Читать книгу Lost Muscle Car Dealerships - Duncan Scott Brown - Страница 36

Dana made an effort to connect with enthusiasts by hosting a sports car club meeting for the “Early Times Club” on March 7, 1967, at the Hi-Performance premises. Dana Hi-Performance Center also hosted the California Corvette Association meetings. On March 8, 1967, Dana hosted the technical inspection for the Willows Spring race as well.

Early 1967 non–SS 350 Dana conversion raced at Lions Drag Strip in Wilmington, California. (Photo Courtesy Dave Fillion Collection)

Dana Chevrolet offered minor to full engine modifications to satisfy the appetite of a thrill-seeking customer. Dana would tweak your car with a dyno tune or some bolton parts from its vast parts inventory, or it could go all the way to engine swaps and race prep if you wanted to go those routes.

The parts department was well stocked with Chevrolet high-performance parts. Inventory was augmented with aftermarket pieces as well. A February 11, 1967, ad stated Dana’s position: “The only exclusive Hi-Performance Chevrolet Center in California. Specialists in Corvettes and 396 Camaros. Hi-Performance parts and service. Huge inventory. Immediate delivery.”

A father’s day ad noted that the Dana inventory was chock-full of 4-speed Vettes, Camaros, and Chevelle SSs. It stated that Dana Hi-Performance paid top dollar for used Corvettes and 4-speed sports cars. Dana also advertised in the Hot Rods section of the L.A. Times newspaper that they had a big selection of 4-speed high-performance V-8s on hand. Of course, there were also Pontiac GTOs in the used inventory.

A June 23, 1967, ad announced that the Hi-Performance Center had more than 20 Vettes in stock and that they were all 4-speed cars. They didn’t even bother buying automatic cars!