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Six arrested from chop shop linked to Dream Cruise thefts

The spirit of this year's Woodward Dream Cruise was dampened after a rash of car thefts were reported. The vehicles included a 1966 Chrysler 300 Deluxe, a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette, and a replica of the 1971 Chevrolet Camaro owned by the founder of Papa John's Pizza. While these thefts outraged the collector car community, that same tight-knit group is now breathing a sigh of relief, as those responsible are behind bars. Detroit Police arrested six people – three adults and three teens – on Thursday, September 17, in connection with a chop shop operation linked to the collector car thefts. According to The Detroit News, one suspect is still at large. There's concern among Dearborn police that the same group responsible for the Dream Cruise thefts boosted some vehicles from a Ford factory. While the Camaro was recovered mostly whole and found in a giant bush on Detroit's west side, the fate of the Corvette or Chrysler has not been made known. Here's hoping these classic cars make it back into their rightful owner's garages soon. News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Jerry S. Mendoza / AP Government/Legal Chrysler Classics

Junkyard Gem: 1965 Plymouth Belvedere Race Car

I've found the occasional retired race car during my junkyard travels, but most of them have been fairly modern machines. Today's Junkyard Gem is a different sort of racing remnant: an ancient dirt-track beast that probably last saw service more than 40 years ago, found in a Denver-area yard last summer. It's really just a gutted shell that sat outdoors for decades after its final competition, but you can still catch glimpses of its past here and there among the rust spots and peeling paint. The rear quarters clearly identify it as a 1965 Plymouth B-Body two-door sedan. The 1965 B-Body Plymouths were sold as three models: the upscale Satellite, the mid-level Belvedere II, and the El Cheapo Belvedere I. The shadow of a Belvedere badge on the fender found inside the car indicates that at least the fender came from a Belvedere I (the way race cars — especially those that compete on dirt — whack into each other, we can assume this is the 19th fender affiliated with this car). Belvedere fenders were easy to find in junkyards until about 40 years ago, and the faded sponsor stickers indicate that this car last raced around that time. You can still buy new "Turbo Action" valve bodies for Chrysler automatic transmissions, by the way. Likewise, CRC 5-56 lubricant still exists. The "OZONE SAFE" label on the can suggests that this sticker is of late-1970s-to-early-1980s origin. The roll cage is old-school for sure, particularly the lack of door bars. The Denver area once had many race tracks, including Overland Park and Englewood Speedway (both very close to this Plymouth's final parking space), but they had closed long before the 1980s. Lakeside Speedway was in business  until 1988 (and still stands today, sort of) but that dirt oval hosted mostly midget races during its final 30 years of operation. Perhaps Colorado Springs International Speedway, which closed in 1985, was this car's final race venue. There's one sponsor that suggests an origin far from the Mountain Time Zone. I can't make out the company name (other than what might be a snippet including "oluce"), but it appears to be an institutional food business in Houma, Lousiana. It's possible this car was bought in Louisiana and brought to Front Range Colorado, where it rusted away in a yard or field. There's not much left, but it's one of the many types of automotive history I like to document in this series.

Automakers want to stop the EPA's fuel economy rules change, and why that's a shortsighted move

With a Trump Administration looming, the EPA moved quickly after the election to propose finalizing future fuel economy rules last week. The auto industry doesn't like that (surprise), and has started making moves to stop the EPA. Ford CEO Mark Fields said he wanted to lobby Trump to lower the standards, and now the Auto Alliance, a manufacturer group, is saying it will join the fight against cleaner cars. The Alliance represents 12 automakers: BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, VW, and Volvo. Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson for the Alliance, told Automotive News that the "EPA's sudden and controversial move to propose auto regulations eight months early - even after Congress warned agencies about taking such steps while political appointees were packing their bags - calls out for congressional action to pause this rulemaking until a thoughtful policy review can occur." The EPA was going to consider public comments through April 2017, but then said it would move the deadline to the end of December. That means that it can finalize the rules before President Obama leaves office. The director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, Jack Gillis, said on a conference call with reporters last week when the EPA originally announced its decision that it is unlikely that President Trump will be able to roll back these changes. Gillis also said on the same call that any attempt by the automakers to prevent these changes would be history repeating itself. "These are the same companies that fought airbags, and now promoting the fact that every car has multiple airbags," he said. "These are the same companies that fought the crash-test program, and now are promoting the crash-test ratings published by the government. So, it's clear that they're misperceiving the needs of the American consumer." There are more reasons the Allliance's pushback is flawed. Carol Lee Rawn, the transportation program director for Ceres, said on that call that the automotive industry is a global one, and many automakers are moving to global platforms to help them meet strict fuel economy rules around the world.