Searching For Bearcat Motors Amphicars

[Mark Richardson]

You may (or not) know that I have come into the possession of all the company records for an Amphicar only dealership from Detroit in 1967 called Bearcat Motors. I am looking for all of the 50 cars sold by this dealer, but I need to know by using your VIN code to be sure.

If you indeed have one of these cars, I will have the original sales documents for it. I want to provide these papers to you as the original history of the car to accompany it as the car is passed along to future owners. I may have other interesting information and history to share about your car including any promotional activity or even footage of your car in films I have from the dealership!

I am writing stories about the cars and the dealership. The research I am doing leads me to ask the forum if anyone has one of these cars. If you do, it would be great to know the history of it since you acquired it to help tell the story back toward the original sale. As you are aware, these cars are the stars and most have some very interesting history behind them that even the current owners do not know about. One of the Bearcat cars was sold in 1967 and spent 45 years in Northport, Michigan. When the original owner passed away it was left to the city of Northport who ultimately auctioned it off. The high bidder was Hugh Gordon and he sold it to the owner of the Boathouse restaurant in Disney where it is one of the two red cars there giving rides to customers today!

To help complete more of these stories, I need to locate the cars and identify them using the VIN codes. If you would like to provide that to me, I will promise to keep it confidential and if it matches, tell more of the story, and send you the original sales documents from your car.

Here are the VIN codes I am looking for. I have found several already.

100 329	103 792	106 522 278	106 522 352	106 522 642	106 523 089
100 437	103 795	106 522 294	106 522 360	106 522 644	106 523 133
100 835	106 521 898	106 522 301	106 522 393	106 522 657	106 523 158
101 714	106 521 969	106 522 315	106 522 454	106 522 680	106 523 607
103 073	106 522 229	106 522 318	106 522 496	106 522 733	106 524 183
103 297	106 522 252	106 522 328	106 522 633	106 522 898
103 315	106 522 265	106 522 339	106 522 635	106 523 041
103 385	106 522 267	106 522 348	106 522 640	106 523 042

If you have one of these cars, please let me know and I will take it from there.

Thanks, and remember "If you don't have an Amphicar, you are missing the boat"

 

[reallybigboat2001]

Super generous of you to offer the above Mark! Unfortunately, my VIN is not on your list. It would have made my year, if you would of had the original sales documentation!

 

[Mark Richardson]

I really appreciate you taking the time to check! Would very much like to find the cars on the list and unite the information with them. I think it helps the value of the car if you know something about it. Most have very interesting history as they were bought for promotional purposes of one kind or another.

 

[Rene]

You may (or not) know that I have come into the possession of all the company records for an Amphicar only dealership from Detroit in 1967 called Bearcat Motors. I am looking for all of the 50 cars sold by this dealer, but I need to know by using your VIN code to be sure.

If you indeed have one of these cars, I will have the original sales documents for it. I want to provide these papers to you as the original history of the car to accompany it as the car is passed along to future owners. I may have other interesting information and history to share about your car including any promotional activity or even footage of your car in films I have from the dealership!

I am writing stories about the cars and the dealership. The research I am doing leads me to ask the forum if anyone has one of these cars. If you do, it would be great to know the history of it since you acquired it to help tell the story back toward the original sale. As you are aware, these cars are the stars and most have some very interesting history behind them that even the current owners do not know about. One of the Bearcat cars was sold in 1967 and spent 45 years in Northport, Michigan. When the original owner passed away it was left to the city of Northport who ultimately auctioned it off. The high bidder was Hugh Gordon and he sold it to the owner of the Boathouse restaurant in Disney where it is one of the two red cars there giving rides to customers today!

To help complete more of these stories, I need to locate the cars and identify them using the VIN codes. If you would like to provide that to me, I will promise to keep it confidential and if it matches, tell more of the story, and send you the original sales documents from your car.

Here are the VIN codes I am looking for. I have found several already.

100 329	103 792	106 522 278	106 522 352	106 522 642	106 523 089
100 437	103 795	106 522 294	106 522 360	106 522 644	106 523 133
100 835	106 521 898	106 522 301	106 522 393	106 522 657	106 523 158
101 714	106 521 969	106 522 315	106 522 454	106 522 680	106 523 607
103 073	106 522 229	106 522 318	106 522 496	106 522 733	106 524 183
103 297	106 522 252	106 522 328	106 522 633	106 522 898
103 315	106 522 265	106 522 339	106 522 635	106 523 041
103 385	106 522 267	106 522 348	106 522 640	106 523 042

If you have one of these cars, please let me know and I will take it from there.

Thanks, and remember "If you don't have an Amphicar, you are missing the boat"

Dear Mark,
Do you have some info about VIN 102 005? I have imported this one 8 years ago from the US to the Netherlands.
Best regards, Rene Duijvelshoff

 

[Mark Richardson]

Hi Rene,

Unfortunately, I do not have any information about your car as it was not sold by Bearcat.

I appreciate you asking and hope you are enjoying the car!

Mark

 

[Mark Richardson]

Update:

I have found (sort of) 2 more BearCat cars recently and while still searching for their current location, have discovered a place and time where I am sure they were.

The first I only have a picture of but do not know the VIN number or year although it looks like a late car with raised lips and chrome vent window, but had a painted white dash rather than black. It was a white car located in Jackson, Michigan around 2001 and carried the marine number MC1801GA. I do not know the name of the seller but have narrowed it down to 7 or 8 possible cars from the total 18 white cars sold.

Here is a picture of it;



The other car I stumbled across is also a 1967 white car VIN number 106 522 496 originally purchased by Donald Williams on 4/14/1967 from BearCat Motors. I know it was sold in Boston to a school bus driver, but nothing else.

As you can see, finding and piecing together the history of these cars to find the current owners can be challenging due to the lack of records and the time that has elapsed. Many of the owners are no longer around or extremely difficult to find. The cars themselves may not exist any longer either, but searching goes on.

I have the starting information from 1967, and sometimes the ending current owner, or any point of time in between that 55 year time span. If anyone knows more about these 2 cars or would check your VIN records to see if your car matches the list above, I may be able to reunite the car with the original sales information. It will increase the value of your car!

Working on more updates on a couple other cars with a very interesting stories!

 

[Mark Richardson]

Update:

Another BearCat car sighting.

This car was a red 1965 VIN# 103 795 originally purchased from BearCat Motors on 4/28/1967 by John Davis. It showed up again in the BearCat records just seven months later being sold to Albert Vadnais on 11/6/1967. I have no idea what the cause of this return was, but it was traded in and sold twice. At one time it carried license plate number DD4981 and AE1030 from Michigan.

The trail goes cold from there until it was uncovered bought by Rob Vondracek and sold to Tom Maruska in Minnesota. It looked like this in 2001 and you can see the BearCat decal below the exhaust pipe.










Tom restored the car to a very high detail, painted it green from it’s original color, and sold it at the 2012 Scottsdale Barrrett-Jackson auction.



It is at an unknown location now, so if you think this is possibly your vehicle, let me know because I have the original paperwork from both sales in 1967 for you.

Thanks to both Tom and Rob for helping identify tis car. I could not have gotten this far without this cooperation.

The research and search for these cars leads to small bits and pieces of information. Sometimes a picture, or someone sold it and kept records of that with the VIN number, but these are clues as to the journey the cars took from the dealership until in some cases today. Often I will have a glimpse of a car, or auction record, and it is lost again. Only with your help can I get more pieces of information to put enough of the puzzle together and reunite the vehicle with its original sales papers.

If you are still reading and you might have some records or documents that could be form one of the cars above, please let me know. If you have a car on the list you can contact me and I will happily mail the files to you. Just to be clear, I have mailed out two file folders this week to cars that have been located and confirmed the current owner (both have a great story to come). It is possible to find these cars, but I do need help and if I contact you (and I will if not already) please take a minute to dig out your records and titles and help give me a piece of a puzzle to keep going.

Thanks very much!

 

[Mark Richardson]

BearCat Car Found!

The Hugh Prescott / BearCat dealer Demo 1967 red VIN#106 522 680.

As the cars continue to change hands, I think it is worth knowing the history of the cars if possible. I know the red car (106 522 680) Hugh Prescott bought from Bearcat on June 13, 1967. It had a unique bow railing installed (yes, I have the invoice for the railing), and a tachometer installed in place of the clock, which was moved to the glove box lid.

This is the car before the bow railing was installed at the location of one of the first swim in's organized.




This car can be seen in the “Bearcat Dealership” film footage with Hugh demonstrating the fighting chair complete with lit cigarette in hand and snappy captain hat in place. That fall, the car wound up back at Bearcat Motors and was used as a “Demo” for several months and played a prominent role in the Amphicar salmon fishing trip video to northern Michigan. Barakat told me many times that Hugh Prescott was the swizzle stick that stirred the drink that was BearCat Motors.

Hugh Prescott in front of BearCat Motors in 1967 demonstrating the fighting chair on the back.



Salmon fishing in Frankfort, MI.



It was sold a second time at BearCat Motors on December 26, 1967, to Johnnie Henderson. From there the car was sold to Thaddeus Omilion and it sat from 1969 until rescued from being entombed in a garage by Matt Desano of Chesterfield Township some 30+ years later. The current owner is Dr. Craig Oiler, who is planning on restoring it back to its former glory. This history is verified by sales records, ledger entries, and warranty service documents along with the 16mm film footage to add closure to the history of another Bearcat car.

 

[Mark Richardson]

Another BearCat Amphicar Found!

From the post above from March 3 is the white car I wrote about.

It was purchased from Rob Vondracek by Dennis Witthun on eBay around 2005. Dennis is a mechanic by trade and lives in Wisconsin just west of Milwaukee. He would need all of his skills to bring this one back as it was very rusty and in need of everything. He said the engine had been replaced with a 1300cc and it had bucket seats in it when he got it. He confirmed the pictures of the car shown in the “before” condition.



The final product is now seen in these pictures and looks fantastic! Hard to believe it is the same car.



Dennis uses the car for many charitable functions and fund raisers in the area, giving rides for donations. His Facebook page is full of pictures like the ones shown. What a great second chance purpose for this particular Amphicar!



The car was originally purchased by an eye doctor, Dr. Joseph Nader on 2/20/68 and is one of the last cars sold by BearCat Motors as they would go out of business the next month. The doctor had bought another car the previous year, so this was his second. I asked Barakat about the doctor and he said he knew him because he was a dance instructor at Arthur Murray Dance Studio and the doctor’s wife was also an instructor. The doctor paid a mere $495 dollars for the car new, but as we know that car was already 6 years old in 1968.

The car somehow ended up in the back yard of a house in Jackson, Michigan where Rob found it so many years later.
Thanks to Dennis for sharing!

Stay tuned and come back often as I have more of these in development.
Is your car a BearCat car?
Check your VIN code! Your car's story may be waiting for you.

 

[Dennis Witthun]

Another BearCat Amphicar Found!

From the post above from March 3 is the white car I wrote about.

It was purchased from Rob Vondracek by Dennis Witthun on eBay around 2005. Dennis is a mechanic by trade and lives in Wisconsin just west of Milwaukee. He would need all of his skills to bring this one back as it was very rusty and in need of everything. He said the engine had been replaced with a 1300cc and it had bucket seats in it when he got it. He confirmed the pictures of the car shown in the “before” condition.

View attachment 3212

The final product is now seen in these pictures and looks fantastic! Hard to believe it is the same car.

View attachment 3213

Dennis uses the car for many charitable functions and fund raisers in the area, giving rides for donations. His Facebook page is full of pictures like the ones shown. What a great second chance purpose for this particular Amphicar!

View attachment 3214

The car was originally purchased by an eye doctor, Dr. Joseph Nader on 2/20/68 and is one of the last cars sold by BearCat Motors as they would go out of business the next month. The doctor had bought another car the previous year, so this was his second. I asked Barakat about the doctor and he said he knew him because he was a dance instructor at Arthur Murray Dance Studio and the doctor’s wife was also an instructor. The doctor paid a mere $495 dollars for the car new, but as we know that car was already 6 years old in 1968.

The car somehow ended up in the back yard of a house in Jackson, Michigan where Rob found it so many years later.View attachment 3215
Thanks to Dennis for sharing!

Stay tuned and come back often as I have more of these in development.
Is your car a BearCat car?
Check your VIN code! Your car's story may be waiting for you.

Thank you Mark for your research! I am so humbled by the effects this car has on people! I cant even believe it. And to do charity events with it, just priceless!

 

[Mark Richardson]

Another BearCat Amphicar Found!

This one is a blue 1967 VIN# 106 522 294 originally sold to Conrad Walters on April 8, 1968.

Conrad Walters was the original owner of 1967 blue Amphicar 106 522 294 which was one of the last cars sold by BearCat Motors. In four days between February 9 and February 12, 1968, seven cars were sold. In those 4 days 15% of all sales for the entire time the dealership was open were sold. A month later the dealership closed. Looking at the prices we can see these cars were dumped into the market for whatever they could bring at a frozen time of year in Detroit.

It is said that Conrad first saw an Amphicar at the 1967 Detroit Auto show that BearCat had a display in. I have several photos from this show of the Amphicar display, although it is not clear whether this is the actual show car or not.

Because the car was purchased in 1968, it is from the time just before BearCat closed the dealership. It is thought that Conrad also bought many parts and other dealer items due to the quantity of items found with the car.

Mike Echemann found the car in 2000 still in the Detroit suburb of Allen Park in a warehouse near the railroad tracks where Conrad had a pet lion who helped patrol the property. Conrad packed a pistol on his hip as well but was just as nice and friendly as could be to Mike.



They had to dig the car out from a large amount of stuff piled on it to get it into the light again. It was in nice condition according to Mike and all he needed to do was cosmetic work and painting. It turned out nice and Mike has the car in Ohio not far from Celina.



When he saw the car in person after Mike restored it, Hugh Gordon said he also knew Conrad and bought parts from him on several occasions. Conrad passed away in 2008 and the warehouse he owned is now an ambulance service facility.


Thanks (and a beer) goes out to Mike Echemann who helped save the car and share some information for another car from The BearCat Files!

 

[Mark Richardson]

Another BearCat Car found!

This one is the only green car sold by BearCat Motors. It is a 1967 VIN# 106 523 042 originally sold to Bertha & Marvin Dexter on June 20, 1967. When sold it included almost every accessory and extra the dealer could offer. It had dealer prep, AM radio, paddle, flag, cleats, and marine safety kit. The buyer traded in a 1964 Ford 2 door for the Amphicar which they were credited $762.83.



As with many of the cars found, the history of the car from the time it was sold to when it was found is unknown. We have little information about where it was, but this one was stored in a wet location for a long time due to every screw and nut being rusted tight.



This car was found, still in Michigan, by Mark Amsdill and purchased through a broker for a Detroit police vehicle auction in 2009. When cars are sold by police auctions, it usually means they were either abandoned, surrendered, or confiscated by the state and sold to the highest bidder. This car, last registered in 1974, was found abandoned in a garage in Detroit and found its way into the auction.


This car was a big part of the reason this research was started as Mark wanted to reproduce the BearCat Motors dealer decal on the car before stripping the paint as part of a total restoration. He began looking for a source for the decal but finding none, had his daughter reproduce it. As the search was happening another BearCat car, the “demo” Barakat/Prescott/Desano/Oiler bow railing car appeared on Facebook with the same dealer decal. Once Bob Gordon posted that the owner of BearCat Motors Yusif Barakat was still in the area, I searched and found him living 5 miles away from me. I contacted him and that was the start of the search for other cars sold by this dealership. I knew the location of this one before I started looking for it.

This is the only green example sold by BearCat and is being restored by Mark currently. When completed it will surely be one of the very finest examples available. It will have all new parts because it needed so much due to time and the wet environment it was stored in.



Thanks to Mark for his cooperation in sharing this story and pictures!

 

[Mark Richardson]

This is what the invoices look like.

 

[Mark Richardson]

Another BearCat Car found!

This one is a red 1967 VIN# 106 523 158 originally sold to Wilfred Evans on April 10, 1968.



In four days between February 9 and February 12, 1968, seven cars were sold by BearCat Motors. In those 4 days 15% of all sales for the entire time the dealership was open were sold. A month later the dealership closed.

Current owner Mark Gizzi who lives in Michigan bought the car in December 2003 from a professional chef who had the last name Ford who inherited it from his father who purchased it from a small local dealer in Dearborn, Mi.



This car is still in the original condition, never being restored or repainted and still looks very nice in the pictures. Mark enjoys the car at Stoney Creek Metro Park in Shelby Township, which is northeast of the Detroit area where the car was sold.




I sent Mark all the documents from the sale of the car so many years ago to help tell his story and keep the history and provenance intact for the next owners. Thanks to Mark for his help in identifying the car and allowing me to tell the story.

 

[Mark Richardson]

Another BearCat Car Found!

I found three BearCat cars before I ever knew the dealership existed. This one, 106 522 644 was the first of them in 1993 shortly after I bought my own car and started the 5-year restoration.

It was the car purchased on May 22nd, 1967, and the BearCat files show Eli “Joe” Alcorn, a Dallas lawyer contacted Ranchero Motors after seeing a Chesterfield cigarette commercial showing the car in action. In the spot, a man and woman were driving along and seeing a pack of Chesterfields on a rock out in the ocean, steered out into the water and picked them up. Joe tells this story in the video I have.

Joe was referred to BearCat Motors because he had a summer home in Northport Michigan. Joe wanted a blue car but ended up with a red one, which was delivered from Detroit to his home in northern Michigan to be there when he arrived from Texas.

It turns out that Hugh Gordon also had a summer home in the area and knew Joe Alcorn who he helped to supply parts and repair to keep his car going. When I bought my car, Hugh invited me visit Joes house and video tape all the mechanical parts and systems of his car as my car came to me mostly in boxes. When I arrived Hugh & Jeannie showed up, so I got to see and tape both cars with Hugh doing a complete and lengthy demonstration of each item on his car.

Before the demonstration we got to go for a ride with myself in Joes car and my wife riding with Hugh in Grand Traverse Bay. I have my first ride on tape and now have it digitized and available for viewing.

When I started researching the BearCat files, I quickly learned that Joe had indeed bought the car from the dealership, and I now have the full story and paperwork. It turns out that Joe left that Amphicar to the Village of Northport when he passed away. The car was eventually auctioned off with the winning bidder being none other than Hugh Gordon himself. I learned Hugh sold it soon after and it is now one of the cars at the Boathouse restaurant in Disney Springs.

There are several videos on my YouTube channel which show this car in action in 1993 when I taped them in detail only to find out 30 years later where they came from and being able to share the story along with the videos. @Bearcat1967 on You Tube.

 

[Mark Richardson]

Here is a video of a show called The Michigan Boater featuring Joe and this BearCat car in the late 1990's.
Joe was quite well known in northern Michigan because of this Amphicar.

Just click on the link below.
Joe Alcorn

 

[Mark Richardson]

Another Bearcat Car Found!

BearCat Motors actually took a 1966 Amphicar in on trade for a 1967 from none other than Hugh Gordon of Gordon Imports who lived in the metro Detroit area back in the 60’s prior to incorporating his Amphicar business in California.



The red car 106 522 657 Hugh Gordon bought from Bearcat was actually his second Amphicar. Hugh traded in a white 1966 for what he thought at the time was a red 1967. In reality, both cars were made sometime in 1962.

Bearcat then sold Gordons first car to David Brown on 2/10/1968. The whereabouts of Gordons first car, VIN# 106 522 328 is unknown today.
Check your vin code, maybe you have the lost 1966 Hugh Gordon Amphicar!



The car is still in his family and owned by his brother in Florida.

I have a nine minute video of this full car inspection given to me by Hugh using his Bearcat car as a demonstrator. Here is the location of that video.

My YouTube channel has this and others @Bearcat1967.

 

[Mark Richardson]

Another BearCat car found, and paperwork reunited with the car!



The 1965 blue Amphicar VIN# 103 385 was in Jackson, Mi in 1999 sitting by the side of the road for sale and I went to look at it. I took a bunch of pictures and forgot about it until I started to research the BearCat Motors dealership information I have 25 years later.

Looking at those pictures I discovered that it was indeed a Bearcat car and I have the original sales invoice for it when sold on 8/19/1967. It was sold to Elizabeth Gleason originally and said” Lollipop 1” and "LIZ" painted on the back. This was a great help in discovering who purchased the car originally.



I have 21 pictures of the car in that original condition including the one with the BearCat dealer decal on the back. I waited around for a while that day and I think the owner came home and told me it was already sold and going down south to the new owner. Seems like she wanted $4500 for it then, which seemed like a fairly high price. I do not know if that was Elizabeth or not that I met that day. The pictures were developed and stashed away in a box for 25 years until I dug them out recently.



I discovered from the club website it was owned by M. Sutter and was in Texas, so I contacted him to find out more about where the car was now and let him know I have the original paperwork for it.



Mr. Marty Sutter was very gracious and confirmed he still has the car. After exchanging a few emails, in the meantime I found out that this car was actually purchased by Roger Sallee in 2005 but had already been restored. I have no idea who did the restoration. It was sold by Roger to Doug Johnson in Houston, Texas. Doug owned a few radio stations in Houston, but around 2008 had to file for bankruptcy protection and lost them. I learned that he went through a divorce and his wife Melanie got the car and sold it to Martin Sutter.



I understand the car is stored in Michigan now and is used and protected in great condition.

Still looking for other cars, so if you received an email from me please let me know if your vin matches, or let me know here. Thanks!

 

[Mark Richardson]

Another BearCat Car Found!

This is the final car sold by BearCat Motors that I know the location and full story about, and it is a good one.

Blue 1967 Amphicar VIN# 106 523 089 was sold to R.M. Crowe on March 31, 1967. R. M. (Raliegh) was an investor in BearCat Motors and the sales manager for the entire length of the business being open. He is also the father of Roger Crowe who I met earlier this year who also worked as a salesman for BearCat back in 1967. Roger had a red car that he sunk and lost in Lake Erie, but that is a story for a different day.

The blue 1967 car was found and is still owned by Roger Sallee who operates it at his home in Lake of the Ozarks. According to Roger’s handwritten notes it was purchased from a museum somewhere in the metro Detroit area. The chain of ownership from R.M. to Roger is somewhat unknown, but because I was able to locate the car and speak to Roger, the original sales paperwork and a few other gifts were sent to be with the car.

As I began to research this car, I found an article from last year in a local Ozark newsletter showing the Amphicar sunk in the lake. It seems a leaking door seal and broken bilge pump conspired to fill the car with water to the point where buoyancy was not possible any longer. Roger quickly had the car retrieved and soon the beloved car was back on the road and water.

Roger has owned many Amphicars over the years, but he told me this was his favorite car, and he would not consider selling it. It has a special history of ownership, and I could not agree more that it is a “keeper”.

 

[Mark Richardson]

Another BearCat Car found!

This one is a white 1967 VIN# 103315 sold by Bearcat motors on 2/12/1968 to Allen Culnon. This was one of the last cars sold by Bearcat as they officially went out of business at the close of 1967. Selling price was $975.00.

Today the car is owned by a familiar name Peter Fredsall and the car is now in Florida. Peter bought the car from another well known member Vic “splash” Nelson who was known for his beautiful green car. Vic found the car listed in the Amphicar club newsletter in September of 2015 being sold by Rolf Anselm.

Rolf said he owned the car for 45 years and sold it in 2015 so he found it in 1970. This is just 2 years from the original sale so almost the entire chain of ownership is know for this car! The car is still very original with some modifications and upgrades.

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Thanks Peter for giving me the VIN code and hope you enjoyed receiving the original sales papers for your car! Do you have a Bearcat car? Send me your VIN code and I will check!