image credit: lovestruck94
Most web sites don’t typically celebrate their birthdays, but we’ve started a bit of a tradition at CC, in that we use the occasion to express our heartfelt-thanks to our ever-expanding corps of CC Contributors. CC is a collaborative undertaking, and the wide variety of voices are a key part of what makes CC unique and successful (up 78% over this time last year).
Contributing to CC is an act of generosity, so what better day to acknowledge these acts of love and Brougham-ance then on Valentine’s Day? In addition to the regulars and lots of new occasional writers,we’ve been graced with the addition of several new regular Contributors this past year that have brought new depth and dimension. So let’s see if we can squeeze everyone in here for a name if not a picture:
Aaron65
AmazonRay
Stanislov A.
Richard Bennett
BigOldChryslers
Jeremiah Birnbaum
Mike Butts
Dawid Botha
Bryce
C107
Roger Carr
JP Cavanaugh
DougD
Carlo DiTullio
Vanilla Dude
Doug Frechette
Mike George
Chris Green
CraigInNC
Jim Grey
GGH6
Yuri Goliak
Junqueboi
Robert Kim
Jim Klein
Tom Klockau
Tony LaHood
Jana Lingo
Mr. Edward Mann
PJ McCombs
Scott McPherson
Kevin Martin
Juan Augustin Romero Melchor
Actually Mike
MoparRocker74
Len Peters
Alan Petrillo
Charles Platt
David Saunders
Jason Shafer
Perry Shoar
Adam Simpson
Dave Skinner
Edward Snitkoff
Ed Stembridge
SteveE
Gonzalo Tampier
Brendan Saur
Stainsey Stainselstein
William Stopford
Keith Thelen
Richard Wayman
And a special shout-out to all the CC Cohort posters!
Did I miss anyone? Undoubtedly so. And of course there were a substantial number of one-time Contributors, whose names would take me hours to dig up. Stand up if you would please and take a bow.
Now if you’d like to join this august group of esteemed CC automotive historians, we always welcome new submissions. We now have a “Submissions” link on the top Menu bar, which includes all the information you need. We don’t guarantee absolutely everything will be published, but if you have an interesting story to tell, or a car to write up, or anything else that fall under our big tent, send it in. In particular, we’d like to hear from those folks that have lived with the same car for 20, 30 or more years. Now that’s got to be a story worth sharing.
49 contributors (14 more than last year) is very good growth!
Anyways, thanks Paul! 🙂
(Tsk, tsk)
P.S. How new is the social media linking plugin at the bottom of the article?
“Brougham-ance” indeed!! Such a pleasure to be part of this esteemed crew…the nicest place on the Internet. 🙂
Paul,
Other contributors have suggested I write some COALs on the vehicles that have passed through my hands. However given my background as a historian I feel it necessary to write an “Auto-biography” of how I came to be the enthusiast/nut/car-nivore that I am. Would that be alright? Would I be elbowing into your racket if I wrote an “Auto-biography” piece to come before a series of COALs?
Anything is game if it makes for good reading! If you want run it by either Perry or me, drop us a line.
You forgot me Paul! 🙂
I just knew it was going to happen…too many names. Sorry! You’re there now! Anybody else missing? Undoubtedly.
Thanks! Not to be nitpicky but you added an “e”
Fixed.
Haha thanks. Oddly enough, I’ve been told by someone from Germany that “Sauer” is a more common spelling.
Quite so; Sauer is very common, and translates to “sour”, but not just in the way we use it. It refers to fermentation too, as in Sauerkraut (fermented or pickled cabbage). I’ve never seen “Saur”; it might be an archaic spelling, or maybe it was changed when your ancestors moved to the US?
I assume it probably was switched when my ancestors came to the U.S. That’s what the person I was referring to said was most likely. I’ve only been able to trace my ancestry on that side of the family back 5 generations, to the generation that immigrated. And unfortunately the family member who did most of the ancestry research is no longer in contact.
Can’t help it, but your name always reminds me of one of these.
(Something like Saur-Saurer-Saurest)
You’re there, just mis-spelled (Brendan Sauer).
Missed me too. I’ve got 3 or 4 submissions under my belt now. Would love to write more if I had the time.
I recently started typing a write-up of my gold ’66 Chrysler, but it’s getting very long.
How did you get left off? Crazy day….
Part of the problem is dealing with all the various “handles”. If everyone used their real names here, (my) life would be a lot easier 🙂
“real names”? Come on, this is the internet! 😛
I agree with Paul.
Sincerely,
Sir Reginald Fotherington-Fotherington Hempstead, IV O.B.E.
14 Woodhead Lane
Sussex-On-The-Thames 801-111s (just past the hedge)
It’s been shown that when folks are required to use their real names on the web, they’re generally more polite. Not really a problem here, but I do wonder why folks prefer “handles”.
That’s a big 10-4 from MikePDX good buddy, put the hammer down!
Paul, some folks (like myself) prefer handles for anonymity.
Mr. E.M. Is there any other reason? 🙂
That’s an interesting point: posting under my real name would likely tone down some of my postings admittedly.
I have very little family so-to-speak: a father and older sister. My father and I get along occasionally but my sister has kept close to me over the years & has always been that rock I so needed at times.
She loves flea markets, yard sales, & collecting crap like her silly brother. At some point I was telling her about some old appliance or radio I had picked up & she responded something to the effect of, “nice score Junk…Boy”.
So my beloved sister called me Junk Boy for awhile and I liked it — ’twas so much more descriptive than “Joel” and it was my first nickname that was actually a term of endearment rather than a slur. So twenty years have passed since I became JB and keeping it is sort of a personal way I like to honor my sister.
As I age, my handle becomes a little less descriptive but that’s okay. I still like Junque and act like a silly kid whenever something old and interesting crosses my path.
I’m not sure why I went off on this little tangent but there’s no point in erasing it now. Thanks for putting my name on the list Paul.
.
I’ve just watched a horrific documentary about online trolls which gives me every reason to use a pseudonym. I’ve also been travelling through various car sites before settling here, and the conduct elsewhere is not always appropriate. One thing that sets CC apart is the respect of the commenters and the supervision of the editorial. It brings to mind a very apt haiku:
You only live twice;
Once when you are born,
And once when you look Paul Niedermeyer in the face.
(After Basho, and after Ian.)
Many thanks to all the writers and commenters who have brought me such joy here.
Don & JB: You both have great points about using a pseudonym, which was my thought at first. Have my posts toned down since dumping the “Jack Lord” thing? You’ll have to be the judge of that.
My motive was two-fold. First, I tired of the cloak of anonymity; if I was going to put the effort out I wanted direct credit. Second, if you do a google image search for “Jason Shafer” there were a number of less than desirable things to be found (like the guy with the keyboard). Between me and the Jason Shafer who is a meteorologist, we have toned it down considerably, into something a bit more family friendly.
It is a matter of preference, I suppose.
Jason, I sometimes wonder if I’m being too precious, but online life is a chronicled continuum. It’s all going to be cached somewhere.
I would not say anything under this name that I wouldn’t say to someone’s face, it’s just that when I say this sort of stuff in real life to my friends, all I get is *crickets*.
P.s. I image googled your name. My favourite is those two very friendly girls.
Don, I have wondered the same thing about life being chronicled and perhaps that is a reality of life given this period in history. Yet if it’s going to be chronicled as something other than an algorithm, what I have written here is hopefully an accurate reflection of me.
However, I am cognizant of trolling, which is why I have never stated where I work nor the names of my spouse or our offspring.
I don’t use my real name anywhere except for this site. But then again, I haven’t written stories for any other sites. I guess as other have said, it’s because I want the credit for my stories. I have written stories that were published in college for a literature and writing class that I took as an elective, but this is the only time I submitted anything other than an opinion that is online. I am proud of what I write; it’s me and worthy of having my name out there for anyone to see. That outweighs any risk in my mind.
I also don’t think my comments have changed much, if any since using my real name. I treat people the way I want to be treated.
Sorry to be out-of-format, but Mike George is not showing a reply button – That’s an excellent ID, Mike, but have you been observing the conditions in the UK lately?
That should be Sussex-IN-Thames 801-111s
The reply button only goes a few comments deep before the reply itself would be so skinny it would look like this:
I ag
ree
wit
h P
aul.
Sin
cer
ely
, Si
Reg
ina
ld
Fot
her
ing
ton
-Fo
the
rin
gto
n H
emp
ste
ad
Iv,
O.B
.E.
14
Woo
dhe
ad
Lan
e
Sus
sex
-In
-Th
e-T
ame
s 80
1-11
1s(
Jus
t p
ast
the
hed
ge)
Hehehe +1
Oh, you’ve got a point there, Sir Reggie. My particular case is a bit different, though. My real name is so gosh-darn anonymous, I use a handle in order to be distinctive. There are way too many people named “Michael Hayes.” It’s almost as bad as being John Smith. We are everywhere.
Ha! I work with a Michael Hayes (and he has a Fiero) — you guys are cool.
Thanks Paul, I appreciate the mention. I’ll start contributing again soon, just enjoying a little time off after the long COAL run…
Aw shucks, Paul, you remembered me even though it’s been way too long. Here’s to my making a big comeback for 2014!
And more importantly, thanks to all the great new contributors.
You don’t realize just how many contributors there are until you read all the names on that (very long) list.
Big wet Valentine’s Day smackeroo going out to all 49 (or more?) of you who keep this site happening. You are appreciated.
I’m among the one-hit wonders, couldn’t resist submitting a CC Outtake on the pristine AMX during the recent AMC Week. Paul and Perry were very pleasant to work with, thanks! I wrote it all at work…ssssh!
I have some more in the can I’d like to do — I had a Volvo 240 for over 20 years, a common CC car, but I hope my backstory will provide some interest. Another is about a ’67 Beetle that a work colleague was selling for his girlfriend’s father. Beautiful original car, got to drive it a bit and took many photos on a fine fall day.
210delray. I’ve got a good collection of Volvo wagon pics if you need, I’ll post them on the cohort this weekend.
Hey, that’s pretty good. You’ve got so many people writing for you, you can’t help forgetting a couple of them. I suppose you could call it an embarrassment of riches. And you’ve got quality and quantity both!
We can’t forget Laurence Jones; his photography and write ups were one of the best parts of the early Curbside Classics. I have not seen anything from him in quite a while; hope all is well with him.
Lawrence is still alive and well, doing a blog about astrology, according to post he left on the CC Facebook page on 10/28/13. Here is the horoscope blog in question:
http://untilthestarsfallfromthesky.blogspot.com/
P.S. He was integral and a great addition to CC when he was here (shrugs). I admired his writing a lot in the early days…
Sometimes folks just move on to other things…..
I didn’t saw Michael Freeman there. If I’m not mistaken, he was the one that began the COALs. I haven’t seen anything from him in a long time. Also PrincipalDan already submitted his Mustang history so he needs to be in the list. I am also still waiting for Zackman to do his COAL series or at least that he write the full history of his by now famous yellow convertible Impala.
Google “Michael Freeman Salem Oregon”, but be prepared to be shocked.
And this list is just of the Contributors of this past year. We do this every year.
I just searched it…. WOW just WOW!!!! Nothing more to say! :o|
Mr Freeman recently pleaded guilty and got 50 years. His wife’s sentencing is coming up soon.
Speaking of contributors which CC has lost track of, where has Olelongroofan gone? I’ce seen his recent exploits at Hooniverse, but still have no idea why he disappeared.
I’d rather not say here…..ask me privately.
Speaking of privately, how does one contact others on this site? Oftentimes I’ve wanted to ask a specific question or to forward information of particular interest. Thanks! (c: BTW: This is my REAL name!
In lieu of CC-specific e-mails for everyone, you could always contact me or Parry, and we can forward it to them.
Thank you, Paul, for creating and administering this site. It’s definitely one of my favorites. I did manage to contribute one article last year. I hope to do more, but it’s hard with a full-time job, a wife and two pre-schoolers.
Wow, what a list of contributors! Warmest wishes to all of you, who do so much good work here. With this number of contributors, no wonder we need Perry!
As fun as it is to write stuff and see it published, it is every bit as much fun to read the things written by the rest of you. My automotive horizons have broadened considerably since I came to the Curbside, and I have many of you to thank for it. Even if it does lead to things like daydreaming over an old Travco motorhome listed in a nearby city for $1700.
I have had a lot of fun reading and writing for CC. What I enjoy is the good vibe we all have here, from the old timers to the new posters. The tone is civil and a lot of fun. This is one of the first places I check when I get online with my morning coffee.
However, we really need to thank Paul for his devotion to keeping CC working, but even more so Stephanie for putting up with the enormous amount of time her husband has devoted into making CC such a nice place for all of us.
I would like to write more pieces here at CC. I sold one of my companies a while back and hoped it would give me more free time. However, my other business took over the time that selling the other one was supposed to give me! I hit the half century soon and I’d really like to find a way to devote more time to writing about my car business experience. Sure, it doesn’t make me any money, but I have enough of that anyway. My next idea would be to write “The Uncensored Details of a Service Advisor” series. The problem is its is so horrid I tend to want to avoid it.
Finally, we really need a Pacific Northwest CC get together. Seattle would be a great meeting place, but I am not sure if Homeland Security wants Soviet Canuckistanis in the USA, since socialism is proven to be contagious. That and since our socialist health care system is so bad we all carry deadly viruses.
“The Uncensored Details of a Service Advisor”
Please do, although it might make us all want to give up cars and start walking/biking everywhere.
But let us be honest we all want to see it because with cars getting more and more complex it is a little like the high priest peeling back the curtain and showing us the holy of holies where things get fixed.
True enough but I do, unlike so many, believe that through research, empirical data and education we can make a difference in our lives. The same goes with cars. Whenever I buy one, I do just this and I tend to end up with cars that go a long way without spending a lot of money on them.
It starts with this mythical book called the “owner’s manual.” This prophetic thing can do a lot to cut your maintenance bills down. Then there is auto Anti-Christ, Consumer Reports. My years in the car fixin’ business showed me the black dots directly translated into what I saw coming in the door, and the what parts to have in stock. Mention CR in any car forum and watch the wing-nuts go mad, as CR uses data and not emotion to rate everything from dishwashers, to snow-blowers to cars.
I do find it amazing that in a world where we have the ability to use knowledge to better ourselves that so many don’t do this. They allow emotion to rule their lives and that is EXACTLY what a service advisor will play on. It is EXACTLY what marketers use to sell the public low quality products. Personally, I don’t give two hoots about about where my car is made or what brand it is. I am looking for a nice drive that doesn’t cost me too much. The TCO of my car, which as been as reliable as a rock, is only $0.32/km. That’s dirt cheap for a car with 225 hp and gets 12 L/100 km in the city. Just look at the flames I got about it when I did the COAL on it. Purely based on emotive bias.
There is a reason some people are more successful than others. It starts at your local school, or at least being able to think for yourself.
+1
CC has changed my life in many ways. I’ve always loved cars, but I’ve always been a bit insular and aloof, due in part to health problems when I was a teen. CC has made me a lot more outgoing, both on CC itself and in my own life. I never would have bought my Town Car had it not been for the encouragement and great advice I got pre-purchase from the gang here. And I have gotten a lot out of approaching people both at shows and on the street to ask about their cool old car.
So thanks Paul, and thanks everyone, for enriching my life so much! It’s a pleasure to read–and write for–CC.
Your Town Car is a great ride and if I lived on flat land, I would probably have one, too. It’s cheap as dirt compared to ANYTHING new and for half the money, or less, you get a premium ride.
I would say 90% of people I know have no idea of the TCO of their car.
I know.
I will echo Tom’s thoughts on CC having been a positive force in life….with the relocation I’ve mentioned on several occasions (and I haven’t bought a house yet, so it’s still going), writing here has been a great way to inject some additional pleasantries into life.
While a huge thanks go to Paul and everyone else listed above, Canucknucklehead hit upon another overlooked source of appreciation.
At the CC Midwest Soiree last spring, after we all ate, I had a brief conversation with Paul and Stephanie in the parking lot. I told how my first impression of Paul was of a man sitting at a computer putting out various pieces all day (from my first impression of the site in 2011). Stephanie said my mental picture wasn’t very far off, and she appreciated our involvement more than words can express. Her patience and supportiveness has gone a long way into making CC the success it is. So, Stephanie, if you are reading this, my hat is off to you.
Everyone who comments and visits here also plays a huge part. Here’s to three more years.
What a great bunch of contributors. This site is first class!
Awesome site – best on the ‘net. Thank you to Paul (and Stephanie) for all their hard work and effort. And thanks to all who have contributed!
Hang on until 2016 and I can be the contributor who writes about owning TWO cars for twenty + years…
Thanks Paul! And thanks to all of the editors, contributors and commentators here at Curbside Classic! I wish I had the time to write and comment more than I do, but I’m going through a busy period right now. Rest assured that while I may not comment every day, I read every day. And I have a backlog of pictures that are waiting for me to contribute when I get some free time to write them up.
Curbside Classics is the home page on my smart phone and tablet. I love the interaction here between the commentators and the contributors. The comments here are top notch and free of the mindless political and religious flame wars that plagues the net.
Hi Paul,
it’s fun!
In a novel by Christopher Isherwood one of his characters thinks of himself – an English professor teaching the masses at a local college – as “like a man trying to sell a real diamond for a nickel, on the street.” I think of the CC writers listed here as providing us with real diamonds of automotive history each day for the price of signing on. I still subscribe to the few existing old car magazines but find myself more entertained and informed right here. My sincere thanks to all of you.