Mecum Pontiac Super Duty's
 

For those that didn't make it to the Mecum auction last weekend, some pictures of the Pontiac Super Duty's that were sold out of the Randy William's collection follow this post.

Dana Mecum stood up and said that these were the finest cars he's ever sold at any of his auctions. That's quite a statement and after closely examining the cars, they were all unbelievable restorations.

Also, Arnie "the farmer" Beswick gave a little talk. He said the reason he kicked ass on Chevrolet, Mopar, and Ford in those days was the quality of engineering that Pontiac put into their race cars. He said Pontiac totally dominated NHRA and NASCAR in the early 60's.

In fact, in the Race of Champions at Daytona against all the series winners of European and American sports car and oval, a 421 Super Duty Tempest lapped the field of Ferrari's, Mercedes, Porche, NASCAR, etc., etc. After the race, Mercedes bought the car (an offer that couldn't be refused) from the Pontiac race team, took it to Europe and reverse engineered the car. To this day, that Tempest has never been found!

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the "Grocery Getter" 421 SD Tempest the Arnie Beswick make famous. It went for $650 plus buyers commission.

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the 1963 Packer Pontiac "swiss cheese" Super Duty went for $440K plus. This car's frame had grapefruit size holes over it entire length put in at the factory. Additional weight was save with aluminum fenders, hood, bumpers and numerous brackets.

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the 1961 Super Duty Ventura Bubble Top went for $135 plus. In '61 all the SD parts came in the trunk and were dealer intalled on the factory 348hp 389ci engine. This car was beyond beautiful!

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the 1062 SD Catalina went for $235K plus. In '62 NHRA required that all car must be built in the factory....none of this dealer installed stuff! This black beauty is on of about 170 Super Duty cars Pontiac built in 1962. It has factory aluminum front end, bumpers and interestingly, the SD hardtops came with the post sedan frame, which was not boxed on all four sides..... anything to save a few pounds.

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the '63 SD Catalina post car went for $285 plus. It had all the aluminum pieces plus numerous "one off" items that Pontiac sent to some of the big name racers. Items like stamped stainless steel headers, aluminum rear end pumpkin, etc. Randy Williams searched out all these "unobtainium parts" over a 20 year period and had them installed on this car.

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421 Super Duty engine was factory rated at either 405hp or 410hp (13:1 compression). Two fours, mechanical cam, dual points, aluminum exhaust headers were part of the deal.

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you've got to love that '62 SD Catalina. When they drove them up on the podium, all the cars had there headers "uncorked". Yeah, the sound was deafening as all five were driven into the auction room at the same time!

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And finally, here's Arnie signing some autographs.

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Oh, and the whole package of five cars was initially bid as a group. It went up to about $1,650,000. but didn't meet reserve, so then each one went over individually.

Here's Scott Teimann (sp) getting a little emotional as they past $1,550,000. Scott did the restorations on all the cars with the exception of the '61 Catalina.

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Paul,

Nice write up....with lots of interesting facts.

The cars were stunning in person....here are a few more pics.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...P1010074-1.jpg

Love the Post car.

Dan.

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Engine.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...P1010077-1.jpg

Dan.

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Arnie Beswick pointing out the details

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...P1010078-1.jpg

Dan.

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Last one.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...P1010083-2.jpg

Dan.

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You forgot to mention that you got yelled at. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/haha.gif

Great picture! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif

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Paul,

------I got to know Bill Packer (son of the Packer Pontiac) when Jim Gessner and I sold a Corvette for him. He now owns a Cadillac store in Flint and is a great guy. Im sure he will be interested in what the swiss-cheese car brought as he is still a gearhead. He has a number of very nice mid-year Vettes and absolutely stunning boats (floating muscle, I guess you would say)...........Bill S

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I'm kinda sad that the Randy Williams Super Duty collection was broken up. I know they're just cars but it would have been nice to see the ultimate examples of Pontiac's racing efforts stay together. Sort of like breaking up a litter of cute puppies. I think the cars were a bargain compared to what a single Hemi Cuda Convt. can cost these days. That Tempest station wagon is just remarkable but that black '63 Catalina sedan just beckons to me! There's so many special parts on those cars that it's just unbelievable the efforts that Pontiac put into engineering those factory race cars. They really wanted to win on Sunday. Can you even imagine what would have been released in 1964-5 if the GM racing ban would not have gone into effect in 1963?

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I was just gettin' ready to bid when someone told me that they wouldn't qualify for "pure stock" drags.
Something about them being considered one offs and havin' all the mopar and bowtie boys boycott any future events.................so I said forget it.

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I too was sad to see the collection split up.

Scott Tiemann is the best Pontiac restorer we will ever see, hands down, bar none. He and Randy were great friends and he loves these cars like you would imagine for a guy that had 6000 hours +/- of his life sitting there in the 4 cars he restored. Yes, he gets paid, but nobody is more of a car guy than Scott.

I was fine until I went to check on him right before they drove the cars in and he was (rightfully) welling up with tears. We all wanted the cars to stay together. But what I told Scott, and what I truly believe, is that no matter what, what Randy Williams envisioned and Scott helped him build will live forever - together or apart. The cars are art, plain and simple. Randy's vision and Scott's talent would blow anybody away. To think that Randy found out he had a brain tumor and he dropped everything to take his last 5 years and build these cars is a testament to what a true car guy and Pontiac lover he was. He wasn't taking them with him, he did this for US.

The next time you see any one of the Williams cars, just think about the dedication involved. While we can't thank Randy, if you happen to see Scott at a show, shake his hand and thank him for dedicating his life to restoring cars like Randy's. It will mean a lot to him. The cars always get the glory, but cars don't find owners, they don't find parts, and they don't slave over themselves and haul themselves to shows for us to see.

I have never, in all my years of going to auctions and watching cars sell, looked around when I was on the stage and saw so many people crying and trying to hold themselves together. It was an emotional sale and rightfully so. You could feel that these 5 cars were more than "just cars". And you couldn't help but feel a little sad that this wasn't where Randy saw these cars being when he dreamed of having the finest Super Duty collection in the world. They weren't meant to be on an auction stage.

My hats off to the Williams family and may the cars live on.And kudos to Dana Mecum for handling this sale with the tact and respect it deserved. Anybody that was there heard it in his voice and saw it in the tears he shed after the last car sold. How many auctioneers would stop an auction to huddle with the family and make sure the sale was what they wanted? I don't think we will ever see a sale like this ever again. I'm glad I was there.

Colin

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Would have loved to bring home that 61 dammit...

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Colin,

Well said.... https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

Dan.

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Dan...I agree.


Colin...thanks for the 'history' lesson for those of us who didn't know what transpired. Randy and Scott "Get it".

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[ QUOTE ]
I too was sad to see the collection split up.

Scott Tiemann is the best Pontiac restorer we will ever see, hands down, bar none. He and Randy were great friends and he loves these cars like you would imagine for a guy that had 6000 hours +/- of his life sitting there in the 4 cars he restored. Yes, he gets paid, but nobody is more of a car guy than Scott.

I was fine until I went to check on him right before they drove the cars in and he was (rightfully) welling up with tears. We all wanted the cars to stay together. But what I told Scott, and what I truly believe, is that no matter what, what Randy Williams envisioned and Scott helped him build will live forever - together or apart. The cars are art, plain and simple. Randy's vision and Scott's talent would blow anybody away. To think that Randy found out he had a brain tumor and he dropped everything to take his last 5 years and build these cars is a testament to what a true car guy and Pontiac lover he was. He wasn't taking them with him, he did this for US.

The next time you see any one of the Williams cars, just think about the dedication involved. While we can't thank Randy, if you happen to see Scott at a show, shake his hand and thank him for dedicating his life to restoring cars like Randy's. It will mean a lot to him. The cars always get the glory, but cars don't find owners, they don't find parts, and they don't slave over themselves and haul themselves to shows for us to see.

I have never, in all my years of going to auctions and watching cars sell, looked around when I was on the stage and saw so many people crying and trying to hold themselves together. It was an emotional sale and rightfully so. You could feel that these 5 cars were more than "just cars". And you couldn't help but feel a little sad that this wasn't where Randy saw these cars being when he dreamed of having the finest Super Duty collection in the world. They weren't meant to be on an auction stage.

My hats off to the Williams family and may the cars live on.And kudos to Dana Mecum for handling this sale with the tact and respect it deserved. Anybody that was there heard it in his voice and saw it in the tears he shed after the last car sold. How many auctioneers would stop an auction to huddle with the family and make sure the sale was what they wanted? I don't think we will ever see a sale like this ever again. I'm glad I was there.

Colin

[/ QUOTE ]

Well said Colin and Thanks for taking the time to say it.

I have known Scott for many years and I couldn't agree more. Scott has devoted his life to his art (and believe me, it IS art) and he is without a doubt the finest in the field. Scott is incredibly humble and approachable and loves to be a part of this hobby. He doesn't do it for the money, although he is (obviously) well paid. The list of cars that he has restored and the quality of each and every one of them is absolutely amazing. He truly is an artist and a super nice guy also.

It was also nice to see Arnie involved. I had the oppurtunity to spend some time with him at one of our shows last year, where we honored him with an achievement award. Through all his ups and downs, he is still a gentleman.

Hats off to both of these fine gentleman, along with Dana Mecum and congratulations to the Williams family. Looks like five people scored some real bargains.

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I can't see BJ auctions handling these cars as well as mecum did. Good choice and good job!, Congrats!

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Some of you guys may be as big a "pack rat" as me, but the other day I uncovered a May, 1962 Motor Trend in my garage attic (where I have a few thousand car rags!).

At any rate there was a Road Test by Roger Huntington entitles "421 Pontiac" that really spells out how special these early 60's Super Duty's were. My understanding is that Huntington was an engineering type who got into great detail on the technical aspects of the cars he wrote about.

I'm sure many of you know (and may want to chime in) that after 1961, I believe NHRA made a rule change requiring all cars racing in stock classes to have factory installed component rather than the dealer installed as done in previous years.

So beginning in the '62 model year the horsepower race went full tilt with race car options that the public could check the box at the dealer (if the dealer or the buyer knew about the option!!), and when it came in, drive home a factory race car.

The test car this article was as 405 horse SD Catalina, but it didn't have the aluminum front end and bumpers options. The car weighed 4070 #'s, and with ballast in the trunk and two in the car it weighed in at 4500 #'s for the test.

Here's a few quotes from the article:

"The big advantage was that we could uncap the exhaust......The big disadvantage was poor traction. The strip had recently been covered with ice and smow, was dirty, and bite was nowhere near as good as under normal drag strip conitions....."

"Here's a recap of the acceleration figures under these conditions:
0 - 30 2.7 sec
0 - 45 4.1 sec
0 - 60 5.4 sec
Quarter mile 13.9 and 107 mph"

He describes the difference between his stop watch timing and normal drag strip electronic timing.
"In other words, with regular drag strip timing we would have been turning et's of the 13.6 and 13.7 in this test."

"under optimum conditions.....would be et's around 12.5 and 112 - 115 mph?"

"the factory rates this combination at 405 hp at 5600 rpm....I took a series of accelerometer readings....The peak was a fantastic 465 hp at 5600 rpm's....and peak torque was 510 lbs.-ft at 3500! I didnt't want to believe that either. The accelerometer doesn't lie...."

Roger concluded the article by saying, "I must say this new 421 Pontiac is a terrific piece of automobile. I'm still shaking!!"

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Cool post Paul...now where is Verne to explain the most awsum RPO Chevrolet ever built ?

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Hey Belair, I'd like to have one of those awesome RPOs in maroon. What was I thinking?

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Phil..you WEREN'T !!! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif and neither was I !!

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Here's a couple pictures I shot at the recent Mecum auction just as the SD Pontiacs went across the block. Dana was pretty excited about those cars as well as Arnie. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif
Just thought I'd share.http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...Auction015.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...Auction014.jpg