Well, about the 73 Imperial . . . it seemed I cannot do much with it. The
asking price is OK but the cost of shipping it is prohibitive to everyone.
I got to thinking about this and wondered why. If this was a 56 Imperial in
similar condition, I think it'd already be gone. Or a 68, for that matter.
But, of course, it isn't. It's a fuselage era Imperial and well, gosh, they
just don't seem to light the same intensity of fire in people, do they?
The more I thought about that it occurred to me I was getting the right
answer to the wrong question. Price is not the issue, it's value. Being an
ex car salesman, I should have known that. No one buys anything if it has
no value. I thought I was being honest about the car but the reality is I
was saying, this thing has no value. I have received one or two gracious
offers by list members to take it off my hands for free. One went so far to
say he would take it if I would pay to ship it to him. These messages were
just the hint I needed to realize I had projected this car as being all but
worthless. In all the time the museum has had the car, I have never taken a
picture of the 58 and the 73 Imperial together. The more I thought about
this, the more amused I became, because there is an obvious solution, but it
requires a different attitude.
And so, I have decided to take an entirely different tack. While I was
working on our two fire trucks today, getting them ready for some Fiesta
parades this weekend, I asked Tony, the guy who helped me out so much with
the 58 in the beginning, if he wouldn't mind help me get the 73 running.
Back in those days, I was actively being kept off the museum board. I was
the 'dangerous' newcomer who was shaking things up just a bit too much.
Since then I was Chairman for four years and am now the museum's first paid
employee in 40 years. Tony quit the museum for a while, just before I
became chairman, over an incident involving his son. I am so glad he is
back. He has a natural talent for trouble shooting vehicles, honed, no
doubt, under fire in Vietnam, where working in the motor pool was a very
risky business.
The logic behind investing time, effort and probably money into a
"worthless" car is certainly counter intuitive, but I think that it will
turn out to be a really good move. The city Parks department wants it gone
because it is essentially an abandoned vehicle. If it is running again,
they won't care if it stays or goes, it simply won't register with them. It
will also be nice to have another working vehicle out there, for any number
of reasons. For example, the curator's car is in the shop right now and he
could use the Imperial if it was running. Due to a financial crunch, Tony
and his wife are down to one vehicle. If we get it running, it'll be fine
with me if they use it. A friend of mine in the local Mopar club has had an
eye for the thing but his finances are stretched to the limit. His favorite
era is the early 70s and there is very little he doesn't know about 440s.
He has a Plymouth GTX but also a wife and two kids. It's be cool for him to
use the Imperial in some of the many cruises we both like to take part in.
At the very least we can move it without towing it, which is no small thing.
It should also make it a more attractive item to sell, should we decide to
do so. Instead of having to say 'I don't know' to important questions like,
'Do the windows all work?' I'll be able to proudly state whether they do or
not. It may make it more attractive to other Imperialists. It may even
come to pass that whoever buys it will be able to come down here and drive
it home, or I'll drive it to them I can get a rail ticket back, a lovely way
to travel.
What I realized was that although several people have tried to get this car
running, the one person who has never tried is me. I am a big believer in
the phrase, 'Never underestimate the power of a committed individual.'
There are things that have been done at the museum by several people that it
was thought could not or should not be done. Remarkably successful things.
I think it's time to get the 73 rolling. Just as with the 58, what is there
to lose?
Hugh
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