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| You never forget your first love. For some, it’s a childhood memory of a car they wanted and couldn’t afford until now. For others, it’s owning a piece of history, or a beautiful expression of the automaker’s art. Some just like to escape from everyday life for a little while. Whatever their reasons, a number of area doctors have taken a shine to classic cars. “I’ve always liked the idea of low-production cars,†says Dr. James Cherry, who’s owned a 2003 Anniversary Edition Lotus Esprit for the past three years. The British-made car has a twin turbo V-8 engine that he’s gotten up to 120 mph, and will go from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds. “The Lotus gives you tremendous performance at a lower cost than other exotic cars like Ferraris, Maseratis or Lamborghinis,†says Cherry. “Plus, there’s the uncommon aspect of it. The total number of Lotuses made in the company’s 25 years is less than one year’s production of Porsches. People notice when you drive by in this car.†Although he enjoys driving the Lotus, Cherry’s original love was American-made. “My first car was a ’69 Corvette Can Am that had been blown up at a race track. I rebuilt it myself, and drove it all through the time I was in dental school.†Now, Cherry is restoring another ’69 Corvette, an L89. This animal of a car with Chevy’s big block engine is also a rarity; only 390 of them were ever produced. The L89 was a special version of the L71 model that featured aluminum cylinder heads. The 427-cubic-inch engine delivers 435 horsepower. “It’s bumpy and noisy to drive, but it’s a time machine that sure brings back some memories,†says Cherry. “It was a muscle car in its time, without a back seat.†Corvettes also fascinate Dr. Tim Parker, although he prefers the newer models. “I have a C5 now, and had a C4 before that one. I haven’t bought the new C6…yet,†he says. Parker’s first car was a Mustang, and he even raced those for a couple of years at the drag strip in Gainesville. He still owns a super-charged 1990 Mustang GT, one of the third-generation Mustangs that are among America’s most popular. “It’s not exotic, but I just had it repainted, and it looks brand new. My wife wanted me to get rid of it years ago, but I just never could bring myself to do it.†Dr. Nidel Elias fell in love with the body style of his ’96 Porsche Carrera, and now loves the car for its handling. The model was based on the Porsche 993 race car, and was introduced as the Carrera RS road car in early 1995. Rarity and a place in history as the last true 911 model have put this car in high demand among Porsche fans. The flat 6 engine was the last of their air-cooled cars, giving it that unmistakable Porsche sound. It tops out at 168-171 mph, and does 0-60 in 5.4 seconds. Elias has also owned a ’69 Chevelle Super Sport and a 2-door Mercury Montego. Although the Porsche handles better than any of his other cars, its appearance was what first drew him to it. “I think it’s the prettiest body style they ever made. When it was time for me to shop for a Porsche, I just didn’t like the new styles. They have never improved on this model.†Not every vehicle is a keeper, though. Elias took a trip to his youth when he bought his second ’75 MGB Roadster. “I had one of those as a kid, and it was my only car. When I saw another one, I just had to have it.†Although he’s done some work on it, the project was taking too much of his time, and the car barely runs now. “I’m just waiting to find somebody who wants to buy it,†he says. The car bug bit hard when it got Dr. William Carriere, who needs more than one garage to house his dozen classic cars. They range from a 1908 Buick tourer with brass trim to a 1995 Hummer—the really big one. In between are such drool-inducing machines as a 1950 Jaguar convertible, a 1923 Buick Phaeton, a 1930 dual-windshield Lincoln Phaeton, a 1959 Thunderbird convertible, a 1942 WW II Jeep, a 1930 Model A Ford and Carriere’s first and favorite classic car—a 1926 Model T Ford. “It’s called a ‘Depot Hack’, but I refer to it as a ‘1926 Hummer’. We drive it off-road all the time,†he says. “It has personality.†For most car-collecting doctors, their love of all things automotive goes back to childhood. Carriere recalls growing up in the 1950s. “We hung out and talked about cars all the time,†he remembers. “When the new models would come out, we’d go downtown to try and see them before anybody else did.†His love for historical collections dovetailed with his love of cars, and another collector was born. The most famous of his cars, the 1908 Buick, was written up in The Florida Times-Union. It used to belong to another doctor in Riverside. When that owner died, the car was found in pieces in the attic of his home. A friend of Dr. Carriere was asked to appraise the estate, recognized the car’s value, then purchased and restored it. The car has been shown at the Amelia Concours d’Elegance, but that was before Carriere bought it. Dr. John Bordelon had also wanted a Ford Thunderbird convertible after seeing one as a child. “One day, I was in the hospital and heard someone saying that their neighbor’s father had just passed away, and he had ’65 T-bird as a part of the estate they were trying to liquidate. He was only the car’s second owner, and had taken good care of it. I went by to look at it and bought it on the spot.†Bordelon’s car has an intricate roof mechanism that takes about two minutes to fold up the roof into the trunk. Another interesting feature is that the speedometer has a red line instead of a moving needle to indicate the car’s speed. “It’s a heavy car, and rides great,†he says. “These cars really show Detroit’s pride in the craftsmanship of the vehicles.†Aside from their aesthetic value, these cars are sometimes a good investment. “You can put your money into a CD, a bond, or a stock, and it’ll just sit there in the bank, or you can put it into something like this. You may not make as much of a return on the car, but the memories it conjures up are priceless,†says Cherry. He notes that of the top 100 sellers at the last Barrett-Jackson Auction, 30 of them were Corvettes, and all went for over $100,000. True purists want everything on a restored car original, but sometimes it’s difficult to determine what was “originalâ€. Elias says the first owner of his 911 thought Porsche’s standard Speed Yellow color was “too yellowâ€, so he ordered the car painted Ferrari Yellow at the factory. He also had the stitching on the seatbelt buckles custom colored to match his taste. Original touches like that can make a car more valuable, since it’s a one-off. If such changes are made later, they can also decrease the vehicle’s value. To make a profit on a car, however, you have to be willing to part with it. Some will, but others are quite adamant: “I will probably always keep this Porsche,†says Elias. If you’re thinking of investment value, don’t overlook the fact that restoring old cars can be quite expensive. “Some of the parts cost more than the original car!†says Cherry, who refers to himself as an “enthusiastâ€: he does the best job he can of restoring the cars, but doesn’t have to have every part exactly like the original. “If the car’s too perfect, you can’t afford to drive it. You don’t want a car that’s a ‘trailer queen’, just being trucked around to shows.†It’s a delicate balance. Driving your classic car is a joy, but driving it too much decreases its value. Elias drives his Porsche two to three times a week, and on special occasions. He has driven it on a racetrack twice and it won an award during a German car show at the World Golf Village. “I tend to baby it, but at Hurley Haywood’s driving school, he really taught us what it can do,†says Cherry. “He told us these cars were meant to be abused.†Cherry drives the Lotus every couple of weeks, and also to special events, but has never shown it anywhere or driven it on a track. Carriere follows his grandchildren in the Model T when they go trick-or-treating and usually takes them to visit Santa in one of his antiques. Most car aficionados buy their vehicles on impulse. “I’ll be somewhere and run across a car, start wheeling and dealing and before I know it, I have another car,†says Cherry. He goes to Corvette shows throughout the region and reads the usual collector magazines. Carriere got his first Model T from “a guy who worked for my son-in-law and liked to restore old cars.†He found his ’55 Mercury Montclair in the Antique Auto Trader. It was in Alabama, where a friend happened to be on a business trip. “I had him go by and look at it for me, and it was in such great condition he actually drove it home from there.†Others have gone the traditional route and bought from a local dealership. All car-collecting doctors agree on one thing: the escape factor. “Working on cars is a way to get away from the daily grind of oral surgery,†says Cherry. “You definitely forget about your day when you get in those cars,†agrees Elias. “There’s a group of us, three Porsches and a Viper, and we get together and just drive on I-95. That’s fun.†In addition to the driving pleasure, Carriere likes to research his cars. “I enjoy reading up on them, and the magazines will run stories about your cars,†he says. Time machines, stress relievers, pieces of history, investments, works of art…classic cars are all of these things and more to North Florida’s car-collecting physicians. With a little research and some extra cash you, too, can join the club! For More Information Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, THE local connection to the international exotic and antique car world, www.ameliaconcours.org Antique Automotive Club of America, national club that holds both competitive and non-competitive meets and events with workshops to educate car owners, www.aaca.org Barrett-Jackson Auctions, collector car auctions held in Scottsdale and Palm Beach, www.barrett-jackson.com Bratton’s Antique Auto Parts, catalog and online parts, www.brattons.com Buy Classic Cars, online marketplace, services and resources, www.buyclassiccars.com Classic Car, “Where Car Lovers Clickâ€, www.classiccar.com Collector Car Trader Online, online marketplace for vehicles and parts, www.collectorcartraderonline.com Hemmings Motor News, monthly magazine that’s considered the “bible†of car collecting, www.hmn.com Horseless Carriage Club of America, for fans of cars from the pre-1916 era, www.hcca.org Old Car Trader, features ads for cars wanted as well as those for sale, www.oldcartrader.com Vintage and Classic, British site for parts and cars, profiles, international event calendar, auctions, www.vintageandclassic.com Vintage Car Collectors, online vehicle locator, resources, auto club directory, and an e-newsletter, www.vintagecarcollectors.com |
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