Stan Krempges has two red Camaro Z28s with black racing stripes – one is a 1967 model, while the other, which used to belong to Krempge's son, is the 1994 version.

After 5 Car Collector Series, Part I: The Classics

Sandy Clark

Posted online April 29, 2007 | 11:00 pm

Whether it’s muscle cars or Italian engineering that gets your blood racing, you are not alone in the Ozarks. This three-part After 5 series looks inside the world of car collections.
The first in a three-part After Five series takes a nostalgic look at classic cars and their collectors. Next week, we’ll look at the historic appeal of a solid antique automobile. The series wraps up with a look at the high-end world of exotic cars and those driven to possess them (click here for Part II|Part III).

Hop in for a ride through Springfield’s car culture.

When the weather warms, classic cars appear like June bugs.

Fresh out of their garaged hibernation, you’ll find them at car rallies or on a warm Saturday evening in the Steak ‘n Shake parking lot. For their owners, these classic cars are things of beauty to be revered for their lines and style, but they are also time machines. For another class of enthusiast, these cars transport their owners, and those who watch them pass, to an age of youth and limitless possibility.

United Way of the Ozarks Vice President Nancy J. Fazzino definitely falls into the first category. Fazzino and her husband, Frank, stumbled upon their black 1962 Chrysler 300 and fell in love with it.

“In our case, we were on our way to a warehouse club to buy a television set and we found a car,” Fazzino says. “That was 22 years ago.”

The car rarely sees a raindrop and their license plate honors the designer, Virgil Exner.

Multi-Craft Contractors’ Operations Manager Dennis Wiggins is in the second category of enthusiasts. He will tell you he owns a 1967 Camaro, but what he actually has is a time machine.

“I like to take it out and tool around a little bit,” Wiggins says of the car he has owned since 1975 when he was in high school. “It is kind of dad’s release.”

It’s an obsession with which Stan Krempges, CEO of Wood Re New Franchise Corp., can relate. Krempges’ time machine is a 1969 Camaro.

“If it is a high-stress day where I’m working the phones and taking a lot of calls, I can walk out of there, get in my car, and I’m 16 again,” Krempges says. “Everything is gone. That’s what I enjoy about it. It is great to have a release like that.”

Krempges had wanted another classic car ever since he sold the Firebird of his youth and watched it pull out of the driveway. He had kids, and he had to wait. When his son was 16, Krempges bought the 1969 Camaro.

“We did a lot of work on it together. It has been great,” Krempges says. “When he was 18, we pulled the motor out and rebuilt it together.”

Later, Krempges did what he says is the craziest thing he had ever done. He let his teenage son buy a 1994 Camaro Z28.

“So we both had red Z-28s with black stripes,” Krempges says. “We worked on them together. We detailed them together, and we went to car shows together. It was a great way to bond.”

The ‘94 Camaro earned Krempges’ grudging respect. It was faster than the ‘69, and when the time came for his son to sell it, Krempges bought it.

Neither Wiggins nor Krempges take to the car shows like the Fazzinos, who have a wall of trophies for their Chrysler. But they both appreciate casual gatherings like the “Cruise-in” at the Steak ‘n Shake on South Glenstone Avenue. Classic cars pack the parking lot there on the first Saturday of the month April through October.

Oil in veins

Collectors may have oil in their veins, but you’ll seldom find it on the cars. Classic car owners can be obsessive. Each one has a list of the things they want to do next. For Wiggins, it is the original engine in need of a rebuild. For Krempges, there is always some detail on one of his two Camaros.

That is where the community comes back in. Classic car groups are a source of critical support and information.

“We share information about our cars,” Fazzino says. “Parts are sometimes hard to get, so there is a lot of networking.”

The Fazzinos are buying a new classic, a 1977 New Yorker that will be more of a driver than a show car.

“That’s the plan,” Fazzino says, “at least until the first rain drop.”

Babying a car can go beyond just obsessive pampering. It can be seen as an investment. Krempges thinks his Camaros make an excellent addition to the family’s balance sheet.

“When you are gathering a financial portfolio, having a few cars in there is a nice variety along with mutual funds and everything,” Krempges says. “Especially the way they are going up anymore. They are a great investment.”

Purchasing Tips

Bill Massey, manager of the classic car division at Motorcars International, 2701 E. Sunshine St., knows what to look for when taking the classic-car plunge.

“The biggest thing … is restoration work not being done correctly,” Massey says. “The hidden factor, I call it. You know, underneath the car, things have been patched, but they haven’t been done in a correct manner. That’s a big deal when you are spending a lot of money for a classic car.”

Massey’s dream car: “It would be an all-original car, all numbers matching, all original paint, all the history and documentation with the car,” Massey says. “Those are the key factors when we are looking at a car.”

Massey’s love for cars shows in his daily work. Each new vehicle on the lot recalls that first thrill. “My first car, I paid $2 for,” Massey says. “It took a week to dig it out of the guy’s yard.”

Even then, he says, he knew it was the start of a career.

Mopars in Branson

May 19, Branson

www.route66moparclub.org

NSRA - Mid-America Street Rod Nationals

May 25–27, Springfield

www.nsra-usa.com

Branson’s 6th Annual Car Show Series Extravaganza Corvette Weekend

July 8–10, Branson

www.carsplusclassics.com

2007 Shindig in Shell Knob

Aug. 2–5, Shell Knob