So It's Been Awhile...

I have not blogged in quite sometime.  So much has changed and happened since my last entry.  My brother Mario and I still own and enjoy our beloved Clenet #229.

Back in 2022 we started to sell off a lot of our cars as Covid and other factors and life changes identified that we simply were not driving our cars. I sold off 2 Jaguars and 3 Mercedes while my brother sold off his Corvette, Mercedes, MGB and Buick. Then earlier this Spring, we decided to sell our '67 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham that we've owned since 1993.  We are so glad that a good longtime friend purchased it and is taking it to the next level.

Since my last blog, we opened 2 Bed and Breakfast establishments along with keeping our Real Estate practices.  These businesses consume a good amount of our time and playing with the cars just isn't (and/or wasn't) possible. I got married in 2019 and then immediately we were in the throws of COVID-19 that really changed how we view the world and possessions. We lost a dear family member to COVID-19 and in addition a few friends still have long-Covid.  Material possessions are becoming less and less important to me as I have entered my 60's in 2023. 

A few years back my brother purchased a 1978 Lincoln Town Coupe that was custom made into a convertible as a factory-authorized car.  He's worked countless hours getting it restored and rebuilt with June of 2025 being the year he was able to unveil it at a LCCI-LMR car show in the Chicago Suburbs. It truly is a stunning car.

We still have the Clenet and this pic is from earlier this Spring when I brought it out for its first drive of the season.  I gave it some new plugs, a rotor and cap along with topping off the A/C refrigerant...then sprang for new Hankook white-wall tires...it was time!  (pictured are the 2009 Coker Classic's.)

At this writing, it's the end of July and I cannot believe how fast these years are flying past!!!  I'll still be tooling around Three Oaks in the Clenet from time to time and do hope to get back on the page more often.

-Ron Zarantenello, Three Oaks, MI

Now What!

The team got the car running for short periods of time by priming the carburetor. After several repetitions we all decided to stop to keep the raw gasoline from washing any remaining oil from the pistons and cylinders. Seeing that the car will eventually run, I handed over the nonnegotiable payment to the seller, which was a very fair price for us all, considering the amount of work it will require to make roadworthy.

The team had to disband and I again was left alone with the car. I opened the driver's door and sat in our car...our Clenet! It took 28 years to find it and now it was ours. I was now able to phone my brother Mario who had been anxiously awaiting a call from me. I told him that he'd be hearing from me by ten o'clock that morning and as I looked at my watch it was half past one in the afternoon! I quickly phoned Mario in New Buffalo, MI at his office to let him know it started and that we just bought a car! I could hear the excitement in his voice, however he had to maintain his professional composure. Looking down that long hood at the crystal ornament, I had begun to imagine myself driving this wonderful creation between Chicago and Harbor Country!

Now what! How do we get her home to Harbor Country! I had made pre-arrangements with the same transport company that came six months earlier to snap up the seller's other cars, however they were told the car was in full running order. How do we move a non-running four-thousand pound neo-classic? I called the transport service thinking the deal was off, and to my surprise, the shipping representative told me that she already had a truck in Dallas and the vehicle not running wasn't a concern...just a higher fee to winch it onto the truck. I told her to send the driver as early as possible. No less than 40 hours later, the car was being hoisted onto the carrier while I was back in Michigan having breakfast!

As of this morning (Wednesday 6/3/08) the car should have arrived by now. Mario just learned that the hauler experienced a malfunction/breakdown just outside of Des Moines, Iowa and the anticipated delivery will be two days late. I found the car, hopped a jet to see the car and then crawled in, under and over...afterwards arranging the shipment; I have now passed the helm to Mario. Once the car is in Three Oaks, MI on Friday, it is he who will be working directly with the servicing dealer to bring it back to life. New tires are already on overnight order and other "tune-up" parts are ready and waiting the arrival. I see a great deal of magic wadding being consumed on all that bright-work!

We are hoping that we can use the car Saturday afternoon to attend the LCC/LMR's get-together about an hour from Harbor Country! Let's all keep our fingers crossed!

Next...she now has a new home, but still needs to be named!
rz

Seeing is believing...

I immediately phoned the Milwaukee, Wisconsin number found on the web-page where the car was being advertised. The lady who answered the phone told me the car was not located in Milwaukee, but rather just outside of Dallas, Texas. She explained that her company (Camelot) was consigning the car for an elderly gentleman who was liquidating his entire collection. Previously, she facilitated the transport of his other vehicles, including several Excaliburs, a Maserati and a stunning early 60's Caddy.

Their web-site displayed about twelve pics of the car and gave a brief history of the Clenet Coachworks company. What I didn't believe was that the car had a mere 1,427 miles on the odometer or never driven by the owner.

I gave her my contact info and asked for the owner to contact me. About two days later I received a call at my office from Texas, I immediately knew it was the owner of this Clenet. We had a 45-minute conversation and just as we were about to hang up, he wanted to fax the original title and bill of sale to me. Of course I said yes...and within minutes the pages appeared on my computer. Again, I couldn't forward those documents to my brother fast enough...who called me immediately and exclaimed that we needed to buy this car.

I phoned the seller and told him that I needed to see the car and how soon could I fly down to the Dallas area. I was on the Orbitz web-site making reservations while confirming the date we could meet at his estate. Nine days later on May 29th, my flight for Dallas departed Chicago. I would spend that evening at the Super 8 hotel near DFW on the outskirts of Dallas.

Early Friday morning I got into my rental PT Cruiser and drove 130+ miles eastward to finally see the car at his home. He met me at the front of his one-thousand acre estate and took me to a series of out-buildings where the family business had been run over forty years. What an interesting man. My mind kept saying "take me to the car," but my heart told me to be patient and let him show his life-long passion. After an hour passed, we finally drove up to the house where his stable of cars once resided.

There it was, Clenet number 229 of 250 seeming a bit lonely in a building that once housed at least five other cars. Memories hung on the walls where his other trophies of success were once proudly displayed. The car never moved from that spot after being transported from the selling dealer in Dallas since the Spring of 1989. He said they hadn't started it in over six years and it obviously needed some freshening and a battery. He put his best men to the task as I said, "hey, let's see if we can get her running." John with his son Paul and I jumped to action, somewhat like a pit-crew; Paul found fresh gasoline on the estate while John drove away to purchase a new battery.

I was now alone with the car. Seeing is believing and from what I observed, yes...this car traveled just 1,427 miles its whole life! What a shame that he never truly enjoyed this vehicle from behind the wheel.

I took in the immaculate red leather interior with grey lambswool carpets and burl wood accents. This car reminded me of how a Rolls Royce smells! I raised the trunk lid and found the same luxurious wool carpets. "Is this for real and what's the catch" kept running through my mind. I'm alone, my brother Mario could not join me on this expedition. We agreed that I had ultimate authority to back out of the purchase if the car didn't meet my expectations. I'm questioning myself...am I making the right decision? If I back out, will he be angry?

This car had not seen the light of day since 1989. The exterior wood accents are perfect. The paint has one minor stone chip. The exterior chrome and stainless trim are slightly discolored from the Texas humidity. I know it will come back to its full potential with chrome polish and lots of elbow grease. Then we raised the hood and there it was...an engine that hadn't been run in years. Oh my...what now...

I pulled the dipstick and noted full oil, slightly discolored. The radiator was half-full so we chose to top it off with just water. John returned with the fresh battery and we installed it. The car came to life with the ignition buzzer sounding and all of the lights were functioning. We pulled the distributor wire and turned the key. Hail Mary...the car turned over and sounded like any other Ford V8 from the 70's! We chose to turn it over for a few seconds at a time. After several tries, we decided to prime the carb and give it a go...it started and ran for all of 6 seconds. The small amount of gasoline quickly burned out and we added more. Again, Paul added a bit more gasoline and I turned the key...it restarted. We repeated this process several times without any knocks, clangs, pings or chatter. Just a solid rumble and a gasping carburetor wanting more fuel.

It wants to live...
rz

29 years in the making...

My twin brother Mario and I turned 16 in the Fall of 1979. About a year earlier as we had begun our Driver's Ed program at our Suburban Chicago High School, our Aunt Arlene purchased a magazine titled "Elite Cars" for us to read while visiting her. The magazine featured the likes of Rolls Royce, Aston Martins through Mercedes and Avanti. One car featured was the newly introduced Clenet Series I. We were both immediately drawn to that car! We would soon be driving and the cars we wanted spanned from Mustangs to the Mark V! The Clenet stuck with me ever since reading that magazine.

To this day, I have no idea why that Clenet has stuck with me. The other Neo-Classic vehicle of the era was the Excalibur, however for some reason, the Excalibur just didn't do it for us! There was something about the Clenet...that long hood, its low profile or perhaps the original prototype being built on a Lincoln chassis. We immediately recognized the Lincoln grill shell and the MG Midget cowl, however we saw the Clenet as a whole car...graceful in our eyes.

Fast forward to late May, 2008. I'm at home in Chicago catching up with some friends while on-line when my brother sends an e-mail to me. I open the message and I see a white Clenet (or what appeared to be a Clenet) for sale with just four words contained in his note: "Should we buy this?" I opened the ad and saw that the vehicle was a 1981. Knowing that the Series I production ended in 1979, I knew that the car depicted was not a Clenet...but perhaps a Corsair or other similar knock-off. It was listed in the upper $20's which kept my interest. For a week, I studied the ad, the pics and even called the seller to inquire, however it wasn't a Clenet and I wouldn't give up that easily.

While at his home is S.W. Michigan over a weekend, we discussed buying a Clenet and agreed that we'd somehow make it happen. Search after search on Google took us to a few later model Clenet's for sale, however we were adamant about finding a Series I. We found many that have sold over the past 24 months, however of the 249 Series I cars made, none were officially for sale. I started contacting the known dealers of Neo-Classic and Special Interest vehicles, all replied that none were available.

We agreed to give it a rest and would wait for one to come on the market. That next Monday as I returned to my home and job in Chicago, I sat at my laptop and put Google to task. I entered many combinations and phrases with the hopes of finding fresh pages and web-sites that might have a Clenet Series I for sale.

BINGO... Who knew that by entering the words "Consignment" and "Clenet" into the search engine would find the car of my dreams? There it was...waiting for someone to give it a new home! My heart was racing...I had to call my brother to tell him that I just found "the car" for us. I couldn't dial the phone fast enough...

More to come...
Ron Zarantenello