Ron Cooper
1961 Eastern Stock Champion-Old Reliable I
This photo goes back to 1961, and shows the original Old Reliable inside the showroom at Ammon R. Smith. Ammon R. Smith, the dealer, had been called The Old Reliable for years, back to the 1940s or 1950s, having to do with its sales philosophy. The red hood indicates that this car is a 1961 Chevrolet Biscayne two-door sedan with the 409hp, dual-Carter AFB version of the 409-cu.in. W-block engine. The OS/S classification on the car stood for Optional Super Stock, which was a predecessor of A/FX. The parts used were not generally available to the public. This engine combination used the 1962 cylinder heads, solid-lifter camshaft, intake manifold and dual carburetors, and every big Chevrolet name managed to get this package in 1961. 'Dyno' Don Nicholson, Frank Sanders in the Rudolph Chevrolet Biscayne out of Phoenix and Dave all got these parts. "
I ran a car show called the Road-O-Rama out of the dealership and this car was on display.George Nye should be able to relate to that. Ammon R. Smith Auto Co. was a great dealership. Ibought a bunch of new cars from them.