Voodoo Magic: Jerry Gardner's Voodoo Special

71 Geoffrey Hacker—The Snipe Hunter Book: The Corvette in the Barn The chapter on Geoff Hacker called “ The Snipe Hunter ” was published in Tom Cotter ’ s book “ Corvette in The Barn ” and was written by noted author Harold Pace. Additional information about Geoff Hacker can be found on the website UndiscoveredClassics.com A common rite of passage for many rural youngsters is to be taken on a “ snipe hunt. ” The gullible newcomer is given a bag and a flashlight and left in the woods at night to catch the mythical bird. In truth, there are no “ snipes ” to be found anywhere near the site. The point of the charade is to abandon the victim in the cold darkness until he realizes he has been tricked and returns, humiliated, to the campfire for a found of heckling. Of course, there is always the off - chance he will return with SOMETHING alive in the bag, much to the surprise of the conspirators. Geoff Hacker has been the king of automotive snipe hunters for the past three years bringing back to life dozens of rare and historically interesting cars that most enthusiasts either never knew existed or had written off as extinct. How esoteric are the cars Hacker pursues? He currently has both Omohundros and all three El Tiburons known to survive. A Quincy - Lyn Urbacar, a Grantham Stardust and a Jones Meteor also reside at his Florida home along with a Road & Track Le Mans Coupe, an Allied Cicitalia replica, a Victress S4 and the sole surviving example of the Triplex Chicagoan. Not to forget the Gougeon streamliner, A Maverick - Cadillac and the Cheetah (AKA Moon) race car transporter (found Tom Cotter ’ s Cobra in the Barn book). If you don ’ t recognize any of these marques, don ’ t feel bad. Hacker owns four or five cars that even he hasn ’ t identified yet! Although he relishes finding rare cars languishing in garages and barns, the part that Hacker really digs is hunting down the enterprising men and women who created limited - production and one - off cars in the 1940s and 1950s. Hacker ’ s burning desire to research unique autos was kindled when he met Jon Gruel, who had founded an Internet site devoted to the LaDawri sports cars of the 1950s. Hacker was looking for information on his El Tiburons, beautiful streamlined sports cars built in very small numbers in the early 1960s. The more Hacker talked to other classic specialty car enthusiasts, the more he heard the same stories: almost all of the old kit and specialty cars were gone, and the people who had built them were all dead. But Hacker decided to turn those assumptions on their heads. Article Continued on Next Page