Unlike the New England town of Boston, New York City is not widely known for Chowder (or salsa for that matter…get a rope!), the Big Apple IS definitely known by some as the home of the monthly meeting of the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society. Almost fifty years ago this illustrious group came together and foundered… um…. I mean founded in Midtown Manhattan to gather, “chowder down”, and discuss their love of sports cars and all things four-wheeled. Their first meeting was during an extreme cold wave in New York City so the food of choice during their early meetings was Chowder. They’ve held races across NY between Ferraris and Taxi cabs. They are really car guys in the Big City. Now 49 years later these “chowderheads” are prominent automotive afficiandos and automotive journalists as well as still being passionate sports car drivers. Their speakers are often “heads of automotive states”…that’s corkyspeak for the big boys at the OEM’s (car company’s). They have heard from the likes of Jon Moss of GM Performance, John Coletti of Ford SVO, the President of Rolls Royce, Bobby Rahal and Phil Hill, both famous race car drivers, and racing tire guru, Al Speyer of Bridgestone Firestone Tire.
One of MASCDCS founders is a legend in the world of Collector Cars, Henry Austin Clark. “Austie Clark” discovered and/or once owned many wonderful collector cars and automotive literature in the early days of collector cars (1940’s, 50’s and 60’s) The Group has been shepherded by Bruce and Ginia Wennerstrom now for a number of years.
I like New York, but I like it as a nice place to visit(not live)… to see the wonderful and important sites and experience fantastic restaurants. My wife and I flew in to LaGuardia on Sunday September 10th, checked into a hotel close to the world renowned SARDI’s Restaurant (near 42nd Street) where the Chowderheads meet.
I was the primary speaker for the September meeting of the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society, however I was told that later that famed racing announcer and author, Chris Economacki would be in attendance as well to sign his recent book, “LET EM GO!”. Sharing the podium with Chris Economacki…wow!!! What a deal! Chris is full of racing stories and can remember who won what and where in 1967 or 57 or 1935! I can’t even remember where I was a week ago, yet this “eighty somethin” automotive legend remembers and recants it all! I felt priviledged to be his “warm up act”. The members were engaging and interested… hanging on every word I spit out. With such a southern drawl they really could have used a translater though…but nevertheless we communicated about the passions of collector cars, sports cars and all things cars and racing we had in common.
Although it would take years for me to obtain some culture (I am sure) my wife planned an intensive day and a half of culture dunking for this cowboy from Tennessee. So off we went exploring the New York City subway system popping up above ground occasionally to see museums, stuff ourselves at the wonderful restaurants and experience the live singing, dancing and production of several Broadway Shows.
We took a food tour in Greenwich. How come Greenwich is “Grin ich” but Sandwich is not “Sand ich”. The tour was fun and filling. Later we toured the Chelsea Market, which is an old eight story retail and office building developed in the old National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) warehouse. It is also the new home to the Food Network and the “Emeril Show”. Bam!! In addition to old cars, bikes and trucks, I really love old buildings especially converted warehouse buildings. The visit to this wonderful restoration gave me loads of ideas for my current building restoration project in the historic Southside of Chattanooga.
Have you ever been in a restaurant, bar or pub and heard the waiter holler “86 the potatoes” to the cook? Know what it means? It means to close it down, take them off, they don’t exist any more! Well, we visited the actual place where that phrase supposedly originated. Plumley’s is a bar on Bedford Street with a tremendous reputation so strong it has no sign, only the street number (yep you guessed it) 86 prominently displayed. Since the bar, now tended in the evenings by NY’s finest off duty firemen, has its birthday in the Prohibition Days as a “speak easy” one can almost hear the message come down the line “86 Bedford Street” meaning that the cops were coming to bust the “speak easy”. Close it down, shut it off, whatever. Hence.. The phrase 86 this or that.
We popped up from the “green line” around 23rd street to visit the boyhood home of one of my hero’s, the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. It was almost closing time so we did not get to tour the whole house. We did get the opportunity to see TR’s glasses case, coat and speech book each with a single bullet hole right thru the middle of them. They were pierced when the former President was shot by a would be assassin just before delivering a campaign speech in October 1912. With the bullet lodged in his chest near his left lung and bleeding rather profusely, he insisted on delivering the over one hour speech despite his condition. What a man! Bully!
What a wonderful time to be in Manhattan. The skies were clear blue and the air was crisp just like it was exactly five years ago on September 11th, 2001. There were people everywhere near the void in the ground where the two towers of the World Trade Center once stood. People were placing flowers or notes and pictures and poems on the fence surrounding this important place where many lost their lives five years earlier. There were TV cameras everywhere. The President of the United States visited the site earlier in the day and laid a wreath in a pool to honor those who perished. It was a solumn place where everyone was courteous regardless of political persuasion. We all seemed to be either hurting, mourning, praying, or mentally recognizing that the United States of America and its citizens changed forever that fateful day five years earlier. I could not help but thinking and stating later how thankful I felt for those that have gone before me, even died so I can have the freedoms we all enjoy. I feel thankful still for those young men and women even now serving our country around the world protecting us and continuing to guarantee those same freedoms. Also I cannot help but think about the first responders around our country such as those who were on the ground selflessly and in the buildings of the WTC on 9-11 five years ago. God Bless em all.
From the road,
Mr. Coker,
Having read your NYC report I must say I am impressed with your writing as well as the family’s collection of fine cars. Your father was kind enough to invite me and a friend to visit his collection stored at his home several months ago. Occasionally I send an email to him inquiring about a specific part or have a question that has entangled in the cobwebs of my mind.
From this point on you may find that this email is more effective than a bottle of Tylenol PM!
I am restoring a 1920 Monroe. This is my first attempt at a car of this age which, seems rather modern, compared to the cars in your collection. However, it is an enjoyable learning experience and the research has been equally enjoyable. I first became interested in this car in 1978 but its owner didn’t decide to let me have it until February ‘04. From what I have learned, it is the only ‘20 Monroe in existance. There are maybe, 7-8 earlier models around.
In 1920, Gaston Chevrolet, brother of Lewis Chevrolet, drove a modified Monroe to win the Indy 500. On Thanksgiving Day of that year he was racing in Beverly Hills (?) on a plank track and was involved in a wreck with a Duesenberg. Both G. Chevrolet and his mechanic died in the wreck. The Monroe was green and that was the start of race car drivers having a superstition about driving a green car.
When I bought the car I received several items of interest: A set of factory blueprints in full and half-size for its engine, transmission, differential and front axle. In 1920 Monroe built a car to ship overseas but it was damaged just after it was built and was disassembled. The engine, transmission, front axle, steering, and miscellaneous parts had been bought by the one who sold it to me. Although the engine has stuck over the years when I pulled its oil pan it appears to have never been run.
Also, he bought an original Monroe Parts Catalog many years ago and Harrah’s tried to buy it from him. A letter from the car’s original engineer was also included. It was dated 1971 and he had received a U.S. Patent for an engine he had designed that had, if I remember the details, no valves or springs and an crankcase enclosed supercharger without an outside air pump. The letter has the patent numbers and someday I hope to get a drawing from the Patent Office.
My car was at Indianapolis in 1971 and the previous owner met the engineer and drove he and his wife 2 laps around the track. I have a photo of the engineer in my car. The Indianapolis Star made and published a photo of the Monroe with Tony Hulman inspecting it. I’m trying to get a copy of that newspaper.
In my research I have met by phone the engineer’s son, who is 85 years old. He is a retired Brigadier General, was the Scientist for the Pentagon and taught at the University of Indiana. At his age he is a very interesting person and has invited me to with him. He found the original plant where my Monroe was built and has sent photos he recently made. Also, he found a pencil drawing that he said was for the 1920 Monroe engine.
The editor of Cars and Parts said they would publish an article about my car when it is completed. I will be writing the article and doing the photography and–I’m looking forward to this.
On a more personal level, Ron Bird is a very good friend of mine and there is a story about the ‘33 Packard coupe that brought us into friendship. In 1985, Billy Joe McDaniel let me have a 1934 Dodge Rumble Seat coupe that I has a lasting connection to me. It was sold new in Livingston, my home. In 1959, my father bought it an the estate auction of its original family. It was my first car. After a couple of years, while in high school, I traded it for a Jaguar XK-120 FHC. A terribly expensive experience for a small town high school kid working in a grocery store!!! While in college I decided that I wanted the Dodge back and had no idea where it had gone. In short, it took 7 years to learn that Billy Joe had it but—it took another 9 years to get it.
That was in 1985, but, I had 2 small girls and their education was more important than the car so it slept in the basement. Now both girls are out of college and after the Monroe is finished I hope to put the Dodge on the road.
My apology for this long email but sometimes I just have to share this.
Congratulations to you and your family for such a great contribution to a great hobby!
Thanks,
Carl F. Ledbetter
Livingston, TN
Thanks for the kind words in your posted comments, Carl! You know,… it is really fun to hear about the wonderful connections we make around our cars! Collector cars are fun but I really do believe the collector car people that collect the cars are better!
Would love to see a picture of the Monroe!
You can email it to me at corkyc@coker.com
Corky