new,' , ' :cum relates, the engine was

Like most highly collectible nuscle cars, the ZLI Camaro wasn't created in the narketing depaftnent atChevrolet Fred Gibb of Fred Gibb Chevrolet wanted t0 go HEMI hunting rn Pro-stock drag class. Withmore.power and a 150 pounds lightet he knew that the race-bred Can Am spec, alLafuminun 427 woulddo the trick. So he prodded the factory to supply the ZLI through Central }ffice Production )rder (C0P0)system. Chevy glt t0 stay at arms length from factory-sanctioned racing while offering matenal support toa dealer body that wanted to go hit the drags, gunning for elephants.

Looking down the hood of the | 970 Buick 65 Stage 1 , she doesn't remotelyresenble her dowdy 65 srsters. Saturn Yellow paint, blackout hood stripes,Ram Air hood, and hood-mounted tachoneter all comnunicate the sane thinggrandma doesn't drive a 455! }nly 400 GSX Stage 1 left the Buick factory in1970 making it a bona fide rarity. A similar exanple recently slld privately for$t 80,000.

)nly 56 1967 GT} 421 Tri-Power Ram Air converttbles were butlt in 1967.Finished in Burgundy with black tlp and interilr, she's fully loaded with powersteering and brakes, console, tach and gauges, Ballye I wheels, all of it docu-mented by a repoft from the Pontiac Historical Soctety

Dave Chistenholz is just likeany other car guy, except thathe owns one of the most spectacular muscle car collectionsin the world But he'd rather btout enjoying a muscle car onthe road, hence the reason forauctioning off his storehouse cstellar street nachines.

leaking, aaccept i t .the engintmented, sspec car. Iadding tomanagednal leaky trepaired aa powerbced in the s

Anothermenageriea 1970 LS€"Ful ler Car.convert ib lestored or igple of corrrenough, themblem orng that ree,vas not a frormal ly drso many p€Jetai l on vasimi lar cars:r ig inal i tert f i ts own.

We also f3oss 429 tor iece, r ight: lamps and-oses. Even: e straps ar:ngine bay.

Last but n:cnvert ib le

'b ly one of' tur-speed t:ar was imp:oks as f res, . l t of the fa

So there y. :achable cr. :ming up fr- 00 p.m., tc'^ e Discover. ' endar anC:cause we''et ime. f i

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re built in 1967.r loaded with powerheels. all of it docu-

istenholz is just likecar guy, except thatone of the rnosl specuscle car collectionsrld But he'd rather b,ing a muscle car onhence the reason forg off his storehouse ceet machtnes.

leaking, and the owner wouldn' taccept i t . So the factory replacedthe engine, which has been docu-mented, so th is is st i l l a survivor-spec car. But the story cont inues,adding to i ts value. Chr istenholzmanaged to t rack down that or ig i -nal leaky block (which was laterrepaired and raced, and instal led ina powerboat) , and i t wi l l be includ-ed in the sale of the car!

Another rare bird in th is exot icnenager ie of muscle machines isa 1970 LS6 Chevel le, known as the'Ful ler Car." This 10,000-mi le black:onvert ib le is yet another unre-stored or ig inal , an exact ing exam-cle of correctness. Interest inglyenough, the dealer added an:mblem on the rear bumper mold-rg that reads "450 hp," which. ' /as not a factory i tem, and would.ormal ly downgrade the value. Butso many people copied that l i t t le:etai l on var ious restorat ions ofs imi lar cars, th inking that i t was an:r ig inal i tem, that i t took on a l i fe: f i ts own.

We also found the black '693oss 429 to be an impressivel iece, r ight down to the old tower: amps and staples on the coolant^oses. Even the 40-year old plast ic: e straps are st i l l in place in the=ngine bay.

Last but not least , the GTO Judge- cnvert ib le is a very rare car, prob-,c ly one of only 11 bui l t wi th a' :ur-speed tranny. This part icular,3r was impeccably restored, so i t:oks as f resh as the day i t ro l led, Jt of the factory.

So there you have i t : an unim-:achable col lect ion of muscle cars

. :ming up for sale on May 17 at

- l0 p.m., to be featured l ive on'^e Discovery channel . Mark your. : endar and set your watch, and' :cause we're in for the sale of a'?t ime. te

SOURGE:Mecum Collector Car

Auctioneers815/568-8888

www.mecumauction.com

MUSCLE CAR AUCTIONS-BIDDING STRATEGY ANDTACTICS

Seasoned sellers and bidders alreadyknow from experience how to handlethe fever pitch of auction action, butnewcomers might find it strange andconfusing. We asked Dana Mecum forsome frank advice on the subject, andcame away impressed by his candor.He's seen it all, and had a few choicepoints to share about bidding formuscle cars on the block, which wouldapply to any auction that you mightattend, Mecum or otherwise.

By way of introduction, his background as a car guy dates back to his teenyears, when he helped sell Pontiacs and Buicks at his father's new car agency.He did well enough to buy a Corvette at the age of 14 (thottgh it's unclear howsoon he was able to drive it on the street). In the early Seventies he foundedone of the earliest collector-car dealerships, and in the mid-Eighties bought andsold classic vehicles. Then in 1988, he started Mecum Collector Car Auction,and by the mid Nineties, began personally acquiring American high-pedor-mance and vintage racecars, Corvettes, and muscle cars.

Some of the advice he shared about auctions in general is simple yet effective:

."Go early." Dana recommends being on site a day or two before the auc-tion heats up, so you can sense where the action is heading, and don't make alast-minute mistake or bid in a hurried fashion.

."Become known to the ring men." He admits that they can get a bit aggres-sive in trying to get you to bid on a car, but they can also facilitate the biddingprocess. View them as an asset rather than an adversary and learn how tohandle them.

."Don't go alone." Two heads (and pairs of eyes) are better than one whensizing up a car. And you don't necessarily have to bring along an expert. Afterall, it's more fun to share the auction experience with a fellow car guy or gal.

."Decide what you want out of a car." As noted about Dave Christenholz,he's now shifted his attention to cars he can enjoy on the road, not just for sip-ping wine over them.

.'Ask yourself before the auction heats up, 'What do I want to spend?"'There are always bargains out there, and you just need knowledge andpatience to find them.

.'Aim high for a world-class car." He feels that you can't pay too much forquality; instead, maybe you just bought it a little early, and the market will catchup later on.

."OualiV is not as important as authenticity." This point is especially true formuscle car auctions in particular. You can see the paint, engine and interior, butnot the history, authenticity and provenance-that's what makes the differencein the value of a muscle car. For instance, three of the cars in the Christenholzcollection were once owned by famed collector Otis Chandler, so these arerecognized collectibles. "That's what separates a car as an investment," Mecumconcludes.