Bill Williams 68 Shelby Cobra, GT 500 and 1971 Eldorado Convertible.

47, just divorced, living in Newport Beach California - Image was everything -  when it came to his cars. 

An avid reader of Playboy, this Shelby Cobra ad, struck the perfect image for a soon to be eligible bachelor. In the Spring of 1970, after separating from my mother, Pauline, my father, Bill Williams, walked straight into Theodore Robins of Costa Mesa Ca, and bought the Shelby Cobra GT 500 convertible, for $4,000 cash, right off the showroom floor.  It had 900 miles on it, because, according to the salesman, it used as a promotional car, driven by Carroll Shelby himself.  Bill had to have it, and pulled out of the parking lot and into his new life.

Mrs. Judge Kearney, Chuck, aka, BB1, his mother, Jean Williams.  Josephine answering the door at the Bernard Maybeck estate in Montecito California.


Wanting to show off his new sports car, Bill and Linda, (his soon to be second wife,) along with my future husband, Gene Dorney and I, attended my cousin Chuck Williams, aka, BB1's, 21 Birthday Bash, and received the shock of our lives when.....

The parking attendant rolled the Shelby on a joyride around the Montecito,'s curvy roads.  Luckily the roll bar saved his life, but the car was crashed.  My dad had the Shelby, in the shop for 6 months and than, gave it to me for my 24th Birthday.

In the mean time, a new image had to be created for Captain Bill of the Balboa Bay Club!  This ad appealed to my father's vanity, with it's long hood - screaming.....

                             I'm 48 and I have arrived!!!!!

Captain Bill and the Swiper, on the way to Catalina Islalnd.

My Father, Bill Williams and my grandmother, Evelyn Williams on Lido Isle, Newport Beach, January 1971, showing off the new Eldorado with it's........
                                "BILL, Vanity Plates."

My dad began collecting classic cars, after moving to Palm Springs - where he could buy an estate with several garages.  

Gerald Ford's, 1961 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine, part of Bill Williams collection.

Bill Williams moved to Old Las Palmas in Palm Springs, in 1972 and bought Silent Film Star Marie Dressler's, two acre estate so he could store his car collection.  One of my fathers most fun classic cars was this 1961 Limo, once owned by President Gerald Ford.

Bill Williams, Casa de Guillermo was a showplace in the 1970's and was featured on the cover of the Palm Springs, official Map-Brochure.  It was a flamboyant location, used for movies, TV shows and fundraising.  

By 1980, after Bill married Gloria, the gates of Casa de Guillermo, were closed to the public and became strictly a family compound.

Besides Maybelline heir, Bill Williams, Hollywood celebrities and former Presidents including, Kirk Douglas and Bob Hope, former President Gerald Ford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Elvis Presley, made Palm Springs their home. 

Want to know the who's who, of Hollywood Stars, how owned Palm Springs Estates?   click here - http://www.palmspringscelebrityhomesforsale.com/

Bill may not have been a Movie Star, or even a celebrity, but he sure lived like one.  He bought Gerald Ford's, 1961 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine in 1978, for it's history, luxurious interior, and the little holes on the hood, where he could place little American Flags, for special events. 

 It wasn't unusual for Bill and Gloria to cruise down Gerald Ford Drive, with their Dobermans in the back seat.   

Bill Williams, Father of the Bride, in 1998, waiting for his daughter, Billee and her bridesmaids, to to get in the car.

Guests arriving from the airport, for Billee's and Steve Killer's rehearsal dinner.

Chuck Williams aka, BB1 and Sharrie, on the right, yelling for Billee to hurry up, or she'll be late for her own wedding.

Chuck in the driver's seat, next to me, on the way to the reception in Newport Beach.

 Steve and Billee Killer on the way to their reception.

 Bill with his driver's hat on, picking up his cousins, at the Balboa Bay Club, in Newport Beach, and transporting them to Laguna Beach,  for Billee and Steve's rehearsal dinner.

Thank you for following The Maybelline Vintage Docu-Blog and reading The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.

Bill Williams 1963 Lincoln Continental during the Rat Pack years.

Tom Lyle Williams nephew, Bill Williams, added a 1963 Lincoln Continental, to his collection in 1979.

This picture of my father, Bill Williams was taken at Casa de Guillermo, on his 66th Birthday.  He loved Frank Sinatra and carried the spirit, of The Rat Pack.

He once told me a story, about the time, he ran into Sinatra at the Palms Springs airport in the 1982.  Sinatra had just gotten off his private jet and was obviously celebrating something special.  My father just happened to have several cases of champagne in the trunk of his 1961 Limo and a few bottles on ice.  He walked up to Sinatra and asked if he'd like to pop a bottle of Champagne - and wound up giving him a case.  But not before having a toast and few riveting laughs with his all time idol.

Here is a picture of Gloria, my father's third wife, at Casa d Guillermo, next to his, 1963 Lincoln Continental, with the suicide doors and red interior.  I remember
my father calling me one day, so excited, he could hardly talk.  I had to keep saying, "slow down I can't understand you." 

He'd just purchased this Lincoln, for $5,000, in mint condition, and kept repeating, "it's the same car Kennedy drove in before he was killed - it's such a beauty I had to have it."

 He loved to drive the Lincoln, down Palm Canyon with the top down and Frank Sinatra blasting from the stereo, even into his 80's.  Sadly, the car was sold at the estate sale for $10,000 cash, when the Casa was sold in 2004.

1963 Lincoln Continental - Pres. Kennedy rode in Fort Worth. This is a news clip about a 1963 Lincoln Continenta​l President Kennedy rode in on the morning of November 22, 1963 - previous to taking off from Dallas to Fort Worth.

Needless to say, beautiful classic cars, were a big part of my father's life and that's why I'm so excited to have found his uncle, Tom Lyle Williams 1940 Packard Victoria. 

My father was a teenager, when he and his uncle, drove down Sunset Blvd, on their way to sign contracts, with Movie Stars, who would appear in Maybelline ads, in the 1930's and 40's. 


Chuck working on his Cobra.

 My cousin Chuck Williams, aka, BB1, carries the torch, for being the family car collector today.  We'll be working with Steve Snyder of VAULTCARS, (son of Bill Snyder, the Packard Victoria's owner,)  making a mini-documentary of the Packard's history and restoration.  So stay tuned this March for more details.

Love vintage cars???  Check out this website on Stars and their cars!!!  http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/blogs/lord-k-s-garage-100-star-ride?xg_s

Sharrie with her cousin Chuck Williams BB1, Toast their great uncle, Maybelline's Founder Tom Lyle Williams, 116th Birthday.

Happy 116th Birthday, Uncle Lyle!!!!

Year of the Dragon, Powerful 2012!! click here.

Tom Lyle Williams, of The Maybelline Company, was the original owner of this gorgeous 1940, Packard Victoria, with the Horse-Head, hood ornament.  Today it belongs to the Bill Snyder collection, in Southern California.  Chuck and Sharrie Williams, will be working with Bill's son, Steve Snyder of VAULTCARS, to produce a mini-documentary about Tom Lyle and the Packard.

Click on video to see Sharrie Williams with her cousin Chuck Williams, BB1, toast their great uncle, Tom Lyle Williams 116th Birthday, Jan 19, 2012, after several day's at The Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction.

Stay tuned for more Classic Car highlights this week.

Happy Chinese New Year!!!  Year of the Dragon!!!

1940 Packard Vctoria's hood ornament is a Horse's Head.

\Horse's head represents the power Maybelline had over all other cosmetic brands.

One thing that makes Tom Lyle's Packard Victoria, so unique, besides the extra long hood, was the hood ornament.  It's a horse's, head!!  Maybelline was ahead of the pack, as far as competition was concerned and the Packard out-horsepowered any other car on the road. The King of Advertising, equated the powerful symbol, with Maybelline's super-power, in the cosmetic industry.

Speaking of Horses, and period films, you have to see "War Horse."

Storyline



Dartmoor,1914: To his wife's dismay farmer Narracott buys a thoroughbred horse rather than a plough animal but his teenaged son Albert trains the horse and calls him Joey,the two becoming inseparable. When his harvest fails the farmer has to sell Joey to the British cavalry and he is shipped to France where,after a disastrous offensive he is captured by the Germans and changes hands twice more before he is found,caught in the barbed wire in No Man's Land four years later and freed,due to a bizarre truce. He is returned behind British lines where Albert,now a private,has been temporarily blinded by gas but still recognises his beloved Joey. However as the Armistice is declared Joey is set to be auctioned off. After all they have been through will Albert and Joey return home together?
Written by don @ minifie-1

Thank you for following The Maybelline
Vintage Docu-Blog.

Trailer for War Horse.  Click on video.

1940 Packard Victoria by Bohman & Schwartz, ready for it's close up!

Tom Lyle Williams 1940 convertible, Packard Victoria, ready to come out of the Vault

Tom Lyle's 16 year old nephew, Dick Williams in the driver's seat of his uncle's 1940 Packard Victoria. The extra long, 20 foot, bumper to bumper body, made it one of a kind. Picture shot at The Villa Valentino, 1947.

Tom Lyle's Packard Victoria, built by Bohman & Schwartz, is now part of Bill Snyder's collection, in Southern California.  My cousin Chuck Williams, aka, BB1, and I met up with Bill's son, Steve Snyder of VAULTCARS, at Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction, this week and discussed making a documentary on this very rare automobile. I will post it sometime in March, so stay tuned for stories and facts that have been in the Vault for 60 years.

On the hunt for TL Williams 1934 Packard Dietrich Vee Windshield,.

Tom Lyle Williams loved his family, the Maybelline Company and his Packards.

Tom Lyle with his brother Preston, his sister in law, Evelyn and his nephew Bill Williams top left.  Below he poses with his son Tom Lyle Jr.  Right, Tom Lyle with his 1934 Packard Dietrich Vee Windshield, one of only 4 made.

I recieved this letter about Tom Lyle's 1934 Vee Windshield Dietrich Packard and thought it might be interesting to my Car-Guy readers.   I

Dear Sharrie,


My name is Matthew Kilkenny, a Packard auto historian, and I'm currently writing a book about Custom Packards from the early 1930s including Dietrich custom bodied Packards. Tom Lyle had superb taste in cars as his car is only one of about four ever built in 1934. The goal of my book, because these cars are so rare and beautiful, is to as best I can document the history of each car including the original owner.  Like a Monet or Rembrandt, people a generation or a century from now will want to know the history of these rolling scullptures. I'm trying to document the stories of each of these rare cars such as Tom Lyle's in a definitive book before the stories get lost. The stories are starting to get lost because people that owned rare Dietrich Packards early in their life for example are dying off.


We owe it to future generations to document these beautiful cars as best as possible.  I saw the pictures of the car on your website and I have actually been trying to find more info on this car! I have a photo of Tom Lyle taking the keys to this car from a Packard Salesman. As part of my documentation and figuring out for example, which of the four cars existing today belonged to Tom, I need the "VIN" numbers off of the car. In Tom's archives does he have any sales invoices, registration documents, fireewall plate or other pictures of this car bill of sale who he sold it to and when? This will allow me to figure out which of these cars was Tom's.


As you know it takes so much work to track down leads and do research for a book, but I have moments like this where I personally, or through help of another, get pointed to things such as this and you feel like you make progress! My Dad owns a 1934 Dietrich Conv Sedan similar to Tom's and we have written an article on Dietrichs for the world famous Pebble Beach concours program. I have attached this article. Tom Lyle is in company of Al Jolson and Gene Sarazen, the famous golfer, who also owned rare Vee Windshield Dietrich Packards.


 Best Regards,


Matt Kilkenny


Stay tuned tomorrow for update on Tom Lyle Williams 1940 Packard Victoria, one of two ever made and found at last.

Two Car-Guy's on the same page, at Barrett Jackson.

Making contact with the family, who owns Tom Lyle Williams 1940 Packard Victoria,

My cousin Chuck Williams, (aka BB1,) of REEEEEL CONVERTIBLES, and I met up with Steve Snyder, of VAULTCARS, at  Barrett Jackson, to discuss making a documentary on Tom Lyle Williams, 1940 convertible Packard Victoria.

Steve Snyder is the go-to man, when it comes to vintage Packard's.  The difference between this 1939 Packard Victoria and Tom Lyle's, 1940 Packard Victoria are significant.

 Steve and Chuck, hit it off like Car-Guy's do!!!  They both agree, vintage Packard's were the car of the day!!

To be continued.   

Chuck Williams-BB1 with his car collection.

Noel A. Williams son, Chuck Williams, aka BB1, does a cosmetic restoration on his father's 1975 Rolls Royce, 12 years after his fathers death.

His fathers Rolls was untouched for 12 years.

unveiling of the Rolls.

Chuck makes the decision to bring the Rolls Royce, back to it's glory days.

1975 Rolls Royce, Silver Shadow, LWB.  Collage's of Chuck Williams car collection, by Charles Abrams Photography.

Chuck bought this 74 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce, new, in 1974 and still has it in his car collection today.  It has been shown several times, at the Concours Italiano and other venue's across the country.  The Alfa has won best Spider, and is known as the Pearl.  It is Chuck's personal favorite.


Chuck had this 1965 Factory 5 racing Cobra, with it's Roush 402R, 525 HP and 515 lbs of torque, built by Joe Cusumano and painted by Red Dog Jones.  The car has won numerous awards and goes 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds. Also one of Chuck's personal favorites.





Stay tuned this week as my cousin, Chuck Williams of REEEEEL Convertibles and Steve Snyder, of http://www.vaultcars.com/http://www.vaultcars.com/ 
discuss Tom Lyle Williams, 1940 Packard Victoria, built by the custom body builders Bohman & Schwartz.  Steve Snyder's father,  is the owner of the car today. 

          

Downton Abbey claims Golden Globe

High class costume drama Downton Abbey wins Golden Globe for best television mini series.

The Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe, winning series from Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) returns to Masterpiece classic Downton Abbey.  It is a hit saga - mini-series,  about the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants.

Click on video, for a one minute view into the Crawley's private lives.  Watch Masterpiece Theatre Sunday nights on PBS.  Downton Abbey, takes place in England during WW 1 and captures the period, with stunning costumes, outrageous cars and beautiful scenes inside and outside the Abbey.





Another vintage period piece, television show I love, is MadMen. A view into an advertising agency during the 1960s.  MadMen returns March 25th on AMC.



Click on Video and meet MadMen's, Don Draper.  If you love period pieces, check all the movies and TV shows I recommend. 


Also check the Maybelline Blog this week, as my cousin, Chuck Williams, aka, BB1, of the Beach Boy's, and I visit Barrett Jackson's Classic Car Auction, where we will meet the man who owns, Tom Lyle Williams, 1940, Convertible Packard Victoria.

Golden Globes 2012: 'Midnight in Paris' Wins Best Screenplay

The 1920's come alive in the most charming way in Midnight in Paris!! 

One night, Gil gets drunk and wanders the streets of Paris. At midnight, an antique car pulls up, and the passengers—dressed in 1920s clothing—urge Gil to join them. They go to a bar, where Gil comes to realize that he has been transported to the 1920s, an era he idolizes. He encounters Cole Porter, Josephine Baker, and Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who take him to meet Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway agrees to show Gil's novel to Gertrude Stein, and Gil goes to fetch his manuscript from his hotel. However, as soon as he leaves the bar, he finds he has returned to 2010.

Veteran actor-turned-director Woody Allen successfully took home the Best Screenplay award for his work in "Midnight in Paris".

Midnight in Paris and The Artist get my vote for the most original and charming movies on the big screen.  Mildred Pierce and Boardwalk Empire  for vintage, TV dramas.

New York Film Critics and Golden Globe, name "The Artist" Best Picture

If you love Old Hollywood, the 1920's, Silent Films and vintage glamour, be sure to check out the trailer below, and watch the Academy Awards this year.  The Artist may take best picture.

Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion,

The Artist, behind the scenes. A black and white Silent Film that takes place in 1927 Hollywood, may become the first silent film to win the Oscar in oh, 83 years?

The Artist wins Golden Globe award tonight for, best actor in a motion picture comedy or musical, best motion picture comedy or musical and best original score.

                         Mildred Pierce click on Video

Actress in a TV miniseries/movie went to Emmy Award winner Kate Winslet, also a Globe nominee for Carnage, for her role in HBO's Mildred Pierce.

Boardwalk Empire didn't win a golden Globe, but it is still a stunning piece of nostalgia from the 1920s.

Like HBO's Boardwalk Empire and Mildred Pierce, The Artist, sets a background, with scenery, costumes, cars, and homes, much like The Maybelline Story. It seems the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s are making a big comeback.