The Smiley Smile Message Board

While this article is a few years old, I just happened upon it, and I'm posting here since it's kinda sorta interesting and BB-related... apologies if this was posted before (the search function didn't turn up anything).

http://jalopnik.com/5472253/peter-maxs-36-vintage-corvettes-the-full-story

As a car hobby person, this strikes me as sad and stupid.  The cars could have been detailed, put in running condition, and sold on any one of the many high profile car auctions held around the country each year.  The provenance  of these vehicles would have provided substantial interest and even sharpened the bidding at any of these auctions.

Fascinating article and story - Thank you for posting! The part that's hard to believe...well, not hard to believe but somewhat of a tragedy, is that the Corvette club featured prominently in the story at times offered to restore and maintain the cars to preserve them, only to have the artist decline and prefer to keep them in mothballs. It's also funny to read how some of the "New York Elite" residents objected to the collection taking up "their" valuable parking space which they could be renting in that building for their luxury cars...douchebags.  :-D

We'll have to stay tuned and see what happens. I love old cars, got that from my Dad who was a Chevy mechanic going back to the early 50's so he saw the first year Vette roll into his workplace and it was spectacular, caused a stir because not every dealer got one, only the bigger producers...and like the car club folks mentioned in the article, I prefer "original" versions of any antique or classic car, and ones that actually drive and are street-legal. That, too, comes from my dad as we used to go to car shows and see all of the chopped-up customs, and think "you can never get the original metal back once it's cut off"...or in the case of Corvettes, fiberglass, but anyway...

If I see these Vettes ever reappear with those hideous Chip Foose giant-ass shiny rims instead of the original wheels... ::)

Peter Max is the real jerk of the story. Along with, perhaps, the guy who sold them to him. He likely could have got more money selling them one at a time and at least some of them would have found good homes.

I wonder if any video ever surfaced of Mike and the Corvette gifting ceremony. I hope Still Cruisin' was played through the speakers of one of those 'Vettes at least once.

Yes, the video is on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/gUAe7BeTrIA (http://youtu.be/gUAe7BeTrIA)

Didn't Brian get a free sports car though some type of promotional tie-in? Was it a Beach Boys thing where they all got one, not just Brian and Landy? I wonder what happened to those cars.

 

Patricia has posted some really interesting/lovely stuff lately! 

An update on this odd tangentially-BB-related story. I wonder if any of these Vettes have a 25-year-old Still Cruisin' cassette in the tape deck.

https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/peter-max-handed--1-million-lawsuit-over-the-sale-of-abandoned-corvette-collection-205334113.html

Saw this coincidentlly while looking for something else.


http://www.bootlegzone.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=32357


(http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--3DcgR1OT--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_320/18nare4ulm3gyjpg.jpg)

(http://roa.h-cdn.co/assets/14/51/480x240/landscape_nrm_1418660752-max_corvette.jpg)

It’s all good. They are now being restored and driven, including an episode of Jerry Seinfeld ‘Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee’.

Full story and update here.

https://youtu.be/cEfTxlzkTRY

Fascinating, thanks for sharing!  What I wonder is if this song Still Cruisin' was written specifically for this contest, or if it was just a car song that was already in the can which was deemed usable for promotion for this contest completely separately and coincidentally.

Also - For anyone who wants to raise an eyebrow:
 
At 5:30, "ex-Beach Boy Mike Love"

The story linked above also referred to him as "ex-Beach Boy Mike Love." Thought that was strange. I'll be the guy who did the video was just repeating what the Jalopnik article said.

Another older story (2015) but these cars are in great hands.

https://youtu.be/ge1p025V6Wk

I can see this collection one day being in a museum and as mentioned, the giveaway and 25 year storage just adds to the mystique. Expect a picture of Mike ,ex or not, to be in there as part of the tale.

I realize I'm replying to an ancient post, but how many realistically can or want to deal with the logistics of owning 30+ cars, storage, and deal with selling them? I'd take the cash too.

Exactly. 99.9% of average schlubs who would have possibly won this contest would have ended up selling most or all of them. I guarantee the most common answer to someone who would be asked "what would you do if you won?" would be something like "I'd maybe keep one or two and sell the rest" or "I'd sell them all."

Even a well-to-do individual with a huge home and plenty of money would have logistical problems with the storing and upkeep of 36 cars.

The vast majority of people would not have not have the resources, space, or money for even a few months let alone years to just sit on dozens of cars and sell them one by one slowly. And, like game show prizes, would they be taxed on their winnings? That would be a hefty tax to pay for whatever 36 Corvettes would be worth.

Most anybody, upon winning this contest, would likely be *very quickly* hustling to sell these things off as quickly as possible. In all fairness, I haven't read up on all the background on this story. Would the organizers have worked with the winner on the logistics of all of this? Or would it end up being like that Simpsons episode where Bart wins an elephant from a radio contest and they just unload an elephant out in the front of his house one day and speed off?