Phil: I was there everyday except Thursday when we went to the 125's. Wednesday Smoke and I got in a Shyt fight over how often the Chevelle was raced, me and another guy had some questions, Smokey ended up confronting me and we had at it. Thursday Floyd talked with him and a few others did too, on my behalf, and Friday I went back and we "kissed and made up". After that we got to be friends. Him and I gave seminars at the NCOA convention when Floyd introduced the restored Chevelle. Smokey was, shall we say, highly opinionated, and stuck in his ways. If you knew him you could argue with him, if you didn't you couldn't. After that I would stop at his shop every year, went to lunch with him a couple of times at the diner down the street. The last time I saw him was in 1997 at an auto show here in Buffalo, he was representing Prolong. Frankly, at that show it was obvious his mind was going, it happens, he wasn't very sharp and his memory was going. Anyway......................
A guy from Niagara falls, NY was there and we found some Mystery connecting rods, which were also used in the Z-11 (whole bottom end was), paid $300. I know Floyd got one Mystery for the Holly Farms car, one went to a guy restoring the 1963 Mickey Thompson Corvette. He had two short blocks left after the auction which were useless without the heads and intake. They weren't under the bench at the time. I remember him taking off the jumpsuit (shirt and pants?) and that was typical Smokey. And the hat, that grungy hat. I know he didn't know the true worth of most of his stuff and was paranoid over being ripped off. They put up a road draft tube from a '67 L-88, which I recognized. It started at $5.00, I bid it up to $25 or so and then dropped out. He sat there puffing on his pipe as it bid to $125 or so. But, as you know, he want WAY to much for a lot of stuff and it didn't sell. But there were a lot of people there and someone should have offered him a fair price at some time.
As far as what was left I don't know, he had a lot in the early 90's but I never heard what went where, and never heard of another auction. This spring the property was sold and is going to be or has been leveled I think. There was a group who wanted to save it and make it a "museum". Would have maybe been a good idea but who would run it?. I'll stop by this fall and see what happened.
I'll say this, he was a man's man, you couldn't ask for a more loyal friend, a stand up guy. But MAN what an EGO!. At least I don't EXPECT to be worshipped!. But it is nice.
OIL: I was worshipped by some at the NCOA conventions but it made me feel uneasy, I'm actually a regular guy who like to discuss cars. That said, when someone says he knows more he'd better be able to back it up, or I go off. I really enjoyed the conventions, I think I gave seminars at 1/2 dozen or so. I was ALWAYS available to ANYONE at ANY time to answer questions but I guess some didn't think so, after all he "bought' me to be there. He paid me gas money and put a roof over my head and bought my food, that's all I asked for and wanted, expenses. It's a true shame Mark dropped out, he was a GREAT guy, and no one knew more about Chevelle. HAven't talked to him in years.
PS: When they tore out the Mark IV line I got Mark into the plant for a final tour. He was able to photograph EVERYTHING pertaining to the manufacture of the Mark. This was no small thing as Detroit had to OK the photos. Anyway, I'm not a bad guy, but like Smokey, you gotta know me, typeing words doesn't do it, I would SPEAK with different inflections that YOU would put in my words by reading them. Or some at least.
Phil: true shame we didn't know each other at the auction, could have had a GREAT time discussing the W. Maybe someday. It was a hoot there wasn't it.