Archive for February, 2025

Port Arthur To Maryland

Saturday, February 8th, 2025

The date was Tuesday, January 28 2025. The Chaparral was loaded and on it’s way to Maryland with Jay Ferraro of Ferraro Auto Transport. Harry’s flight didn’t leave Jack Brooks Regional Airport (KBPT) until the afternoon of Wednesday, January 29. Jay was estimating that he would be at the Montgomery County Airport on the afternoon of Thursday, January 30. This would give Harry plenty of time to get home and get some rest and be ready for the Chaparral’s arrival at the Montgomery County Airpark on Thursday, January 30.

Harry arrived early at the Jack Brooks Regional Airport on Wednesday. Harry’s plan was to clear the TSA check, get to his gate, and relax before the journey home. Regional airports have a general aviation feel to them and Harry felt right at home. Harry soon learned that TSA did not open until 40 minutes before the departure time and that the airport only had one airline flight per day. The airline operations for Jack Brooks Regional Airport consisted of one flight from Dallas Forth Worth and one from to Dallas Fort Worth.

Harry had a 2:30 departure out of KBPT and it was only a 45 minute flight over to Dallas Forth Worth (KDFW) with a connecting flight out of KDFW at 5:45 PM and an arrival in KDCA by 9 PM. This meant that he had plenty of time to find the gate for his connecting flight.

Shortly after clearing the TSA check, Harry received a text message from American Airlines that his flight from KBPT was delayed. The first text said the flight was delayed until 4 PM and another text followed that said the flight was delayed until 5 PM. This meant that he would miss his connecting flight. The gate agents at KBPT were very helpful and secured Harry another flight out of KDFW at 7 PM. All of this meant that he’d miss his first connecting flight, however, he now had a later connecting flight. So far, so good. But not so fast. Once loaded, the flight out of KBPT was held on the ground until 6:20 PM. This delay meant that Harry may not make the second connecting flight (the update one). The flight finally departed KBPT and landed just at the scheduled departure time of the connecting flight. Harry rushed through the terminal to the gate for his flight to KDCA only to watch the door being closed. Harry begged the gate agent to let him on, but the gate agent said boarding has closed. This agent did find Harry a later flight out of KDFW departing at 9:15 PM. So it was off to the new gate for this later flight. Keep in mind, that with all of these flight changes, Harry had to keep updating his limousine service waiting for him at KDCA. By now, Harry was booked on his third flight out of KDFW.

Houston we have a problem. While at the gate for his third flight out of KDFW, Harry received another text stating that the 9:15 flight was canceled. By now, there was talk on Facebook about the American Airlines CRJ crash in the Potomac and this was why the 9:15 flight was canceled (KDCA was closed). All passengers for the 9:15 flight were directed to another gate to be booked on another flight. Once there, Harry was told that there were no more flights until 5:30 the next morning (Thursday, January 30). With no choice, Harry took this flight. The gate agent did offer a hotel voucher. By now it was after 10 PM. It didn’t make much sense to go to a motel for a few hours, so Harry decided just to stay in the terminal. He did receive a dinner voucher which he did not use. Wanting to get a few hours sleep, Harry set off to find a quiet place to sleep. With some luck, Harry noticed a balcony that overlooked the main floor. Upstairs he found these two chairs (pictured below) which he moved together for a makeshift bed. He managed to stay there until about 3 AM. Needing to use the restroom, he was torn between being uncomfortable or loosing his bed. The restroom was just below the balcony, he could see it from his bed. So he decided to rush down and rush back to his bed. He wasn’t gone more than 3 minutes and someone took his bed. By now, it was about 3:30 AM and by 4 AM, he received a text message from American Airlines saying that the 5:30 AM flight was also canceled. This was the fourth flight out of KDFW that didn’t happen for Harry.

So now it is Thursday, January 30 and Jay is due at the Montgomery County Airpark with the Chaparral sometime in the late afternoon. Harry had coordinated with some folks at the airport to let him keep the Chaparral in a hangar for a few weeks while he made room at his house for the car. It was important for Harry to be at the airport to help unload the car. All of the body panels needed to be removed from the car so that the panels didn’t rub on the ground on trailer door while being loaded and unloaded. It is impossible to find a live gate agent at 4 AM to help with finding a fifth flight out of KDFW. By now, Harry was speaking with his wife back in Maryland to help with the situation. Pat did get American Airlines on the phone and was told that they did not have any flights out of KDFW until Friday afternoon. Desperate and needing to get back to Maryland, Harry had no choice but to purchase another ticket with United Airlines. This flight was to KBWI via a connecting flight in Chicago. Remember, it was connecting flights that got Harry into this predicament in the first place. But if all worked out, Harry may still be at the Montgomery County Airpark in time to meet Jay with the Chaparral. Harry was sweating bullets on his flight from KDFW to Chicago with fears of missing yet another connecting flight. United Airlines saved the day. Harry finally made it back to Maryland just a few hours before Jay was to arrive with the Chaparral.

Port Arthur Trip January 2025

Tuesday, February 4th, 2025

Harry left for Port Arthur on Sunday January 26 2025 to meet the transport company and bring the Chaparral home to Maryland. The trip to Port Arthur went very smoothly.

We need to thank Jay Ferraro of Ferraro Auto Transport for getting the car from Texas to Maryland for us. Jay was excellent to deal with. He kept us updated via text messages while on his way to the museum in Port Arthur Texas as well as on his way to Maryland. Click here to download a pdf ad for his company. We highly recommend Ferraro Auto Transport for transporting your collector cars.

Here’s Harry’s YouTube video highlighting the trip to Port Arthur. Harry was flying via American Airlines from KDCA, to KBPT, and then on to KDFW.

It wasn’t until Harry arrived at the museum, that the troubles started. Harry arrived in Port Arthur on January 26 2025. This was two days before the transport company was to arrive at the Museum of the Gulf Coast to pickup the Chaparral and take it to Maryland. Harry spent the afternoon of the 26th getting settled into his motel with a nice dinner. His plans were to be at the museum mid morning on Monday January 27 to be sure that the museum was ready for the Chaparral’s exit.

Harry soon got the feeling that the museum wasn’t too happy about the Chaparral leaving. On Sunday evening, January 26, Harry sent an email to Tom (the museum director) stating that he was in town and that he was looking forward to seeing him on Monday morning. On Monday morning, Harry followed up with Tom via a text message. Both the email and text message went unanswered. As Harry was driving to the museum on Monday morning, Tom did finally call Harry. Too busy driving in a unfamiliar area, Harry did not answer Tom’s call.

When Harry arrived at the museum, Tom was at the front desk. The two spoke briefly and Tom basically said “You know where the car is”. One of Harry’s concerns was that the car may not roll since it has been sitting in the museum for over 20 years. So the first thing Harry did was to try and push the car. The Chaparral didn’t move. It seemed as if a parking brake was set or maybe a brake caliper was locked up. And after a closer examination of the car, Harry noticed that all of the tires needed air, in fact, the bead seal had been broken on all four tires. The tires were so low on air, that Harry could push the tire inward away from the rim. Not being able to roll the car was one of Harry’s biggest fears. The transport company was already enroute to the museum and Harry was obligated to pay him whether or not they picked up the car. This was the first problem.

The original plan was to roll the Chaparral down a few small steps and then up a few small steps (see picture below). And then the Chaparral would need to pass through some double doors and then out another door at the loading dock.

Knowing what the original plan was for removing the Chaparral, the first thing Harry asked Tom (the museum director) was if they had some wood to help make the steps not too large of a step since the Chaparral sits very low to the ground. His answer was that they do not have anything and he also said that the museum didn’t have anyone available to help me. Tom did direct Harry to a lumber store a few miles away from the museum. So Harry had two issues to solve and only about 5 hours to do so. First was to try and purchase some wood to soften the steps somewhat and the second issue was to try an get the Chaparral to roll. Off Harry went to the lumber store for some wood and an air pump to pump up the tires. Harry was hoping that the car wasn’t rolling just due to no air in the tires.

Harry’s first stop was the lumber store which was no help at all. The only lumber they had was 4 by 8 sheets of plywood which they would not cut for him. Still concerned that perhaps a brake caliper was locked up, Harry was trying to purchase some caster wheels to perhaps make a dolly to roll the car. The lumber store didn’t sell portable air pumps or caster wheels. No money was spent at the lumber store and no progress was made either. With the help of Google, Harry found an Advanced Auto Parts store just 5 minutes from the lumber store. So off he went.

While at Advanced Auto Parts, Harry purchased a foot operated air pump and a roller jack. The roller jack was to lift the car and roll it a short distance and repeat as needed to move the car (this was if a brake caliper was locked up). Harry also tried to purchase a wheel dolly in case the roller jack idea didn’t work. Advanced didn’t have wheel dollys, so it was just the roller jack and foot operated air pump that he purchased.

Back at the museum Harry soon discovered that there was not enough room between the wheel and the valve stem to attached the head of the air pump, just another of many issues.

It was at about this time that Tom checked in on Harry. And Harry proceeded to explain to Tom that the car wouldn’t roll and Tom said “Sure, it rolls”. Tom and another gentleman helped Harry push the car to see it it would roll, which it did. Harry was relieved that the car would actually roll. Tom also showed Harry a different, perhaps easier route to roll the car out of the museum. Click here to see the alternate route for getting the Chaparral out of the museum.

Relieved that the car would actually roll, Harry could return the roller jack and foot pump at Advanced Auto Parts. While at Advanced Auto Parts, Harry noticed a O’Reilly Auto Parts and an AutoZone just across the street, so he decided to check both for an air pump that would work on the Chaparral. AutoZone did have a small portable electric air pump that Harry purchased. He explained to the salesman at AutoZone the issue with the valve stem and the wheel on the Chaparral. The salesman was very nice and helpful and told Harry that he could return the air pump if it did not work. Harry was still concerned that pushing the Chaparral with little or no air in the tires could cause a tire to come off of the wheel which would be a big issue for getting the car out of the museum and loaded on the trailer. It turned out that the second air pump would not work for the Chaparral, so Harry returned that one as well. Back at the museum for the last time on Monday, Harry contacted Ray Ferraro and explained the issue with the tires. With luck, Ray had an air tank on his truck with an air chuck with a 90 degree head on it that would surely fit the valve stems on the Chaparral. Satisfied that he had all of the issues solved and that the Chaparral could be rolled out of the museum, Harry returned to his motel for a nice dinner and to get a good nights sleep.

Tuesday, January 28 was the big day. Jay was going to be at the museum that afternoon and with some luck, the Chaparral would make an easy exit from the museum and start it’s journey to Maryland. Once Jay arrived, getting the Chaparral out of the museum and the actual loading of the Chaparral was flawless. We did take off the body panels to make it easier for the Chaparral to maneuver through the museum. And the car did need to make some tight turns. For the tight turns, it was easier just to pick up the car to turn it. Click here for more pictures of loading the Chaparral.

Click here for Harry’s return trip to Maryland and the Chaparral’s arrival at the Montgomery County Airport.

Chaparral History

Tuesday, February 4th, 2025

Here’s the background on how Harry became the caretaker of this historic car. It all started while Harry was driving through the town of Laytonsville Maryland and he spotted a unique 3 wheeler sitting outside a repair shop called Erdle Automotive. Being the 3 wheeler enthusiast that he is, Harry stopped and started asking the shop owner about the 3 wheel car and who owned it. The car was a Spi Tri (pictured below). It was owned by a gentleman named Larry Barker. Harry was able to connect with Larry and the two of them became friends. Larry soon learned about Harry’s love for 3 wheel vehicles and about Harry’s growing collection of 3 wheel cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and other 3 wheel vehicles. All of this happened around the year 2009 or 2010 at about the same time that Harry started the Laytonsville Cruise In. Larry soon became close friends with Pat and Harry and he was a regular at all of their holiday parties.

Fast forward to the year 2017. Larry asked Harry to meet him at Julliano’s Brick Oven Pizza in Laytonsville to discuss something important. Larry showed Harry a notarized letter that was leaving (as part of Larry’s Will) the Spi Tri to Harry, along with the manufacturing company that made the Spi Tri, and a few earlier prototypes, a Jaguar, and a race car known as a Mini Chaparral or Spi Race Car. It wasn’t until late 2021 that Larry shared some details with Harry on the Chaparral race car. And by the year 2023, the two of them were discussing moving the Chaparral from the Museum of the Gulf Coast to Maryland. The car had been at the Museum of the Gulf Coast since around the year 2003. Larry had plans to get the car running and perhaps race it. The car does have some racing history and was once driven by A.J. Foyt.

Larry passed away in early October of 2024 before the Chaparral was moved to Maryland. He never had a chance to drive the car. Pat & Harry Kraemer were informed of Larry’s passing by one of Larry’s neighbors that used Larry’s cell phone to contact them. The neighbor knew of Pat & Harry since Larry did talk about them a lot. Since Larry was never married and had no blood family (Larry was an orphan) or children, Larry’s neighbor and the Kraemers met to discuss plans and to try to determine if Larry had a Will. Team Barker was the name given to this group. As Team Barker discussed with to do with Larry’s assets, one of the neighbors asked “What do we do with a 3 wheel car?”. This is when Harry mentioned that he believed that Larry had left the 3 wheeler to him with some other vehicles and that all of this was in a notarized letter that Larry had tucked away.

By late October, neighbors did find the notarized letter from 2017 and Harry was contacted by an attorney saying that Larry left him the white Spi Tri 3 wheeler. Harry thought that this was odd/strange since Harry had seen the letter from 2017 and Larry reviewed the letter with him. Nevertheless, Harry was happy to care for the Spi Tri.

This is where the story gets even stranger. Larry’s funeral was planned for October 31 and after the funeral, Pat & Harry hosted a gathering for Larry’s friends and neighbors, plus Larry’s cousins from his adopted parents. One of Larry’s closest cousins, Richard was sort of taking charge of dealing with Larry’s estate. It was at this gathering that Richard told Harry that Larry left him the Spi Tri 3 wheeler and to go pick it up when you have time. Richard also told Harry that he could have the race car that was in the museum and the 3 wheelers and other items in the trailer in Oklahoma. All of this information from Richard was also a little puzzling, since Harry knew that Richard had the 2017 letter from Larry that outlined everything that was to be given to Harry. Needless to say, this was exciting, confusing, and sad at the same time for Harry.

By early November, Harry & Richard were communicating via text about the cars. And it was in these text messages in early November that Richard asked Harry to make an offer on the race car and the items in the trailer in Oklahoma. Again, this was all very confusing to Harry since he had seen the 2017 letter and at the October gathering, Harry understood that Richard gave him everything. Harry agreed to do some research on the race car and make an offer to Richard. A few days later, Harry gave an offer to Richard which Richard accepted.

By mid November (November 14 2024), Harry was in touch with Tom, the director of the museum where the race car was on display. Harry proceeded to tell Tom that he was purchasing the car from the estate of Larry Barker. Tom was very puzzled. Tom went on to say that he never heard of Larry Baker and did not know who he was. Tom also told Harry that a guy named Andy Green built the race car and gave it to the museum. Harry was shocked to hear all of this news. Harry went on to share this information with several of Larry’s neighbors and close friends. They were all puzzled and confused. They all thought that perhaps Larry was embellishing the truth.

And just when you thought this story could not get much stranger, by November 15 2024, the story takes another twist. Harry receives a package in the mail from Larry’s cousin Richard. In this package is the 2017 letter stating that Larry left everything (the race car, the white Spi Tri, and the items in the trailer in Oklahoma) to Harry. By this time, Harry was focusing on trying to find proof that Larry did own the race car in the Texas museum. Harry sorted through about a dozen boxes of Larry’s files on his cars. Slowly, Harry started to put together a timeline on the history of the race car. Harry did find some magazine articles and emails that stated that Larry owned the race car. Armed with all of this information and the 2017 notarized letter, Harry once again spoke to Tom, the museum director. By November 24 2024, Tom told Harry that the museum had no record of how the car got to the museum and Tom also told Harry that the museum does have a magazine article that states the car is owned by Larry Barker.

In early December 2024, Tom had agreed that the car now belongs to Harry and Harry had started making plans to visit the museum on December 18 2024. Harry was proceeding with the understanding that Larry left him the car and since Richard sent Harry the 2017 letter, Harry assumed that Richard was agreeing that Harry was to get the car (he did not need to purchase it from Richard). When Harry arrived at the museum in December 2024, there was a sign by the Chaparral with information about the car and who built it, etc. And on this sign it states that the car is here “courtesy of Dr. Larry Barker”. After reading this sign, Harry thought why did Tom tell Harry that he never heard of Larry Barker. It was very clear after reading the sign that someone at the museum knew that Larry Baker owned the Chaparral. Read on, there is still a few more bizarre twist in this story.

On December 17 2024, Harry receives a text message from Richard. Richard says that someone wants to buy some of the items in the trailer in Oklahoma. Richard was asking Harry if he is still interested in the items and if Harry was not interested in them, Richard was going to sell them. This text message came in while Harry was at the museum with Tom discussing the plans to get the car to Maryland. So Richard and Harry play phone tag for a few days. By December 19 2024, Richard and Harry finally talk on the phone. Very politely, Harry tells Richard that he is a little confused. Harry was proceeding with the assumption that Larry left the race car and other items to him. Harry also assumed that this was what Richard thought as well since Richard sent Harry the 2017 letter. Richard did not remember sending Harry the 2017 letter. So Harry emailed Richard a copy of the letter and by December 20 2024, Richard calls Harry and tells him that he is sorry for the confusion and that he does agree that Harry does get the race car and all of the items in the trailer in Oklahoma.

Fast forward to January 2025, Harry makes plans to go back to Texas and meet a transport company to get the car started on it’s journey to Maryland and join Harry’s collection of rare cars and motorcycles.

Click here for the story covering Harry’s trip to Texas to get the Chaparral race car.

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