The Carpenters Legacy Lives On...

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Richard Carpenter's Car Collection
Part 2:

Celebrity Car Collector: Richard Carpenter
Yesterday once more is more than Mopar - Part 2

by Bob Stevens

It's no secret that Richard Carpenter is a major Mopar enthusiast, as we discovered last month, but the celebrated composer, musician, producer and singer is also into other makes, including such mainstream marques as Chevy and Ford and such offbeat stuff as Edsel and Studebaker. Eclectic? Yes. Eccentric? No. Extraordinary? Definitely.

Touring the Richard Carpenter collection, appropriately called "Yesterday Once More" after one of his hit recordings, is a step back in time...a return to the nifty fifties when gaily colored, chrome-ladened behemoths stalked the highways, and to the sweet sixties when longer, lower and wider took on a whole new meaning, and the muscle car era was launched. Carpenter's collection reflects the styling and performance highlights of the two eras. It also denotes a broad-based interest in things automotive.

• Although his collection is dedicated to the various Chrysler Corp. marques, there are many non-Mopars sprinkled among the DeSotos, Plymouths and Dodges. One of the orphan cars in the collection is this 1963 Studebaker Avanti, one of only 3,744 made that first year. Richard has owned this Avanti a long time. It's black with a matching black interior.

• He's a man of music, so it's no surprise that Richard Carpenter has a new reproduction jukebox spinning tunes continuously at his collection. The songs? The Best of the Carpenters, of course.

• "Avanti by Studebaker ...America's Most Advanced Automobile," proclaims the dealership showroom banner that now hangs at the Carpenter Collection.

• Painted a rich metallic brown and fitted with a contrasting saddle interior, this 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix is a pretty sight. Equally beautiful is the odometer, which displays an original 19,000 miles.

Chrysler is still number one with Richard Carpenter...make no mistake about that...but he also appreciates many of the styling exercises and high-performance equipment fielded by General Motors, Ford Motor and the independents.

Richard has never visited the collection of fellow celebrity Jay Leno; but then the comedian has never set foot in Yesterday Once More. Richard hopes to rectify both oversights once his collection is relocated to the north side of L.A., much closer to Leno's hobby garage. He does admire The Tonight Show host's tastes in automobiles, even though most of Leno's cars would somehow seem a bit out of place in Carpenter's garage.

But then, Richard admits, "If I had a Shah's wealth, I would own several Duesenbergs, Packards, etc., including a number of cars from the 1932 model year. Styling was at an apex then, and I'd own a bunch of them." Heading that long list are the '32 Chrysler Imperial and the '32 DeSoto.

• One of Richard's favorite cars, and one he just loves to drive, is this red Ferrari, a '73 Daytona.

• There are three black Thunderbirds in the collection, including this first-year '55 model.

• There's even a pink Edsel in the collection, specifically a 1958 Citation two-door hardtop. Richard is intrigued by the Edsel's dramatic styling, its vast gadgetry and its huge failure, hence the personalized plate, "BAD MOVE."

• Powered by the correct dual-four engine, this '65 Gran Sport is one quick Buick. It's all black.

And there are many other cars that Richard Carpenter has on his wish list, among them the AMX, the racy two-place sport coupe made from 1968 to 1970 by American Motors. The fact that AMC, and its Jeep subsidiary, are now part of the Chrysler family endears the AMX to Richard even more. "But I've always liked the AMX. In fact, I almost bought one new," he recalls, indicating that there's a good chance he may eventually own one.

Another car he'd like to add someday soon is a nice example of the '68 Charger; he's always admired the fast-back styling of that special performance edition from the Dodge boys. Don't be surprised when he does buy one if there's a thundering Hemi 426 under the hood, or at least a 440 Magnum. Other cars destined for his collection in the future include a 1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7 hardtop, '68 Firebird convertible, and a '60 Oldsmobile ragtop. Meanwhile, though, he may thin out his collection a little further, selling a few cars, possibly as many as four or five, in anticipation of moving the collection to new quarters.

• Richard's wife, Mary, owns this 1972 MGB convertible.

• Yet another triple black 'Bird, this convertible is a '64 model.

• Richard Carpenter was magnetically drawn to this white 1957 Continental Mark II by its history; it was originally owned by musician Spike Jones, and Richard's a big Spike Jones fan.

• There's room for one Corvette in the collection, and the chosen one is a black-on-black '66 convertible with the 327 small-block V-8, automatic, power windows, knockoff wheels, white stripe tires, etc. It "runs super and is a great car," Richard says.

The Carpenter cars aren't the only items moving to the new location. Bill DiCicco, who manages the collection, has been with Richard since 1975. A car hobbyist himself who owns several collectibles and is currently restoring a 1957 Mercury Monterey convertible, DiCicco first met Richard in 1972 when he owned his own auto repair shop. He was doing more and more work on Richard's cars when he was asked to come aboard at Yesterday Once More. He's had no regrets.

Neither has Robert Ludwig, who's been with the collection since 1989 and is responsible for keeping all the cars in tip-top shape mechanically and cosmetically. Ludwig is also an enthusiast himself, and owns several vintage Chrysler products, such as a '72 Chrysler wagon that is undergoing restoration now, and a '57 Imperial that is awaiting its turn.

DiCicco and Ludwig are both into the same era of cars that Richard Carpenter prefers, so it's a natural partnership. They perform all of the routine service on the cars, much of the repair work, and some of the restoration, although sheet metal work, painting, upholstery, etc., are farmed out to specialty shops.

• Gas-powered mini racer was purchased by Richard for his kids at an auction, and they love driving it around the yard.

• The '57 Thunderbird is a beauty...a black beauty.

• Red '62 Thunderbird convertible was one of 9,884 built that model year.

• He only has one motorcycle in his collection, a '74 Honda 350 Four that he bought new, but he doesn't ride much anymore.

When Richard Carpenter moved to sunny, southern California in the early '60s, he was amazed at how clean the 1957 Plymouths, Dodges, Fords, Chevys, etc., were, especially compared to the rust buckets back home in Connecticut. He was already a car nut, and the exposure to the well preserved cars of the Far West only heightened his interest further. Many of the "antiques" in his collection were new or late model editions back then, such as the '63 Studebaker Avanti, '63 Pontiac Grand Prix, '57 Continental Mark II, and the '58 Edsel Citation convertible. The collection also includes some newer iron, such as a 1972 MGB convertible, '73 Ferrari Daytona, '71 Lincoln Continental Mark III, and a '65 Buick Gran Sport.

Also among the non-Mopars at Yesterday Once More is a pair of two-seater Thunderbirds, a first-year '55 model and a last-year '57 edition. Other T-Birds in the collection are a '64 convertible and a '62 convertible. Balancing things off a bit from the GM camp is a '66 Corvette convertible.

Richard Carpenter loves the styling of his vintage cars, but he also enjoys driving them when his busy schedule permits. He admittedly spends more time behind the wheel of a newer ride, but even those are pretty nifty.

• Its 460 V-8 still runs like new and gets 17 mpg; Richard should know how it ran new, he's the original owner of this 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III hardtop.

• Bill DiCicco manages the Carpenter collection, and these new-old-stock, rebuilt and reproduction parts are for Bill's own restoration project, a '57 Mercury Monterey convertible.

• This '57 Imperial is owned by the collection's mechanic, Robert Ludwig. It's his next project, after he's finished with his current effort, a '72 Chrysler wagon.

• Standing by the '62 T-Bird convertible that he restored for Richard is Bill DiCicco, the talented former shop owner who manages the Carpenter Collection.

• Robert Ludwig, who owns a 440 V-8-powered 1972 Chrysler station wagon, a '73 Imperial and a second '72 Chrysler, as well as the '57 Imperial, is the collection's mechanic and prep guy; he keeps everything looking great and running even better.

In terms of his drivers, his favorite is clearly a new Jaguar XJ8 convertible, although his BMW M3 is close behind. The Jag, one of two newer examples of the legendary British marque in Richard's stable, is his idea of the ultimate grand touring machine, and the M3 coupe "with its five-speed stick is a super fun car to drive." Even more impressive is the incredible Series 8 BMW, which he describes as "a knock-out."

Other drivers in the Carpenter family garage include a five-year-old Dodge Caravan and the obligatory family trukster, a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. They're okay, he says, but "I'm a car guy, not a truck guy."

Styling-wise, he still finds it hard to beat the Ferrari Daytona. "It's a super Ferrari, and the one to have," he opines, adding, however, that for the sheer pleasure of driving, "I prefer a grand touring car, such as my Jaguar or BMW." He's not too keen on Japanese cars, but credits the Japanese with forcing American and European automakers to improve their quality and develop new technology. In the past 20 years, the American auto firms have all turned their fortunes around, and, again, he's especially proud of his favorite automaker, Chrysler, and such dynamic products as the Viper and Prowler. Don't be surprised if Richard Carpenter drives up someday in one of the exotic Dodges or nostalgic Plymouth hot rods. But it's safe to say you won't see him in a new Corvette anytime soon. He dosen't care for the styling of the new C5, suggesting that the front end is way too close to a new Firebird, the rear end is too Japanese, and only the profile shot is pure Corvette; the rest is a poor imitation. It may be one of the hottest performing cars around, but to Richard Carpenter, styling remains the number one attraction for a real car person. Form is still first, followed closely by function!

• Richard examines a Carpenter CD, reflecting in his immense success and the happy days he had performing with his sister, the late Karen Carpenter.

Wherever the future takes him, Richard Carpenter will remain faithful to his love affair with the automobile, especially the creatively styled rides of the 1950s and '60s. He has no plans for a tour of the U.S., which is disappointing to his legions of American fans, but he is arranging a tour of Great Britain, and will likely repeat his highly successful tour of Japan in the not-too-distant future. If the tours are super successful, we may just see a one-man run on American cars from the 1932 model year. We just hope he makes that new building big enough!

 

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