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View Full Version : GOLD DMC displayed at Sunvalley Ford / DMC


DKDMC
09-11-2016, 02:34 PM
Here is a Photo of the Gold D On the Showroom Floor of Dealer #05154 Sun Valley Ford, Inc. 2285 Diamond Blvd Concord CA 94520

The Dealership still exists it is now Future Ford of Concord. Same building and address.

Does anyone know the story of this car being placed at that store? Was it sold from there? Love the picture.

46240
dodint
09-11-2016, 09:47 PM
You sure it's not an Instragram filter?

;)
DKDMC
09-11-2016, 10:32 PM
You sure it's not an Instragram filter?

;)

Yes indeed. It is from the news paper. That would be one heck of a filter
louielouie2000
09-11-2016, 11:27 PM
With the saddle interior and fender antenna, that's VIN 4300. According to Nick Sutton's book, VIN 4300 was delivered through a Bay Area dealer, and the owner drove the car home to Walnut Grove, California. It's very possible 4300 was delivered through Sun Valley Ford; it's not far from Walnut Grove. James Espey would probably be the person to ask.
DKDMC
09-12-2016, 12:43 AM
With the saddle interior and fender antenna, that's VIN 4300. According to Nick Sutton's book, VIN 4300 was delivered through a Bay Area dealer, and the owner drove the car home to Walnut Grove, California. It's very possible 4300 was delivered through Sun Valley Ford; it's not far from Walnut Grove. James Espey would probably be the person to ask.

Awesome! I live about 20 minutes from what was Sun Valley Ford. And I had no ide the gold D went to an owner in Walnut Grove. 4300 is now on display in Reno at the Harrahs Collection.
Dangermouse
09-12-2016, 10:29 AM
Mmmm

According to an article in DWorld with the original owner, it was flown directly from Ireland to a Cadillac Dealer in SanFran and picked up by the original owner from there on Oct 12, 1981 who drove it around for months before it was donated to Harrahs as it had become un-insurable

Knut's early VIN list says it was sold through dealer 5134 (not 5154) which was Don Lucas Cadillac in SF.

So possibly it was loaned to SunValley before being displayed at Harrahs???
RamblinDMC
09-12-2016, 02:36 PM
How/why did it become un-insurable?
Dangermouse
09-12-2016, 03:09 PM
According to the DW article, in early '82 "State Farm said that they couldn't be responsible for a hulk of mobile gold", and another said that they would insure it as long as it wasn't driven.
DMCVegas
09-12-2016, 03:15 PM
How/why did it become un-insurable?

The car is now on display at the National Auto Museum in Reno, Nevada. According to the sign at the front of the car, the cost of repairing a single ding because of the gold plating was around about $24,000 if memory serves. You'd probably have to re-plate the entire car in gold to get the color to match, so repairing dings and chips is economically impractical.

As demonstrated by the vandalism the car received 2 years ago.

https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/06/24/arsonist-damages-two-vehicles-in-attack-on-national-automobile-museum/