Over that last couple of weeks the ICTA has been actively loading many of the “live” broadcasts that we have produced using the Live Facebook Video function. This short video is interesting, let’s just say, it did not go as planned.
Just to set the stage, this was an attempt to interview Illinois Checker owner Maurice Dyer about his 1981 Checker. Unfortunately the live broadcast had some unexpected interruptions.
This videographer knew from the moment that filming started, things were not going to go well. The instant the video started someone from the peanut gallery started to hurl some inflammatory comments. This writer was called an As%$# and told “you take yourself way to seriously” by an unidentified club member, my reaction to the disparaging comments was to laugh it off, and try to continue the live broadcast without further distractions.
If you watch the video it will be clear the CCCofA President Gary Lohsen and his very good friend, Checker Motors Cars CEO Steve Contarino had other ideas. Watch the video and you’ll see their hijinks.
As the video progressed, the owner of the Checker model A12e, Maurice Dyer started sharing his story, despite the instructions from Lohsen not to answer questions. As the interview continued, I started to feel that I had control of the situation, that changed when the Checker Motors Cars CEO felt compelled to take over.
We love to hear opinions at the ICTA, so the camera continued to roll. If you watch the video at about 2:44, Steve Contarino starts his “Checker Love” discussion while also videotaping my activity? If you watch the interview, note how Mr. Contarino interrupts Maurice Dyer, while poor Maurice is trying showcase his car and answer my questions. For the next thirty seconds we hear the pearls of wisdom coming from Contarino’s heart.
Contarino is a relative new comer to the Checker hobby, he came on the scene in 2014 opening his Checker restoration shop. A short year later he created national news when he announce to the automotive worlds that we was going to restart production of Checker automobiles.
Most press releases at the time indicated a 2018 production time line for introduction of the new Checker. By the time this video was created, June of 2018, not a single new Checker was produced. Despite this, the little man was still talking big to his fans at the CCCofA. On video he proudly proclaimed “the love of Checkers………… that’s the most important part of life, the love of Checker and the love and companionship and friendship among Checker owners.”
In an ironic twist, some 12 weeks after this video was produced, Mr. Contarino would dump approximately 40 Checkers with a Lawrence, Mass auto crushing yard. Apparently these 40 Checkers did not deserve the Checker love. Additionally, it appears that Mr. Contarino, did not notify his fellow “friends and companions” of the pending destruction of a large fleet.
Had the ICTA not taken action, all indications are that the entire fleet would have been crushed. It appears that the new Checker program is dead. Its now 2019 and no new Checkers are being produced and all Checker signage has been removed from the Adamson industries facility.
Thankfully, thru the efforts of the ICTA, approximately 10 Checkers were save from destructions and are now in the protective hands of true Checker fans, who actually love Checkers.
Here’s the full video.
If you interested in the ICTA opinion of the new Checker, just check out this link
