Above: Eric Schiffer with his 1968 "Royal Bobcat" GTO convertible

Stacy Gittleman
Contributing
Writer
I

T

heir "babies" wait in the garage
all winter, shielded from the
harsh temperatures and chrome-
corroding salt. At last, the time of year
has arrived for classic-car collectors like
Dr. Eric Schiffer, Dr. Steve Shanbom and
Rabbi Robert Morais to show off their
wheels, and they'll do just that at the
19th annual Woodward Dream Cruise,
set for Saturday, Aug. 16, along 16 miles
of Woodward Avenue from Ferndale to
Pontiac.
All of the men agree their craze for
classic cars stems from nostalgia. Like
other car aficionados, they revel in the
memories the sight of an old car can stir
up — contrasted to the more practical
and less gas-guzzling vehicles of today.
They swap stories of how they came to
own their beauties and the elbow grease it
takes to make them look "showroom new:'
Classic cars remind them of drives
with parents or grandparents, or the
kinds of cars they could only dream
about having as kids but now can afford
as grown men.
The vehicles also conjure up simpler
times, like when teens set out for an
escape in shark-finned rides headed
toward the burger joints and drive-
ins that once lined main drags like
Woodward Avenue.

As a teen growing up in Detroit,
Schiffer recalls street racing through the
Motor City in his first car: a 1961 Chevy
Impala convertible.
As a teen in the 1950s and 1960s, your
car was your freedom:' Schiffer said. A
longtime member of the Royal Pontiac
Club, he will be showing off his lovingly
restored 1968 black Pontiac Firebird
and green 1968 "Royal Bobcat" GTO
convertible alongside the other classic
Pontiacs that will be on display along the
Birmingham section of Woodward.
A Farmington/Farmington Hills chi-
ropractor by day, muscle-car builder by
night, Schiffer believes that cars are in
his blood. Not only has he restored two
classic muscle cars, his knowledge about
them has been sourced in articles and
books.
A memorabilia room in his home is
dedicated to all things Pontiac and the
Woodward Dream Cruise.
Jim Wangers, an automotive marketing
visionary for Pontiac, actually bestowed
the 1968 black Firebird on Schiffer
about 17 years ago. Schiffer treasures the
Wanger-autographed sun visors on both
of his cars.
Schiffer's stepfather owned a lucrative
automotive scrapyard in Flint, where
customers would sell him old cars like
Lincolns and Auburns from the 1920s
and '30s, as well as Buicks, Skylarks and
El Dorados of the 1950s.

Car Buffs on page 52

Steven Shanbom in his 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible

Robert Morals with his 1979 Volkswagen Super Beetle convertible and 1973 Dodge
Dart Swinger

August 14 • 2014

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