Jerry Heasley's Rare Finds: Rediscovering Muscle Car Treasures

Jerry Heasley

Jan 2011 · CarTech Inc

About this ebook

Rare, super-high-performance, and historically significant muscle cars and sports cars have been spotted in old garages, resting in pastures, sitting in parking ramps, and tucked away in the most unusual places. Tossed out like a child?s long- forgotten toy, these automotive icons have been set aside, neglected, and even abandoned waiting to be rediscovered and appreciated. Through hard work, dedication, and perseverance, automotive collectors have turned these tragedies into triumphs as they have found, negotiated, reclaimed, and often restored these dilapidated or lost treasures. And in many cases, an astute collector has bought a rare car at a-deal-of-the-century price. Automotive historian and investigative reporter Jerry Heasley, author of Muscle Car Review?s?Rare Finds,? and columns in Mustang Monthly and Vette, takes you along on adventures of rediscovery, negotiation, and new ownership in which these historic cars were reclaimed and not lost to the sands of time. The great lengths collectors will go to find and purchase these Rare Finds is awe inspiring?years of research, coordination with networks of colleagues, countless phone calls, and many road trips. But long periods of time, reluctant sellers, and all sorts of difficult obstacles have not deterred these die-hard classic car searchers, but instead have created a fascinating collection of stories. Some owners have parked and neglected these cars, passed away and left their beloved automobile treasures to sit in a yard for years, or placed them in a strange locale. Over the decades, some uninformed owners have failed to recognize the collectibility, value, and historical significance of these unique high-performance cars while the market value of these cars has risen dramatically and made them prized vehicles to own. Whether it?s fate, circumstance, solid research, or pure luck, Heasley brings each collector car quest to life in vivid and compelling detail. This compendium of stories includes iconic cars, such as the 1970 Shelby GT350, 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe, 1969 Ford Torino Talledega, 1969 Chevy COPO Camaro, 1969 Dodge Daytona Charger, 1970 GS455 Stage 1, 1968 Plymouth GTX 440, and many, many others. The ultimate automotive adventures in these pages are simply unsurpassed.

About the author

Jerry Heasley is a veteran automotive book author, magazine writer, and photographer. More than 6,000 of his articles have appeared in more than 100 different car magazine titles over the past 30 years. Currently, his Rare Finds column appears in Mustang Monthly, Vette, and Muscle Car Review. He has published more than a half million photos and images worldwide. He lives in Pampa, Texas, and has a ranch near Wheeler, Texas.