Saturday, October 10, 2015
in a Brooklyn garage, Lenny is fixing classic 50's cars. This is the coolest thing I've seen all month... damn, I wish I could work in that garage!
Peter Crosby is the Brooklyn filmmaker behind such documentary shorts as Friends of Firefighters (featuring Steve Buscemi) and the award-winning The Oyster Men. His latest film, “Lenny’s Garage,” is a profile of Leonard Shiller, a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, and the president of the Antique Auto Association of Brooklyn, who has a Gowanus garage full of 58 classic cars, vintage bikes and motorcycles, and other memorabilia.
a 1951 Hudson Pacemaker,
a 1979 New York City checker cab,
a 1965 Ford Good Humor Ice Cream truck, curiosities like
a 1947 International KB-6 soda truck (with period-correct seltzer bottles),
a 1961 Messerschmitt KR200 bubble car and
a 1954 Packard ambulance..
This isn’t the Smithsonian, though — Schiller keeps the garage jam-packed with car parts and likes to get his hands dirty.
He paid for his next car, a 1954 Mercury Monterey two-door hardtop that belonged to a 99-year-old retired lawyer. It had 19,000 miles and cost $250, he said.
Educated as an economist, he disliked office work and gave up that career to renovate houses in Park Slope. He did that from 1970 to 1980, which was when he started buying property. “My goal was to have enough passive income — although it’s not totally passive — to be able to do this,” he explained. “So now, financially, I can do it.”
When Mr. Shiller began collecting, his plan was to acquire cars of each year from 1936 to 1958. “I don’t like fins,” he said, explaining his choice of an end date before the peak of the tailfin craze.
But then a friend told him about a pale yellow 1954 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe convertible that had become available (very few were made). Already owning the Mercury from ’54, his plan of one example per model year went out the window.
Some of his vehicles have become minor celebrities, he said. The ’54 Chrysler was in the music video for “Smooth” by Carlos Santana, and his 1965 Chrysler 300 convertible was “as big as a whale” in B-52’s video for “Love Shack.”
www.core77.com/posts/41551/In-a-Massive-Brooklyn-Garage-a-Man-is-Patiently-Repairing-58-Classic-Cars
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/classic-car-show-benefit-park-slope-group-battle-new-york-hospital-expansion-plan-article-1.1728601
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/automobiles/collectibles/05EGO.html?_r=0
Huge thanks to Lenny for sharing his collection, and to Peter Crosby for filming this video!
petercrosbyphotography.com
twitter.com/peterbcrosby
pbcrosby@gmail.com
looks like good news might be coming our way
Friday, October 09, 2015
What's the difference between a sports car and a muscle car?
Is the simplest answer a back seat?
Vettes, AMXs, Morgans, etc etc etc are never going to be considered muscle cars.
Is there a simpler go - No/go deciding factor?
The answers sent in through the comments are that sports cars can corner, muscle cars can't
Vettes, AMXs, Morgans, etc etc etc are never going to be considered muscle cars.
Is there a simpler go - No/go deciding factor?
The answers sent in through the comments are that sports cars can corner, muscle cars can't
American Diner Revival, saving diners, one at a time. Sadly, this summer (2015) tv show only lasted 7 episodes
Ty Pennington and Amanda Freitag are on a mission to help classic American diners across the country in American Diner Revival. Amanda and Ty travel the country empowering towns to lend a hand in saving their struggling diners, using a combination of Ty’s design and carpentry skills and Amanda’s culinary expertise. With only a few days to transform — with the help of local residents — a cherished establishment in desperate need of a physical and menu makeover. 2 of the diners started falling apart when the founders died, and the inheritors struggled to stay afloat.
George's Place has been the hub of its Carmel, N.Y., community for nearly forty years, but rising costs threaten to shut down the town's beloved diner forever. With the help of the citizens of Carmel, Ty Pennington and Amanda Freitag plan to give the outdated interior and menu a farm-fresh makeover
Famous for the championship chili featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, The Diner has been central to the Norman, Okla., community since it opened as a chili parlor over a century ago. Today, restaurants are booming on Main Street challenging The Diner's dilapidated decor and menu.
From Bland to Glam Longtime friends Ben, Brian and Mike bought Johnny Cakes diner in Nyack, N.Y., to save it from extinction, but now someone needs to help save them. Renovation expert Ty Pennington and Chef Amanda Freitag have their hands full with rocking booths, boring burgers, and an all-around dull presentation https://www.facebook.com/pages/Johnny-Cakes/215876115094303
Red Hots Coney Island diner in Highland Park, Mich., has been in Richard's family for 94 years, and while the chili recipe is still the same, changes to the neighborhood and economy have the business facing disaster. The floors are crumbling, the kitchen is a disaster and a void in desserts on the menu has customers taking their business elsewhere.
One life-changing act of kindness changed diner owner Dena's life, inspiring her to open her heart and use her business to uplift her community in Monroe, Mich. But her best intentions are facing a losing battle against a pungent carpet, bland side dishes, and a disorganized front area. Dena's last hope is with renovation expert Ty Pennington and Chef Amanda Freitag, who have only 36 hours to grind out some grinders, pound out some poutine, and completely gut the entire diner
Walker's Diner has been an icon in Farmville, Va., since the 50's, and is now owned by Arlene, affectionately known as "mom" to the local college kids. Between running events and fundraisers and offering free food and care packages during finals week, Arlene is so special to one campus fraternity that they've nominated her diner for the show. They round up the town to help Ty Pennington and Amanda Freitag pull off a one-of-a-kind makeover for this one-of-a-kind diner.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/american-diner-revival/episodes.html
http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2015/04/new-series-american-diner-revival-ty-pennington-amanda-freitag/
The show is hosted by Amanda Freitag, an acclaimed New York City chef and restaurateur who you might recognize as a frequent judge on Food Network’s “Chopped,” and Ty Pennington, the carpenter and host best known from “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”