Dave,
Good to hear from you all the way from New Zealand.
Ain't the Net and e-mail grand?!?
I'll insert comments into your msg below. I'm going
to send this to the FL list. It's long, but some of
the other Forward Lookers might be interested. (If
any of you object to these rather long postings, let
me know & I'll cease & desist.)
At 09:21 AM 4/25/99 +1200, you wrote:
>Hi Ken,
> Dave Agnew in New Zealand here. I was very
interested in your
>articles on the list regarding your time as a
motoring correspondent in
>the '50's and '60's. Found a few of your road tests
in "Chrysler 300,
>Gold Portfolio 1955-70", a Brooklands book,including
the April '60 test
>of a 4 speed.
I'll have to look for that book. I've never seen it,
but several other people have mentioned it since I
wrote about the 300 in Forward Look.
Chris Whelan found a copy of the May 1955 article I
wrote on the original Chrysler 300. In fact, he found
2 copies and was kind enough to send me one. He also
posted the article on his website:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rapilje \
> I am lucky enough to own a 300F, bought it in
1993 and 5 years
>later,it's still under restoration.
Lucky you! The F was a dandy!
>However,like a lot of old car nuts,
>one has to acquire every bit of literature one can
on one's car.
>Recently I bought a black and white folder featuring
the 300F. It has a
>photo of a convert( 4 speed).on the front and says
'Chrysler Auto Show
>News'. Open it and there is Bob Rodger at the wheel
of a 4 speed. an
>article on Brewster Shaw about driving the F on
Daytona Beach,it
>mentions an 18 minute film you can see at your local
dealer's, ( I have
>a copy on video),and on the back page,the car's
specs and a photo of
>your good self holding a stop watch and busy writing
something on a
>clipboard.
That is news to me! I don't recall the folder, but
apparently it was done while I was Auto Ediutor of
Popular Science, in which the original 300F article
(also on Chris; website) appeared. Frankly, I don't
recall the circumstances of that test. It was a
hectic time; we were doing 10,000-mile road tests of
new cars during that period and I was also traveling
a lot covering things like the Indy 500, Mobil
Economy Run, Daytona & Nassau SpeedWeeks and car
company press preivews. etc. I was away from home --
and my family, with 3 small children -- a great deal.
That's why I left Pop Sci after just over 2 years to
take a job in the Detroit office of Kenyon & Eckhardt
ad agency.
> Just exactly where this folder came from ,I don't
know. I'm assuming
>that it was a giveaway at some Chrysler auto show,as
the name suggests.
I'm sure you're right on that. I can't remember
whether it was a Chrysler photographer of a Pop Sci
staffer who shot the pix for that article. It may
well have been someone from Chrysler, so they would
have had a lot of pix from the shoot.
> We all know that there were only 7 or so 4
speeds built, and who's
>got them now. In the 1960 Ross Roy 18 minute film,
it shows Bob >Rodger in a 4 speed convert,the car is
red and the one on the cover of >this folder is a
dark colour, perhaps red. Was this just a mock up for
>the photo shoot, or do you know if a red 4 speed was
actually built?
I can't say for sure, but I think it was an actual
car, not a mockup.
> The one you tested for Popular Science was
white, I'll bet it was a
>buzz to drive one of these when it was new!!!
I always loved the 300-series Chrysler, some more
than others, and the F was a favorite. It was a kick
to drive it, as you can tell from my article.
> Anyway, thought I'd drop you a line and say,
'Got any more of those >good old stories?'
>
> Regards, Dave
>PS. The F is my consuming passion, I have spent
years getting new
>parts,bits that were missing etc,and want it to be
as good as I can get
>it. Can't afford to have a lot of work farmed out,
so I'm doing it
>myself. Estimated date back on the road, 2002!!!!
Good luck, and thanks for writing.
Ken Fermoyle
===
Ken Fermoyle, columnist & publisher
FERMOYLE PUBLICATIONS
22250 Capulin Court
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
In the beginning was the word...
and don't you forget it!
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