TW Special Edition – Grudgematch: 2 Cars in 2 Days

By now, you know that we love a good sporting match here on the  Throwin’ Wrenches Podcast. A little competition never hurt anyone except the guy who takes a right hook to the face. Eric and Daryl don’t really fight in real life, but we’d be dishonest if we said there wasn’t a slight rivalry when it comes to acquiring vehicles.

There’s no “official” tally going on, but we know the guys keep tabs on what’s coming and going from their respective garages. Selling seems to be a difficult task at times, but both guys sure seem to BUY cars with wreckless abandon for things like finances, storage space and neighborhood goodwill. That’s probably what makes this podcast fun.

Speaking of fun, we thought it might be fun to lay out each contender’s recent automotive acquisitions in true grudgematch style. Then, we’d go head to head and see who made the better purchase. We needed an impartial third party to officiate. Naturally, we turned to our good friend Steve Brown. who willingly obliged.

Without further delay, here are the prizefighters:

Daryl’s Purchase

Daryl was able to acquire another old car that doesn’t run, doesn’t stop, and doesn’t smell that great. But that’s why they make Febreeze and Shop-Vacs. This poor 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special sedan hadn’t run since 1989, and suffered from long-term storage and a lot of neglect. Daryl believed that underneath the layers of grime there was a diamond in the rough. After having the car towed home and moved into the garage, he learned this car was one of 18,500 similar models to roll off the Detroit assembly line. With factory air conditioning, power windows, a power seat, and a signal-seeking radio… this baby was top of the line back in ’55. Let’s hope he can get the engine to turn over before the end of summer.

Eric’s Purchase

Eric brought home a super-clean example of a rare droptop Toyota that appeared at a local estate sale. After scoping it out, he and Ms. Stahl added a lovely black 1996 Toyota Celica 25th Anniversary Edition GT Convertible to their collection. Sporting just over 56,000 miles on the clock, this limited-production car also features a tan leather interior, plenty of options, and its original 5SFE 2200 engine.  It’s never been modified (even the stereo is stock) and the paint and body are clean as a whistle!

In the midwest, finding a convertible is a treat. Finding one as unique as this ASC-built GT is akin to finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Side note, Eric’s car actually runs and drives. So that should be worth extra points, right?

Who Won the Title?

You’ll have to listen to the episode to hear who won the grudgematch. Being the sporting chaps we are, we shook hands and agreed not to let the title go to our head.

Special Thanks to Steve Brown

We have to give a special shout-out to our good friend Steve Brown for being the referee on this episode.

Not only did he serve as the arbitrator in this mockery of automotive justice, but Steve later dropped by Daryl’s house to offer some advice on how to best attack the 32 years of caked-on filth that plagued the poor Cadillac. Then he came up with a battle plan and power-washed it to reveal its original paint and chrome again!

It was quite the transformation and you’ll see in the TikTok clip below:

@cannonballgmc @throwinwrenches #cardetailing #cadillacfleetwood #classiccar #carsoftiktok #cartok #cartiktok #carcommunity #cars #pressurewashing #detailing ♬ original sound – Larry Kosilla

Check out Steve’s handiwork by following @CannonballGMC on TikTok. You’ll definitely be glad you did!

What’s Next?

Since Eric and Daryl have officially filled their respective stables, there is absolutely no chance they’ll be buying anything else in the near future.

No chance whatsoever.

So that means we’ll come up with some brand new Cars of the Weak segments very soon, along with our regular podcast format.
Thanks for encouraging us, and we’ll keep everyone posted on the progress of our latest additions to the fleet. Keep looking at car classifieds and asking friends and neighbors where the cool stuff is. You may just find your next classic right in your own backyard.

Happy Motoring,
-E & D

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