Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Maybelline heir Bill Williams fleet of classic car's inspired by his uncle Tom Lyle.

 

This post was written by my brother William Preston Williams lll.

Check out this beauty, this is what Dad sold at the estate sale for $11,000.00
Except it was white on red, white paint, and red leather, and full white-wall tires
1965 Lincoln Continental, Suicide door's
 



Or this beauty, 1956 TBird, sold at the estate sale for $20,000.00
black on black w/ hard top and soft top, and 30 coats Lacquered paint
 
File:Jaguar Mark VIII in Hertfordshire.jpg

This is the exact Car that Dad sold to the Doctor at the condo for $10,000,  a 1958 Jaguar Mk IIII, but it had white-walls, always he had a thing about white-wall tires and it had red interior, another beautiful example of Dad's Style.  These would be fun to have, to represent dad's collection
 File:Austin-Healey.jpg

This was the exact car that Dad bought Billee for her 18th Birthday, a 1955 Austin Healey, but it had the reverse color scheme, white with red trim, and red Interior.
Again just an example of the classic style that Dad loved so much, but he gave it back,

as a classic English car was just not dependable for a young girl.




And who could forget this Bad Girl the 1969 Shelby GT-500 convertible, another choice ride from Dad's Past.  The man had good Taste, in cars.
 


This is series 1 Proto type and was Alain' Clenet's car, according to Steve Kouracos this is the car that Alain' drove up to Bob Fooses office, where Steve was an apprentice painter, and Alain asked Steve if he'd  like to be the head painter in a new car company, Clenet Coachworks of Santa Barbara.


Bill Williams grew up in West Los Angeles and spent his youth at the Villa Valentino with his uncle Tom Lyle Williams, founder of the Maybelline Company.  As a boy he was surrounded by the sumptuous beauty of Tom Lyle's lifestyle including his love for beautiful automobiles.  Once the Maybelline company sold in 1968, Bill had the means to live his dream and collected a fleet of classic cars.  He bought an estate in Palm Springs with 6 garages and plenty of spaces around the two acre's to house the 12 automobiles he collected until his death in 2006.  The last remaining car at his death was his favorite, a 1977 Clenet series 1.  He said it reminded him of the cars his uncle Tom Lyle drove in the 1930's and the Clenet was just fun to drive around town with the top down.  My brother Preston, was only a boy at the time and watched as his father's collection continue to grow.  He has many funny stories about his life at Casa de Guillermo when he took the key's to his dad's cars when he was out of town and quite a few close calls. I will be posting one tomorrow.

William Preston Williams lll in his Dad's Clenet at the Concourse.  Preston was 17 the day his father drove it through the gates of Casa Guillermo in Palm Springs California in 1977 and spent every weekend washing and polishing it with his dad while Frank Sinatra blasted from the speakers inside and out the house. 

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