Back in 1969 when I was 19 and working for $2 an hour I would pass Tex Collen's shop on Lankershim in North Hollywood every morning on my way to work. One day out of the blue in front of the shop sits one of the Stone, Woods, & Cook Willy's with a for sale sign in it. I make a u turn and go back to see if I can afford to buy it. I walk in the shop and ask Tex how much for the Willys and he says $750. I ask if I can go look at it and he says go ahead. I crawl all over this car and find out there is no motor, no trans, no third member just some axles to make it a roller. The car was basically stripped and about the only thing left were the seats and paint job. It was actually pretty rough and on the back fender it said Swindler A.
As I walk away mumbling something to myself like this Tex guy is crazy because he will never sell that car for that much money. Since my take home pay at the time was about $65 a week I could not justify 3 months of work to buy a shell of a car. Who would have guessed back then what that car would have brought $$$$ today. Of course I would have had to store it for 40 years to reek the benefits. Looking back I did the right thing.
Tom G.
