The last Nickey goes to auction again...

[StealthBird]

It was a no-sale in Chicago last Fall for $125,000, hopefully it will bring the price this time around.



http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2015/...ction/#comments

ESTIMATE: $135,000 - $175,000

This expertly restored 1974 Nickey Camaro Stage III possesses great significance as likely the last L88 Stage III Super Car conversion performed by Nickey Chevrolet before it closed for good in December 1973. According to Nickey Chevrolet Performance Manager Don Swiatek, the car was ordered by a customer who had seen a May 1973 Hot Rod Magazine article about a Nickey L88 Nova, but wanted the Stage III conversion done to a new Camaro, which he ordered with LT trim, power steering and power front disc brakes. Because the complete L88 engine was no longer in production, Nickey ordered an L88 short block and completed the engine using all the correct components from the corporate parts bin, including iron open-chamber heads, 12.5:1 pistons and a Holley 4053 780 CFM four-barrel carburetor on a low-profile LS6 intake manifold, the latter to clear the Camaro’s hood. The Stage III conversion was completed with the installation of subframe connectors and an upgraded 3.23 Positraction 10-bolt rear end. The last known car converted by Nickey Chevrolet before closing its doors at the end of 1973, it was cared for by its original owner for 16 years.

In 1980 the car was purchased by Rocco Lucente of Highwood, Illinois, who drove it for a brief few months before deciding it needed to be made more manageable for everyday driving. He pulled the L88 engine and disassembled it, and as any experienced muscle-car enthusiast might guess, he then lost his initial enthusiasm for the project. Lucente then placed the car in storage, where it remained for the next 28 years. In 2010 it was discovered for sale on Craigslist by Nickey Chicago owner Stefano Bimbi. He arrived at a price with Lucente’s family and then sold the car to collector Mike Guarise, who immediately sent it to Muscle Car Designs in Joliet, Illinois, for a comprehensive rotisserie restoration.

Now showing a believed-correct 33,000 miles, the car is once again powered by the same L88 engine installed by Nickey Chevrolet, using the original Holley 780 CFM four-barrel and teamed with a beefed 350 Turbo automatic and a GM 10-bolt Positraction 4.56 rear end. It is finished as original with Bright Yellow paint and, with the exception of a new carpet, still retains its original and near-perfect Light Neutral interior. Bob Adams of Muscle Car Designs gave special attention to maintaining period authenticity, as evidenced in such details as Lakewood traction bars and Gabriel Hi-Jacker adjustable shocks, 15x8-inch Cragar SS wheels with Nickey center caps and vintage L60-15 Pos-A-Traction Torque Twister tires. The results are superb: the car scored 999 points at the 2013 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, receiving a Concours Gold Certification and the award for the Best Chevrolet-Modified at the show.

Featured on the cover of the February 2014 issue of Muscle Car Review Magazine as “The Last Nickey Camaro,” this milestone Super Camaro has been the subject of two MCR feature articles (including “Swan Song,” June 2011) chronicling its discovery and restoration. The car is documented by N.I.C.B. as delivered new to Nickey Chevrolet in November 17, 1973—just before the end of business in December 1973—and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity by Nickey Chicago and Don Swiatek as a genuine Nickey Chevrolet L88 conversion.
HIGHLIGHTS

- Documented with the Certificate of Authenticity by Nickey Chicago and Don Swiatek as an L88 conversion
- Documented by N.I.C.B. as delivered new to Nickey Chevrolet on 11/17/73
- Notarized affidavit from the second owner detailing the history of the car
- The last known car converted by Nickey Chevrolet before closing at the end of 1973
- The car scored 999 points at the 2013 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, receiving a Concours Gold Certification and the award for the Best Chevrolet-Modified at the show
- Showing 33,000 believed-original miles
- Rotisserie restoration retaining the original interior, except for the carpet
- Featured on the cover of Muscle Car Review
- L88 427 CI engine with Holley 4-barrel
- Iron open-chamber heads, 12.5:1 pistons
- Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 automatic
- GM 10 bolt Positraction 4.56 rear end
- Power steering and brakes, LT trim
- Gabriel Hi-Jacker air shocks with Lakewood traction bars and chrome Cragar wheels
- First owner from 1974-1980, second owner from 1980-2010 with 28 years in storage and part of the Mike Guarise Collection since 2011

[Postsedan]

Mr. Bob Ashton will have the Privilege of driving it across the block [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Dan

[Craig_Maiorana]

I hope it goes to a good home ... That's a piece of history

[bashton]

Indeed...you know I am always ready to help out! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/[/img]

It was a real honor having this car unveiled at the MCACN show in 2013 and having the opportunity to drive it several times since. It is a handful! What an awesome piece of Chicago and Muscle Car history and a rare opportunity. Best of luck to the current owner, and congrats to the next owner/caretaker.

Bashton
MCACN Managing Member

[black69]

This is a cool car. In the small world we live in, the restoration shop doing my cuda is very very close friends with the daughter of Don Swaitek. We were making small talk the other day, and he mentioned she was upset she was not invited to the unveiling of this car. I wonder what happened there. Don Yenko's daughter gets invited to many Yenko things, I need to ask what really happened, considering her father was so involved until the closing of the dealer.

[mssl72]

Very cool car. I'm curious about the grille and header panel. Was this car in a front end bump at some point in time?

[sixtiesmuscle]

Two things: first, Jenny Swiatek WAS invited to the unveiling and offered tickets for her &amp; family. What happened there is no mystery, she simply forgot about it. She did come with some family members to the Mecum auction last Fall, and we had a nice talk.

Second, the front end was restored with all of the front end parts as they were when the car was parked in about 1980. Remember it was an early car, and there was no apparent signs that it had been hit anywhere. I have seen other '74s with the same emblem placement, so this is not the only one.

[Paul_S]

hmm... always wondered about that front grill and emblem. It's the prior version emblem but later ('75-7) grill. I could easily see an owner changing it later for a different look as it's a very easy swap. -swap top grill, mark &amp; poke two holes in header for '71-'73 header emblem.

'74 grills (one yr only) were/are very tough to find. Very common to see without.


Paul

[old5.0]

I had a 74 LT in the early 90s with the same emblem placement as the yellow Nickey. Original paint and no evidence it had ever been hit that I recall.

[mssl72]

As Paul stated there were many 1 year only parts on 1974 Camaros. Trying to find them was/is tough even in the few years after the '74 model year. My car actually had a few parts, grille and header replaced by the original owner because of a fender bender. That was sometime around 1976-77. They used what was on-hand at the dealership. I do know for a fact that it had the factory production parts when it rolled out of Norwood since the original owner gave me pictures of the car when it was a month old. It looked like this.



Red/white/blue Camaro emblem mounted in the center of the grille, nothing on the header. A lot of '74 Camaros have had the grilles replaced. If you couldn't find an exact '74 grille then you couldn't mount the emblem since only '74s had 2 round plastic mounting points molded into it. Some guys put the emblem on the header panel because they wanted one somewhere on the front. Chevrolet moved it to the header panel starting in 1975. The Nickey car is a pre-HEI ignition car since it was a November build. My car, also pre-HEI was actually built 489 cars before the Nickey.