HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990-09-18; City Council; 10830; LEO CARRILLO VIDEOCITOOF CARLSBAD - AGEND~ILL I/ f' 3
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JAB# + 998 I TITLE: I DEPT. I MTG=9-'8- 9o I LEO CARRILLO VIDEO CITY 1
DEPT. JCITY c I I I
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Following the video presentation, consider Mrs. Kindle's request and take an) Counci 1 deems appropriate,
ITEM EXPLANATION
Mrs. Joan Kindle has requested the opportunity to present a 15-minute videc "Leo Carrill o -- A Life Bigger Than the Legend",
In addition, Mrs. Kindl e has 1 ocated a car once owned by Leo Carril lo. The made vehicle was a gift to Leo from the Chrysler Corporation in 1948, and owned by the Imperial Pal ace, and is on display in their auto museum in La:
Mrs. Kindle would like to contact the Director of the auto museum to deter a loan of the vehicle is possible, and if so, what conditions would apply. stated in her letter dated August 2, 1990, that no commitments would be behalf of the City, but she feels Council approval is need prior to i ni ti a1 di scuss i on.
F I SCAL I MPACT
Mrs. Kindle's discussion with the Director of the auto museum will have nc impact. If the Director indicates a willingness to loan the car, the fisca' would need to be determined.
EXHIBITS
1. Letter dated August 2, 1990 from Joan Kindl e.
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August 2, 1990 "--
Hon. Buddy Lewis, Mayor
City of Carlsbad
1200 Carlsbad Village Drive Carlsbad, CA 92008-1989
Dear Buddy:
When you and I visited on June 22 I informed you that, after
a lengthy search, I had located a famous car once owned by Leo Carrillo. This vehicle, a custom-made gift to Leo from the
Chrysler Corporation in 1948, is now owned by the Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas. Those who have seen this car in our slide
shows and in the recent library exhibits have been duly impressed
by its unique style and history. I am certain the citizens of Carlsbad and many visitors from all over Southern California would enjoy having this car on exhibit in Carlsbad. It could also
provide an opportunity to raise funds for the Carrillo Ranch Trust.
We plan to visit Las Vegas this Fall to see the car. May I
request permission from the Council to contact the Director of the auto museum at the Imperial Palace for preliminary discussion concerning a loan of this vehicle? The purpose of this visit would be strictly to determine the owners' willingness to loan the car and what conditions may apply. No commitments would be made on behalf of the City at this time. However, as a minimum, we can expect that the owners would require the City to guarantee the security of this very valuable machine while in our care. This is an appropriate obligation that the Council needs to endorse before we proceed further.
Cordially, 9"- doan E. Kindle Volunteer Curator
2622 El Aguila Lane Carlsbad, CA 92009
438-1666
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HAIL CONQUISTADOR zs9
The first time I rode him in a parade there were continuous gasps of
surprise and admiration and bursts of applause all along the line of march.
Conquistador had conquered!
At one point a man rushed out and cried: “I’ll give you $25,000 for him
this minute! ”
“You can add another cipher and still couldn’t have him,” I replied.
It is true that no amount of money could have tempted me to part with
this horse which had been given to me through the open-hearted generosity
of Dwight Murphy. I not only felt an obligation to Murphy to keep the
horse for myself but I had formed such an attachment for him that it would
have been impossible for me to sell him, anymore than I could have sold any
other member of my family.
Soon after I acquired Conquistador I was invited to go to the Bohemian
Grove in San Francisco, that gathering of notable men where one of the
rituals is the burning of “Care” so that all worries and pe&x;des 2nd fruscrzt-
dons are put aside for a little while in the glow of comradeship and good
food and wine.
Herbert Hoover gave one of his famous off-the-record speeches, and we
all were having a wonderful rime. The magazine Collie7”s had just come out
with the story of my desire to own the best palomino in the world and the
fact that I couldn’t afford it, and then the story of how Dwight Murphy pre-
sented me with Conquistador.
One day a moon-faced man in old blue jeans came up to me and started
talking about the story in the copy of Collier’s he was carrying. I had not met
this particular man and was a little taken aback when he slapped the copy of
the magazine and said: “No so-and-so has ever outdone me. If Dwight can
give you a horse, I’m going to give you a car to match the horse.”
I thought he was kiddins me, so I looked at his jeans and asked, “Where
do you work?”
He gave a sheepish smiIe, ducked his moon-face, wiped his nose and said
‘‘For ChrysIer-I’m the president.”
He wasn’t kidding, after all. He was K. T. Keller, Chairman of the Board
of the Chrysler Corporation.
Keller was one of the most enthusiastic men I ever met. He entered into
the idea of creating a special car to match Conquistador with all the enthu-
siasm of developing a new model automobile. You would have thought he was
quietly
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2 60 REINCARNATION OF THE CABALLERO
going to make a million dollars out of the idea instead of presenting me with
an automobile.
The special job was done with great care. Finally the car was finished back
in Detroit. It was lined with specially tanned Hereford hide, it had a cow’s
head on the radiator, and a horn that bellowed like a steer and was strictly
a car to make any ranchman happy.
The only problem was the color. Keller was a perfectionist. He wanted the
car to match Conquistador’s color in every respect. This was a tough job. If
you have ever studied the burnished gold of a palomino and the silvery white
color of the mane and tail you will know how difficult it would be to match
he was staying, and Detroit to try and work out the color combination. Each
sample that was sent him failed to satisfy. Finally he appealed to my wife.
“Edith,” he said, “can’t you help us out in this crisis? How are we ever
going to get that car the color of Conquistador?”
My wife thought a minute and then nodded her head as if she had received
a sudden inspiration.
“Wait a minute,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
She went into the house. In a moment she came back with a small piece
of cloth in her hand.
“I just cut this off of one of our daughter Antoinette’s shirts,” she said. “It
was dyed especially to match the color of Conquistador. Why don’t you
have your people back in Detroit try it?”
it, Keller was sending telegrams back and forth between California, where
Keller sent the piece of cloth to Detroit by airmail.
Then samples of how the car would look with the paint on pieces of metal
were sent to him. Keller personally took it out to compare w;th the glossy
coat of Conquistador.
“We got it! ” he exclaimed in delight.
I guess it was the first time in history that the color of a car, to match a
horse, had been decided from a woman’s shirt tail.
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