Greetings HAPPY NEW YEAR Hope all our Inner Circle members had a good holiday and New Year's Day. We are looking forward to 2009, hoping for the economy to stabilize and a brighter future for us all. We have exciting plans for 2009. We will be launching our new website in just a few weeks. Once it’s ready, we will let you know. OUR NEW WEBSITE IS JUST ABOUT DONE! We expect to have our new website up by the end of this month. Initially, it will be at least 3 times as large as it is now, since it will include several hundred other parts we have made or offer for other various car models - GM, Ford, and Chrysler. PRODUCTS UPDATE Since we can no longer get the factory AC Delco Front Upper Dash Speakers, our Part #6765, they have been discontinued. Also, all the Harley Davidson clocks we had on special have all been sold. ONE PLEASANT SURPRISE In case you missed it, there was an interesting article under the news section on the internet or newspapers. It seems Dr. Harold Carr recently passed away at the ripe old age of 89. Unbeknown to his surviving nieces and nephews, either by design or luck, he was a pack rat. Among his junk and vehicles he had saved was what is commonly referred to as the “Holy Grail” among classic car collectors. A classic sporty two-seater 1937 Atalante 57S Bugatti, one of the world’s most valuable cars and one of just 17 produced. Showing less than 30,000 actual miles, the car is very much intact having last been driven in 1960. It is scheduled to be auctioned later this spring, it is expected to fetch over $4 million dollars in its current condition. Another article said it is worth $8.6 million! On a side note, while most production cars back then struggled to reach speeds of 50-55 mph, the Bugatti was capable of speeds of 130 mph. SPEAKING OF CAR AUCTIONS As many of you know, January is a big month in the classic car auction world. The big one is the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction scheduled for January 11 th-18th, 2009 in Arizona. Check your local television schedule for coverage of the auction highlights. I am told a real GNX will be part of this auction. One additional note… it appears GM will be using this Barrett-Jackson Auction to auction off some of the cars they have stashed over the years. From what I read, a total of 250 of their cars and trucks will be auctioned off. Some of them will be regular vehicles, but significant because they are probably the first VIN numbers of production. A good number of GM vehicles are Corvettes, and I am sure even in a tough economy they will bring good money. On the other hand, the first production Pontiac Aztek probably won’t garner much interest. Various websites have posted a list of the vehicles. Of interest to Buick owners would be the Blackhawk, which is on the list to auction. The oldest car listed seems to be a 1918 Cadillac. Most of GM’s collection would be show cars, custom cars and early production models. In some cases, over the years they have actually restored cars for their collection. I know this for a fact, because several years ago a gentleman in California donated his 1964 Pontiac GTO to GM. They actually restored the GTO back to its original condition. This particular GTO had a red interior, which was unusual. At the time, I had an original plastic red 1964 GTO steering wheel and ended up selling it to Pontiac for that GTO. Somewhere in my records I have the actual order and invoice. From what I have seen, the 1964 GTO does not appear on the auction list. I assume they plan to keep it. During the 1980s and early 1990s, we attended almost every GTO and Pontiac National convention. Pontiac would always bring several of their cars from their collection to display. I can remember getting to see the new Fiero back in 1984. Also, the new 2004 GTO at a the 2004 GTO Convention. I received an email from an Inner Circle member with information he acquired on the internet from Scott Settlemire of GM. In part, it reads: Default GM Heritage cars for sale From Scott Settlemire of GM: Good afternoon, Camaro Comrades, Firebird Friends, and Corvette Cousins........... As you may know, GM the GM Heritage Collection numbers in the many hundreds of cars and trucks – from ‘first builts' and 'last builts' to one-of show cars to SEMA show cars. The Decision has been made to sell off select vehicles. (Indeed, a sad day for some of us......) There's a little of everything -- from the Legendary Buick Blackhawk -- to (are you sitting down?) a COUPLE of 1989 Corvette ZR1s -- the Jon Moss built Track-dominating Black 572 ZL1 -- A C5 Alpha and a C5 Beta -- The Tiger Shark -- the LT5 Camaro -- a 1904 Olds Touring -- several GTOS -- both old and new -- a couple of 1970 muscle cars -- a mid nineties "510" Impala SS -- and many, many pace cars and trucks. This may be the time to break open the piggy bank................. PLEASE NOTE: This is a preliminary list -- it is very likely subject to change - Barrett-Jackson will, in the coming week or two, put out pictures of each of these cars on their website. This is the Scottsdale, AZ auction -- January 13-19, 2009. Please feel free to share with your club members and friends. In addition to the Barrett-Jackson auction, here is a list of other auctions being held this month, along with a website for those who want to check them out. BARRETT-JACKSON Scottsdale Auction – January 11-18, 2009 – www.barrett-jackson.com GOODING & COMPANY - January 17, 2009 – www.goodingco.com KRUSE INTERNATIONAL – January 22-25, 2009 – www.kruse.com RM AUCTIONS – January 16, 2009 – www.rmacuctions.com RUSSO and STEELE – January 14-18, 2009 – www.russoandsteele.com SILVER AUCTIONS – January 16-19, 2009 – www.silverauctions.com As I have said in the past, some cars simply jump from one auction to another. In this case, the distance traveled would not be that far. I think, as a whole, prices will be generally soft, unless the car is an exceptional example, well documented, and low production. I think buyers are going to be more cautious with their money this year. Throwing a once-in-a-lifetime GM collection into the mix will certainly make this auction interesting, especially if it involves a one-of-a-kind custom GM car. Among the Cadillac collectors, GM’s 1918 Cadillac should fetch some big money, since I doubt many of that vintage ever come up to auction. CHRISTMAS CONTEST WINNERS The actual M & M count for our Christmas contest was 1,028. First Place went to Bill Furst out of Maryland. Bill still has his original 1987 Turbo-T that he bought back in 1987. His guess was 1,000. Second Place went to Ron Bollinger out of Virginia. He owns a 1987 Grand National. His guess was 987. We did a honorable mention prize for Darrell Thomas out of Maryland. His entry arrived after the time had expired, but his guess was 1,018. Congratulations to all that entered the contest! NEW PRODUCT 1984-1987 Regal (Including Turbo Models) - REPRODUCTION BLACK GRILLE and REPRODUCTION GRILLE SPRINGS (2) KIT This is the reproduction of the black grille that was original equipment in all the 1984-1987 GNX, Grand Nationals, WE4 and 1987 Turbo-T with the black-out package. This grille will fit all 1984-1987 Regal models. This high-quality reproduction has the satin black molded into the plastic. Richard Clark has compared it to a factory original GM grille and was impressed with the quality. We are so sure you will be pleased with this reproduction grille, we offer a 100% guarantee. By far, this is the most popular grille owners like to put on their 1984-1987 Regals. To my knowledge, only one source has manufactured these grilles. Each grille comes complete with a pair of our reproduction grille springs, Part #7092 (a $18.95 value at no extra charge). Another excellent replacement for any exterior restoration. 7215 1984-1987 Regal (including Turbo Models) - Reproduction Black Grille & Reproduction Grille Springs (2) Kit $309.95 / kit SPECIAL SELL OUT We have been told that the GM black passenger’s side marker light is no longer available from GM, Part #0919874. This is the side marker light that was used on all the 1984-1986 T-Types and 1987 Turbo-Ts with black-out package, WE4, Grand Nationals and GNX. This is the right hand side only (passenger’s side) marker light that attaches to the headlight bezel. These are brand new, still in the GM wrapper. Price is $69.95 and shipping. Fewer than 15 on hand. To order, call our office – 215-766-1611 x 2. Order while supplies last, to avoid disappointment. POWERMASTER BRAKE NEWS We now are getting a steady supply of rebuilt powermaster brake units. Some customers are telling us that in parts of the midwest and the west coast, auto stores are getting $600 and more for rebuilt units. Our price remains at $529.95 plus $100 core charge, which is refunded once we receive your core.