Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export corvett

[William K.]

Interesting regarding Gene Jantzen Chevrolet 5434 Bridge St St. Louis Missouri (a) If Corvette was being sent there to be exported the sticker would sayZone 21 Dealer 1 because this dealership was closest one to factory and did export preparation work (b) If Corvette was being sent to this dealership to be sold domestically sticker would sayZone 3 Dealer 403 (c ) IF CORVETTE WAS GOING TO BE RIGHT HAND DRIVE (I.e. England , Australia )Zone 21 dealer 2 (note: Does this mean that all right hand drive Corvettes have Zone 21 dealer 2Bill Keogh Member 1610

[Michael H.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

The address is 5434 Natural Bridge Rd.

[John H.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

Export Corvettes (at least in the 60's) were shipped direct to Mortensen's Warehouse in Baltimore, Chevrolet's contractor who prepared Chevrolets for ocean shipment and got them loaded on the ship.

Right-hand drive conversion (which wasn't required in the 60's) wasn't done by GM; when the car arrived in Europe, either GM Continental (Belgium) or GM France or GM Suisse handled whatever minor modifications were necessary to meet local market regulations (generally lighting-related), and GM distributors handled some country-specific issues.

If a UK/Au/NZ customer wanted his car converted to RHD, he was on his own - that work was done by independent specialist shops, as it still is today.

[Wayne M.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

John -- what about the Canadian-delivered cars. The half dozen shipping orders I have all show zone 21, dealer 000. Any special treatment for cars heading north during the C2 era ? Were they all shipped by rail, entering Canada at the Windsor border crossing ?

[John H.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

John -- what about the Canadian-delivered cars. The half dozen shipping orders I have all show zone 21, dealer 000. Any special treatment for cars heading north during the C2 era ? Were they all shipped by rail, entering Canada at the Windsor border crossing ?

Wayne -

I don't remember - all I recall about the Canadian units was that they got a double-dose of gasoline and a few ounces extra of straight glycol; never paid any attention to how they were shipped.

[Edward B.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

Bill, I'm going to drudge up this old thread because I'm curious about something. This isn't Corvette related, but Camaro since the NCRS now has delivery info on other models.

I just got my report in the mail for my 1968 Camaro L89 convertible, and it has Zone 21, dealer 1 "Foreign Distributors Division" listed. According to what you've stated, this means the car was shipped to Gene Jantzen Chevrolet for export preparation work. However, my Camaro was assemble at the Van Nuys (Los Angeles) plant, so why would they send my car all the way to St Louis to have it prepped??

And by the way, if anyone has any pictures or dealer memorabilia for Gene Jentzen Chevrolet, please let me know.

Thanks

Ed

[Bill W.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

I have a couple of pictures from about 1990 long after it was closed. It was also named Bob Kaiser Chevrolet .

[Edward B.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

Bill, I saw those in THIS THREAD and grabbed them. Thanks for posting those in anticipation that I would want them!!!

:-)

Ed

[Don H.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

this is good info but belongs in the Dealer Info Search forum, so here it is. Thanks for resurrecting the thread, Ed.
Don

[Edward B.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

Thanks Don. And in addition to the pictures Bill posted, I found this one from another WEB site (www.amtracingengines.com).

Ed

[Mark L.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

Ed,
Today our best knowledge regarding Zone 21 dealer 1 was an order that was placed through the Foreign Distributors Division either via a military exchange store or for a car that was ordered for export that did not need any special international features. In fact sometimes these vehicles were shipped to a dealership near the location the purchaser specified and never left the country. My opinion is this was frequently done by those in the military to get a better price on the vehicle.

[Edward B.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

That's interesting Mark. And it also explains a little about an ID card I found in the rear driver's quarter panel when I was vacuuming it out several years ago. It's for a Vanessa M. Zotta and is dated 06-07-76. It lists her address on Stanhope Drive (St Louis) and has her birth date, height, weight and even has her SSN!! I always wondered how an ID card from someone in St Louis found its way into a Los Angeles built Camaro!! I did a little research and found her phone number, but when I called, her parents answered and said she never owned the car. They were a little vague about Vanessa, so I didn't press, but I have the feeling that the car may have been owned by a boyfriend (?) And now that I know the car was delivered to Jantzen Chevrolet, it clears up that mystery. However, another mystery is created! Why in the world would Chevrolet ship a car all the way from Los Angles California, when Norwood Ohio (the other Camaro plant) was only 350 miles away?? A supply issue? The car IS highly optioned. L89 Convertible with Rally Sport, deluxe interior, headrest front seats, AM/FM radio, fold down rear seat, power top, power windows, quick ratio power steering, power disc brakes, deluxe seat belts, tinted glass (all windows), 3.31 posi 12 bolt axle, tilt steering, simulated wood steering wheel, special instrumentation (Tach, amp gauge, oil pressure gauge, etc...), center console, front and rear bumper guards and rally wheels!

Ed

[Wayne M.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

Bill W.

Don't know whether you've seen these before. Bought a set of floor mats when I drove my 6-month old 1972 convertible to St. Louis; toured the Corvette plant.

[Edward B.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

LOL. I snagged those from another thread too! I've been busy!


Ed

[Edward B.]

Re: Two different zone and dealer codes for Gene Jantzen Chev depending on export cor

Okay, additional information in case anyone ever stumbles into this situation again (very likely).

John has pretty much come to the conclusion that my car was ordered by a GI stationed overseas through his local PX for delivery to his home dealer for him to pick up when he returned. The giveaway is the Zone 21, Dealer 1 "Foreign Distributors Division".

At the time the order was placed, the PX would have then contacted General Motors Overseas Distribution Corporation (GMODC) or its subsidiaries, which included the "Foreign Distributors Division". From there it would have gone to the Central Office for approval (or sent back in case there were issues to be cleared up). The Central Office would have then sent the order to the nearest production factory for the car to be built. After it was built, it would have been sent to the "home dealer" for prep and to be picked up by the GI upon his arrival.

However, from here it gets confusing and there are two possibilities:

1. Somewhere in the order process (the PX, GMODC or the Central Office), his "home dealer" was incorrectly entered on the paperwork and the order ended up being sent to L.A. instead of Norwood. After that, the car was either in the process of being built or already built before the error was noticed and instead of starting over at Norwood, they went ahead and shipped the car from L.A. to St. Louis.

2. The order was taken correctly and would have been allocated to Norwood to begin with (for delivery through an "unknown" dealer closer to L.A. than Norwood), and the order paperwork got the GMODC blanket dealer code. Because of that administrative complexity, something got screwed up and because the GMODC paperwork clouded the issue, we may never know who the actual delivering dealer was.

I tend to think it's the first scenario, but ONLY because I found that ID from Vanessa Zotta (St Louis, MO) in the rear quarter panel a few years ago when I was vacuuming the car out. Of course, this is no proof, but it's the only thing I have.

Ed