Bill went on to say that he collects two types of cars: dead stock and resto-mods I like resto-rods because they have the looks of the old cars and the drivability of new cars. [7], Later, it emerged that Allen might have perjured himself at trial. [1] VECO had a major impact on the economy of Alaska and employed over 5,000 people worldwide. They talked about doing another backhand donation, which I think went up in smoke the moment they realized how valuable all this stuff was. He is an avid car collector and has owned numerous collector-grade vehicles including a 1965 Shelby American Continuation Series . Housed in a striking circular glass and steel building, designed by Gunter Henn, the collection boasts around 50 cars and 30 motorcycles and bicycles, as well as numerous other exhibits relating to the history of the Audi, DKW, Horch, Wanderer and NSU brands. At the Harbert get together I made arrangements with Bill to sit down with me for an interview sometime in 2019. According to the government, Franklin Adell gifted Kevin Adell $6.6 million to pay a court-ordered legal judgment that was entered against the son. Some of the notes from the Bill Stephens lecture covered the following points: One take away thought that I got from Bill Stephens lecture on muscle cars is that the market for the truly significant or valuable cars is still fairly strong. He is also a jazz percussionist and briefly enrolled in private instructions at the Berklee School of Music in Boston in 1969. Due to the cloud hanging over its head from the political investigation, it is estimated that VECO was forced to sell for far less than its market value. For example, one of the rarest items in his collection is a black plastic 1974 Volvo. It was not clear if the position of Vice President for Community & Government Affairs would be refilled. In 1984, he was chosen from over 300 applicants to become the morning VJ on the Boston-based music television station WVJV-TV (V-66) which was owned by former Boston-area Disc jockeys Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg and John Garabedian. How much? Helck said, Which one? and Harrah replied, How much? He boughteverything. In 2011, he researched, wrote, produced, and narrated the National Hot Rod Association's 60 Greatest Moments video to commemorate the NHRA's 60th anniversary. Great! His first marriage was to Joyce Anne Carberry in Boston, MA in February 1973, soon divorcing in the fall of 1974. In just three years, he had parlayed a $100 per week Tango Bingo game into a $25,000 annual business. Im in Las Vegas right now and did not even know Harrahs here (or the Linq) had closed the car museum. He is an avid car collector and has owned numerous collector-grade vehicles including a 1965 Shelby American Continuation Series 427SC Cobra, a 1965 ERA 427 Cobra Replica, a 1993 GMC Typhoon, 1998 Jaguar XK8 convertible, 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9, 1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT and 12 Chevrolet Corvettes in model years ranging from 1960 to 1980. [5] The sleek sedan with dip windshields and wheel covers is just one of approximately 350 vehicles in his collection, and theres not a single Match Box or Hot Wheels car among them. Bill turned around and said, Youre the artist, I like your work. What initiated the Muscle Car phenomenon? "[11] Rachel Alexandra, with Borel riding her, won the 2009 Preakness Stakes with Mine that Bird ridden by Mike Smith, finishing second, a length behind. Cindy Wade:We started hearing that Harrahs was going to be sold to Holiday Inns. Versus Ferrari F8 & Lamborghini Huracan Evo Cammisas Ultimate Drag Race Replay, Ultra RARE: Colin Chapmans Lotus Eleven + 327 Corvette Stingray with 4-speed | Barn Find Hunter Ep. Three blockbuster eventsall done rapid-fire style and with every car selling at no reserveplayed to a packed house of the eras top collectors and those who aspired to join them. Your billing info has been updated. Stephens' first appearance on television was on local cable news television in 1982 when he served as the nightly weatherman on Cape Cod Cablevision's Cape 11 Alive News in South Yarmouth. Thanks guys! [All Dixon quotes excerpted from the book,Playing the Cards that are Dealt, published in 1992.]. Most were designed for O scale electric train sets, originally, he said. 1 views today. To help publicize his enterprises, Bill Harrah sponsored Unlimited Hydroplane racing. Bill Sefton posing with his 2018 Dodge Challenge Hellcat. Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. He explained that if he does have a bias toward the MOPAR performance cars its because ChryCo had seemingly so many more choices for buyers, such asRoadrunners, Chargers, Barracudas, Demons, the Duster 340, etc. Now in its 10th year, thousands of attendees make their way to this show. Required fields are marked *. Pretty much from the get-go he was a performance car buff and recalls with great joy being a young man who reveled in hearing the throaty roar of the V-8 engines and seeing the myriad of exciting muscle cars on the streets andhighways in his hometown. He has covered virtually every major automobile racing series such as NASCAR, NHRA, Champ Car, and the Atlantic Championship along with many specialty automotive and motorsports events such as collector car auctions, sprint car racing, tractor pulling, drag boat racing, lawn mower racing, mud bog racing, custom car shows, automotive expos, and motorsports awards ceremonies. Bill Stevens Auto Sales Used Car Dealers, New Car Dealers Be the first to review! [1], Bill Allen had three children, who received $30 million each[citation needed]from the sale of VECO: Kerrigan, Mark Allen, and Shannon West. And the only way that they made up a little bit of that money was that long before Holiday Inn bought the company, they were holding auctions. Stephens has written three books for Sports Publishing, LLC of Champaign, IL. There he was at the collection, and we knew that a new owner would not maintain the collection the way Mr. Harrah had done it, or even keep it, and so we knew the end was coming one way of the other. Stephens has been the recipient of several major broadcasting awards for his radio hosting and production, including three International Radio Festival of New York Awards in 198890, an Achievement in Radio Award in 1990, and National Silver Microphone Award in 1994. i was just a kid when my parents took me with them to Harrahs both in Reno and Las Vegas and the hotels always had special feel to me. He remarried in 1987 to Deborah Susan Donnell in Yarmouthport, MA, resulting in two sons, Will (born April 9, 1990) and Sean (born September 21, 1995) and divorced in May 2010. Once I bought a car, eager potential buyers could look at it but I would never sell it. This went on for 15 years after he started his collection in the late 1980s. Satre:They appraised the assets, and I dont have the appraisal in front of me, but it was in the neighborhood of $30 to $40 million, as I recall. He is a nationally published author of several motorsports books and a columnist for a number of automotive periodicals. Email this Business. And he didnt have a (firm) handshake griphe just kind of left his hand out there I came [to Harrah Corporation] in 1975 and he died in 1978. Born in South Pasadena, California, in 1911, Bill Harrah had to drop out of UCLA during the Depression, worked briefly in his family's small-time entertainment businesses, then took over his Dad's pool hall and bingo parlor in the 1930s. Clyde Wade (Harrahs Automobile Collection general manager):We had [ads in] every major newspaper clipped every day and sent to Bill Harrah. Contact Information. When he reached the driving age of 16 in 1967, it was the apex of the American muscle car era. [citation needed]. GM has decided to end production of the Bolt EV, its first mass-produced all-electric car that first came on the market in 2017. According to family members, at the age of three, Stephens was able to identify every make of automobile on the road before he could even read. My uncle, Lenard Davis had restored these 2 cars. Harrah felt that these cars should be preserved, and he thought that a full-blown restoration was the best form of preservation and celebration of these carsand that it was very important to restore a car to the highest, most authentic level, so it could be understood, seen, and preserved in perpetuity. Those pioneers could never have envisioned the flashy Studebaker Lark convertible. Floral w Gilding Vintage Candy. In 1984, he was chosen from over 300 applicants to become the morning VJ on the Boston-based music television station WVJV-TV (V-66) which was owned by former Boston-area disc jockeys Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg and John Garabedian. Most Americans Struggle With Car Maintenance And Can't Afford Unexpected $1,000 Repair Bill. Mark then entered the horse in the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. In 1986, Stephens created a unique speaking skills program, Vocal Point, and has conducted comprehensive training seminars for such companies as General Motors, Sears, Citibank, ADP Payroll Systems, Unifirst Corporation, Cablevision of Boston, Cablevision of New York, Prime Computer, Bull Information Systems, Yankee Software Systems, Cognos Direct, American Frozen Foods, Bell South, AT&T (formerly Cellular One and Cingular), Newpro Replacement Windows, and Epsilon. He also has a selection of Dinky cars made in England from 1934 to 1979. Customize this page. He did nally decide to whittle down his collection. Seeking broader success, Harrah bought his way into the semi-cloistered Reno gambling fraternity. How many car buffs do you know that have owned more than 200 cars, most of them to-die-for performance cars, and presently his two daily drivers are a 2019 Corvette Z06 coupe and a 2018 Dodge Challenger Hellcat? Stephens has written, produced, and narrated numerous automotive and motorsports home videos in national distribution. Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens. The new owners of Rachel Alexandra a filly that won the Kentucky Oaks, with Borel aboard, intended to enter her in the Preakness as well, with Borel again committed to riding her. How much were these cars worth when the Energy Crisis arrived in the early 1970s? For the majority of his life, when he wasnt working for his company Naperville, Illinois, he was dedicating his time to his passion cars. Used car and truck sales. The cars were a big asset and they decided to start selling them off. In just three years, he had parlayed a $100 per week "Tango Bingo" game into a $25,000 annual business. This article was originally written by Dar Davis of The Herald-Palladium, a newspaper distributed in the Southwest Michigan region. Satre:Meade Dixon went with him to the Mayo Clinic along with Verna. Bill Harrah would buy a collection, and he had to buy the whole collection, and there would be duplication among vehicles, so he would turn around and sell them, and so did his estate before they made a deal with Holiday Inn. Very sad ending, and your article here is a fantastic history of both Harrah and his venues and passions. John Mozart (Collector)Holiday Inn just wanted to get rid of the cars. He offered his suggestions for our consideration; some of those cars are as follows: Cobra Jet Mustang 1965 K Code Mustang 1969/70 Mach 1 Third & fourth generation Camaro Early Mercury Cougars Phil Satre(Former Harrah Corporation president and CEO, currently chairman of Wynn Corporation):He was extremely shy. It was sure an education to have worked there on the restorations, for those years. 1 prospect Harry Ford takes minors leagues, WBC stage by storm. While his collection is primarily for adults to display and not childrens toys, he does have a few models originally designed for play, including three made entirely of rubber. His favorite is a 1930s royal blue Pierce Arrow coupe. We want to hear about what you collect and why. Bill Stevens Auto Sales, Inc. - 4227 4th St NW Albuquerque, NM 87107. He estimates since the Mach 1 purchase that hes owned more than 200 cars. William James Allen (April 6, 1937 June 29, 2022) was an American businessman who was the CEO of the Alaska oilfield services company VECO Corporation. Your account is fully activated, you now have access to all content. All cars in Germany must be registered with the competent authority in the area where the car's owner lives. Dixon:The board authorized the expenditure of $45 millionan unheard-of sum in those days [$181 million today]to build this hotel-museum-casino. Some of the most fantastic cars on the list of extraordinary automobiles in the collection include the various Chevrolet Impalas, a couple of classic Firebirds consisting of the first and second generation, and a Ford Thunderbird, which has been called by the videographer the Thunderchicken. Unfortunately, it would appear that incredibly famous vehicles have been put through the wringer quite a few times as they are all covered in decades of dust and dirt which has been caked on in the hot summer sun and then locked onto the body by the frigid cold of winter. Over the next 28 years, he served as an on-air personality at such stations as WDRC AM and FM and WCCC-FM in Hartford, CT, WRKO, WVBF-FM, WEEI-FM, WBOS-FM, and WMJX-FM in Boston, KIQQ-FM, KGIL-AM&FM, and KWST-FM in Los Angeles, California, and KMJJ-FM in Las Vegas, NV. He issued a press release, stating "Additionally, my decision to enter Indy Express in the Preakness was strictly business but after consulting with my Dad (sic) and Doc Blach, I have decided to withdraw Indy Express to prevent any further miss (sic) understandings. 0:00 / 35:51 Part 2- Steven's Collection, 1940-50-60-1970's , A Massive HOARD of 1000 + Classics Cars & Trucks Heart of Texas Barn Finds and Classics 15.8K subscribers 11K views 1 year ago On. Lockhart pointed out the real wood panels and white wall tires. I know, not too many. This event attracts the best of the best muscle cars, stock or modied. [3] The charges involved bribing Alaska lawmakers to vote in favor of an oil tax law favored by the VECO that was the subject of vigorous debate during the regular and two special sessions of the Alaska Legislature in 2006. It should be no surprise that his rst car was a performance pony car, a 1971 Ford Mach 1 fastback. According to family members, at the age of three, Stephens was able to identify every make of automobile on the road before he could even read. Email Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com or call Voices editor Kimberly Lusk at (509) 459-5457. In 1972, at the age of 23, he enrolled in the Columbia School of Broadcasting, a correspondence course, and after completing the program, began his radio career at WRYT in Boston as a staff announcer and control board operator. 7 Dmitry Lomakov This applies even if you move to a different city within Germany, due to the fact that all German number plates display a code indicating where the car is registered (e.g. The folks at the Larz Anderson Museum of Transportation made everyone feel very comfortable and atmosphere was great for a lecture about cars to a bunch of car people. Miles Collier (Collector, REVS Institute founder):A lot of collectors, back in the day, when it was revealed that Bill Harrahs collection was part of Harrahs Casinos Inc., which was being sold to Holiday Inn, and the whole collection was going to be sold, got pretty pissed at Bill Harrah posthumously; What kind of a jerk are you? Henry J. Kaiser was in the steel and aluminum business, but for about 10 years he made cars, Lockhart said. His 1967 Corvette convertible with the 435 horsepower big V-8 under the hood. Stephens served as a national event PA announcer for the NHRA Championship Drag Racing Series for 4 years between 1994 and 1997 and is a frequent Master of Ceremonies for various automotive and racing tributes, banquets, and award presentations. Bill has entered up to 18 cars per year to this show. Collier:When Holiday Inn first got involved, they knew that this was a fraught issue. This week sees his 73rd birthday. We had arranged a $25 million line of credit to make that acquisition, and we had all the documentation ready, and Meade said, Do not sign it; do not send the cash until we know if hes going to make it through this operation., [Id asked Harrah,] do you want to do anything with Middlefork Lodge, or with the automobile collection? He lived a very extreme life. For those not in the know, this is the pony car that has 707 horses under the hood. And he had thousands of model cars. William Weyman Stephens Jr., known professionally as Bill Stephens (born October 16, 1949) is an American network television host and commentator specializing in automotive and motorsports presentations. In 1972, at the age of 23, he enrolled in the Columbia School of Broadcasting, a correspondence course, and after completing the program, began his radio career at WRYT in Boston as a staff announcer and control board operator. His most recent purchase is a classic woodie with a matching Airstream trailer. Informazioni su danni e incidenti per le auto importate, Informazioni sulla protezione dei dati per i proprietari di veicoli. Join Facebook to connect with Bill Stephens and others you may know. $6.00. His success with the company enabled him to retire seven years ago at the age of 61. The interesting thing is that Gold Star restorations were not just done on valuable cars, but on anything that they deemed important. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. VECO was an Alaska-based oil pipeline service and construction company founded by Wayne Veltri (VECO is short for Veltri Co). sale. Classic car collectors have become very verbal about their vast vehicular exploits in recent years because of the rise in social media and the ability to show off the best of the automotive world. What cars were most responsible for launching this new market segment? He would check off [the cars] he wanted looked into, and we bought a lot of cars that way. Per ogni veicolo che conosciamo, creiamo un report dellauto usata e lo mettiamo a tua disposizione. No surprise here, he picked a current McLaren F1 streetable supercar. All of his items are miniature versions of real vehicles. Following the spill and cleanup, Allen purchased the Anchorage Times from editor/publisher Robert Atwood. (I worked with those 4 guys in the white coveralls, Aldo, Joe, George and Al.). But I dont think any of them after that ever thought of going back to the Indianapolis 500. I rst met Bill a few years back, at the local Lake Bluff Concours car show. Calling all collectors. CLOSED NOW Tomorrow: 8:30 am - 6:00 pm 73 YEARS IN BUSINESS (505) 344-0447 Visit Website Map & Directions 4227 4th St NWAlbuquerque, NM 87107 Write a Review Is this your business? In 2002, he collaborated with legendary drag racer "Big Daddy" Don Garlits on his memoirs titled "Big Daddy's Tales from the Drag Strip". I worked as a metal-man /bodyman at HAC, 1972 to 1977, and up at the Middle Fork Lodge a few times, repairing the old cars driven there. His shortest marriage (four months) was to singer-songwriter, Bobbie Gentry, whose haunting ballad, Fancy, describes a star-crossed relationship between an older man and a poor Southern prostitute. He owned racehorses, including a partnership in the stud-horse So Long Birdie, which included his son Mark, Stevens, and seven others, and which was managed by Persons. After a number of guesses, Bill opined that he thought that the first post-war muscle car was the 1948 Oldsmobile Rocket 88. I was back in Reno working on the documentation for Bill Harrah to buy the biggest retail auto dealerships on the East Coast. Meade Dixon, who became the executor of his estate, would have me go to the office with him, and to sit down to talk with Bill Harrah about what he wanted done on a project. Power & Associates, Auto Trader.com, MSNBC.com, and eBay Motors. Success! Who could afford a car like this in 1936? he asked. By Gerry | August 10, 2019. He loved to go as fast as he could, and he loved to speed from Reno to Lake Tahoe in his Ferraris. Ed was the first Volvo dealer in California and at first he didnt have any cars to show customers. My dad invited him to be the Grand Marshall of a Concours dElegance that he was organizing. Family Owned Business serving Lisbon since 1965 operated by 3 generations Bill Stevens Auto Sales | Lisbon Falls ME Welcome back! VECO also was a worldwide player in the oil industry, having divisions in many major oil markets, including Sudan, Russia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Syria. $6.35 shipping. He Is one of the founding owners of the annual Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals that are held in Stephens Center in Chicago the weekend before Thanksgiving. Visit Website. Bill Gates' Favorite Car, A 1979 Porsche 911 Via PCCarMarket.com Also known as Bill Gates' favorite car, the Porsche 911 was introduced to the masses back in 1964. Oldsmobiles first Rocket V8 had a 303 cubic inch, 135 horsepower overhead valve engine in a body that for those days would be considered lightweight in that era. Dixon:I think the first thing I did as chairman of Harrahs after Bill died was to cancel that project [the new museum]. In 1988 he founded a company that contracted with banks to track credit card loyalty programs. A reformed gambler himself, he worked to overcome the gaming industrys sleazy reputation by creating the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 1955. As he looked at the beautiful craftsmanship and design represented in the die-cast metal cars, Lockhart referred to his collection as aspirational, because owning the real thing is out of the average persons price range. In 1996, he wrote, produced, and narrated the award-winning documentary series "Wheels", aired on PBS affiliates around the country. $15.00. Bill Stephens: TV anouncer (1949-) People / Bill Stephens. 4227 4th St NW Albuquerque, NM 87107. $10.20 shipping. John Gianotti (Vice-president of Community Affairs for Harrah Corporation): He was looking at buying theSpruce Gooseand putting it in the lobby. Bill Steven's Auto, Inc. is a full service auto body shop also offering sales of used automobiles. They (Studebaker) were known for their styling, he said. [10] Assets that included the Norcon division yard in Anchorage and other Alaskan and foreign properties were retained by the Allen family. Encomp He had about 25 to 30 paintings and pen-and-inks, and Bill Harrah walked up, and I believe Helck didnt actually know who he was. You've successfully subscribed to Motorious. Copyright 2023, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy, Spokane Valley Fire roundup: Multiple engines, water tenders fight rural home blaze in Otis Orchards, Downtown Spokane stadium groundbreaking set for Tuesday , Pandemic project: Dental lab owner Robert Carnell paints pop art abstracts of celebrities , Gardening: Bird feeders safe to hang this winter after salmonella epidemic in 2020 , Pandemic projects: Retired Freeman High School teacher self-publishes Welsh mystery series , Getting There: WSDOT reminds Spokane it could close local access to U.S. Highway 195 if safety issues arent addressed, Cheney High School student dies after incident during PE class, Craig Chamberlin, former voice of Spokane County Sheriff's Office, dies, Seattle Mariners No. [citation needed], As a teenager, Stephens developed a fascination with radio broadcasting after seeing several remote broadcasts presented by WBZ Radio in Boston during the rock and roll era of the 1960s. This page is designed to be a forum to educate collectors of J. Stevens Arms & Tool products. Automotive historian and museum curatorKen Gross explored the sale for Hagerty Insider, interviewing many of the people involved. peoplepill id: bill-stephens. GERRY WITH BILL STEVENS OF MECUM AUCTIONS AND NBCSN. [citation needed]. Initially (my Dad) was the car spotter in the L.A. area, so hed write in and say, I know about this car, and they would say tell us more. Hed take photos and write up reports, and they liked his reports, so they eventually hired him to come work in Reno.

Worst Places To Live In Montgomery County, Pa, Lonnie Williams Obituary, Cullman County Courthouse Warrants, Derrick Todd Lee Last Words, Tesco Staff Pay Dates 2021, Articles B