Maybelline founder Tom Lyle Williams

Showing posts with label 1977Clenet series 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1977Clenet series 1. Show all posts

Farewell to the Beautiful 1977 Clenet Series 1 Convertible


My dad, William P. Williams, perfectly preserved 1977 

Clenet  #  series 1, 13 out of 250, has a new home.  It was bought by EVERGREEN HISTORIC AUTOMOBILES and shipped back to their museum in Lebanon, Missouri.  It can now be viewed along with the most beautiful cars in the world.  



Owned since 1977 by original owner Bill Williams and his family, the car had very low miles and has been kept under wraps since Bill died in 2006.  The car will be back in it's glory as thousands of car lovers visit the museum. 



If you want to see more pictures or see more posts I've written on my dad's Clenet, scroll down to Archives as look under Clenet.  





Here my dad with his car in 2002, four years before his death. He often drove the car down Coast Highway in Newport Beach with the top down,  radio playing, enjoying the good life into his 80's.  He and his car will be sorely missed. But, I'm happy people can see this special car.






EVERGREEN HISTORIC AUTOMOBILES

“Where rare and unusual automobiles are the norm.”

Evergreen Historic Automobiles - Lebanon MOLebanon, Missouri
(417) 664-5608



The majority of these automobiles were convertibles and, in fact, Evergreen Historic Automobiles contains a high percentage (over 90%) of open and/or convertible cars. Open cars have proven over the years to be the most rapidly appreciating body style in the collector car industry. It has been said, “When the top goes down, the price goes up.”



Maybelline Heir from The Motorcar Society on Vimeo.

Alan Clenet from The Motorcar Society on Vimeo.

MULTI MILLION DOLLAR CAR...Clark Gable and Carole Lombard fell in love in his '35 Duesenberg.


Clark Gable was the original owner of this beautiful 1935 Duesenberg JN with custom coachwork by Bohman and Schwartz.


Gable, Lombard and a '35 Duesenberg

By JERRY GARRETT / The New York Times

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/auto-news/gable-lombard-and-a-35-duesenberg-647560/#ixzz24UpTV4Hb 




Clark Gables 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe  by Gooding & Company was up for auction last weekend in Pebble Beach, California at the Concours d' Elegance.  Bidding went as high as $6.4 million but that wasn't high enough to meet the seller's predetermined "reserve" price, so this Duesenberg didn't sell.
The glamours Duesenberg played a part in Gable's famous relationship with Carole Lombard. The two met at a party after which they went for a long drive...and the rest is Hollywood history.



Of course all this talk about Hollywood glamour makes me think about my great uncle Tom Lyle Williams and his 1940 Packard Victoria, coachwork by Bohman and Schwartz.. Here it is today in this video.
Maybelline Founder Tom Lyle Williams, standing next to his 1940 Packard Victoria at his Villa Valentino in the Hollywood HIlls. 

Tom Lyle Williams, Packard Victoria restored by Steve Snyder's father, Bill Snyder, owner of the car today.
http://vimeo.com/29981530   Speaking of classic romantic cars, check out this video of my father Bill Williams Clenet Series 1, number 13.....which placed second in the Neo-Classic category.  The 5th annual Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance, was held February 17 – 26, 2012, at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort in Rancho Mirage, California. Hailed by Der Spiegel magazine as one of the "Top Ten Classic Car Shows in the World."   
Want to know more about Tom Lyle Williams 1940 Packard Victoria or his nephew Bill Williams 1977 Clenet made by Clenet Coachworks in Santa Barbara, or anything about Chuck Williams-BB1, Steve Snyder Donna Williams or me, Sharrie Williams, just click on our names.

AFTER THE FIRE, "I DANCE WITH MY FATHER."

For eighteen months we watched our home spring out of the ground into a structure that would usher in one of the happiest periods of our lives.  Who would have dreamed I'd have to lose everything to gain it back ten fold



I think the most exciting part about building a house is seeing it framed..... and that first time you turn on the electricity.....  The thrill of seeing what was only a blueprint turn into a real home is awe inspiring. 




The biggest cost of building my home was the foundation and retaining walls.  Normally a fire wouldn't cause so much damage that you'd have to rip out the old foundation, but a firestorm that melts cars to the ground is a different story.





Another thrill in the building process is seeing the roof go on.  At that point you know the job is someday going to end.  Which up to that point doesn't seem possible.




What's really hard is spending the whole day with contractors and having no place to sit.  Gloria made a chair out of a cement block while my dad inspected the work being done on the floor.



The windows arrived and my dad checked them out to make sure they are all accounted for.  He'd built homes  before and knew the importance of checking and double checking every detail on the spot.


At last the structure takes on the appearance of a real home, but we are still months away from moving in.


My dad was fanatical about the paint job being done right.  He fired the first crew of painters because they didn't have an eye for perfection.  He wanted the walls so smooth that when you ran your hand over them, they would feel like glass.  That's what 1930's Art Deco was all about as far as he was concerned.


Getting close to finishing the job, we gained a new respect for working together as a team.  I'm not saying it was ideal, there were times we wanted to kill each other, but in the end I have to say, my dad was the wind beneath my wings.  He showed me I could start and finish anything with the right state of mind.

When the landscapers added the tropical plants to the outside of the house the whole thing popped with color and became a beautiful little Mediterranean Villa.  It was More than I ever dreamed I would have.

When the house was finally done and the contractors pulled away, my dad continued to come over everyday and add the magical details that made the inside of the house look like a movie set..... Here he is with the 1977 Series 1, Clenet, # 13, I've talked about so much on my blog.  We now enter it in Concours de' Elegance shows.


It was my dad who put the blue glass Cross on the fireplace to give the feeling of a sanctuary and the light from all the windows made the room an artist's dream.



DANCE WITH MY FATHER, BY CELINE DION.


Check back tomorrow to see the finished product as Georgia and I show you around our home.

Maybelline Heir, Bill Williams, Classic Clenet Series 1, number 13 out of 250.


Sharrie Williams and her father William P. Williams Jr.
1982, standing in front of his mother Evelyn Williams


Click here to see Sharrie's interview with Barnaby Bamkaw, of Motorcar Society, talking about her fathers 1977, Clenet, 13th Edition, Series 1.  Also the original fabricator, Steve Kouracos talks about the making of Bills,13th edition.
                                    http://vimeo.com/29709565

Click here to see the interview with Clenet Coachworks, founder and owner, Alain Clenet, as he signs Bill Williams 13th edition, Clenet.

Original TV clip of Bill Williams and his 1977 Clenet # 13

Clip below of Sharrie talking about her father's Clenet.




Posts on Bill Williams
 Series 1 Clenet, # 13

Mar 17, 2013
Alain Clenet's, neo-classic product of the Clenet Coachworks of Santa Barbara, Calif., was meant to be America's answer to the Rolls-Royce. Some of the original owners included, Rod Stewart, Wayne Newton and Ken Norton ...


Oct 01, 2011
Click here to see Sharrie's interview with Barnaby Bamkaw, of Motorcar Society, talking about her fathers 1977, Clenet, 13th Edition, Series 1. Also the original fabricator, Steve Kouracos talks about the making of Bills,13th ...


Oct 28, 2011
Bill is on his way for some TLC, before making an appearance with Alain Clenet, the man who designed and built him, almost 35 years ago. Click on the video to watch Bill leave the garage and head out on the street.


Oct 29, 2011
Check this out. An award winning Toastmaster, professional speaker and Celebrity Columnist, author Sharrie Williams is available for Club Events, Fundr... Maybelline Heir, Bill Williams, Classic Clenet Series 1, number 13 out ...

Nov 04, 2010
Here I am in front of my dad's 1977 Clenet (thirteenth edition of series 1). It has been in storage for over 4 years since his death in 2006. My brother Preston, and my sisters Donna and Billee and I, are getting it back on the road ...


Oct 30, 2011
Packard's from the 1930's inspired Alain Clenet to design and build Series 1, 2, and 3 Clenets. My sister Donna Williams, in her dad's Classic Clenet. Donna Williams. Sharrie heads to Laguna Beach for a presentation next ...


Oct 23, 2011
Imagine how this super long, super ornate automobile, must have looked to a young boy. So it's no wonder, that when Alain Clenet, produced his series 1 convertible in 1977, Bill was one of the first to purchase it for, $80,000 ...


Sep 17, 2011
More about Bill the Clenet, and information about the Concours d' Elegance will be posted soon. Also read more about Bill Williams and his love of beautiful automobiles in The Maybelline Story. Signed copies available at ...



Nov 04, 2010
Here I am in front of my dad's 1977 Clenet (thirteenth edition of series 1). It has been in storage for over 4 years since his death in 2006. My brother Preston, and my sisters Donna and Billee and I, are getting it back on the road ...

Oct 30, 2011
Packard's from the 1930's inspired Alain Clenet to design and build Series 1, 2, and 3 Clenets. My sister Donna Williams, in her dad's Classic Clenet. Donna Williams. Sharrie heads to Laguna Beach for a presentation next ...

Oct 23, 2011
Imagine how this super long, super ornate automobile, must have looked to a young boy. So it's no wonder, that when Alain Clenet, produced his series 1 convertible in 1977, Bill was one of the first to purchase it for, $80,000 ...

Sep 17, 2011
More about Bill the Clenet, and information about the Concours d' Elegance will be posted soon. Also read more about Bill Williams and his love of beautiful automobiles in The Maybelline Story. Signed copies available at ...

Feb 10, 2011
After 5 years of being in storage since Bill Williams passing in 2006, his 1977 Series 1 Clenet roadster, is back on the road, heading for the Desert Classic, Concourse d' Elegance. with the original fabricator Steve Kouracos at ...

Jan 24, 2011
All but one car was sold - his favorite, a 1977 Clenet,series 1, was kept in storage for five years before his daughter, author Sharrie Williams and her siblings restored it recently and now will show it at the Desert Classic ...


Maybelline founder's love of beautiful automobiles lives on today through author Sharrie Williams.


 Bill Williams with his buddy Earl looking at his 1935 Ford convertible given to him by his uncle Tom Lyle Williams for his 15th Birthday.  Bill's love of automobiles,  like his uncle TL,  became a theme throughout his entire life.

At his death in 2006 Bill had a collection of 12 classic cars at his estate in Palm Springs California.  All  but one car was sold - his favorite, a 1977 Clenet,series 1, was kept in storage for five years before his daughter, author Sharrie Williams and her siblings restored it recently and now will show it at the Desert Classic Concourse D'Elegance in La Quinta, California, Feb 27.  Stay tuned for video's of the event and "Bill The Clenet" as it begins it's comeback and hits the show circuit.

Check out author Sharrie Williams with her cousin Chuck Williams at the Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction Jan 20th, 2011, looking at a Ford Hot Rod, something Bill would have loved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2eXH0QQoo4

Also check out Bill Williams in 1977 on the Classic Clenet Club website below,  just click on HISTORY, and than CLENET ON TELEVISION.  Scroll down to the box that shows KEN NORTON and Bill will show up talking about his new car.
http://www.clenetclub.com/tv_clips.html

Read more about Maybelline founder, Tom Lyle Williams and his love of beautiful automobiles, his nephew Bill growing up around the at the Villa Valentino in Hollywood  and the glory days of  the Maybelline Co, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It

Buy an autographed copy for $14.99  - click on maybellinestory.com for purchase.