Angelo is not with Ford Racing any more.You can reach him through John Vermerish at Total performance in Mi. NOT CT. If you call the tech line for Ford Racing you will get total performance.
I sure remember "Lil Billy", the rear-engine '27 T roadster with the pointed nose and the blown engine behind the driver that Angelo built in the early '60s. As a kid, that was the first car I became infatuated with. It was out of this world. Could someone post a picture of it? Dave http://www.roadsters.com/
Gratiot Auto is long gone. Angelo usedta own it -but no more. The Woodward, RO location is now a Murray's auto supply.
John Vermerish. Now there's a name that brings back some memories. John was the man at Ford for any information. Used him a few years ago and he was super.
Just run with it and wait for the lawyers to come knocking then you'll know. How many were you looking ot do and were you planning on selling them? If it's a low number and you aren't selling them you will probably slip under the legal radar. No profit to you and low numbers aren't usually worth the time of the lawyers. I did say usually, so let's not start piling on the 'yeah, well I know this one guy...' stories. Vance
I've seen G.A.S. stickers at the State fair swap the last couple years, Not sure if they are legit or not?? I would assume the people selling them would know if they are bootleg or not????...then again.
The one on Gratiot ave. in Roseville is a Record Time store now. I used to go there in the 70's and drool over all the stuff that a 17 year old kid couldn't afford. They even had a couple of bays where they would install headers and other speed equipment. I long for those days............
Dave, damn right about "Lil Billy". If, I had a scanner, I would scan pages 60 and 61 from Hot Rod magazine, March 1963, for you and post them here. Anybody out there help out? I wonder, what happened to the car. Anybody know? Curt
Pm roadstar His buddy owns the rights to the name now. I forget his name but i met him last year right before autorama. Im no to sure he would be keen to making those for profit but perhaps just for fun. If you are allowed to make them i want some!
The name "Gratiot Auto Supply" is still owned by the one and only Bill Toia - the founder! Angelo Giampetroni was a longtime and loyal employee who started at Gratiot Auto while in his teens. Mr. Toia promoted him up the ranks and eventually made him co-owner turning the reigns over to him. Angelo was and is a great guy and excellent businessman, but let's not forget Bill who started it all!
It does NOT appear to be trademarked with the US Patent & Trademark office and since they are not involved with interstate commerce, I believe it is considered public domain. Check with a lawyer to be sure.
Don't know who owns it .But I think it was the coolest place in the world to go to with my Dad in the early seventies!
just looking for info on gratoit auto supply. ran across this. i realy am looking for pics from det. dragway with the G.A.S. aa /gc dragster in them or maby at motro city dragway. i saw the dragster a few years ago, man did it bring back memorys! i first saw it at G.A.S. in detroit when i was 10 or 12. sure do need some pics of it. just bought a old G.A.S. horse with the blown motor on the back sticker. "we sell hrose power" anyone have any pics? crazy
Your right Bill Toia was the principal owner, but when "Junior" (Angelo) started working for him sweeping floors and putting out the trash, they were mostly selling re-cap tires Angelo was just a kid then,.... In fact Angelo was the one that talked Bill into trying out selling Hot Rod parts,..... and eventually it turned into "The worlds largest hot rod shop". Last I herd Dick Forton was working on the rights, he got all the original art work (even the really early stuff with the horse with the V-8 on it's back and slicks), and has known Angelo for a very long time. I worked for "Gratiot" as everyone called it, in the 70's,.... there weren't many swap meets back then and Gratiot was like Disneyland and Christmas morning all wrapped into one for Hot Rodders of the day, and one of the biggest mail order Hot Rod shops at that time. It was a way cool place for any car guy to work or come to,.... we were usually packed,..... steady flow of people all day until 5:00 p.m. then we would usually get slammed !, every counter guy had customers 3 to 5 deep, we had a Ford, Chevy, Mopar and Street Rod/ Hot Rod guy at every store,... ( I don't know if that was by design, or just happened that way) on Saturday mornings, they would be waiting at the door for us to unlock it, then pandemonium all day ! You would never know when people like Larry Shinota, Frank Mack, Wayne Gapp and Jack Roush, Don Carlton, John & George Delorian.... (The list is endless) would just stroll into the door. "Gratiot" was the nucleus of all things Hot Rod in the Detroit Metro area for a lot of years. Unfortunately some of you will never know exactly what I am talking about, It was a fantastic time to be into cars, before the internet, Before 1-800 orders, back when if you wanted some parts you filled out the order form and mailed it into us with a check or money order, and when it cleared the bank, you order would be shipped usually within 2 to 4 weeks. or come in and shop because about 80% of the time we had exactly what you wanted right on the shelf. Those were the days !
A few shadows of years past,..... the first one is a Gratiot Auto Supply display at Autorama (mid 60's) and you might know what the other one is.
I did the online trademark and copyright searchs, but I know that system is not always up-to-date. Can anybody PM me a way to contact Angelo?
I just got off the phone with Dick, He did indeed register all the Gratiot Auto Supply logos ( and had a really nice embroidered varsity jacket made for Angelo, who knows all about it) , He is in no way interested in letting anybody reproduce them in any way, shape or form, He is aware of somebody doing a bootleg copy of the sticker and is in the process of tracking those folks down. Sorry about that, I don't know why he is so dogmatic about it but he actually was getting a little steamed at me for even bringing it up, I will stop and see him next time I get to the Detroit area and try to get to the bottom of all of this. wish it was better news.
Last Sunday, my next-door-neighbor-son-in-law, drags home his garage find, An O/T 71 Torino ex drag car hidden away since 1980. We pop the trunk and there is that Gratiot Auto Supply decal on the back of the trunk lid. Frank
Hot Rod feature car back when they had green pages, had a round gear or sprocket logo on the side? Yes, it inpressed me too back in 1961-62. Why can I remember this stuff?
somewhere in my boxes of 80s magazines I have a Gratiot catalog, its very very worn from cover to cover form a then teenaged driver dreaming of a cleaner meaner and faster Camaro.....
Any idea what he is planning on doing with it? I remember sitting down with a Gratiot catalog over thirty years ago and "Catalog engineering" a street/race car. Good times.
Well if you aren't in a big hurry, let me see what he says when I go to see him, I wouldn't get my hopes up, But you never know,..... somewhere around here I still have my original Gratiot auto supply employee jacket with a big embroidered patch of the logo on the back and like 3 or 4 old catalogs,... cant promise anything but I will look for pictures of the old logo's. Just found this on the net.
The Jalopy Journal
