Checkered Flag: Steven Juliano

[Bill]

Was happy to assist with the dated Webers for his cobra, sorry to read of his loss. A sad day for the collector car community. My condolences to his friends and family

Bill

[A-Snake]

Steven told me a story about this Don Prudhomme poster. Ed Meyers was to bid and buy one on Ebay. Steve was watching the auction and time was running out so he called Ed to remind him to bid. Steven had Meyers listed in his phone as 'Special Ed', which was just below the name 'Snake'. Steven accidentally pushed Snake, when the phone answered, Steven said "Are you going to bid on the F-ing poster?" The phone was answered by Don Prudhomme.

[Special Ed]

Well i got the rare poster problem is  we think someone  was making an excellent copy out there & slowly selling them off since they were a very rare & valuable collectors item. Back years ago my brother who was racing top fuel gave me don the snakes ph # & i called him asking about that poster & he said he used to give them away & when i told him how much i would pay for one he said he would look around his shop & find me a poster but never heard back from him. Later they started showing up on ebay & they were originally sold in the shelby catolog. Steve was in contact with don (the snake) back when he was putting the plymouth rapid transit cars together since dons yellow mattel hemi cuda was part of the Plymouth rapid transit caravan.

[Steve McDonald Formally known as Mcdonas]

This is a case where "I'm sorry" doesn't seem to be enough. I never met him, but his enthusiasm and passion was something you could feel in his posts. It seemed like each lead was a chase for the next project, the next buy and in each case it was to make it better and better, never being satisfied.
My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family and as someone else said, the collector car community has lost a great one.

[Bill Collins]

I recall that I first met Steve during SAAC 30 at Fontana, CA in 2005, when Ed Meyer arranged an evening tour of his memorabilia building for a few of us.

I was astonished when I walked in - it was overwhelming and thrilling at the same time. The collection included every sort of advertising and promotional item imaginable - not just from Ford but also Chrysler and even some GM. Everything from billboards to keychains.

There were also a few Mopar vehicles on display - including a very low mileage Six Pack Challenger that was originally owned by a member of one of the big tobacco companies in North Carolina. Steve or Ed - I don't recall who - pointed out the ash tray, which still contained a few butts of the company's product smoked by the first owner. Steve was a true enthusiast and relished the opportunity to show the collection to a group that appreciated it so much. We were there for over four hours and enjoyed every minute.

Steve's yellow Cobra was originally sold through the Ford dealer in Gettysburg, PA where for 25 years our SAAC Region hosted the Spring Battlefield Meet. So we shared a kinship of interest regarding that car, exchanging details about its history.

He was a gentleman with a kind demeanor and when you met him, you always got the feeling he was genuinely happy to see you. I last saw him at the Ford Carlisle show, I think last year. Despite his fragile condition, he made his way into my vendor spot to say hello.

I will genuinely miss you, my friend. A tear is being shed tonight in Harrisburg.

[A-Snake]

I was amazed by what Steven would do to find OEM parts for his cars. His 427 Cobra CSX3173 is perhaps the only RESTORED 427 Cobra that contains only parts that existed on a new car other than the paint. Think about that one.

[Vernon Estes]

The last time a few of us here on the forum saw Steve was at this year's MCACN show in Chicago. I remember I was standing around telling lies with a few buddies when we looked up and saw Steve coming down one of the aisles. At first, I thought I saw someone who merely looked like Steve..not believing that Steve could be there seeing as I had heard previously that his health was not well at the time. Sure enough, it was him, and everyone in the group's eyes lit up to see him. After speaking for a while, Steve made his way down the row of cars and it was amazing to watch...everyone who saw him coming immediately became excited and he caused a real buzz with people scrambling to say hello all up and down the row of cars.

Bill is absolutely right...Steve was one of those guys who you felt was sincerely happy to see you. He had so many good qualities about him. He cared deeply for the cars. He obsessed over things that few if any people obsess about, even today. He was a great story teller, funny and friendly as hell when he liked you, and completely unwilling to take any BS from anyone.

He was really a larger than life sort of personality. Many different sections of the car hobby lost a great enthusiast this week.

Kind regards,
Vern

[Special Ed]

Bill u got most of the story correct but the car was Zack Reynolds (son of R J Reynolds tobacco co.) LOADED 2000 mi. 71 hemi cuda & when cleaning the car we decided to leave the cigarette buts in the ashtray in honor of zach who had been killed in a  small plane he was flying. Zach had so many kool cars motorcycles planes etc that had low miles because be had to decide which toy he would play with that day. Zachs cars were sold off long before they were collectors items & when steve went to buy  zachs cuda he was unsure of it because it was an auto column shift but i talked him into it because of the tobacco fame & being the highest option cuda built & original low miles. Zachs cars were bought on an account & every option was on them & split bench seat was an option as well as automatic trans option so this cuda was built with the column shift & it even had door edge guards over the billboard stripes. It ended up being a GREAT investment as he sold it off to buy one of the cobras.In my younger days i had many mopars GTX chargers dart GTS pontiac lemans buick GS etc before i got into fords heavy but still have 2-1970 rt/se (yes SpecialEdition) 440  6-pack challengers & have owned hemi cudas & hemi challengers in the past as well as a vette that i sold to my brother but i like fords the best now.

[Ldouble619]

Let's try to stay on the thread topic and respect Steven Juliano.

Really?  People sharing great stories about the man was off topic?


RIP, Steve.  Prayers to family and friends.

[Special Ed]

The reason i talk about steve and his mopars is we both have a mopar car & memorabilia collection But steve is much more well known in the mopar world than the ford world just google search - steven juliano collection and steven juliano car collection for some really kool photos.

[427heaven]

69 Mach- Its best to stay out of this one , these are his friends telling cherished stories of a relationship of their friends and cars over the decades. These men and their stories need to be told sort of like a eulogy to their friend. They don't want or need a newbie correcting them on how to eulogize their friend. Sit back, zip it, there might be something to learn here for you. These are deeply connected men in the collector world as well as close friendships. Let the outpouring of stories and emotions happen in there own way. Don't jump in where you don't belong, if you have a story to contribute about the man ..... This is the place.

[cbrown]

 I got the privilege of meeting Steve thru my good friend Ed Meyer. Probably should not say this but I am going to.  Before I ever met Steve in person he would mail me large amounts of cash in the mail for the purchase of a Boss 429 I owned years ago.  I thought who the hell is this guy?    Ed final introduced me to him in person and man, What a guy. He had the rarest of rare car stuff and was really cool about it and not stuck up and always had cool stories..    Great guy that will be missed. 

chris

[79coupe]

I was lucky enough to meet Steven near the end of the restoration of the yellow car. From everything Id heard about him to that point, I was very nervous the first time I was in the same room with him. After about 10 minutes, I realized he is very intelligent, focused and observant. NOTHING got past him....NOTHING. When he spoke, not a single word was wasted, he spoke to the point and with a purpose. I learned to respect him on a higher level very quickly. Spending more time with him over the following couple of years, I gained his respect and friendship. This is a friendship that I will cherish and miss for the rest of my living life.

I was always anxious to be in his company whether it was business or recreation. Whenever he had a story or piece of advice to share, I was all ears. I learned a lot from Steve and will never forget many of the things he shared with me. Cars and crap aside, his perspective on life, business and relationships was surreal, honest and eye opening.

Regarding the cars I was involved with, there was never a question of what our direction was.....he wanted the most authentic original correct pieces and would stop at nothing to allow us to make it happen. It always helps when the restoration is being done by the most anal lunatics he could find. We did things sometimes several times before every detail was spot on matching a picture, known original cars or expert opinions/studied facts from several trusted sources. He was a master of the hunt for information and parts. He once told us, "Finding the parts is not the issue, acquiring the parts is the art of the craft." And he was the master of that craft. He would ship us things, pardon the term, made of 'unobtanium'. And sometimes, not just one, but two of them. This is what made his collection so powerful. People would look at his cars and say, 'where did he find that?'

Regarding his collection, its my feeling that his Cobras are probably the most eclectic and special spread of unique cars under one roof anywhere to be found. It would be a shame to separate them as they represent his vision and legacy and a great homage to a better time.

I am very proud and privileged to have been trusted enough to be involved with the restoration and handling of the Cobra collection.

Steve, thank you for the impact you have made on my life. We will respect and carry on your vision. Rest in peace my friend.