A Meeting with the Original Owner of #8011

[Hardway]

As car enthusiasts we are not merely the owners of 4-wheeled machines but caretakers of classic and interesting automobiles.  Anytime we acquire a used but “new to me“ vehicle we always want to know its history, where has it been, has it been treated well, what made the owner buy this car over another, and so on.  Many times there are clues left behind in between the seat cushions or stashed in the glovebox in the form of receipts, matchbooks, and maybe even an occasional photograph that was included with the sale.  Sometimes the story of ownership is passed down through the owners themselves. But as time marches on and these cars and their previous owners grow older it is becoming harder to track down and have the opportunity to talk with the original owner of a car.  After several conversations and a few months of planning this opportunity materialized and I am so grateful it did.

 

This past weekend I trailered my 1971 240z #8011 to the Dallas area to visit family, attend the Dallas/Plano Cars and Coffee, and have lunch with Frank Lauriello, the original owner of the car.  On Sunday October 4^th we met at Main Street Bistro and Bakery for brunch.  I didn’t know what Frank looked like but knew he was in his 60’s.  Seeing that everyone else there was a young beautiful family and well-dressed I figured the first guy in his 60’s that walked in by himself would be Frank.  Sure enough as an older gentleman walked in I tapped him on the shoulder and I was right.  We formally introduced ourselves, shook hands, and a got a table outside.

 

After ordering coffee and discussing how beautiful the weather was the conversation quickly turned to cars.  Frank had never heard of Cars and Coffee so I told him about the event and even given the fact there were two dozen Italian exotics in attendance, only three classic Z’s were there.  Being exclusive does not always mean being expensive I said.  He laughed and agreed and asked the next time it comes around he would like to check it out.  When I originally setup this weekend I was hoping to meet Frank at C&C but he was already booked up on Saturday.

 

The waitress comes back around, we order our food and get back to our conversation.  I asked Frank what made him buy the Z and what else was he considering when he did.  He told me how he was looking at Porsche 911’s as they were fast and cheap back then and the 240Z’s were already popular around Los Angeles.  After test driving the 240z he figured it would be more reliable than the Porsche so he bought it in late September of 1970.  He remembered that the car was built in August of 1970 and felt it should really be called a 1970 but was titled as a ’71.  I asked him “how cheap was a Porsche 911 in 1970?“

 

Frank: “About $9,000”

 

Me: “How much was the Z?”

 

Frank: “Around $3,000 if I remember correctly”

 

Me: “How much was a house in Los Angeles in the early 70’s?”

 

Frank: “Around 15 to 20 grand”

 

We both laughed, seems that Porches have always been expensive.  He went on to tell me a few years ago he considered buying a new 911 but his wife would not even get in the car to go on a test drive.  He still likes them but he for now they are not in the financial picture.  I asked him has ever thought about getting another Z, maybe a new one like a 370z?  He said they are nice but he has not paid that much attention to them.

 

Our food arrives, we take a few bites, switch gears to another topic of what we with our time, job, etc.  Frank goes on to tell me that he volunteers with an organization that provides handyman services to senior citizens called Plain-O-Helpers.  I was truly impressed with the variety of work they do and how busy they are, averaging thirty houses per week.  They work with the city and county to help seniors get their homes up to code or install ramps, grab bars, and more.  He has been doing it for twelve to thirteen years and I could tell he has a real passion for it.  Suddenly my job as an IT project manager was not that interesting.

 

We took in some more of our food and I ask Frank to tell me about any exciting trips or adventures he had in the Z.  He wipes mouth and sits back as I can tell the mental wheels are spinning and he says “we drove that car everywhere.”  “We took it up the California highway all the way to Canada one time, we drove it to Washington, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nevada.”  “It was always a good car, had plenty of room for our bags”  “It was always garage kept and never got rained on unless it had been driven and the rain came along”  There were no adventures or mishaps with the car.  Based on Frank’s stories the Z served as fun but essential transportation to their destinations.

 

The conversation changed gears to ownership history and I shared what I knew based on the information I had gathered from the owner I bought it from.  Frank owned the car for approximately twenty five years and during that time he lived in LA, Colorado, and then moving to the Dallas Texas area where he lives now.  He sold the car to a car collector a few years after moving to Dallas in the mid 90’s.  The car had an issue with second gear and at this point Frank was done with the car and did not feel like fixing it.  We concluded that the collector fixed the transmission and sold the car on to the owner in Denison Texas near the Oklahoma border.  I told Frank I actually spoke with this owner briefly after buying the car and that he was now in his 90’s.  I did not keep him on the phone long, just confirmed a few things about the car and was hoping he still had the window sticker as Frank originally told me during our first phone conversation that it went with the car.  Fortunately he remembered the window sticker but unfortunately it was lost during a move.  I told Frank about all the work the work that Dave Hoffer and his crew had done on the car prior to me buying it from Dave.  This included the engine and suspension rebuild along with the 5-speed transmission swap.

 

We wrapped up our meal, took care of the check, and vacated our residency on the patio.  We walked to the parking garage where the Z was and as we came upon it we talked about the condition of the paint.  He said the color it is now is very close to what he remembered as the original color. I opened the hatch and showed him the evidence of the BMW graphite metallic that remained along with the original paint peeking through in a few locations where the BMW color had flaked off.  I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride and he quickly accepted.  After a quick seat belt adjustment we were off as several car alarms chirped upon our exit, informing us that we were disturbing their morning slumber. 

 

I took Frank on a nice loop away from traffic so I could do some spirited driving with him.  He said “she really moves along” as the engine pulled the car around with ease, always providing a little g-force to the occupants.  As we got on to a road with a higher speed limit I shifted in to 5^th demonstrating how nice the car cruised and Frank agreed that is what it needed since day one.  We drove around some more as I could see him looking around the inside of the car, taking it all in.  As we made our way back to the parking garage Frank asked if he could take my picture with the car so he could show his wife and I replied “absolutely”.  I parked on the side street next to the garage as we took turns taking pictures of the car and of the other standing next to it.  We chatted a little more as Frank remembered being in a small accident in the car, being hit on the front right side.  He said the shop did a good job and I concurred as the car has nice shot lines and handles well.  I told him I had picked up the set of slotted mag wheels the last time I was in the Dallas area from a guy off Craigslist and asked what wheels were on the car when he got it and did he ever changed them.  “It had the regular steel wheels and wheel covers on it, always did.”  I popped the hood to show him the engine bay and that you could see the detailed suspension as well.  He was impressed with all the attention to detail and was so glad to see that it has always been cared for.  He mentioned the dealer chopped off the front of the original air cleaner to make room for the AC compressor.  I have the “before” pictures of when Dave got the car and had always been curious who chopped the front of the snorkel off the air box and why.

 

The morning had turned to the afternoon and I knew I needed to start heading back to Austin.  I closed the hood down as Frank stood at the back of the car looking over the rear passenger quarter panel and as I joined him I hear him say “she looks really good, makes me wonder why I ever got rid of it”  I could tell the memories were playing in full HD at this point in his mind.  I told him I really enjoy the car and I am very happy and honored to have it as I know how special it is.  I thanked him again for meeting with me, shook his hand, and that it had been a pleasure getting to talk with him.  He did the same, thanked me for the meal, and said he really appreciated me reaching out to him and setting this up, it had been a fun morning.  I told him I would keep him posted on the car and let him know the next time Cars and Coffee was taking place.  I got the Z loaded back up and back to Austin without incident. 

 

As I write this I have more questions I wish I had asked Frank and wish I had someone to take pictures of us during our meeting.  For now, I am beyond thrilled at getting to meet with him as it will be one of the many great memories I have with the Z.  

 

 

Edited October 20, 2015 by Hardway

[jfa.series1]

Jeff - that's a great story, really well written.  Pretty cool that you could track down the original owner, previously in California and now in the area close to your family.  You've done a nice job on closing the loop on the car's ownership and history.

 

Sorry to have missed you at C&C.  We had a family event at my home that day to celebrate my Aunt's 100th birthday.  As to the low turnout for Z's, our local club has gotten pretty well burnt out on C&C as the personality of the Plano event has significantly changed over the past couple of years.

 

Regards,

Jim

[siteunseen]

Good story, glad you shared it with us. 

 

Is it just me or do others see a resemblance?

[Red7]

How wonderful to meet him, I bet he was as thrilled as you ! Great write up!

[240260280z]

Thanks to Frank for clarifying the cut off breather (I have one too and always wondered)... Grannyknot helped fix it!

[moelk]

Great story! Thanks for sharing.

[Drew Butz]

Great story, thanks for sharing !

[grannyknot]

Very cool

[rossiz]

good stuff - sounds like you made his day with that meeting.

 

it's funny how provenance plays so strongly in the value of a car - race history, famous owners, etc.

a triumph scrambler owned by steve mcqueen will take in shocking $$ whereas an exact duplicate, in better mechanical shape significantly less. i guess those of us who care somehow find a connection with the spirit/memories of a vehicle that goes beyond the metal. 

 

i'm the third owner of my z, and purchased it from an older gentleman who had bought it for his wife back in the early 80's and sold it a few years after she passed away. when we test drove it together, it was so cool to hear the stories of how the car was a part of their lives for so long. her name was Priscilla, and while my headstrong and often difficult project has been referred to as "Lillith", the car will always be Priscilla to me.

[charliekwin]

Me: “How much was a house in Los Angeles in the early 70’s?”

 

Frank: “Around 15 to 20 grand”

 

Those were the days!

 

Great story.

[Hardway]

Thank you for all the compliments guys.  I am glad I was able to share the story and thrilled that the event actually happened.  Getting to meet Frank and show him the car made his day as much as mine.  I look forward to keeping in touch with him and hopefully hearing about him being the new owner of Porsche 911 one day!

[dmorales-bello]

Great story that definitely echoes in many of us, I'm sure.

I've always wondered whatever happened to my beautiful "77 Z after I painfully left it as a trade for a VW Rabbit in 1980 before going off to med school. I needed some quick extra cash and still have a vehicle and that was my solution at the time.

If that car is still around and the current owner tracks me down I would be so eager to see my car again and provide whatever insight and memories I could to him or her. Great memories! Thanks for the story.