mystery car

[John H.]

I parked cars in St.Louis county 1963--thru 1966 at upscale restuarant.Busch's Grove Restuarent on Clayton Blvd. A well dressed man would pull in for valet
parking driving a Corvette. It was a silver coupe with black interior. 4-Speed
It had a roll bar across the headrest area. Roll bar was very large in diameter.
Rear portion of car had a flip-up large aircraft type gas cap. Also had rear
exhausts out the rear that were capped off with very large screw-on caps.
Car also had side exhausts. Clutch was very hard to keep on the floor, like
more than twice the normal pedal pressure to push it down.
I don't recall being able to see all the way through the rear glass area.
As if it was possibly partially blocked off. Car idled very, very rough, it
shaked just sitting there. I dont recall the hood shape but I dont think
it's shape was that of a L-88. I also dont recall the side vent fender area.
This man ate lunch about every 2 weeks at this restuarant.
What do you think this car was? Any special model?
By the way I was about 17 years old then, and the lot manager was still
working there 40 years later when I last checked about 2 years ago.
I recently heard that the restuarant closed recently. Big John

[Don 42616]

Re: mystery car

John, I parked cars also 50 years ago on La Ceinaga Blvd. at all the best restourants. Herb Citron was the boss. I was fired for smashing the tail fins of a 67 Cadillac!!!!!! (tight spot next to phone pole) Do not remember mystery car . Don

[Don 42616]

Make that a 57 cad. *NM*

[Joseph T.]

Re: mystery car

John

I worked in Clayton and had lunch at the Grove on occasion. I will ask around about the silver coupe!

It could have been an SCCA car as there were a number of racecar owners in the St.Louis area...as well as Mcdonnell Douglas engineers, St.Louis plant exec's, Scott Air Force base and lots of Corvettes...and the Plant!

I think we forget how these racecars were thought of during the developing years of NCRS.

I remember a one owner 57 and its owner at Bloomington ..who felt out of place with his 57 racecar..now that car would be at the head of the pecking order.

The custom cars..were another story..treated like total orphans! So much so..even a few genuine GM styling cars were treated in the same manner..thought of as custom cars.

Over 30 years one comes to appreciate every car...for what it is.

[Jerry S.]

F4 builder

McDonnel Aircraft,

[Loren L.]

Re: mystery car

In 1963, John Simonson had a small chain of gas stations scattered throughout North Dakota. John was also a member of the Grant Piston Ring 200 MPH club from Bonneville - 208+ two way average in 1962(?) in a blown Chrysler '53 Studebaker - his ride to the gas stations was a Daytona Blue 1963 coupe with a 4" X 4" SBC working through 3.08 gears. ND law allows you to drive on a work permit after you lose your license if your livelihood depends on it - if you stay clean for 3 years, you get your license back; when I left ND in 1969, John had been on a work permit for 11 years. His next car was a '65 396.

[Clem Z.]

Re: mystery car

back in those days a lot of owners who raced their corvettes in SCCA drove their cars to the track,uncapped the exhaust and raced. the roll bar was required equiptment. you hoped you did not wreck but it was a "gentlemans" sport back then. we were just having a meeting last night with the people from the NCM about inducting don yenko into the NCM hall of fame this year and the people from yenko and gulf oil that were there talked about how they had to ***** foot around the gulf oil sponsership because that was the very first time in sports cars racing that a very large corperation sponsered a sports car racer other than the back door deals the car companies did. SCCA back then was just to be for amateur racing and big time sponsered racers were not welcomed.

[Mike E.]

Re: mystery car

This thread is fun for me--having owned the 62 Gulf car and researching that over a many-year basis, and learning the hoops and hurdles they dealt with with FIA and SCCA. Also, from 1969-1973 I was a student at Concordia Seminary in Clayton. I remember looking at a 62 in an apartment complex around Laclede Station Rd. and highway 66, if my memory serves correctly. It had been stolen, and the drive train pulled out of it and then was dumped back on the street. The owner got it back, put a 307 with a three speed in it. Trouble is, the three speed had the short tailshaft, so the shifter would have come up near the clock. He simply enlarged the hole in the body for the shifter, put a vise grip on the reverse/first lever, and another on the 2nd/3rd lever, and you had to reach through the hole and shift the vise grips. It was a complete and running car---I passed at $300.
Ah, the reminiscing!

[Joseph T.]

Re: mystery car

MIke

The photographer that took progress photo's at the St.Louis Plant for GM lived in Ladue.

Here is one of his other pictures taken at a photoshoot at the Zoo.

Anyone care to add a caption!

Mike..my oldest daughter went to St.Joseph's

Joe

[Larry P.]

I had forgotten until now ---

In 1961 I worked for Larken Parking in St.Louis and we were working a party at a private home off Ladue Road. We would drive the cars away from the home and out onto Ladue and up to a church parking lot. From the parking lot it was a short walk back down to the home. I was given a Red 62 four speed to park. I was 16 years old and when I turned onto Ladue Road I discovered the differance between a 62 Vette and my 51 Chevy. When I stomped on it I almost lost it.
I was completely suprised by the power and when I parked it I was shaking.
I had forgotton about that until somebody mentioned parking cars.
LP

[Larry P.]

I also worked on F4's in 1963 *NM*

[Joseph T.]

Re: I also worked on F4's in 1963

Larry

I restored a red 62 from the Ladue area..could have been the same car.

Did you know a guy Skip Long at McDonnell..he worked there for years until retirement. He lived in Bridgeton and his son flew fighter planes in the marines..and now commercial planes out of Spirit of St.Louis I think.

Are you still in the St.Louis area?

[Clem Z.]

were there brown stains on the drivers seat? *NM*

[Larry P.]

Re: I also worked on F4's in 1963

Yes, I have a business in Maryland Heights and live in St.Charles.
I only worked at McDonnell for about a year and didn't know him.
Larry

[Larry P.]

No Clem, because I was scared $###less! *NM*