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Author: T.J. Overstake
ISBN: 978-1-4327-3594-4
Publisher: Outskirts Press
What is it about collecting
weird cars that seem to seduce some individuals? I can understand
stamps, coins, art, antiques but buying an off-the-wall car or a beat
up jalopy and spending days if not months fixing it up is beyond my
comprehension. Yet, then again, when it comes to cars, I am not
exactly a maven and I guess you can just call me a dummy.
T.J. Overstake, author of For
Love Of The Car: Memories Of A True Car Guy is a car nut who
informs us that some of the cars he has owned are memorable for his
discovery of them, others repairing them, some for the pleasure of
driving them or simply the joy of owning them and then there are his
interesting tales concerning the manner in which he purchased and
sold them. Each however comes with its own unique tale that he spins
within the one hundred and fifty three pages of the book. 
Most of Overstakes cars
would not be classified as true antique cars, although he admits that
he loves old cars that are cheap. In fact, the oldest car he owned
was a 1948 Willys followed by a 1950 Ford and a 1952 Kaiser
Manhattan. His wife describes him as having a personality disorder
and as he admits the weirder the car the better. He has even told his
wife on occasion that sometimes he feels a car calling to him. I
guess all of us have our own eccentricities!
I bet many of you never heard
of a Leata (pronounced Lay-Tah, not Lay-Ah-Tah). Overstake
informs us that this car was the invention of some Scandinavian chap
who lived in Idaho. The car resembled an old Morris Minor with its
fibreglass and it used a Ford Pinto drive train. Two versions were
built and neither sold very well. In 1975, after losing a
bundle of money, the company re-tooled and redesigned the new Leata
and called it Leata Cabalero that also offered the coupe and pickup
guise. These models were made from Chevy Chevettes and lasted until
1977 when the company gave up manufacturing cars. Overstake had
owned two 1976 Leatas that were the Cabalero styles. He liked them
because they were rare and weird as well as simple-Chevys under the
skin.
Overstake is not a person who
can hang unto a car very long or as we learn, maybe a year and a
half. As a result, over the years he owned a fair share of them
including a 1965- Triumph Spitfire, 1974 Mercury Monterey, 1967
Cougar, Mazda 808 Mizer, 1975 Century Buick, and a Kaiser, as well as
several others.
Along the way and as an
offshoot to finding these funky cars, Overstake accumulated a great
deal of knowledge concerning wheeling and dealing, auctions,
financing, car mechanics and repairs, human nature, selling cars to
complete strangers out of the blue, and even some history about the
car industry. Incidentally, as Overstake is a law enforcement
officer in Arizona, he was able to apply some of his police skills
and contacts in finding out about some of the cars he purchased and
even where to find some of these hidden gems. In addition and as he
states, working on these cars has been therapeutic. A cop needs a
hobby, if there was any hope of avoiding the bottle and divorce.
For Love Of The Car: Memories
Of A True Car Guy is a breezy read, and Overstakes upbeat voice
and style trips lightly through his many anecdotes describing his
experiences from the age of fifteen in purchasing, fixing up and
selling these oddball cars.
Moreover, after reading For
Love Of The Car: Memories Of A True Car Guy, there is a strong
possibility that some of you may also think about collecting weirdo
cars, since Overstake has led you so engagingly through his memorable
experiences. As for myself, even though I thoroughly enjoyed
the read, I will stick to purchasing new Hondas. Incidentally,
Overstake tells us that lately he is content to buy mostly new cars
and he still loves every one and still treats each of them as part of
his family.
Click here To Read Norm's Interview With T.J. Overstake
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