6 CHEVY HIGH PERFORMANCE II NOVEMBER 2019
Car Stalking 101
heard it run. Driven by a white-
haired woman who appears to
be in her 70s, I imagine her as
being the original owner; the car
always garage-kept; it has never
been in an accident; and she has
neatly kept maintenance records
of every oil change, tune-up,
and tire rotation over its 50-plus
years of existence.
Just once I want to catch the
Camaro sitting still so I can see if
it’s in as good of shape as it has
appeared in my limited sightings.
Until then I still plan to take a
detour on the way home from
wherever I am to keep an eye on
that C10 pickup. And you never
know, I may just come across
that elusive Frost Green ’69 Camaro right
when the owner is finally ready to rid
herself from the burden of driving a
50-plus-year-old “clunker.” Yes, I know
it’s highly unlikely, but one can still hope.
So, my car-stalking habit has yet to
get me a good deal (or any deal) on a
classic ride, but if there is any truth to
“the hunt being more thrilling than
the catch,” then this hunting with no
harvest is quite exciting. Yeah, I’ll keep
telling myself that.
If you have a car-stalking story to
share, successful or not, we’d like to hear
about it.
Email me at chevyhighperformance@
motortrend.com.
You in?When car stalking, there are a few things one should know. First off, car stalking is not as bad as it
sounds, as no one really stalks a car with evil intentions. Although some, like my wife, might disagree, as I often take
the “scenic route” home from the grocery store just to see if that weathered red-with-a-slight-dose-of-primer C
pickup is still parked in front of the house a couple blocks out of the way. To her, the evil—or annoying—part is that
I drive a half-mile out of the way instead of going straight home. And to be honest, I’m not really sure why I keep
checking on this truck. Maybe I’m hoping it will have a “For Sale” sign in the rear window and I’ll be the one to nab
it before anyone else finds out about it. Maybe the owner will let me drive off with the truck for a song knowing I’ll
take excellent care of it once in my hands. Maybe not, as there is no reason he’d take a liking to me, and once he has
cash in hand he would probably care less if the truck burns down before it makes it three blocks from his house.
So, yeah, I stalk that truck
once or twice a week and
continue to do so ... you know,
just in case.
So as far as car/truck stalking
goes, that C10 is easy prey due
to it being parked out front. But
when going on a car-stalking
mission it’s important to pay
attention to long driveways
where a glimpse of a vintage
taillight, headlight, or piece of
trim can be spotted peeking
from behind a daily driver. It
takes a keen eye to catch those,
so you gotta be sharp. It’s also
important to keep an eye out for
car covers—a dead giveaway for
a possible hidden gem. Usually
those are deep into a driveway or tucked
away in the garage only to be seen
when the garage door is open. Covered
cars have a good chance of being an
unfinished project or one possibly left
behind by a relative and hasn’t ran in
quite a few years due a clogged fuel line
or dead battery. Rare finds, indeed, but
they are out there.
Timing is everything when it comes
to picking up an abdicated classic. For
example, when the owner of a hidden
ride is in front of the house doing
yardwork or other maintenance, that’s
a good time to walk by and start up a
friendly conversation about something
other than the potential treasure down
the driveway (it’s best not to sound too
anxious), then ease into inquiring about
the covered car you “just happened” to
notice.Nick Licata [email protected]FIRING UP
Always refrain from knocking on
someone’s door to ask about the car
you scoped from the street. This could
risk putting the owner in a defensive
mode as he finds your visual trespassing
unwelcome. The last thing you want is
for the owner to move the car completely
out of sight. At that point you’ll have
no chance of getting anything from that
hoarder.
Then there is the rare instance of
unintentional mobile stalking. An
example of this is the “unicorn” I’ve seen
driving around town for the past five or
so years that always seems to be going
in the opposite direction than me. It’s
a Frost Green w/dark-green vinyl roof
1969 Camaro with original California
black plates, stock hubcaps, what
appears to be original paint, and looks
totally unmolested. I have no idea if it’s a
six-cylinder or a V-8 car because I haven’t- Do you still think coming across a rare muscle car is a thing of the past?
Keep in mind this 1970 Camaro Z28 was found sitting in a barn a few years
ago, and had been dormant since 1977. Yep, they are still out there.