Читать книгу Lost Muscle Car Dealerships - Duncan Scott Brown - Страница 13

James Garner was a popular film star and became a partner in American International Racers (A.I.R.), using his name to help the racers secure funding. He ordered three 1968 Corvette L88s with assistance from Bob Wingate. The cars were not bought from Clippinger Chevrolet; they were actually slated to be delivered through Fred Gledhill Chevrolet. However, due to Bob’s reputation as “Mr. Corvette,” he was able to ensure the order forms Garner sent in were correct.

After they competed in the February 1968 Daytona race, two of the Garner racers were displayed in the Clippinger showroom. The display was Garner’s thank-you to Wingate for getting the order started and sourcing needed speed parts. Having the Garner cars in the showroom drew performance nuts and movie fans alike.

These were not the only L88 cars that Wingate was involved with. Wingate ordered about 8 to 10 Corvette L88 cars into Clippinger over the years. Clippinger’s slogan “First In High Performance Cars” was painted on its sponsored cars and summed up the enthusiasm here. The dealership also did well with Camaro sales and led California in Yenko distribution along with Washburn Chevrolet. These two dealers were the first two California dealers to bring in the Yenko Corvair “Stingers.”

The Clippinger building still has most of its glass remaining where the sales offices and showroom faced the street. This is where the Garner A.I.R. cars were displayed 50 years ago. To the right is the service entrance.

Russ Davis Ford is seen here at night with the new 1960 models on display. This is the front of the lot where San Bernardino Road meets Citrus in Covina. The curved lit building in the background contains the sales offices. (Photo Courtesy J. Scott Shannon, Covina Past blog)