johnny quest Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 (sorry for the weird frame) all i know is that it was taken in Connecticut at Limerock park this past Labor Day Weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earl*t Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Uh o, the boys are going to slobber over this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automan2164 Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Ben knows about it. He's got some lines out, and was waiting for more of a complete story on it before bringing it to the group. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComancheKid45 Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 There goes my Jealous meter spiking again!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Yup... true story. I was waiting until I had the whole story put together before saying anything, but I've known about the whereabouts of this truck for almost a month now. Here's what I know: This is Tommy Archer's 1988 Racetruck Challenge truck that went on to win at Lime Rock. Tommy sold the truck to Dom Papa and sat in Papa's dealership showroom among other such beautiful, low millage examples of Dodge, Chrysler, and AMC automotive history. It changed hands in the early '90s... it was moved to the showroom floor... battery disconnected... and it went for a long nap. Not sure what prompted Papa to sell it off, but here's where Dean Cusano enters the picture as the new owner this past July. Dean has both this and Tommy's Cavalier from the same season. He didn't want the truck to continue to sit though. The truck needed a new bladder in the fuel cell, tires (which it could still use as Dean just mounted a set that he had on hand), a change of all fluids, replaced the cracked front spoiler with another that Papa had on hand, and a bigger seat as Tommy is kind of a skinny dude. Since then, he's been having a blast with it! He's been showing it everywhere he can along with the slalom event in the Papa's Dealership parking lot that was hosted by Dean's South New England Jaguar Club. Here's the twist... he wants to sell it. I've spoke with him about it, and I'm waiting on hearing back from him again on some details and pictures but he's aware of us and the build of my tribute truck. Price? Well, Dean definitely does his research on this stuff and its similar cars that went on to win big trophies that are now selling for big money. He's got friends in the classic car buying/selling business and they've settled that he should expect to see the truck sell for around $15k. Keep this in mind though... this is the real deal that dominated the series that year. The truck is in original paint, has all the original parts that were put there by the Archer Brothers, runs great (and revs like a dirt bike according to Dean), and currently has 4300 miles on the clock. Yup... 4300 MILES!!! I found the truck while trying to get in contact with R.K.. Just like everyone else on my journeys through the recent history of past SCCA Jeeps, Dean has been awesome to talk with. He's been very up front with his information on the truck and with his intentions of the truck. Reason being for selling the truck is to get the Cavalier back to its original glory as well. His plans are to keep the Cavalier for vintage racing circuits and put the money from the truck towards this project. Both in emails and on the phone, Dean is a great guy who appreciates the truck and really wants to see it go to someone who will appreciate is just as much. In most emails, he finishes with "When do you want it?" or "Ready to buy it yet?". Passing stories back and forth, I most enjoyed reading this from him: you should have this truck, more than anyone else probably in the country.... dean Best email ever!!! Truth is, I'd love to have the truck. I'm sure many of us here would! For me, it's turned into this obsession that even while building a tribute truck I know it'll never be enough. Sure, I can put my truck on original suspension components and paint the truck so it matches those sleek lines of the Archer trucks from the late '80s and keep piling on body panels that come direct from the Archers and get signatures from the drivers and... sadly, it'll never be enough. Call it my Maltese Falcon. I have this image in my head of an original truck and I just keep chasing that image and finding people with hopes that my truck will someday be this put together time capsule when, really, it'll just be a pile of parts. It won't have any history. It won't have any trophies. It won't have any stories behind it that people will look on it and rave about it when it even comes close to becoming available for purchase. When it is done, I think it'll be a neat truck that people might ask questions about... and those questions will trace back to those trucks with actual history. For me, that's just not enough. I do want this truck... period. Will it happen right now? It's really the worse time ever for me to see something like this come so close to being mine that even the current owner believes that I should be the next caretaker. I love the idea of what I'd do with it though... living so close to the Brainerd track that held the Racetruck Challenge it'd be a real treat to put it right back just as Dean has with Lime Rock, local car shows, twisty back roads and hidden away scenic drives, enjoying it to the point of taking it out and respecting it both casually and easy but also opening it up and pushing it like it was intended to be driven. It'd be bliss everyday to walk out to the garage and see it not on a pedestal but paired with the smell of fuel and noise of the 2.5. This is a passion. To finish, as Rob said, I wanted to wait to pull the trigger on posting anything about this truck until I had the whole story put together. The more I think about it, I was waiting to post because I was waiting for that glimmer of hope that I just might have a real chance of owning it. How selfish is that? This truck needs to be owned by someone who can regularly exercise it as the race truck that it is. More importantly, it needs to be purchased by someone who can afford to do that. Hell, I'd be willing to sell off three or four vehicles from my stables if it'd be a sure shot that I'd get top dollar for them. While that probably won't be me, it makes me take another look at my own creation that while it doesn't have an authentic racing background it does hold my stories of meeting Tommy and chasing parts and the connections from one person to another searching for everything I can absorb concerning the brief history of Jeep Motorsports. A future congratulations to the next future owner. Sometimes knowing where something is and knowing its condition is well enough... unless it's something you really, really want. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 15k sounds about right but has he put a firm price on it yet? Or at least a starting point? Or as the old horse traders would say. you tell me how much you want. I'll tell you what I'm prepared to pay. We both have a good laugh. :laughin: Then we get serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Naw... he has a bottom dollar in mind that I already asked about. He's got a price in mind but that's totally between him and a serious buyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComancheKid45 Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Well stated Ben!....I can understand your thoughts but Id also hate to see you give up on your own personal tribute to the SCCA trucks. I too hope someone can pick this truck up and appreciate it as much as deserves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Well stated Ben!....I can understand your thoughts but Id also hate to see you give up on your own personal tribute to the SCCA trucks... Yeah... but I'd sell it a heartbeat to put towards this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny quest Posted October 4, 2013 Author Share Posted October 4, 2013 didnt mean to ruin the surprise; i had no idea that there was already all this in the works. Its amazing that its out there, and whats even MORE amazing is that its not a show queen; its out there being used as it was intended to be used. amazing. i love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 ... amazing. i love it. Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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