Shappy's Classic And Antique Car, Truck, And Motorcycle Hobby Articles

2023 Taping of American Pickers Show

October 22, 2023

On Tuesday and Wednesday Oc­to­ber 17 and 18, 2023, the The History Channel's "Amer­ican Pickers" show showed up in Rhode Island to pick the contents at the dealership and shops of Dick Shappy Vintage Auto Sales. This show has five million viewers weekly and is shown in forty countries throughout the world. It was a great two day experience of interaction with Mike Wolfe and Jersey John and their crew of twelve.

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2023 New England Region Cadillac LaSalle Club (NERCLC) Show

At the Residence of Dick Shappy Aug­ust 20th 2023

Since mid May this year, it seems to have rained every weekend hindering all scheduled outdoor activities. Well, the rain gods were good to us this past Sunday (Aug­ust 20th) as the temperature was a low humid-free eighty degrees with a mild breeze here on Narragansett Bay. This was a great day and, based on the feedback that I am receiving, a good time was had by all. Cars and people attended from as far away as Vermont to the north and New York and Penn­syl­vania to the south. The videographer company "Left Of Creative" from Los Angeles was in town filming a reality TV show and was available to record this years show.

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2023 Warwick Country Club Cocktail Party and Banquet

On Saturday, Sep­tem­ber 2nd 2023, The War­wick Country Club located on Narragansett Bay in War­wick Neck, Rhode Island celebrated the club's one hundred year anniversary. One hundred and seventeen guests attended a late afternoon cocktail party on the east lawn followed by an evening banquet in the banquet hall. Many of the guests posed with Dick Shappy's period correct 1917 Locomobile. This vehicle was owned by Louis Liggett, a prominent Rhode Islander, and it may have visited the country club in its early days.

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The Absolute Final Factory-Produced Model-A Duesenberg

The historic significance of this car is illustrated by Dr. John Baeke, Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club historian. It is not only the last one that was produced, Dr. Baeke has also uncovered a 1926 photo that he believes shows Mrs. Duesenberg sitting in the driver's seat of this car in front of her residence. He also explains why the body is significantly lower than all other models.

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2023 SPAAMFAA Summer Muster July 11 - July 15

I have been a member of SPAAMFAA for many years and when I learned that the the Rhode Island Antique Fire Apparatus Society (RIAFAS) was planning to host the national summer muster and banquet here in my hometown of War­wick, Rhode Island, I was elated because I have been a collector and restorer of antique fire apparatus for many years.

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2023 Lippet House Museum Garden Party

In 1880, Henry Lippitt (1818-1891) supervised the construction of a Victorian style house at 199 Hope Street in Providence, Rhode Island. Four generations of Lippitts occupied the house until 1993 before opening it as a museum. On Sunday June 25, 2023, along with approximately fifty invited guests, we attended a garden party at the museum with our 1918 Pierce Arrow Type 48 Roadster.

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Filming for "Cruisin' New England with Paul Mennett" 2022

In late June 2022, Paul Mennett and his film crew visited the residence of Dick Shappy to film a few of Dick's favorite cars which include several Duesenbergs and V-16 Cadillac cars. The show is scheduled to air in late September 2022 on the New England Sports TV Network.

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New Showroom 2022

Question: What does one do when he runs out of space to display his vintage motorcycle collection?

Answer: He covers the indoor pool, of course, and uses the space to exhibit his bikes.

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The Cameron Automobile - Ahead of Its Time

The Progression from Horse Drawn Carriages to the Automobile And the Men Behind the Movement 1891-1948: The Cameron Automobile - Ahead of its Time

The following is one chapter from a proposed three volume set.

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RI Veterans Home Cruise 1931 Cadillac

I was honored to attend a great car show at the Rhode Island Veterans Home Community Living Center in Bristol, RI on Sunday, September 26, 2021.

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New Life for a Local Icon

If you were a kid growing up in West Warwick prior to 2000, chances are that you ate sometimes or often at the iconic Veteran's Square Diner, bordering the Pawtuxet River at 1461 Main Street.

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First Annual Ossipee Valley Fairgrounds Vintage Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet

A few weeks ago, I learned that the first annual Vintage Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet at the Ossipee Valley Fairgrounds in Hiram, Maine was scheduled to be held on Sunday June 27, 2021. With the recent purchase and arrival of the newest addition to our collection, a 1908 Harley Davidson "Strap Tank", I was anxious to get out and display this beautifully restored rare piece of motorcycle history.

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Dragone "Iron Range" 2021

The "Iron Range" Swap Meet: A Great Success! Old car meets are just not the same as they used to be and swap meets and flea markets just don't have the great parts and automobilia that we used to see show up.

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Three Beautiful Toys

What does one do on a beautiful sunny day while isolated at home during a pandemic? I didn't have to think too long last week as I had just finished a seven year project on my 1918 Revere Duesenberg Long Tail Racer and a one year touch up of my newest J, a 1929 convertible coupe J-268. I said to myself, "How bad can things be?"

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2019 New England Region Cadillac LaSalle Show

For the past six years I have been hosting the New England Region Cadillac LaSalle Show at my residence in Warwick, Rhode Island. On Sunday August 18th, I hosted the 2019 event and, judging from the comments I received, the show was a huge success. Approximately forty Cadillac and LaSalle cars along with an additional thirty non-Cadillac cars arrived at my home on Narragansett Bay.

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1931 Cadillac V-16 Victoria by Lansfield Of London wins Best of Show at the 2019 Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Series

Built to each customer's individual taste, the V-16 became an American icon of prestige and it helped the company out-perform Packard and their V-12. This car was specially built for the 1931 London Auto Show at Earls Court. The car remained in England for over sixty years in the hands of the original family before it was brought to the United States in the late 1990s. It is one of about a dozen right hand drive V-16s that were sent to Europe in 1931 to be custom bodied. Some stayed in Europe and a few were sent to India. The beautiful example shown here was the only custom bodied V-16 that was produced by Lansfield of London.

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Bill Middendorf Visit To Providence Showroom

I recently got a phone call from one of the most amazing people I have ever met in my entire lifetime who expressed great interest in coming to Providence to view my new showroom and warehouse where I display over fifty of my vintage vehicles. That person is none other than John William Middendorf II... (who prefers to be called "Bill").

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Duesenberg Tour 2018

On September 16, 2018 my good friend Ray Belsito Jr. and I along with two photographers from Las Vegas, Mikaela Maranhas and Tara Haywood, left Providence, Rhode Island aboard a 1934 Duesenberg J-505 Convertible Sedan by Derham to join twenty five other Duesenberg owners in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire for the Duesenberg Tour 2018.

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The Silent Film Star Who Invented the Turn Signal: CNN's "Great Big Story"

The automobile used in the Florence Lawrence "turn signal story" is a 1907 Cadillac model K Victoria runabout that was provided by Dick Shappy Classic Cars.

The video is no longer available, however, Click here for Florence Lawrence Vehicle Turn Indicator & Full-Stop Signal.

Rear View Mirror: CNN's "Great Big Story"

Several weeks ago I was contacted by Jonathan O'Beirne who is a producer with CNN's "Great Big Story". He had information that I was in possession of an exact recreation of the 1911 Marmon Wasp that was the first Indy 500 winner on May 30, 1911 driven by Ray Harroun. He asked if he could come to my showroom... Click here to read the full article

ReVere Rides Into The Future

This article was originally published in the Pharos-Tribune Logansport, Indiana

by Kevin Burkett, editor

Used with permission

DICK SHAPPY, owner of several East Coast nightclubs and Dick Shappy Classic Cars in Rhode Island, explained why he decided to reconstruct a 1918 ReVere Duesenberg Racer:
"I'm not normal."
Shappy came to own what was left of the contents of the Logansport ReVere plant's...

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Breaking Ground For New Showroom In Providence - 2017

With over sixty vintage cars and sixty antique motorcycles in our growing inventory, we have decided that we need more space to store and display these vehicles. One really can't appreciate the beauty and design of a rare car or motorcycle if it is boxed in with other items parked only inches away. It is also not practical to do body work and repairs in close proximity to finished or restored cars. The space where these vehicles are displayed must be dust free and properly lighted.

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2017 Ocean State Vintage Haulers Annual Spring Show

This article was originally published in the June 8, 2017 edition of the Johnston Sunrise
Trucks have always been part of most boys' early childhood fantasies. Through the years kids have had a special affinity for all shapes and sizes of trucks, especially police, fire and military vehicles. As the old adage goes, "Little boys play with toy trucks and bigger boys tinker with the real McCoys."

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2017 Tri-State Firefighter Meet

I attended the Tri-State Firefighter Meet at Memorial Beach Park, Webster, Massachusetts on May 21, 2017 and displayed my 1939 Ahrens Fox for the first time.

I have always had great interest in early fire apparatus and have been a member of both local and national clubs that are dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of antique fire apparatus. In fact, many years ago, I learned of a fire museum on Cape Cod that was...

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1909 Curtiss V-Twin 38.5 Cubic Inch 6 HP Engine

I always enjoy the annual swap meet of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America at Oley, Pennsylvania and I always come home with rusty “gold”. I just returned and am happy to say that the meet this year was as good as it could be. The weather was absolutely perfect with temperatures reaching the mid eighties and many treasures were available for sale.

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Motorcycle Cannonball 2016

In September 2010, I sponsored and participated in the first Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Race which was the brainchild of Lonnie Isam Jr. I had great hopes and expectations that my entry, a 1911 Flying Merkel Single, would have a good run and would be in the winner's circle at the end of the 15- day endurance test. If you read "Motorcycle Cannonball Conclusion", on this site that I wrote in December 2010, you will see that I was not very happy with the outcome of the race and reported that I was embarrassed by our poor performance...

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Click here for our progress September 10 - 25, Atlantic City, New Jersey to Carlsbad, California

Packards Internatioal Magazine Spring 2015

Full article used with permission

1922 Packard Twin Six Cape Top Body By Brunn
Richard Shappy, Warwick, Rhode Island, owner
Intro by Dick Shappy with Don Hull
Photos by Tracey McDermott
Fashion model is Ashley Kingsbury

Here's where Dick Shappy first saw the 1922 Packard Twin Six --- crossing the winner's circle at Pebble Beach, August, 2014. The car had won Best in Class for Preservation Class. And Shappy simply had to have that car. Fortunately, it was owned by his friend, Mark Hyman, who gladly surrendered it to his friend in an "affordable" exchange... one arm, one leg, his eye teeth, two congressman, one senator, a supreme court justice, a summer castle in Spain, two Greek islands, and a dinner with Donald Trump. That's how much it cost Dick Shappy and how the car found itself a new home on the east coast.

Dick Shappy is a major league classic car collector with 35 years of experience in the hobby, so when he saw this Packard, he knew it was a unique opportunity to own one of the great treasures of Packarddom.

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New Showroom - Providence

In the spring of 2013, I was approached by my next door neighbor at 375 Charles St. Providence who told me that he was considering closing his Sprint cell phone store. This was a great opportunity for me to expand my vintage car and motorcycle business. My growing car business definitely needed the space. It's a real no no to store finished vehicles in the same building where other cars are being painted or restored. Keeping my finished show cars clean had become a full-time job. Keeping them always covered was not a good solution.

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1911 Osgood Bradley Trolley Update July 2013

It has been quite a while since we have done work on the Osgood Bradley trolley, but that is about to change. Chris, who has done a superb job on the restoration of this beautiful piece of transportation history, has been repeatedly asked why he has not been available to continue working on this project. He said he wanted to continue and he even submitted a proposal to finish the work.

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Leroy Hartung Auction November 3rd to 5th, 2011

Since the passing of Leroy Hartung, there had been much speculation as to what would happen to the vast collection of vintage cars, motorcycles, parts, license plates, and hundreds of other collectibles that he had amassed over the past fifty years.

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Classic Car Rock Star TV Pilot

Dick Shappy is to classic car restoration what Michael Jordan was to basketball -- a superstar, a true original. In a world where most rare classic car owners tend to be staid and genteel, Shappy is anything but. He is a colorful, irreverent character who turned street smarts and survival instincts honed on the mean streets of South Providence into a multimillion dollar business.

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Classic Car Rock Star

A new TV series called "Dick Shappy: Classic Car Rock Star" is currently being filmed and will be available on a cable network soon. The series will capture the every day routine of a true hobbyist and restorer of brass era cars and vintage motorcycles along with automobiles from the classic era and into the nineteen fifties. Share Dick Shappy's passion as he scours the countryside in search of early American pieces of transportation history. See how he finds them, restores them, and even sells a few once in a while.

Click here to view a leaked "teaser" of the show

Oley, Pennsylvania April 28-30, 2011

Once again it was time to visit the Perkiomen National Meet in Oley, Pennsylvania which was held this year on April 28th to April 30th. Sean Brayton and I loaded the motorhome school bus, truck, and trailer, and headed south for the five-hour ride to Oley. We left at midnight and reached Oley at sunrise only to experience a brutal wind storm and torrential downpour that lasted at least five hours. At that point, it looked like the day was going to be a total washout but as the afternoon progressed, everybody emerged from hiding and the meet began...

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Motorcycle Cannonball 2010 Update

September 10, 2010 is approaching fast, and the Motorcycle Cannonball event is the main topic of discussion in the antique motorcycle community. It is even changing the way we would normally schedule our visits to national AMCA meets. For example, it seems that the West Coast guys will have no trouble attending this year's grand daddy event held at Davenport, Iowa as they will just make it a stop over on their way to North Carolina. East Coast guys face a different situation as they would have to trek to Iowa...

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1916 Crane Simplex Torpedo Runabout

The acquisition of Crane by Simplex in 1915 forged a union between two of the greatest names in fine car manufacturing in America. Both offered high priced cars, built to order, for the scions of American society and the captains of industry. Had it lasted, Crane-Simplex might have become an American Daimler- Benz.

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2010 Antique Fire Truck Show

On Sunday, June 13th, a fire truck show sponsored by the Rhode Island chapter of SPAAMFAA which is the abbreviated name of the Society of the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motorized Fire Apparatus in America held its annual muster at the Johnston Memorial Park in Johnston, Rhode Island.

I had been a member of the national SPAAMFAA organization for many years but had allowed my membership to lapse a few years ago because I had sold off my collection of thirteen fire trucks...

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Rhinebeck, New York Antique Motorcycle Meet 2010

I have just returned from the Rhinebeck, New York vintage motorcycle meet that was held on June 10th (Thursday) to June 13th (Sunday) 2010, and I can't believe that I have never attended this meet before. As usual, I found lots of hard to find goodies and made new contacts for future projects. My friend Sean and I arrived via the "bus" and quickly set up home base at Billy Campbell's flea market spaces. You can always count on Billy for a steady supply of cold ones "etc". and this year's addition of charcoal broiled...

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Oley, Pennsylvania 2010

Since I began collecting vintage motorcycles years ago, I have been attending vintage motorcycle swap meets across the country. Last week April 23rd to 25th the Perkiomen's National Meet was held at Oley Pennsylvania and as always, this meet proved to be a great success for both vendors and collectors. I usually don't come home empty handed and this year's meet netted me a very nice original 1907 Indian Camel Back single. I got interested in this beautiful early piece after seeing it at Davenport Iowa last year...

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The Motorcycle Cannonball Update

Dear Motorcycle Cannonball Entrants,

We'd like to take a minute to introduce the newest member of the Motorcycle Cannonball staff, Karrie Sims. Mrs. Sims has joined our team as Events Manager and has already hit the floor running. In addition to the many administrative duties she's overseeing, Karrie is ironing out any wrinkles we may have and is working on producing a souvenir program for the event. Her extensive experience in...

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The Motorcycle Cannonball 2010

  It had been a dream of Lonnie Isam Jr's for years to assemble a group of pre-1916 motorcycle owners, collectors and enthusiasts and convince them to take their early vintage machines out of "display only" status and put them on the road for a grueling coast to coast test of man and machine.

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The Speedwell Sports Car's Owner Says It's Likely The Last One Around

There aren't many Speedwell Speed cars around.

Speedwell Motor Car Co. was only in existence for seven years, from 1907 to 1914. Apart from its Speed Car, the company is perhaps most famous for building a closed car in 1911 that was the first to be called a sedan.

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Davenport, Iowa September 2nd Through The 5th, 2009

  If you are an antique automobile enthusiast, a trip to Hershey in early October is virtually a must. Antique motorcycle enthusiasts have several meets across the country where many go to buy, sell, or trade those hard to acquire vintage parts. Similar events occur at Wauseon, Ohio, Rhinebeck, New York, and Oley Pennsylvania but Davenport, Iowa is the granddaddy and, by far, the largest of them all.

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Eleven Early Motorcycles Arrive

Dick Shappy adds eleven more early motorcycles to the collection. Some need to be restored, some are in show quality condition and a few are in excellent original unrestored condition. They include a 1912 Yale twin, 1912 Thor twin, 1912 emblem Twin, 1914 Thor Twin, many 40's era Harleys and Indians. All will either be displayed for sale or as a "project in progress" real soon.

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2009 Cadillac Day At The Larz Anderson Museum Of Transportation

On Sunday May 17, 2009 Dick Shappy was invited to the Larz Anderson Museum of Transportation in Brookline, Massachusetts to be the guest speaker on Cadillac Day. Dick has been restoring and collecting Cadillac cars for the past thirty- five years and is currently displaying two of his restorations at the museum.

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The 1938 Packard Doris Duke Car on Display

The Doris Duke Packard Landaulet by Rollston will be on display at the Newport, Rhode Island Concours d'Eleganse on the weekend of May 31, 2009.

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Oley, Pennsylvania Antique Motorcycle Meet April 23-25, 2009

I look forward to attending the Oley Pennsylvania antique motorcycle meet each year, and I find it to be the best source on the east coast for acquiring those hard-to-find pieces that are needed to finish a difficult vintage motorcycle restoration. Of course, we all agree that the Davenport Iowa meet is by far the best... but we love Oley.

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He's Restoring A 1911 Trolley Car

  It's almost easy to imagine Dick Shappy's 1911 electric trolley rattling down the streets of Providence.

Almost, because it is still missing its wheels and two electric engines.

But the basic structure is in shape, with rebuilt platforms at each end, two rows of...

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Our New RV

  For the past several years, my friend Sean Brayton and I had talked about attending a national antique motorcycle meet which is held once a year in Davenport, Iowa. I had decided months before this year's meet that I would attend, and I told Sean that I wanted him to go as well. There are a few similar vintage motorcycle meets across the country each year such as at Hebron, Connecticut, Oley, Pennsylvania, and Wauseon, Ohio, but the Davenport meet is regarded...

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Dick With Billy "V", John Ashton, and Jim McMahon

   From left to right. Billy "V" from Sports Legends TV show, Actor John Ashton of Beverly Hills Cop, Dick Shappy, and three-time Super Bowl quarterback and legend Jim McMahon pose at Dick Shappy's house with Billy "V's" 1959 Rolls Royce.

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Dick Shappy Collection on "Cruisin' New England"

  Paul Mennett interviews Dick Shappy in season 8, episode 6 of his television series, "Cruisin' New England". This episode features a number of rare vehicles in Dick's collection, including a glimps of their rich histories, in addition to interesting information about the classic car trade.

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Antique Auto Show Draws Record Crowd

  A record crowd, on September 8, 2007, attended the 56th Annual Fall Meet of the Fairfield County Region Horseless Carriage Club of America in a joint meet with the Antique Automobile Club of America, held on the grounds of the historic Lonetown Farm for the seventh year. The Redding Historical Society, which hosted the event and was the beneficiary of the $8 adult admission fee, was hoping to attract more than 400 paid attendees; the count for the sunny afternoon was nearly 500...

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Dick Shappy's Duesenberg

By Fred Roe
  Yes, it is Dick Shappy’s car now, but to a few of us New England old timers, we know it as Phil Cade’s Duesenberg. After all, Phil and Peggy Cade owned it from 1942 until it came into Dick’s hands in 2005.That is over sixty years. While in most of those years it remained, unused, in the Cade garage, early in their ownership, it was conspicuously active in the New England area. I don’t remember when I first saw it, but the Cades became very active in The Sports Car Club of America which was hatched in 1944...

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Preserve Classic Cars

  WARWICK The movement to conserve and preserve old cars rather than completely restoring them is gaining ground in the world of antique car collecting.

  The interest is reflected in a new category "Postwar Preserv­ation through 1967" being introduced this weekend at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Monterey, Calif...

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Brass Gas

  WARWICK They tick and whine and grind, but the pre-1915 brass car is a work of art, a piece of moving history, and about 130 of these beauties are currently cruising the back roads of the Ocean State.

  You may have seen them, set up high and bumbling along on their narrow tires, their eponymous brass work gleaming in the sunshine...

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Valhalla By The Sea

   It is recomended that you right-click the link, and download the file to your hard drive if you have a slower internet connection or computer.

   The article is a PDF file. To view it properly, you may need to download the latest version of Adobe Reader.

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Cadillac Turns Back To Hand Work

When Cadillac turned the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline into its own version of a "Caddy Shack" on a rainy, late summer evening, the star of the show was the lovingly restored 1930 V-16 Phaeton owned by Rhode Island collector Dick Shappy.

Shappy's car – a reminder of Cadillac's storied past – wasn't there as a nostalgia item. Instead, it was proudly displayed as an icon of hand craftsmanship, starting with the $8,000 Lalique eagle hood ornament radiator cap.

The message of the night: "You're going to find more hand craftsmanship in future Cadillacs."

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Hemmings Magazine Article

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   The Hemmings article is a PDF file. To view it properly, you may need to download the latest version of Adobe Reader.

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Hemmings Interviews Dick

   Recently, Dick Shappy was interviewed for an article that will be appearing in the February 2007 Hemmings Motor News magazine. We have the oportunity to present a sneak peak of what will be published.

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Cadillac Man

   Dick Shappy rubs elbows with the likes of Jay Leno, and, like Leno, he rolls up his sleeves and gets his hands dirty restoring his collection of classic cars.

   Most of his fleet of some 40 cars are Cadillacs, but there are notable exceptions...

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Bidding in California Nets Dick a "Basket Case" Flying Merkel

On October 21st 2006 I attended the Otis Chandler auction in Oxnard, California. My main purpose for attending was to buy the 1911 Flying Merkel motorcycle that was being offered. Although the Gooding and Company auction catalog listed its estimated value at $65,000 to $75,000, I knew the bike was worth much more. I was prepared to pay $100,000. The bidding started at $5,000, and quickly rose over $75,000 with only myself and one other bidder still interested.

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1930 V16 Phaeton Is His Favorite

Of all the cars in Dick Shappy's collection of Cadillacs, his current favorite is his 1930 V16 Phaeton convertible sedan. The all-weather phaeton, a Model 4380, is a national award winner in the Classic Car Club of America competition and won the Chairman's Award in June at the Newport Concours d'Elegance.

The 452-cubic-inch engine makes 175 hp and the car rides on 19-inch wire wheels...

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Chickasha National Pre-War Swap Meet

Once a year in mid March, Joe and Mike Ersland host the "National Pre-War Swap Meet" in Chickasha, Oklahoma. It is billed as the event where "east meets west" and is a unique kind of swap meet where only pre world war 2 parts and accessories are allowed. For a collector like myself, who mostly enjoys the early automobiles, it is great to move from one space to the next and see only early parts and memorabilia for sale. One does not have to fight through the trinkets and jewelry or car models and all kinds of other new car junk. The organizers of this meet are quite serious about what is allowed to be sold here and they monitor it all closely, which makes all of us...

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Identifying the 1911 Osgood Bradley Trolley Number 1068

   Several years ago, when we discovered the trolley disguised as a diner in West Warwick, Rhode Island, we knew that we had found a piece of transportation history. After a little research, we learned that we had found an "Osgood Bradley" car which was once part of the great United Electric Railway System (UER) which provided transportation for thousands of people in the Rhode Island community, beginning in 1892. After a little more research, we learned that thirty-one Osgood Bradley cars were purchased by the company in 1911, and each was assigned a different serial number. The "Bradley" cars from the 1911 series were numbered 1068 to 1099 and...

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Leno and Shappy Find Two "Barn Fresh" Duesenbergs

Every automobile enthusiast dreams of finding a rare or desirable car forgotten in a remote barn, scooping it up for a paltry sum, dusting off 50 years of neglect, and having a great story to tell at club meets and car shows.

For collectors around the world, the Duesenberg is the ultimate American car, and, to locate one of these ultra-rare, powerful, and justifiably desirable cars hidden in a building is the ultimate find...

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