Classic Cool

Mary Tamaroff opens the doors to his
personal collection of automotive masterpieces.

WRITTEN BY HARRY KIRSBAUM PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN

very January, the North American International Auto Show
(NAIAS) draws hundreds of thousands of car enthusiasts to Cobo
Center in Detroit. But one stroll through Mary Tamaroff's ware-
house and even the most hardcore concept-car buff will agree that
new isn't always better.
Nestled toward the back of the sprawling Tamaroff Automotive Group
dealership in Southfield — past row after row of new Buicks, Isuzus, Nissans
and Hondas — sits a lone warehouse stocked with Tamaroff's own collec-
tion of classic cars. Of the 30 he's owned over the years, he's held onto nine,
including a 1981 DeLorean, made famous in Back to the Future, and a 1949
Buick Roadmaster, the car Dustin Hoffman drove up and down the drive-
way in Rain Man, a 1931 Marmon 16 limousine and a 1934 Packard. The

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most striking thing about these classics, besides their magnificent lines, their
detailing and their roominess (with the exception of the DeLorean)? Their
sheer size — they're huge.
Tamaroff began collecting cars in 1957 when he bought a 1937 German-
made Horsch, "from an Irish lady who sold me Irish Sweepstakes tickets," he
says. She stopped into his used-car lot on Martin Place and Woodward in
Detroit. "Her son was in the army and brought home the car."
His favorite, though, is the 1949 Buick Roadmaster. "It's one of the most
perfect Buicks anywhere," Tamaroff says. It also happens to be the year he
graduated from the General Motors Institute as a mechanical engineer.
The NAIAS might show the best of what might be, but Marv's warehouse
holds the best of what was.

Top, left to right: Among Mary Tamaroff's collection of classic cars: With its signature yellow color, the 1949 Buick Roadmaster Model 76C retooled its body design — begun in
1948 by Olds and Cadillac —for the post-war era. Built in Indianapolis, Ind., the 1931 Marmon 16 Coupe includes a double overhead cam, a nearly 500 cubic inch V-16 engine and
200 horsepower; the aluminum engine has sleeves that allows water to circulate around the cylinders. The only car on the road more powerful was the Iowa-made Duesenberg. This
Marmon 16 received a "Premier Ranking" top honor from the Classic Car Club of America. The 1937 Cord, built in Indiana, has front-wheel drive and distinctive Art Deco styling; this
two-person Cord was called the Sportsman and received a Senior Winner/Second Place ranking from the Classic Car Club of America. Each Cord was tested to do 110 mph on the
Indy Racetrack. Above, left to right: The 1932 Buick Convertible Model 90 cost $1,805 the year it was made; a 1931 Buick Roadster Model 84; the 1949 Buick Roadmaster
Model 76C; you could buy this 1940 Buick Limited new for $2,017 — today it would sell for about $175,000; the 1981 DeLorean.

32 • JANUARY 2007 • 1)10111111M