Steve Rhodes stands in between his dream cars: a Lemans blue 1969 big block Camaro SS convertible, and a 1961 Oldsmobile Starfire.
Jim Krumel | For The Lima News
LIMA – A popular commercial on television today features Arby’s restaurants proclaiming, “We have the meats.”
That catchy slogan has resulted in a 16-percent increase in sales for the coveted 18- to 34-age market, according to CNBC.
But as popular as that commercial is today, it doesn’t match the “car giveaway” that Robert Rhodes put together 62 years ago. At that time, Rhodes was the director of operations for the growing number of Arby’s restaurants in the Fort Wayne region, including one in Lima.
He was determined to make a big splash that would draw more people into the restaurants – something that not only would see folks enjoying a belly full of roast beef, but also would have them urging their neighbors to try it out.
His answer: give away a new 1961 Oldsmobile Starfire.
Oldsmobile during this time period was one of the most popular car brands in America. The Starfire was being re-introduced after a two-year hiatus. It was intended to compete in the growing personal luxury car market and was the highest-priced model offered by Oldsmobile that year.
The story of Robert Rhodes’ promotion is legendary in Rhodes family history.
Steve Rhodes, 54, of Shawnee Township, grew up hearing about his father’s contest. As Steve got older and more interested in cars, his dream was to own a Starfire like the one his dad used in that contest.
“I looked for 20 years until I found one in good shape at the right price,” he said.
In August, Rhodes took the Starfire to the Happy Daz Cool Car Cruise-In. It attracted a lot of attention, as did another car that accompanied it: a 1969 big block Camaro RS/SS convertible.
It took him 10 years to get his hands on that one.
“My first car was a 1969 Camaro. I always wanted another one,” Rhodes said. “My wife, Robbi, also wanted a ‘69 Camaro, only she wanted a specific color — Lemans blue. It was tough to find one.”
Patience paid off, though. The key:
“It took a while, but we knew what we wanted and didn’t settle for less.”
Under the hood of both the 1961 Starfire and 1969 Camaro are their original engines.
The Camaro RS/SS has a matching numbers 396 engine rated at 375 horsepower with a M22 Muncie 4-speed, also known as the “rock crusher.” The Starfire has a 394 engine rated at 330 horsepower.
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