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1980 Toyota Land Cruiser: A 'Cool' SUV

6/27/2014

Click to enlarge (Photo: E. Maloney)

THE TRUCK AND ITS OWNER
1980 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 owned by Ed Maloney

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING
Long before they morphed into posh suburban transportation, Toyota Land Cruisers were making history worldwide for their ruggedness and amazing off-road capabilities. According to the manufacturer, the Land Cruiser’s origins go back to 1951 with the introduction of Toyota’s Jeep-like BJ series. The highly popular FJs were offered between 1960 and 1984 in markets around the globe. They later became so coveted and Collectible that the company introduced a modern-day imitation, the retro-style FJ Cruiser, which has been sold since 2005. Gentleman’s Quarterly magazine has cited the earlier FJ as one of the “coolest” collectible SUVs, calling it “the most classic of Cruisers” and “a plusher version of the military original.” The magazine notes that many have traveled over 300,000 miles before needing an overhaul. In the brutal 1980 road rally from Paris to Dakar, Senegal, eight Land Cruisers were among 105 vehicles that completed the entire 6,000-mile
route.

HOW LONG HE’S OWNED IT
Since 1996

WHERE HE FOUND IT
He bought it from an owner in Riverhead, New York.

CONDITION
“The truck has been highly modified for off-road,” Maloney says. “It has a winch, 35-inch tires, a snorkel, lockers front and rear, off-road lights and custom racks.” The snorkel relocates the engine air intake higher to keep out water, mud and dust.  Lockers are locking differentials that allow the pairs of wheels to drive in unison and increase traction.

TIPS FOR OWNERS
“It helps if you have a mechanical background when you own a vehicle like this,” he advises. “I have a couple of friends who do most of the work on the truck.”

VALUE
“It’s hard to say, since it’s been so highly modified,” says Maloney.  It’s probably between $15,000 and $20,000.”  The NADA Guides puts a “high retail” value of $17,400 on a 1980 Land Cruiser before options.  Restoration shops specializing in the FJs bring them back to like-new condition and charge about $80,000 a copy.

THE BOTTOM LINE
“Toyota FJ40s in stock condition are highly sought-after,” Maloney says. “Mine’s been modified to suit my needs and it's just a lot of fun to drive.”

'69 Hurst SS AMX: Making Family History

6/20/2014

Click to enlarge

THE CAR AND ITS OWNERS
1969 Hurst Super Stock AMX owned by Westbury (NY) Jeep Chrysler Dodge Ram

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING
When American Motors (AMC) and performance tuner Hurst crafted this limited-edition factory dragster, they made racing history and began a special family history for the Sporns of Long Island, New York. The late Charlotte and Leon Sporn, owners of a Westbury, New York Rambler dealership at the time, were urged by AMC to buy the $5,994 coupe and race it.  “My mother didn’t want to do it,” says the Sporns’ son Joel, co-owner of the current family dealership with brother Randy. “It cost twice the price of a normal car and it was a big commitment.   My father felt strongly about it because it was something that would help him sell cars. The idea is that you race the car Sunday, you win, and then on Monday, everybody comes in and buys cars from you.”

Charlotte relented and AMC united the Sporns with Brian Higgins and Ernie Krieg of Lindenhurst, New York's S&K Speed Shop (now S-K Speed) and with driver Fred Dellis. The couple and their four kids would pile into the family station wagon to see the weekend races at Long Island’s fabled National Speedway and other venues.  While Charlotte knitted, the dragster – one of only 52 built and factory-rated between 340 and 405 horsepower -- went on to win significant races and set national and world speed records. The Sporns went on to sell plenty of cars and become the East Coast’s largest AMX dealer.

HOW LONG THEY’VE OWNED IT
The dealership obtained the AMX in December 2012, approximately 42 years after the Sporns sold it to S&K.

WHERE THEY FOUND IT
“We never forgot the car,” says Joel Sporn, even though the family lost track of it.  A business acquaintance alerted him to a magazine story on the AMX, which had gone to a private collection and later to Ohioans Rick and Paulette Riley. Sporn wooed the Rileys for five years before he was able to buy another rare AMX and trade it to them for the original car.

CONDITION
The car had been restored by the collection of late media mogul Otis Chandler.  “The mileage on the vehicle is only from racing quarter-miles,” Sporn says. “It’s never been street-driven. The parts are extremely difficult to find. I am in the process of documenting every modification and race with Brian Higgins.”

VALUE
He estimates the AMX’s value between $150,000 and $200,000. “The feelings we have are much more than any dollar value,” he notes.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Sporn invited Higgins, Krieg, Dellis the Rileys and others to a December 2012 holiday reunion for the AMX, which attracts daily attention in the showroom at Jericho, New York. “It was an extremely successful car and brought tremendous pride to our family and dealership,” he says. “It is also the rarest AMC vehicle ever produced. It’ll never, ever leave the family.  It’s not the store that owns the car. It’s me, my brother, my other brother, my sister. It’s S&K and it’s Fred Dellis, who drove the car.  Everybody involved has rights to own the car.  It’s a part of our winning heritage.”

Click to enlarge (Photo: Westbury Jeep Chrysler Dodge Ram)

'97 Porsche Turbo: A Breathe of Fresh Air

6/13/2014

Click to enlarge (Photo: D. Millman)

THE CAR AND ITS OWNER
1997 Porsche 911 Turbo coupe owned by                      David N. Millman

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING
The last Porsche 911 with an air-cooled engine was sold to Jerry Seinfeld in 1998, but these cars have hardly been forgotten. Porschephiles still gobble them up at rising prices, especially the coveted all-wheel-drive Turbo, with its 400-horsepower, flat-six engine and a 0-60 mile-per-hour time of 4.5 seconds.

“Prior to 1997,” says Millman, “air-cooled Porsche 911s were produced for 34 years. After so many years of evolution, by the last year, all significant problems were eliminated. This evolution is most remarkable in the case of the Porsche 911 Turbo, which by 1997 had both outrageous performance and extraordinary reliability.”  Millman says he chose the Turbo because it was “significantly faster” than competitors, was “not outrageously expensive to maintain,” and had all-wheel drive and back seats.

HOW LONG HE’S OWNED IT
He bought the Porsche new in 1996.

WHERE HE FOUND IT
He purchased it from a Delaware Porsche dealer and took delivery at the factory in Stuttgart, Germany.  After drives to Paris, London and Dublin, he wheeled the car back to Stuttgart, where it was taken by truck to a German port for a boat trip to the U.S.

CONDITION
“The car is not in need of any restoration,” he says of the 54,000-mile coupe. “In spite of its age, it looks the same and drives the same as it did when I took delivery of the car. From the time I purchased the car new until today, my Turbo has only been serviced by Porsche dealers.” He has all the original manuals, paperwork and service records.

TIPS FOR OWNERS
Millman says the all-wheel drive directs power to the rear wheels under most conditions, so the rear tires need replacing every 10,000 miles. “This, combined with a stiff, fine-tuned suspension and low-profile tires made with relatively soft rubber, are three of the main reasons why the car has such extraordinary cornering capability,” he notes.

VALUE
The total original cost was about $118,000, Millman says. The NADA Guides puts a “clean retail” value of almost $61,000 on a 1997 Turbo without options.

THE BOTTOM LINE
“Since I have had the car, I have gotten quite attached to it,” Millman says. “Even after all these years, there are few cars that are comparable to my Turbo in performance and, essentially, no current comparable cars that are equal to it in reliability.  While it is hard to believe, it is almost as sure-footed in the rain as it is on a dry road. From the day I took delivery of the car until this day, I continue to be amused at how quickly cars disappear in my rear-view mirror.”

1980 Toyota Land Cruiser: A 'Cool' SUV

'69 Hurst SS AMX: Making Family History

'97 Porsche Turbo: A Breathe of Fresh Air

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