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Old 11-26-2011, 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Dr. Eric M. Schiffer View Post
Since several peopel never knew Jim Wangers was involved with Chevrolet. Here is a 1972 article on Jim Wangers' Chevrolet's "Image" car. The Milwaukee Classic.

Jim also stocked and sold 50 Black Vegas. Jim knowing how the COPO system for fleets worked wanted to have a special Vega. In order to get them painted by the factory in black he would have to order 50 of them. He did.

When customers went price shopping a black Vega at other dealerships they couldn't find them. The other dealers would tell customers that there is no such thing as a factory black Vega. That Wangers Chevrolet was repainting the Vega balck at the dealership.

Knowing how to work the system some times hurt them.
Adding to Dr. Schiffer's post regarding Jim Wangers Chevrolet in Milwaukee. Jim's dealership modified a '73 Laguna powered with a "hot" 454. Externally, Jim had this car accessorized with Appliance mag wheels, BF Goodrich Radials, landau top with window blanks (to create that Monte Carlo opera window look. This was a year before the factory started offering the opera window look on the A-body Colonnades). Jim was very in-tune with the up and coming "disco era" luxury performance car.




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  #422  
Old 11-26-2011, 01:18 PM
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anyone know where any are at today???

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Old 11-27-2011, 09:00 AM
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My not have made too many not sure though.

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  #424  
Old 11-27-2011, 01:38 PM
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Originally Posted by gto4door View Post
Adding to Dr. Schiffer's post regarding Jim Wangers Chevrolet in Milwaukee. Jim's dealership modified a '73 Laguna powered with a "hot" 454. Externally, Jim had this car accessorized with Appliance mag wheels, BF Goodrich Radials, landau top with window blanks (to create that Monte Carlo opera window look. This was a year before the factory started offering the opera window look on the A-body Colonnades). Jim was very in-tune with the up and coming "disco era" luxury performance car.
I was going to take issue with the big window/small window comment and it the process of researching it - it appears you are right....

I had no idea. What's ironic is my Dad had to fight like crazy to get our '74 built with the big window.

K

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  #425  
Old 11-28-2011, 11:09 AM
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I was going to take issue with the big window/small window comment and it the process of researching it - it appears you are right....

I had no idea. What's ironic is my Dad had to fight like crazy to get our '74 built with the big window.

K
Keith....here is a thread about the formal window option posted in the 73-77 A-body section. Pretty crude how they converted the triangular big window into the formal small window early in the '74 model year. Sorry to get us off topic.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=618481

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  #426  
Old 11-28-2011, 11:52 AM
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Even when Wangers was a Chevy dealer...he was selling performance Pontiacs out of the used car department. Some vintage ads from Wangers Chevrolet.




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  #427  
Old 11-29-2011, 07:12 AM
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Default Wangers Billboard

Found this pic some time back and posted it in the Vintage photo thread in the lobby. Imagine Wangers advertising at a dragstrip!

Check out the Royal Bobcat emblem styled sign on top too...."The Milwaukee Classic".
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  #428  
Old 11-29-2011, 04:49 PM
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Default Towne Pontiac

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Originally Posted by gto4door View Post
Thanks for asking around. I was hoping we could find out more about the Towne Pontiac 68-1/2 Ram-Bunctious Firebird. Maybe the modifications made on that car were a precursor to the Blackbird or vice versa.....who knows? Hopefully someone with info on Towne Pontiac will come forward someday. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
I just got an e-mail from Jim Wangers regarding your question about the Towne Royal conection. Remember the whole theory behind Royal Pontiac was to show case "Streetable" performance. Having a daily driver that you could go racing with on the weekend. Drive to the track and drive home.

Here is Jim's response to me;

Eric,

Sorry for the delay in my response. I do indeed remember this incident. The guys from Towne Pontiac / Cadillac located in Winnipeg Manitoba came to Royal and did spend a great deal of time with Milt Schornak, Dave Warren and even Brian Balish. This was late summer 1967, shortly after the Firebird became available in Canada. They returned to their dealership and built a pretty competitive car. In spite of their aggressive invitation nobody from Royal ever went to Canada.

As they became more experienced, they learned more about Super-Duty and aftermarket equipment, including manual-lash valve train, building a serious non-streetable Racecar, and went far beyond the Royal Bobcat concept. They became just another Dealer who sponsored a competitive Racecar and expected their customers to flock to their shop just to admire THAT car. From mid-'68 we never heard from them again as they felt they had surpassed the Royal Bobcat level.

Hope this helps. Regards to the family.

Jim Wangers

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  #429  
Old 11-29-2011, 05:13 PM
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Default Milwaukee Classic

Quote:
Originally Posted by 70Steve View Post
Found this pic some time back and posted it in the Vintage photo thread in the lobby. Imagine Wangers advertising at a dragstrip!

Check out the Royal Bobcat emblem styled sign on top too...."The Milwaukee Classic".
I have a close up of the "Milwaukee Classic" emblem some where.

Jim Wangers like playing with paint schemes and emblems form the very beginning. Jim being about "Image" is the person most responsible for all of the Bobcat paint and emblems designs. He'd doodle these things out then have others from the ad agencies art department finalize them.

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  #430  
Old 11-29-2011, 07:14 PM
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Default More info on the 1967 Royal Bobcat White GTO's

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Oh, I didnt realize Politzer was driving whatever GTO might be available to him on a given night. I thought it was his OWN GTO that was reported in the article.

Now that must have been something to be able to just grab the car that was running the fastest at that time and going out looking for a race. BTW I thought that was a funny word to be calling the guys that were "Wannabe" street racers, "Strokers"?

Don
Don,
Here is even more info on some MORE changes to the 1967 GTO Royal Bobcats. Dave Warren tested several different cam shafts for a "Popular Hot Rodding" article in March 1967.

This is why John "Cheater" Politzer used to shift more by the sound of the engines then by the tach. He just had to listen for valve float.
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Last edited by Dr. Eric M. Schiffer; 11-29-2011 at 07:22 PM.
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  #431  
Old 11-29-2011, 07:52 PM
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Default CARS Magazine 1969 Royal Bobcat 428 Grand Prix

How about a red 1969 Grand Prix Royal Bobcat 428 with white Bobcat paint scheme? This was Jim Wangers Model J 428 4 speed Grand Prix.

Continued one more post
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Old 11-29-2011, 08:05 PM
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Default 1969 Royal Bobcat Grand Prix Test

Continued.

I throw in a couple of other items. One is just before the Woodward Dream Cruise in 1997 at the Royal Oak Tribune. We used the hood of my '68 GTO to display Jim's art work with Jim.

The other picture is an all day shoot we did in 2004, We had film crews every where. The results: "Cruisin' Wooward with Jim Wangers", "Hot Rod TV" and for "PBS Great Cars GTO".
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  #433  
Old 11-29-2011, 08:31 PM
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Default 1966 Geeto Tiger tie in with Radio station

How about a tie in with a local '60's radio station. You can see the 1966 GeeTo Tiger behind the DJ's.

The DJ's had a race the Tiger day at the strip. Where the popular Dick Purtain raced one of the Geeto Tigers against the Mystery Tiger, John Politzer. Dick Purtain made it all the way down the track without shifting. Fortunately on a few push rods got bent.

Years later this incident made for great conversation when Jim Wangers and I met with Bill Stedman 104.7 radio's program manager. 104.7 is the major sponsor of the Dream Cruise and where Dick Purtian now worked. We presented Jim's Geeto Tiger print for Dick Purtain to give away for radio contests, along with Jim's other prints. Dick's drag racing story got aired with a lot of laughter. As Dick told it, his wife was standing next to some one from PMD who kept yelling "SHIFT". That person was Jim Wangers.
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  #434  
Old 11-29-2011, 11:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Dr. Eric M. Schiffer View Post
How about a red 1969 Grand Prix Royal Bobcat 428 with white Bobcat paint scheme? This was Jim Wangers Model J 428 4 speed Grand Prix.

Continued one more post
got any color pics of this car? i bet that was really good looking combo. hood had to have looked about 2 miles long.

  #435  
Old 11-30-2011, 12:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Dr. Eric M. Schiffer View Post
Don,
Here is even more info on some MORE changes to the 1967 GTO Royal Bobcats. Dave Warren tested several different cam shafts for a "Popular Hot Rodding" article in March 1967.

This is why John "Cheater" Politzer used to shift more by the sound of the engines then by the tach. He just had to listen for valve float.
Wow, thanks again Doc! Always wondered what magazine article the shot of Dave & Milt lifting the intake of the motor came from.

Don

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  #436  
Old 11-30-2011, 12:13 AM
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How about a red 1969 Grand Prix Royal Bobcat 428 with white Bobcat paint scheme? This was Jim Wangers Model J 428 4 speed Grand Prix.

Continued one more post
I wonder who the other magazine was?

I bet Wangers was pissed off about getting bad press.

What was the real problem as to why the Grand Prix ran bad??


Don

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  #437  
Old 11-30-2011, 09:32 AM
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Default Father and Son

Just thought I would add to this excellent thread.
This is a pic of Asa Sr & Jr at "Ace's" place "up north" in Michigan.

Mark





  #438  
Old 11-30-2011, 02:58 PM
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Default Walloon Lake?

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Just thought I would add to this excellent thread.
This is a pic of Asa Sr & Jr at "Ace's" place "up north" in Michigan.

Mark




Mark,
Great old picture. I'm assuming this is from Walloon Lake.
Ace Sr. told me about a hunting lodge on several acres he bought for his friends to hunt on up north. Do you know anything about it? When Sr. was in his 90's he had already given up driving. He told me he was upset he had no one to go with. Even though I was not a hunter. I sometimes regret I never volunteered to take him one last time.
Eric

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  #439  
Old 11-30-2011, 03:13 PM
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Brian,
Remembers Towne Pontiac Cadillac after I sent him Jim Wangers response. Here is Brian's email:

Eric, I have to chalk one up to Jim as he brought back vague memories, and I remember them at Royal but never new much more than the work given me at the time. There was so much that we did and accomplished over those years that I'm amazed at what Jim still remembers.

Hope you guys had a great holiday.

Regards,
Brian M. Ballish

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  #440  
Old 11-30-2011, 04:14 PM
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Quote:
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What was the real problem as to why the Grand Prix ran bad??


Don
Per the article, it was later found to have some broken piston rings.

All this info and the articles/attachments are great, thanks for posting!

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