FOUR FOR THE ROAD: The Gannon Collection celebrates variety and GM style
May 12, 2016
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Magnante
Of all the Detroit automakers, General Motors has consistently offered the widest range of marques. It all started in 1908 when entrepreneur William C. Durant joined forces with a small group of like-minded automotive pioneers. Flush with millions in capital from investors and strong sales of Buick automobiles, Durant began buying clusters of former competitors in a scheme designed to create an automotive empire unlike any other. Within one year GM captured nearly 20 percent of America’s total car and truck market.
The key to GM’s success was to offer “a car for every purse and purpose.” By covering the entire price range, from Chevrolet to Cadillac, GM cast a massive net with which to snare every type of customer. This quartet of classic GM No Reserve offerings from the Gannon Collection open to your bids at the inaugural Barrett-Jackson Mohegan Sun event offers a look at the exciting products the carmaker offered to baby boomers of the mid-20th century.
This eye-catching 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air (Lot #706) is one of several beautiful vehicles from to be offered at No Reserve during Barrett-Jackson’s Inaugural Northeast Auction.
Starting with the beautiful Sierra Gold 1957 Chevy Bel Air (Lot #706), we see the so-called “shoebox” Chevy – the term affectionately given to the company’s full-size ’55 to ’57 sedans because of the streamlined rear fenders – in full bloom. Remember, as late as 1954 Chevrolet was seen as a mundane brand of 6-cylinder family cars with minimal appeal to younger buyers. But the 1955 introduction of the fabled small-block V8 – and the handsomely restyled 150 series, 210 series and Bel Air vehicles they powered – literally transformed Chevrolet overnight.
This stunning restoration was performed by the Snodgrass team, a leader in the tri-five niche, and is date-code-correct with its matching-numbers 283 engine and Powerglide automatic transmission. And while even the base Chevy V8 has the power to excite, this one’s loaded with the factory-available dual-quad induction system. With two Carter WCFB 4-barrels mounted atop a lightweight aluminum manifold, a hotter hydraulic cam, dual exhaust and Chevy’s first use of the now-iconic ram’s horn exhaust manifolds, output jumped from 185 to 245 horsepower.
Interior of the 1957 Bel Air on the Northeast Auction docket.
Beautifully restored to showroom condition using the best new old stock and reproduction parts, this Bel Air was shown at the 2009 Super Chevy show in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dominating a field of nearly 300 cars, it won two trophies: Editors’ Choice and first place in Gold Class. Gold and classy … that’s a great description of this gorgeous final-year shoebox Chevy.
Now let’s move up a full decade to the Gannon Collection’s stunning blue 1967 Corvette Custom Convertible. By this time Chevrolet’s traditional full-size offerings were joined by the smaller Corvair, Chevy II/Nova, Chevelle and Camaro as GM reinforced Durant’s vision of offering “a car for every purse and purpose.” But as it had been since 1953, it was the Corvette – America’s only open two-seat sports car for many years – that held top spot as the division’s halo vehicle.
Custom touches put this stunning 1967 Corvette over the top. Look for it to cross the block at the Northeast Auction in June.
With 22,940 Corvettes built in 1967 (8,504 coupes and 14,436 roadsters), there are plenty left to satisfy the tastes of restorers and customizers alike. Riding on an Art Morrison/Hedges chassis with late-model C5 and C6 Corvette suspension, the only thing keeping this car from looking like a stock restoration are the beautiful 18- and 19-inch Spider wheels and Nitto supercar tires. Though it might be tempting to mount a set of vintage 15-inch steel-slotted Rallye wheels or aluminum knockoffs, such sneaky tricks are prevented by the massive Corvette ZO6 brake rotors, each of which is over one foot in diameter. Retro rims simply won’t clear the brakes, and that’s okay. Duntov never had it so good!
To say the engine bay of the ’67 Corvette is pristine is somewhat of an understatement.
A 500-horsepower GMPP LS3 Hot Cam crate engine combines the quick start convenience and fuel economy potential of EFI, but with a 180-pound weight savings (versus an original 427 big block) thanks to its all-aluminum construction. And while the 1967 Corvette was the last to come with the 2-speed Powerglide automatic (the floor tunnel was enlarged on the 1968 Mako Shark-style Corvette to accommodate GM’s superior 3-speed automatics), here a modern 4L70E automatic doubles the ratio count to four with overdrive as a bonus. Fully equipped with Vintage Air, power windows and a modern sound system, this is one vintage-looking Stingray that beautifully combines the best of the classic with the best of the new.
One of only 1,029 built, this 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass W31 is a beautifully restored example sure to attract some attention on the auction block.
While Oldsmobile may be gone, it is certainly not to be forgotten. For decades one of GM’s most lucrative divisions, there isn’t a muscle car fan alive that hasn’t heard of the legendary 4-4-2. Another gem from the Gannon Collection of GM royalty is this Porcelain White and Gold 1970 Cutlass W31. It’s got matching numbers and is fully restored. Just don’t call it a 4-4-2. Packing a specially assembled, factory-blueprinted version of the Olds 350 instead of the 455 used in 4-4-2s, the W31 was part of the exciting “junior supercar” movement of the first muscle car era.
With its smaller 350 and without the cop-baiting 4-4-2 emblems, the W31 was meant to deliver plenty of performance without alerting insurance underwriters to its muscle car tendencies. This saved buyers plenty of money in car insurance in an era when under-30 drivers often faced equal-sum vehicle loan payments and car insurance bills. Separating the W31 350 from lesser Olds 350 engines were its unique aluminum intake manifold, performance-calibrated Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor, high overlap camshaft, 10.5:1 compression, heavy-duty radiator and power-saving clutch-type cooling fan. The end result was 325 horsepower at 5400 rpm and a healthy exhaust burble at idle thanks to the hot cam.
The interior of the 1970 Cutlass W31 is finished in a striking gold/walrus-grain Moroccan vinyl.
About that cam: its extended overlap events confused power brake boosters. Thus, all W31s featured manual front disc brakes, as seen on this correctly restored example. Other standard issue W31 details included the W25 fiberglass forced air induction hood, body side paint stripes similar to those used on the big W30 455, anti-spin rear axle with 3.42 or 3.91 gears, G70-14 glass belted tires and discrete W31 fender emblems. And if passengers notice a little extra road noise, it’s by design. To improve the W31’s power-to-weight ratio, Olds boasted about “reduced body sound deadener,” proof the W31 was much more than a bunch of decals!
As it was on the street (and insurance regulators’ offices), the W31 is a sleeper in today’s collector car marketplace. And with only 1,029 W31-equipped Cutlass hardtop coupes built in 1970 (plus 116 Cutlass club coupes and 207 F-85 club coupes) this crisp restored example has its original performance-calibrated TH350 automatic transmission and is part of a small number finished in Hurst/Olds-esque white and gold. Get ahead of the curve and add this one to your collection now.
This 1974 Super Duty 455 gets on board the Trans Am train that has been rolling strong since Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale Auction. Look for it at the very first Northeast Auction.
The final member of the Gannon Collection reviewed here stands as the last true factory-built muscle car from Detroit’s “first wave,” before EFI, turbo and supercharging and computer controls revived power in the ’80s. Behold the 1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Super Duty 455. Sure, it’s a mouthful to say, but this fully restored, matching-numbers example is one of only 943 made before the Super Duty program was terminated due to the mandatory arrival of catalytic converters in 1975.
Not to be confused with the optional L75 455 also offered in 1974, the 455 SD (only 1,001 built: 943 T/As and 58 Formulas) stood apart, thanks to its inclusion of hard-core high-performance internals such as 4-bolt main caps, forged steel connecting rods, big port heads with swirl-polished 2.11 diameter intake valves, an 80psi oil pump, 0.410-lift Ram Air III-spec hydraulic cam, 800-cfm Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor, specific round-port iron exhaust manifolds and more. Delivering 290 horsepower and 395 horsepower (compared to 250/380 for the L75 455) don’t forget those ratings are net, not gross. Under the old gross measurement system used in the ’60s, the 455 SD would rate an easy 350 horsepower. Bumping its 8.4:1 pistons to 10.5 could result in an easy 400 horsepower.
Peak under the hood and you’ll see why the ’74 Trans Am Super Duty has the status of Pontiac’s last all-out big-block muscle car.
Beyond its status as Pontiac’s final all-out big-block muscle car, this freshly restored SD T/A has covered less than 51,000 actual miles since new. Optional factory-installed equipment includes air conditioning, automatic transmission, power steering, power front disc brakes, rear window defogger and honeycomb wheels. About those wheels – would you believe they’re made of flexible plastic? Okay, the hoops and spiders are rugged pressed steel, but the honeycomb fascia is made of a patented flexible material that’s bonded to the steel spider. Designed by Pontiac stylist Bill Porter and first offered in 1971, the PO5 Polycast rims were optional through 1976, when they were replaced by the much lighter, all-aluminum YJ8 “snowflake” wheel option.
With Pontiac Trans Am sale prices setting records lately, this pristine Super Duty is a prime piece of muscle car real estate. Any complete collection of Detroit iron should have one.
These four cars from the Gannon Collection illustrate very neatly the many ways General Motors offered customers unmatched variety. Watch for these notable vehicles and more from the Gannon Collection as they make their way across the block during the very first Barrett-Jackson Northeast Auction in June.
For more information on these vehicles and others on our Northeast docket, click HERE.