6/2/10
Mostly British, Part I
I headed north to visit a place I had heard of for many years, but
never had a chance to see until now. Mostly
British is owned by Fred Petroske, and has a stash of Vintage
Ferrari parts along with his massive collection of British car parts.
His shop is located in a little town off the St Lawrence Seaway in
Upstate New York, about a four hour drive from my home in what I considered
"Upstate NY!" Fred's within shooting distance of Canada, so he's pretty
far upstate.
Petroske started his business in 1973 restoring, repairing, and selling
parts for British cars. His Jaguar parts collection grew, along with
Healeys, MGs, and TRs. During the collector car crash of the late 80s,
Fred noticed how cheap derelict 60s Ferraris could be bought and sold,
and began buying what he found. He's managed to carve a nice little
business scouring the world for parts, and selling them to people in
need.
After many years of speaking to Fred on the phone, I thought it was
about time we finally met, and Fred was kind enough to give me the
grand tour of his stash.
Each shelf was another surprise, and we would stop and discuss the
nuances of the parts. Not only did he have a collection of Blaupunkt
radios, but a stack of various face plates. I know there were a couple
of times I had a client or a fellow owner that needed a particular
plate, and there it was in Fred's pile. I considered buying a couple,
but I resisted the urge to start my own parts stash!
Not only was it amazing to see all the parts, but it was also very
educational! I found a set of Series I GTE seats upholstered in blue
velvet! It looked original, and I tried very hard to find a PF number
on the seat, but was unsuccessful. Maybe next time, I'll be a little
more persistent and take these seats out in the light to have a closer
look!
The organization was pretty good with areas set up for doors, trim
pieces, and mechanical parts. The Jaguar parts far out numbered the
Ferrari parts, but if you looked carefully, you could find the row of
GTE and 330 parts.
Some of Fred's parts had a better story than any other use. This
radiator came from 365GT 2+2 that was found in tidal river, missing for
years. The only foul play involved was destruction of a good car by its
owner who was probably trying to avoid paying taxes on the car. When
Fred got the car, he said everything was rotted. Any aluminum was
completely gone, including most of the engine block and timing chest.
He did manage to salvage the crank and some of the trim pieces. The
Borrani rims were gone with only the spokes sticking out in mid air!
I would have loved to have seen pictures.
To Be Continued...
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