Mark Melvin with his 1969 AMC AMX. Photos courtesy La Jolla Concours d'Elegance unless otherwise noted.
It would have been easy to overlook the ratty black 1969 AMX parked on a used car dealer's lot, but AMC fan Mark Melvin knew the car was a special one. Awarded to 1968 Playboy Playmate of the Year Angela Dorian, the car had been in her possession for 42 years and four paint schemes. Now restored, the once-again pink AMX scored a perfect 100 points in judging at the recent La Jolla Concours d'Elegance, earning a category win awarded by a surprise guest with ties to AMX history.
Daniel Strohl related the tale of the former Playmate of the Year AMX in April of 2015, as Mark and friends Allen Tyler and John Siciliano were just finishing the car's restoration. The short version is that Dorian, whose real name was Victoria Vetri, was given the car as part of her Playmate of the Year prize package. By 1970, tired of being followed by fans, autograph seekers and stalkers, Vetri had the car repainted in brown, shortly after her role in the B-movie When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth. Sometime later, it was painted again, this time in gray, a color it would wear until 1984. That year, Vetri agreed to reprise her topless photo shoot for Playboy, a job that earned her enough to repaint the car a final time, in black.
The car as Mark purchased it. Photo courtesy Mark Melvin.
Vetri (then Victoria Rathgab) held onto the car until 2010, when it was first offered on consignment through a local service station, but later appeared on a used car dealer's lot in Venice Beach, California. That's where Mark entered the picture, and after giving the car a quick once-over, struck a deal to buy it, fully aware of its unique and colorful history.
Shortly after Mark took delivery of the AMX, Victoria Rathgab would be back in the news, this time for all the wrong reasons. Accused of shooting her husband, Rathgab was found guilty of attempted voluntary manslaughter in 2011 and sentenced to nine years in prison.
At the same time, Mark was busy accumulating the parts needed to carry out a restoration on the car. Work began in the summer of 2012, and over the next two-and-a-half years Mark and his friends brought the AMX back to life. Rotted quarter panels were cut out and replaced with patches fabricated by Allen Tyler, since replacement panels weren't available. The 290 V-8 was rebuilt and repainted, but the restoration also sought to preserve as much of the car's originality as possible. One such item was the plaque on the glovebox displaying the car's "serial number" of 362436, which conveniently corresponded with Vetri's 1968 measurements.
Mark and friends finished the restoration in time for last year's SoCal AMX Show, followed by the 2015 AMO National Show. It's been on an episode of Jay Leno's Garage, too, and earned an award at the 2015 Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance, but the real surprise came at this year's La Jolla Concours d'Elegance, where the AMX received a flawless 100-point score in the American Sports and Muscle: All Others Through 1975 category.
Upon taking the stage for his award presentation, Mark was introduced to Jeff Teague, son of AMX designer Dick Teague, and Jeff supplied the narrative for the crowd on the car's background. The actual award was presented by Rachel Teague, Jeff's daughter, topping what must have seemed like an already perfect day for Mark and his friends.
Ken and Ann Smith's 1936 Delahaye 135 Competition disappearing-top convertible was Best in Show.
Best in Show at this year's La Jolla Concours d'Elegance went to the Figoni et Falaschi-bodied 1936 Delahaye 135 Competition disappearing-top convertible owned by Ken and Ann Smith, and in keeping with the event's "French Curves" theme, a 1939 Delahaye 165 cabriolet owned by Peter and Merle Mullin took both the People's Choice Award and the Phillip Wichard Memorial Trophy. The Most Outstanding Pre-War Award went to the 1931 Chrysler Imperial CG LeBaron dual-cowl phaeton owned by Aaron and Valerie Weiss, while a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster owned by Bill and Linda Feldhorn captured the Most Outstanding Post-War Award.
Peter and Merle Mullin's 1939 Delahaye 165 cabriolet won the People's Choice Award and the Phillip Wichard Memorial Trophy.
The 1954 Plymouth Explorer owned by the Petersen Museum took home the Chairman's Award.
Most Outstanding Pre-War went to the 1931 Chrysler Imperial CG LeBaron dual-cowl phaeton owned by Aaron and Valerie Weiss.
Bill and Linda Feldhorn's 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster was the show's Most Outstanding Post-War winner.
For a complete list of winners from the 2016 La Jolla Concours d'Elegance, visit LaJollaConcours.com.
from Hemmings Daily – News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1VdtetG
No comments:
Post a Comment