Million Dollar Musclecars; Unsolicited Book Review

[bashton]

I was able to pick up Colin Comers new book "Million Dollar Musclecars" at the recent Mecum Auction, (Thanks Colin!) and thought I would offer an "unsolicited" review;

Since I rarely have the opportunity to actually sit down and spend time reading a book, (other then when I am flying to a show), I found myself anxious to get my hands on this one. I should have snagged one of the first books that Colin offered at the Charity Auction at SCR10, but Charlie kept outbidding me so...

I am here to say that Colin has managed to knock my long time favorite car book, "American Muscle" by Randy Leffingwell to the #2 spot!

David Newhardts photography is outstanding and I found it hard to put this book down. Colin offers some great insight while covering all kinds of interesting history of not only the cars in general, but the specific featured cars and their owners. I find it incredibly interesting to hear where these cars were found and who owned them and where they are now. Some great stories here!

The selection is spot-on and well represents what most of us would love to have in our own garages if we had an unlimited budget. Chevy, Mopar, Ford, Pontiac, Buick....they are all in here.

There is even an "Alternatives" chapter for cars that have not hit the "Three comma" mark...yet!

My review; Four Stars. I recommend you go out asap and pick one up for yourself, then buy a few more at Chevy Vettefest where Mr. Comer will be signing them near his beautiful 68 Yenko Camaro and a particular 69 Yenko Chevelle!

Coincidentally, the 71 Hemi Cuda Convertible that graces the cover was also featured in the American Muscle book when Otis Chandler held the title. I feel honored to know that I was able to meet Mr. Chandler many years ago before he passed and have also had the pleasure of meeting the current owner and viewing this car (and others) in his collection.

You will find several members cars in this book; Congrats to the owners of these fine machines and Thanks for allowing Colin to chronicle a bit of Musclecar History in a format that we can all enjoy.

In closing, let me sum it up in this way; GO BUY THIS BOOK! You won't regret it. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

Congratulations Colin/BA http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif

[DarrenX33]

I thumbed thru this book to. I think it is a must have. Great job Colin. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[jimbo]

How does a mere mortal get a copy of this book?

[njsteve]

[ QUOTE ]
Coincidentally, the 71 Hemi Cuda Convertible that graces the cover was also featured in the American Muscle book when Otis Chandler held the title. I feel honored to know that I was able to meet Mr. Chandler many years ago before he passed and have also had the pleasure of meeting the current owner and viewing this car (and others) in his collection.


[/ QUOTE ]

So what does Colin say about my old car?...and how gently I treated it. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i30/nk15268a/yellowcuda2.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i30/nk15268a/yellowcuda1.jpg


Slowest damn hemi car I ever had: 14.05 @ 103 mph (The real reason I sold it!) http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif

[bashton]

Come to think of it, we have also crossed paths Mr. njsteve. Been a few years though, at Mopar Nats as I recall.

BA

[Stefano]

I got my copy. One of the best Muscle Car Picture Books available!

[dnphoto]

I want to thank you for your wonderful, unsolicited book review. Colin and I worked hard to ensure that it was correct, interesting and wouldn't waste anyones time. Your review, coming from someone deep in the hobby means far more than from a "civilian". Thank you again. David Newhardt

[olredalert]

------I also bought a copy at the auction and have throughly enjoyed every page. Pics are unbelievably crisp and writing as stated before is great. I really feel like its a must have automotive arena book!!!.....Bill S

[Xplantdad]

Still waiting for mine to arrive...maybe I'll get it at SEMA? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[67rscoupe]

[ QUOTE ]
How does a mere mortal get a copy of this book?

[/ QUOTE ]

you can purchase the book online at

http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Mus...0578&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Muscle-Cars-Collectible-Performance/dp/0760329524/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-7839845-9778002?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192340578&sr=8-1)

[bashton]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How does a mere mortal get a copy of this book?

[/ QUOTE ]

you can purchase the book online at

http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Mus...0578&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Muscle-Cars-Collectible-Performance/dp/0760329524/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-7839845-9778002?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192340578&sr=8-1)

[/ QUOTE ]

I saw them on display at Border's last night also. And after you get one for yourself, buy a few extra copies for your best friends at Vettefest November 17-18. Christmas is coming!

Rumor is maybe even Charlie and Mr. Barnhardt will also sign it for you at the show....or would that be Charles?

BA http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[bashton]

[ QUOTE ]
I want to thank you for your wonderful, unsolicited book review. Colin and I worked hard to ensure that it was correct, interesting and wouldn't waste anyones time. Your review, coming from someone deep in the hobby means far more than from a "civilian". Thank you again. David Newhardt

[/ QUOTE ]

Truly my pleasure, you guys did a great job and besides...I "call 'em as I see 'em!".

BA

[m22mike]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Coincidentally, the 71 Hemi Cuda Convertible that graces the cover was also featured in the American Muscle book when Otis Chandler held the title. I feel honored to know that I was able to meet Mr. Chandler many years ago before he passed and have also had the pleasure of meeting the current owner and viewing this car (and others) in his collection.


[/ QUOTE ]

So what does Colin say about my old car?...and how gently I treated it. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i30/nk15268a/yellowcuda2.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i30/nk15268a/yellowcuda1.jpg


Slowest damn hemi car I ever had: 14.05 @ 103 mph (The real reason I sold it!) http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Cool shot of car @ Quaker City, right ??
Mike A

[Tenney]

Sounds cool. Look forward to checking it out.

[njsteve]

[ QUOTE ]

Cool shot of car @ Quaker City, right ??
Mike A

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, that was from the old days when you could rev an original born-with engine to 7000 rpm at a musclecar shootout without your investment portfolio advisor having a coronary.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[TimG]

I picked up a copy at the Mecum auction and we enjoyed it all the way back to Austin. You know you're way too deep in this hobby when you flip each page and know most of the cars presented in the book. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[William]

The Yellow Hemi 'cuda shown here is the pinnacle of missed opportunity. It was sold new by Lubotsky Chrysler-Plymouth in Milwaukee. The second owner put it up for sale in 1981 for the unheard of price of $13,000. We all thought he was nuts and it did take some time to sell.

Never look back.

[csx289]

Thanks for all the kind words. After months of being tied to a laptop writing it is nice to hear that people are enjoying reading it! As David mentioned, it was my goal to write a muscle car book that wasn't the same as most others, i.e., stats and specs, performance figures, and the like. I wanted to write a book that told the stories of some very special cars and their owners. It is a car book that even non-car people can enjoy because the stories go far beyond the "nuts and bolts" of what the cars are. I think it really shows the passion people have always had for the cars, and how important they have been to people bitten by the bug long before cars were treated as "investment portfolios" http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

David's photography is indeed top notch, as always. Nobody knows how to shoot muscle cars better!

Again, thanks for all the kind words. They are much appreciated. Any and all feedback is always welcomed, don't hesitate to bend my ear at a show or email me at [email protected]

Best regards,
Colin Comer

[427TJ]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How does a mere mortal get a copy of this book?

[/ QUOTE ]

you can purchase the book online at

http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Mus...0578&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Muscle-Cars-Collectible-Performance/dp/0760329524/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-7839845-9778002?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192340578&sr=8-1)

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the link, I just bought a copy plus five other car books I've wanted for a while. Now that the rains have come to the Pac-NW I'll need some good books to get me through!

[Xplantdad]

Bill...check out page 55... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[agtw31]

[ QUOTE ]


http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i30/nk15268a/yellowcuda1.jpg


Slowest damn hemi car I ever had: 14.05 @ 103 mph (The real reason I sold it!) http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

if you came off the line like that,14.05 is flying. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[njsteve]

Nope, just warming the tires up. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif
I tried rolling it out slow, flashing the converter, and just plain stompin' the gas, and it just didn't want to play nice and turn a good time. So I sold it and bought a Ferrari.

I thought I was so smart selling an old Plymouth and buying an exoticar with the money. Boy was I wrong! I sold the Ferrari 6 months later and bought the 70 R/T SE hemi Charger I still have, a factory 68 hemi Dart race car with an NOS 426 hemi engine, and a 1971 440 six-barrel automatic cuda ragtop (now owned by Steve Juliano). So, I guess I came out ahead (for that period of time back in the late 1980s) http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[njsteve]

Just got my copy today. $21.92 at www.OverStock.com. (http://www.OverStock.com.) Great book!

Just have one correction on the old yellow cuda chapter: the color was Lemon Twist, not Curious Yellow. Other than that glaring defect http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif, it was fun to read up on my Forest Gump moment in musclecar history.

So Colin, now that you did the book on 7-figure cars, when are you going to do the next book on 6-figure cars? (at least while they are still worth 6 figures http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

I think we could fill up a heck of a book with all the members cars here on the site. I would be happy to volunteer a car or two.

[Canuck]

Colin

Bought the book this past weekend and enjoyed it immensely. I particularly liked the detailed stories associated with each entry. Most car books have a few photos and some meaningless statistics (some wrong) on their entries.

Being a long time resident of Vancouver and participant of Westwood Race Course I enjoyed the story on the Brown Bros GT350. They are still in business here and still sell a lot of Mustangs. Additionally I enjoyed seeing the photos of the restored 71 W-30 convert. I was bidding on that one on Ebay when it was listed. Nice work-what are the long term plans for that one?

[Stuart Adams]

Very good book. Great job Colin.

[Charley Lillard]

Still waiting for the one I overpaid for at the Reunion.

[JChlupsa]

[ QUOTE ]
Still waiting for the one I overpaid for at the Reunion.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think thats the copy that Belair is getting autographed and ready to ship before X-MAS http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[Stuart Adams]

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/haha.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/haha.gif

[77Z28]

Colin thank you for writing book. Very enjoyable. I shared book with Dad recenetly when in town and he was amazed at what these cars are going for since he lived through this period.

Charlie you have a beautiful 69 Trans Am. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif

Todd http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif

[427.060]

I bought a copy a month or so ago. Very nice book. Between Charlie and Colin, it seems like they own about half the cars in there. Great cars.
James

[csx289]

Thanks again guys- glad you all like the book.

James - while I'm both Charley and I would love to own most of the cars in the book, we actually only own(ed) a few. Charley owned the 69 T/A convert, but it was sold before the book came out (to SYC member Phil S). Charley still owns the Super Snake because he is a punk and won't let me have it http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

I owned the 2 65 GTO's but I recently sold them. Outside of those 2 cars, the only other one of my cars featured is the '68 Mr. Norms GSS440 Dart. I used my W30 convert as an example of finding a cool car on eBay in the Appendix on Alternatives to Million-Dollar Muscle.

The SYC member who can lay claim to the most cars in the book is Dave C, who has the following featured:
'70 Hemi Challenger Convert, '71 Hemi Cuda Convert, '69 RS ZL1 Camaro, (former) '69 Yenko 427 Nova, '70 Judge RAIV convert, '70 LS6 Chevelle convert, and in the Alternatives - his '70 Buick GS Stage 1 convert.

Runner-up SYC members are these "lightweights" with one car each http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif : Ken Barnhart (69 ZL1), Dana Mecum (68 Z28 Convert), Les Quam (66 GT350 Drag Car), and Mike G (71 Sox & Martin Hemi Cuda).

Funny how Dave C hasn't bought a book yet, isn't it? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Again, thanks for all of the positive feedback. It is much appreciated.

Colin

[csx289]

Was just sent this from one of my hoser friends in Canada, eh http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/haha.gif

A review from today's Calgary Herald:

[ QUOTE ]
Calgary Herald, Dec. 7, 2007

Review

The second Christmas wish list book boasts no insights into fuel-sipping vehicles. Rather, Million-Dollar Muscle Cars by Colin Comer attempts to discern why some of the high-horsepower American-built machines of the 1960s and early '70s have attained dizzying prices.

Comer started restoring cars when he was 13. He's since been involved with just about every facet of the auto industry, from dealerships to specialty restoration shops. His shop, Colin's Classic Automobiles in Milwaukee, has become a well-respected collector car rebuild and sales facility.

Published by Motorbooks (motorbooks.com), Million-Dollar Muscle Cars: The Stories Behind the Most Collectible Cars of the Performance Era (ISBN 978-0-7603-2952-8, 192 pages, hardcover) is lavishly illustrated by lensman David Newhardt.

Comer indicates in his introduction: "Muscle cars were never intended to be valuable. In fact, the whole idea behind muscle cars was to make them inexpensive and fast . . . and aimed squarely at the youth market."

He then highlights in the following chapters how a handful of muscle cars, including the 1965 Shelby GT350R, 1968 Camaro Z/28 convertible and 1970-1971 'Cuda and Challenger Hemi convertibles have become desirable enough to be worth more than a million dollars.

While most enthusiasts don't have the funds to purchase a million dollar muscle car, Comer includes an appendix of Alternatives to Million-Dollar Muscle, and in the Real-World Buyers Guide he explains how not to get scammed, regardless of the price.



[/ QUOTE ]

[Tenney]

Scored a copy. Great read. Great pics, too (great for a guy who reads like me!).

[Jeff Murphy]

[ QUOTE ]
Still waiting for the one I overpaid for at the Reunion.

[/ QUOTE ]

Me too http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[Xplantdad]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Still waiting for the one I overpaid for at the Reunion.

[/ QUOTE ]

Me too http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

It should be on it's way. I got mine yesterday. I had to "light a fire" under Mr. Newhardt to mail them out http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Now I just have to find time to look at it! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Can't wait to read it...

BTW, thanks for the very cool note "up front" Colin! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[novarichie]

ordered a copy from amazon.com on tues,looking forward to reading it http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif