Love at first sight...

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Mike Casey
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Love at first sight...

Post by Mike Casey »

It was only months after I started QSL when I was pushed by Mike Ogle to make sure I track down Jeff Schmidt from QRS/Pacesetter. Mike even sent me a phone number that could have possibly been Jeff’s. So I went for it, I called a got a voicemail. I started to leave a message when a woman picked up and said her husband was the Jeff I was asking about!! She told me he would be excited to talk to me and that she would give him my information. Later that night Jeff called me and we spoke for quite a bit of time and he even faxed some stuff over to me, but the black and white jibberish was just a unreadable mess.  He invited me over for the weekend to meet. Of course I asked him if he still had any quarterscale stuff and he told me he had very little left but he would have his stuff out so we could look at it and talk about it. I was really hoping for monster truck parts because I wanted one so bad and did not have one at that time. But he told me on the phone he only had a couple bits and pieces… 
Saturday comes and I could hardly sleep the night before. I took my wife with me and we made the 1hr drive to his house. When we pulled up, his garage door was open and he was standing outside looking exactly like he did in all the magazines. When I was walking up to him, I saw two amazing treasures sitting on a table. I was so distracted by them that I could barely introduce myself. We spoke briefly and then I walked into his garage and started asking him about these 2 cars he had sitting there. One I recognized immediately. It was his 60’s style sprint car. A matter of fact it was the first one he made in 1979 and it was used in all the literature. Next to it was a car I had never seen or heard of before. He called it a Cobra Daytona Coupe. My wife and I could hardly keep our eyes off this machine. I had never even seen a full size one in my life before but when I saw this model for the first time I was in LOVE. It sported sweet ricks wheels a Skellenger rear, Skellenger spindles and working headers! Throughout the next few hours we spoke in detail about his dealings from beginning to end with pacesetter and QRS. Jeff is one amazing man. He did everything possible on these cars. He tig welded everything himself, made the bodies and did all the machining too!! He was a one man show and the Daytona coupe was the last project he ever worked on. We went through countless pictures and magazines. By the end of the day, I felt like I could not leave his home without the Daytona. I asked him if he would even entertain the idea of selling it and he said he would, so he gave me a ballpark price and I offered more!! He said he would think about it and to call him back in a few days.
On the way home we stopped at Applebee’s to eat. ( I will never forget this place or day. Everytime we go to jeffs place, I look at it and smile) All I could do was talk about the Daytona and how amazing it was. I think at this point the buzz wore off on my wife and she was getting sick of hearing about it. But she put up with it and I kept talking about it throughout the night.
The next few days were extremely difficult for me. All I could do is think about this car. I was all over the internet learning about its full size counter part. I kept thinking to myself how much I really hoped jeff would accept my offer. Finally the day came and I called him. He told me if I wanted it, I could buy it from him!!! OMG!! I was sooooo excited. I told him I would be there tonight to pick it up even though I was at work and its about 3hrs from there. He told me I could wait and come get it later in the week, but I was not having that!!! I hopped into the car, picked up my family, stopped at the bank and got a ton of cash and headed over to pick up my jewel.

We loaded the car into our truck so carefully like it was a wounded animal, wrapping it up in towels and making the kids share a seatbelt so there was room for the Daytona. I drove extra careful that night on the way home. When we brought it in the house, its temporary home was on our kitchen island counter. I could not stop looking at it and I eventually made a special case for it in my home theater room in which is sleeps every night now. A day does not pass that I don’t take a minute to look at this car and enjoy it for all it is… One amazing treasure.
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Mike Casey
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by Mike Casey »

Here are a couple more pictures. These are from the first time I ever met Jeff. These two cars represent the first car he ever built (pacesetter sprint) and the last car he ever built (Daytona Coupe).
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by bobjeffreson »

Mike,
Terrific storey and I can totally relate to the last 3 paragraphs...... :wink: .....and how good does that Sprinter look... :wink:
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by Mike Casey »

I am just really happy to share these stories.

I love his sprint, if you see old adds you will see this car in them. The one with the guy holding the car. That guy was actually cory savage. He is the guy that jeff made the first drag cars for. Cory was a advertising designer and jeff traded rc stuff for his services. Some magazines even featured corys cars that jeff built. Heck, I even have the print jeff made for the first ever pacesetter top fuel dragster that he made for cory!!!! :shock:
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Mike Casey
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by Mike Casey »

Here is a copy of the AD.
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by bobjeffreson »

Mike,
In the ad the sprinter has a roll bar, yet in the photos there isn't one. Did they ever have a roll bar? I personally prefer them with the bar!
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by Andy »

Thanks for a good story!
I so much recognize that feeling you had when you waited for the reply if you could buy or not. I have to buy my cars from abroad, and I follow the tracking numbers closely to see where the car is, and how soon I can pick it up. And it always feels like ages before it arrives to my house.

I have just made a test drive in a Daytona Coupé. Unfortunatelly not a real one, but a good substitute, in the GT Legends PC game. I highly recommend it. Very realistic. If you connect it to a good steering wheel and have a racing seat it's almost like sitting in the car.
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by bobjeffreson »

Mike,
My material says that this car is reputed to be one of the very first sprinters built by Jeff. Do you know any details about this car?

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Mike Casey
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by Mike Casey »

Thanks for the great comments guys!

I have not seen that one before. I do however have a picture with the first 4 cars he built. He built 4 prototypes at one time. He still has two of them. I will ask him about this one as well as the rollbar deal.
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by K »

Mike: Great stuff!

Kevin
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by bobjeffreson »

Thought you may be interested....
Now my latest car is finally home from my office and unpacked, I've started taking photos so I can begin the process of learning about it, polishing every bit that can be, changing the radio system from 75mhz...that is illegal in Australia, getting the motor fired and giving all of it the once over. Although that will not take long as the car is basically brand new...believe it or not. Never ever been run. Just a bit dusty.
I'm a very lucky person and it's all due to a wonderful man in Mississippi that made this all possible. When is was totally unpacked today...it was as Mike said.. Love at first sight for me also. I'll post more photos when the car is back together and running.
Mike knew I had this car, as I have been asking him questions on the car and about Jeff. Hence the reason for this thread starting I would guess!

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This is the bottom right of the full-size assembly plan that came with the car.

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K
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by K »

Bob: She's a beauty ..... thanks for sharing the pics.

Kevin
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by formula1 »

Mike,
Great Story! I have had a few Pacesetter cars and they all have fantastic design and craftmanship. Do you know how many of these sprints were made? I would love to have one but have a feeling that these are pretty (very?) rare. Did they even go into production?
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by Mike Casey »

I think he told me they made about 50 or so. They definately did go into production but if you consider they were made from 79-85ish thats some really old stuff to try and find. I suspect they are all in closets!! :D
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Re: Love at first sight...

Post by formula1 »

Mike,

Thanks for the information. Definitely low production numbers. If anybody has one they would like to part with please let me know :D :D
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