Club Clips: July 11, 2019 Edition
An all-American woodie shines bright in Germany American Woodies were never meant just for Americans. The article “Double Woodie Time in Germany” is a case in point. It appeared in…
An all-American woodie shines bright in Germany
American Woodies were never meant just for Americans. The article “Double Woodie Time in Germany” is a case in point. It appeared in the April 2019 edition of the National Woodie Club, Inc.’s Woodie Times (editor John Lee).
The article was drafted by Torben Kasimzade of Herzebrock-Clarholz, Germany, who has held a fascination with wood-trimmed American cars since he was a teenager in the mid-1980s. Torben leans toward other U.S.-made cars with classy lines from the 1930s through ’50s, especially those with an abundance of chrome.So it was that Kasimzade combined this bent with a similar fascination of mahogany boats.
Enjoying a weekend holiday in the German mountains, Kasimzade chanced upon an all-black Chrysler Town & Country two-door Newport coupe. “It hit me, to be honest. The huge size, the great chrome, and the fascinating wood — I loved it!” says Kasimzade. Contact was made with the owner on the East Coast of the United States and a few months later the car found a permanent home in Europe.
What did Kasimzade do upon obtaining custody of the Chrysler? Changed the headlamps “to the European norm” and beefed up the braking system to tow a trailer cradling a classic mahogany speedster motorboat. Hence, the article’s headline “double woodie.”
The combo “was a real head-turner and people loved it...me being proud of owning such a great American classic,” Kasimzade said.
As in the U.S., Germany has its share of vintage car shows with American iron. I’ve been there, seen that, in Germany — and the experience is odd when you little expect to see American beauties on a show field. It makes an American feel especially proud that domestic cars are honored off their home territory. Kasimzade’s car was the sole woodie driven to the meet that garnered more than 2,000 cars.It came as a surprise when he placed his double woodie exhibit on the best-of-show platform to win the top honors. Interestingly, the boat was a Packard-powered Gar Wood Speedster (1936). Kasimzade adds, “It was the first race boat that belonged to the Shah of Iran.”
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