Just getting back home, from the Phoenix Festivities. Got together with
Dave Homstad & Mike Meyer, @ the sat nite cruze-in.
Notably finned, there, were a 56 Fireflite convie in full Pacecar
regalia; #1-ish condition, fine car dunno who owns it.
Also there was a 60 "Plymouth" 2-dr post :"Fleet Car" , with radio and
cigarette lighter delete, but with T/flite and 361 originally; someone
said it now sports a 65 383.
I put 'quotes' around "Plymouth" , above as there were NO nameplates on
the car, but one
'dingbat', on the upper-fin.
Neat car, belonging to Merrells Classics, of Denver(?). I've got their
email address, & will invite them to the FWDLK world-wide network (along
w/ another fin-atic Ron Mog & I met @ a watering hole.)
Anyway, Dave will be staying in P-town til next THUR---I'm c.c.'ing him,
in case he gets this, & wants to provide his own input, ASAP.
He saw the Golden-D500 on WED; I saw it on THUR; both times the car, &
also "Howard Hughes' "
57 IMP , immediately next too it, were cordoned off , nose-toward, &
close-to, the rope.
Observations: the body-work was straight, & the doors were hanging well.
I'm no fan of clear-coating, and the final-finish was one of
heavy-obvious application.
The 'restorer' 24K gold-plated the hood-nameplate, instead of
finding/installing a chrome piece.
Dave spotted an aftermarket front (anyway) D500 emblem: the depth of the
flag-"checkerboards" is considerably 'more' than that of O.E.M.
He also said that the upholstery cloth (the visible upper portions
thereof) were known to him to be SMS, in the correct pattern.
For the engine, the restorer saw fit to install 1958+ OVAL air cleaners
(albeit painted D500-red) , and Dave noted that the gentleman also
installed the readily-available Offenhauser
dual-4-barrell intake manifold.
In other words: a fairly representative example of what appears at
auctions--a pretty car which just happens to be somewhat less
'authentic' than what it might appear to be, to the (rich) casual
observer.
OH YEAH: almost forgot (my photographs still need to be developed) ....
the restorer had a medium-sized 'professional-quality' sign board
produced, which stated that the D500-1 (iirc) dual 4-bbl "option" was
installed, during the resto, BUT, that there "were only" 50 Golden
Lancer 2-dr H.T.'s produced, (all CRL's?) , and that they all were D500
models, so, a prospective bidder/buyer would be led to believe that 'he'
would be acquiring a 1-of-50 D500/Hemi car.
I photographed a very nice, unrestored 56 CRL 2-dr ht (non-D500) Golden
Lancer, @ the 1980 Squaw Valley CA car show (before I ever knew about
their sub-model rarety) .
Dave has seen a Coronet and a CRL(?) 4 dr sedan Golden Lancer, and a
non-D500 G.L., so he does not believe , & has seen no actual/real
documentation, that the Golden Lancers were a limited-production, or
exclusively D500, model.
They ARE rare, though!
As far as the many-other exclusive 1956 D-500-1 (race-car-type)
suspension/driveline options ; the car sat 'low', but I couldn't count
the leaf springs, or look @ the brakes, etc.
My guess is that the restorer merely installed a dual 4-bbl set-up onto
a real (apparently) regular single 4-bbl D500 CRL Golden Lancer.
Neil Vedder
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