Brando and Joanne Pistorius
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Brando and Joanne Pistorius |
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The Pistorius Collectible Autos We Buy, Restore, Sell & Trade
Joanne and Brando Pistorius Brando (813) 917-9205 Joanne (813) 714-1019
Join the North American Chapter of the ACHAFR (Antique, Classic & Historic Automobile Fellowship of ROTARIANS) Click the logo above for more information!
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We give each car our undivided attention, carefully restoring it to its original state, and working with each classic one at a time! We have travelled throughout the United States, England, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand looking for those interesting and rare collectible cars! Check out our BLOG of our 4000 mile driving tour from Tampa to Montreal with our 1930 Packard! Below are a few of the stories published on some of our more interesting historic "finds" with antique and classic cars: We have had a few newspaper articles and TV interviews on the 2010 Ride-Along Tour. Click on the title for a link: Featured on nationally syndicated "Daytime" TV Show "A Road Trip to Remember" - Rotary International Magazine "Four Thousand Miles in a Packard" - Hemmings Blog "13 States and 4,000 Miles in Packard" - Fox News (TV clip as well) "Hero Central- Rotary International Volunteer" - WTSP ABC Action News (TV clip also) "Canadian Jaunt a classic road trip for Rotarians" - AARP "Tampa to Montreal Tour in our 1930 Packard" - AAA Magazine "Four thousand miles in a 1930 Packard" - AutoGlobe.com "Canadian Jaunt a classic road trip for Rotarians" - Kids Wish Network "Four thousand miles in a 1930 Packard" - Best Car Ever
For the whole story and a daily blog click http://www.achafr.com/blog.htm 1933 Buick Series 90 Bronkhorst Carriage Limousine 2009 Buick Grand National Gold Award Winner ! Featured on the cover of the National Buick Club of America Magazine, The Buick Bugle
“Formerly Owned by
That was the legend for over a quarter century, perhaps even more than a half century… “This 1933 Buick Limousine was formerly owned by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands”! Thousands of car enthusiasts visited the Imperial Palace Casino’s Auto Collection in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from 1984 to 1999 where they were able to view this regal beauty, with a large photograph of Queen Wilhelmina and daughter Princess Juliana, in front of this big, bright red, unique limousine.
The intricate “Coat of Arms” that looks authentic to that of Queen Wilhelmina’s, as depicted on the Royal website, is proudly displayed on both exterior side panels of the carriage. The plush black satin interior of the coach befits royalty, with oversized viewing windows suitable for waiving to the crowds as the procession passes by. The coach also provides exquisite woven hand hold braids to steady the special passenger as she enters and exits the carriage. The interior ceiling boasts an exquisitely sewn black satin badge that surrounds the uniquely shaped dome light with an embossed image of a tulip, the official flower of the Netherlands. The glass pane separating the driver from the royal occupants comes with a small circular access portal necessary for communicate with their driver. Two crystal bud vases filled with tulips are mounted on either side of the glass window pane.
In 1934, Queen Wilhelmina lost 2 Royal Family Members- her mother and her husband on separate occasions in one year. One could surmise that this 1933 Buick limo was indeed in the right place at the right time to be part of either or both Royal Funerals. We recently spoke with the only other known owner to have a similar 1933 Buick Limousine, who happens to be located also in the USA, who also proudly declared to us that his limo has a brass plaque to identify the former owner of his 1933 Buick Limo as “Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.” We also spoke to a possible former owner of our limo, Mr. John Kooistra, who remembers a project with his father in Belgium in 1968, where they renovated their 1933 Buick Limo. John recalls the limo came equipped with a brass plaque declaring this vehicle as “formerly owned by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands”.
Fact or fiction? Legend or history?
Authenticating a Classic The challenge to authenticating a wonderful legend is to stay focused on one mission: The truth must prevail ! This vehicle was NOT owned by the Royal Family.
In early 1933, an undertaker company, N.V. Onderlinge Rouw Stallen (ORS) in Amsterdam specially ordered from Buick, 5 - 1933 Series 90 chassis, known as a MKD (Medium knock down) which includes the engine, fenders, lights; everything except the actual coach, to be exported to the Netherlands.
These 5 series 90 Buicks were then sent to the Bronkhorst
Carriage From 1933 to the mid 1950’s we have photographic evidence of these 5 Buicks that remained in service together accommodating funerals of the very wealthy in Europe.
Frans is the expert on the vehicles in use by Queen
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and other Royal Family members. Even the
Netherlands Royal Consulate acknowledges Frans’ work with the Royal archives
as exceptional and referred me back to his research on the subject. I was
fortunate enough to already have connected with Frans through a mutual
membership in the international Society of Automotive Historians. Much of
the photographic evidence and data from the history of this 1933 Buick
Limousine was provided by Frans. Frans also told me that 3 of the 5 Buicks were shipped to the USA in the late 1950’s. One of the Buicks was eventually found to be destroyed and the other sold to a student club in Groningen and presumed destroyed.
We are still researching this car’s history, but through
Frans’ assistance, I can tell you that after the
As it is, a Series 90 is fairly rare to come by. What we
certainly know about
One fact that the historians agreed on, authentication of this 1933 Buick Series 90 Custom Bronkhorst Body Limousine has set it apart as a rare and important Classic Car. No matter the outcome of the fantastic legend of Queen Wilhelmina, the most valuable part of our “find” was the car itself.
As Buick aptly quoted “Cars were built to be driven” and this old gal had not been driven for at least 25 years, and very possibly longer. My husband, Brando, had quite a job ahead working through the issues to get it back on the road in great running condition. Did I mention he does all his own work, and never “sends it out” for someone else to work on? What a handy guy to have over the years when we have the occasional breakdown on tours as well!
Brando has been working on antique car renovations since he
was a young man in South Africa, over 30 years ago. As
Every year Brando would purchase a “project car” to work on, and after completion we would enjoy it for awhile, and then sell it at the end of the year, just to buy another project again. We have enjoyed many special occasions with the project cars over the years- our daughters’ proms, birthdays and even weddings. Now we have the grand-daughters getting in on the fun. Now “The Queen” as we affectionately call her, acts as the central point of attention every time we take her out for a Sunday drive, dinner out with friends, transportation for special events, and even our daily driver at the car shows we attend…like the recent Buick Grand Nationals. Imagine our pride and joy driving back to the RV Park from the awards banquet with her 400 Point Gold Award! I felt privileged enough to be the royal passenger as my driver, my chief mechanic, and the love of my life chauffeured us home. Life is grand when you have a Queen in the family!
Cheers to 76+ More Years of Fantastic Motoring with “Our
Queen”! Joanne and Brando Pistorius Tampa, Florida, USA
Click Here for more information 1923 Cadillac Victoria “Opera” Coupe Model 61, Style Number 4420 – 2 door Victoria V8- 314 cubic inch, 60 Horsepower, Weight 4110 lbs Featured on "Tail Fins and Chrome" Syndicated Television
Original 1923 Price $4540.00 Appraised at $ 120,000
Very RARE Car: Search the internet, Search the car clubs, we can not find another in existence! ************************************************* Facts: · Fuel is fed to carburetor from pressurized fuel tank- no fuel pump! · Vacuum Assisted brakes · Upholstery in finest Mohair Velour- original untouched 1923 interior! · Nickel plated lights, Steering wheel is made of walnut and has no hinge · Self lubricating bushings were featured at many points in the brake and clutch linkage · Transmission gear lock · 2 spare tires with key lock. Equipped with air compressor! · Previous owner kept complete log book for over 2 decades · Engine light and Dash equipment included combined clock & speedometer with trip set, combination ammeter, oil & fuel gauge cowl vent, combination lights & ignition switch, dash lamp, headlight tilt button, cigar lighter. · The 4th owner in 86 years is selling this car today, fully authenticated history of its past!  ___________________________ The paint and body were restored in 1996, and the rest of this car is 100% in original condition, except for the newer tires. · The unique floor plan of this fine vehicle is what gained its name as an “Opera” coupe. The spacious backseat is uniquely designed to accommodate the full rounded “opera” dresses that the ladies wore in that era. · The jump-seat next to the driver was designed to carry the “gate boy” who would accompany the owners from the main house, through the various gates one finds on a typical large farm, and once all gates were opened and closed as the car passed through.
History of this Car: This car was purchased in the early 1940’s by it’s 2nd owner Mr. Dave Otis who chartered the Vermont Old Car Club. He sold it to his college friend Mr. Rod Rice in the 1950's for $35. Mr. Rice eventually sold it back to Mr. Otis for $25 several years later, who then kept it until his death in 2008! In 1996, Mr. Otis had the exterior paint totally stripped, all metal work repaired, and repainted to the beautiful condition you see it in today. The rest of this car is 100% in original condition, except for the newer tires. We are the 4th owners in 86 years! The Victoria “Opera” Coupe · The unique floor plan of this fine vehicle is what gained its name as an “Opera” coupe. The spacious backseat is uniquely designed to accommodate the full rounded “opera” dresses that the ladies wore in that era.
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The
jump-seat next to the driver was designed to carry the “gate boy” who 1915 Model T The Grand and Beautiful "Brass Era" Cars This old gal travelled over 100 miles per day for a week through the back roads of Tennessee at the International Model T Convention in 2009. We never had a day of worries, as she chugged along from farmland to the "world's fastest mile" at the Bristol Speedway. A Model T Club Award Winning Brass Beauty! 1930 LaSalle
This grand dame toured throughout the mid-west surrounding Rapid City, South Dakota. Her stop in Detroit Michigan to the Henry Ford Museum was not without incident, as a careless driver rear ended this beauty causing Brando to have to completely restore the rear end, bumper and gas tank, which on a 1930 is no easy effort! We managed to stop the rush hour traffic in Detroit, but the injuries were not permanent, except to the fools car who hit us! There is no match for 1930 steel versus 2000 fiberglass! Here she is shown in Savannah Georgia at the Cadillac/ LaSalle Grand Nationals. She was quite the show stopper!
1929 Packard
This project started when we flew to Maine to investigate a true barn find. When the seller was asked how she ran, of course he said extremely well. When he was asked would she make a drive to Florida, there was quite a pause..."hell, I got no idea!" We gave it our best shot, and made our way through some of the most gorgeous Fall Foliage from Kennebunkport, Maine, through Connecticut, even downtown Manhattan, where we parked right in front of the Plaza Hotel for lunch. Brando, having been in the USA for only a couple of years, saw no reason not to just leave it out front, but our Manhattan friends said there was no way you can park it there. Well, 5 tons of steel, and a starter that no one understood may have helped, but we believe the doorman was just too happy to watch in front while we had afternoon break. We took the ferry to Maryland, and broke down in the center of Washington DC with an un-repairable clutch that disintegrated. No problem, we called the Auto Train and AAA and even though we may have bent a policy or two, they pushed the old gal on to the train, we visited Mount Vernon, and next stop was Sanford (Orlando) Florida. This was the most fun car pickup in our married life together, mainly because it was our first purchase together! She stayed in service with our family throughout the "Prom Years" of our daughter Amanda, and Kristin's 21st Birthday, then off she went to greener pastures (the car and the daughters!) 1929 Gardner
A very unusual car, Gardner was more well known for making ambulances in this era. Built in St. Louis Missouri, she went home to her new owner in St. Louis. This car was sold at 6:30 am while in line for the Hershey Car Corral! 1938 Packard V-12 Club Sedan Model 1607 Appraised Value $113,500 This fine and exceptionally rare (27 built- 1 of less than a handful exist) Club Sedan. Engine # A600277 Recognized by the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) as a Full Classic
Packard was founded by brothers James Ward Packard , William Doud Packard and his partner George Lewis Weiss in the city of Warren OH. James Ward believed that they could build a better horseless carriage that the Winton cars owned by Weiss (An important Winton stockholder) and James Ward, himself a mechanical engineer, had some ideas how to improve on the designs of current automobiles. By 1899, they were building vehicles. The company, which they called the Ohio Automobile Company, quickly introduced a number of innovations in its designs, including the modern steering wheel and years later the first production 12-cylinder engine. While Ford was producing cars that sold for $440, the Packards concentrated on more upscale cars that started at $2,600. Packard automobiles developed a following not only in the United States, but also abroad, with many heads of state owning them. In need of more capital, the Packard brothers would find it when Henry Joy, a member of one of Detroit's oldest and wealthiest families, bought a Packard. Impressed by its reliability, he visited the Packards and soon enlisted a group of investors that included his brother-in-law, Truman Newberry. In 1902, Ohio Automobile Company became Packard Motor Car Company, with James as president. Packard moved its automobile operation to Detroit soon after and Joy became general manager and later chairman of the board. The Packard's factory on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit was designed by Albert Kahn, and included the first use of reinforced concrete for industrial construction in Detroit. When opened in 1903, it was considered the most modern automobile manufacturing facility in the world and its skilled craftsmen practiced over eighty trades. The 3.5 million ft2 plant covered over 35 acres and straddled East Grand Boulevard. It was later subdivided by eighty-seven different companies. Kahn also designed The Packard Proving Grounds at Utica, MI. Throughout the nineteen-tens and twenties, Packard built vehicles consistently were among the elite in luxury automobiles. The company was commonly referred to as being one of the "Three P's" of American motordom royalty, along with Pierce and Peerless. Packard's leadership of the luxury car field was supreme. Entering into the 1930s Packard attempted to beat the stock market crash and subsequent depression by manufacturing ever more opulent and expensive cars than it had prior to October 1929. The Packard Twin Six was introduced for 1932, and re-named the Packard Twelve for the remainder of its run (through 1939). For one year only, 1932, Packard tried fielding an upper-medium-priced car called the Light Eight. As an independent automaker, Packard did not have the luxury of a larger corporate structure absorbing its losses as Cadillac did with GM and Lincoln with Ford. However, Packard did have a better cash position than other independent luxury marques. Packard also had one other advantage that some other luxury automakers did not; a single production line. By maintaining a single line, and inter-changeability between models, Packard was able to keep its costs down. Packard did not change cars as often as other manufacturers did at the time. Rather than introducing new models annually, Packard began using its own "Series" formula for differentiating its model change-overs in 1923. New model series did not debut on a strictly annual basis, with some series lasting nearly two years, and others lasting as short a time as seven months. In the long run, though, Packard did average approximately one new series per year. By 1930, Packard automobiles were considered part of the "Seventh Series". By 1942, Packard was in its "Twentieth Series". There never was a "Thirteenth Series". While the car sports an older paint job now showing some age, it is sufficiently presentable as is. The car is perfect as is for CARavans or touring. There is no purpose, though, in turning this Packard into a trailer queen to be worshipped and not used; all the hard, expensive work has been done, and now it should be used and enjoyed. Packard Autos 1899-1958 Interesting side story... Every purchase has a story, every restoration another interesting tale, and right down to the sale you make may even come with it's own story! We recently delivered this beautiful Packard to it's new owner. He wanted to take it for his last minute test drive. As we leave the area, he says let's go down to the bank and pickup the remaining balance due to close the sale. OK...but there is no tag on it! "That's ok" said our buyer, it's a small town, I know most everyone, probably even the cop's mother." Well we did not have an issue with cops, but as we drive up to the bank, he says he forgot his billfold. "Shall we turn back?" we asked. "No, they know me here". Since we did not anticipate driving all the way to the bank on the test drive, none of us had brought any identification! But the old man was right, and before we knew it we were given the full sales price in CASH! Not having brought a bag or purse along, they actually put it in a Burger King bag from lunch, and let us have it our way! Don't worry, we never keep cash, and it went straight into the bank :-)
We have restored many beautiful Model T's, among other makes, and as you can see the whole family gets involved. Every year we stop in Hershey Pennsylvania for the "World's Largest Car Parts Flea Market". Even Barry Maguire stopped by to visit and check out our "Car Crazy" antique cars.
Now that we have turned our part time hobby into a fulltime obsession, we are on the road nearly 30 weeks out of the year. Living in sunny Florida on the water is a special privilege we enjoy, but we can not deny how much we enjoy jumping into the RV to check out the next "project car". In 2009 we logged over 20,000 miles (and I don't want to think about how many tire replacements) just to explore, investigate, negotiate, acquire, restore and show off these great cars of the past.
When you stop in Louisiana, outside of New Orleans, you can get "stuck in the mud" of the wetlands, where it takes the local law enforcement to close down the highway to help get us out! When the officer said "this is going to cost you" we were happy to hear he just wanted a photograph with the car!
Working on the newest find... 1904 Oldsmobile Gypsy Runabout Replica created in late 1950's and on display at Walt Disney World's Epcot "World of Motion" Pavilion The one that got away... A few tales from the road! 1931 Cadillac "Limo"- We uncovered a "basement " find in Chicago. We flew up to check out this 7 seater that had been portrayed as in very good condition. Upon arrival, we find the address is to a large vacant office complex outside of Chicago. My first observation to Brando was that there was no room for 7 people in this car, to which he said I should keep the representative of the owner busy chatting with me, so he could have a closer look at the car. It was a varmint eaten wreck. My chat with the fellow uncovered the very interesting story that the owner was not present, because he was in jail! Why? Apparently he had a golf tournament where the hole in one winner had a choice of this car or $50,000 cash, and the winner happened to be a local politician, who conveniently chose the cash prize. Needless to say, the day only became more interesting from there. Brando
was not
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The
Truth about the “Queen”
It
certainly fit the bill with its beautiful squared off “Bronkhorst Carriage”.
The Bronkhorst Carriage Company was specially commissioned by Queen
Wilhelmina in 1905 to provide coaches to the Royal Stable of Vehicles.
The
fact is this beautiful and unique vehicle was not just a standard limousine;
it was actually specifically designed to be a Funeral Follow-Car. It is one
of only 5 ever built, and one of only 2-3 left in existence.
Company in the Netherlands to be fitted with their special design of coach.
The unusual “trafficators” on either side of the front windshield act as the
legally required turn signals for that period in the Netherlands.
But
as we know from renowned automotive historian, Frans Vrijaldenhoven, of the
Netherlands, these 5 Buicks were not part of the Royal Stable of
Vehicles. Frans has been most kind and helpful with the authentication of
the history of this vehicle. As author of the book, Royal Motoring,
demise
of the ORS undertaker company, this car was sold in 1956 to Mr. vanOs at
Eindhoven. In 1981 it was sold to Mr. J. Dekker at Geleen. He later sold it
to Mr. dePaauw, an estate steward in Waveren, Belgium. We are still
researching other owner(s) since that time up until 1984 when it was titled
to The Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada USA. In 1999 it was sold to
Bobby Knox, a businessman and stock car racer in Alabama. We purchased this
car from Mr. Knox through an auction agent in January 2009.
this Classic Vehicle is… what you see is what you got back in 1933- a very
special and authentic 1933 Buick Series 90 Custom Body Limousine. The
authentication of the numbers matching all the series of production for the
year 1933 has been conducted by another expert in Buick history, Mr. David
Corbin. David was kind enough to conduct a thorough inspection of our 1933
Series 90 Buick at the recent Buick Grand Nationals held in Colorado, July
1-5, 2009. David brought out reams of spreadsheet data and 4 inch thick
documentation that he has gathered over the years while researching
everything Buick since its inception. We were so pleased to see that what we
had in our possession was a very rare and historic vehicle. Mr. Corbin
examined the car very thoroughly and determined that frame number 2,687,814
was built at Buick about May 15th, 1933 and that engine number 2,836,757 was
built about 3 weeks earlier. It is almost certainly the engine originally
installed in this chassis. Copies of Buick factory monthly production
records in Mr. Corbin's possessions for May and June of 1933 show that Buick
built exactly 5 90 series MKD (or cowl jobs) in these 2 months (4 in May, 1
in June).
How did we find this gem? There is always a great story
attached to great finds. Picture a car for sale, that no one can seem to get
enough information on to get past that “fear factor”. Is it for real? Could
it really have been formerly owned by Queen Wilhelmina? When was the last
time anyone drove it? We were told that the car would not start. The tires
are flat, we do not know if the mechanics work, and what is that white stuff
covering the upholstery?? I see a cover underneath the chassis…is that just
a museum cover as they say, or what issues could we be hiding? You have to
be a little fearless to make an offer on a car with so many unanswered
questions, and no one willing to respond to the inquiries. But as they say,
no guts no glory! When my husband
Brando first saw this car, he had the vision of the possibilities.
Notwithstanding all these worries that certainly narrow down the field of
competing buyers, we know it did not hurt to see that the final bid accepted
would coincide with the first quarter of the Super Bowl! Only a true “car
crazy” guy who sees the potential, like Brando, would walk away from the
first quarter of the big game to submit a winning bid on this cool car! Now
if it were Rugby, we may have ended this story differently…
a
member of the Pretoria Old Motor Car Club, he organized Rally’s and even one
of the
infamous “Cars in the Park” events with over a 1,000 cars participating from
all over the country.
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swayed entirely, as he could still make a ridiculous low offer. Then he
asked him to start it up. Have you ever seen the advertisement of Jeep where
the car shakes off the mud like a dog shaking? Yep, that is how bad this car
shook. When they called for their "mechanic" he drove up in a golf cart
shortly thereafter. A little more chatting, and we find out that he does not
know anything about these cars, and in fact is a golf cart mechanic! The
last straw was the photo copy of the title, where the plot thickened and the
story only became more crazy, before we said good bye. We drove straight to
the "Magnificent Mile" visiting some real fun bars, stayed in a lovely B&B,
and flew home laughing about the interesting characters we find in this
business!
