Since purchasing the Purple Pavement Eater last summer I have learned much of its history thanks to Pennocks forum as well as other sources. In this thread I will share the story as I understand it. Please feel free to contribute to this story if you have any additional details. Please correct me if I am mistaken on any of my facts. I will break it up into several posts. Here goes:
In 1993 former drag racer Rich Warber and his wife Jeanette purchased a one owner black and silver 1986 GT with 16,300 miles on it.
------------------ Purple Pavement Eater V8, Chop top, coil-overs, 12" brakes
[This message has been edited by newin55 (edited 09-28-2015).]
In 1996 Rich installed a high performance V8 using a Zumalt kit. The engine was a 4 bolt main 350 from a Corvette that had been bored .030" over. The balanced engine had 6 inch Crower rods, a Crower cam, Weisco forged pistons, MSD ignition, Air Flow Reasearch aluminum heads, roller rockers, Tuned Port Injection by Street and Performance, and a Fluidamper balancer. For exhaust it had Sanderson ceramic coated headers, dual catalytic converters and glass pack mufflers. Rich and Jeanette refered to the car as “Rich’s Pocket Rocket”. They began showing the car this year.
To be continued....
[This message has been edited by newin55 (edited 09-28-2015).]
I'm watching to see if it was ever given different paint, different wheels, different taillights, and lowered in the rear.
The only thing I never really liked about this car was the rear end. It just sat waaaay too high.....not very aesthetically pleasing (to me at least). If any car ever screamed out "please lower me!", it's this one.
Anywho.....sorry for the mini hijack. Continue with the story.....I know most of it, but not everything. I hope you are enjoying it and driving it on a regular basis too.
[This message has been edited by mrfiero (edited 03-16-2009).]
One day in the fall of 1996 Jeanette came home to find that Rich had removed the interior and some body panels from the car and was in the process of chopping the top! He worked on the car with a passion, consuming every spare moment. He had the car ready for the next show season. His car was the first chop top Fiero!
Note: Sometime previous to starting the chop top he had added IRM rocker panels and raised the wing 2 ½ inches.
So yes, Old Lar, the car was a black chop top fastback in 1997 as shown in the picture you posted.
[This message has been edited by newin55 (edited 10-04-2015).]
I just noticed in the last picture I posted the car had the Ferrari style wheels at the time. They were Compomotive TS 16" I assume also that the rear-facing hood scoop was in place before the chop was started.
[This message has been edited by newin55 (edited 03-16-2009).]
Rich met V8 Archie at the 1997 Fierorama. Archie was quite impressed with the car. This meeting eventually led to Rich working at Archie’s shop. Together they refined the chop top and the techniques for implementing it. They created the Great Blue Chop Top, which was Archie’s first of many.
Here is a link to a video of Archie telling the story of meeting Rich Warber and seeing his car for the first time: http://home.comcast.net/~so...THC_Warber_short.WMV This is an excerpt from a video I found on Pennocks forum that was originally posted by Halcyon.
In 1998 Rich created the “Warber vented hood” . It has been reported that it was installed it on Rich’s car but car does not currently have the hood and I have not seen a picture of the car with it. Does anyone remember seeing it with the vented hood or have pictures? Here is a picture of the Warber hood being created!
In 1998 Rich created the “Warber vented hood” . It has been reported that it was installed it on Rich’s car but car does not currently have the hood and I have not seen a picture of the car with it. Does anyone remember seeing it with the vented hood or have pictures? Here is a picture of the Warber hood being created!
I'm pretty sure I have that hood on my car the GBCT....
I've seen the car for the first time in 1997 when it was black.
As for the "Warber Hood" I don't ever remember seeing the PPE with one on it. I remember seeing the car again right after the sails were scalloped and the car was painted purple and it didn't have the "Warber" hood on it.
I thought that the first hood he (Rich) made went on the Great Blue Chop Top. The person who would know for sure would be Archie.
Here is an old quote from Archie about the hood: A little more than 6 years ago, while my Blue Chop Top was under construction, The late Rich Warber(who was working for me at the time) modified the hood on my car to provide an original designed Vented Hood. At that time I named the hood the "Warber Vented Hood".
[This message has been edited by Oreif (edited 03-20-2009).]
The pictures shown earlier are from the construction of the hood on the GBCT. It was the 1st car to get what would later be called the Warber Scoop.
A year or so later was when the mold was made & I named it after Rich Warber.
When Rich died, he had begun the transformation from his old Black GT Chop Top to what is now the PPE.
He wasn't able to complete that transformation. He had completed the basic shape (w/o the hood scoop) & had even bought the paint he wanted to finish it in.
The last time I visited him before he died, he took me out to the garage & told me all about what he had planned for it when he got strong enough to complete it. Sadly, he never got back to working on it.
The car was stored in his garage at home for a long time. Some of us members of NIFE finally picked the car up from the Warber home & brought it to my shop & comkpleted it just as he had envisioned it. No more, no less.
After we finished the car PaulV & I took it back to the Warber home. Here's a pic of rich's wife with the car on that day.
Rich was an innovator & a true hot rodder. I learned a lot from him in the short time he was working for me. I really miss him.
I'm really glad that this thread was started, as it will help keep the legend alive.
Archie
[This message has been edited by Archie (edited 03-20-2009).]
What Archie and the NIFE volunteers did speaks volumes as to the person Rich was and to the friends he kept. Rich must surely be at peace.
Archie, Paul Vargyas, and Gary Smith finished the build. If there were any others, please give them credit here. The car took the form of a custom notch back with a GT taillights when finished.
Mrs. Warber kept the car for some time after Rich's death. In the spring of 2003 the Purple Pavement Eater was put up for sale on the V8 Archie website.
Dave purchased the car without the Compomotive wheels. He installed American Racing AR95 Estrella 17" x 7.5" wheels with 215/45/Z17 tires front and 235/45/Z17 tires rear.
He installed coil-over suspension from Held Motorsports and dropped it low to the ground front and rear. A heavy duty sway bar came from the Fiero Store. He also installed a bump steer kit.
Dave installed Corvette 12" C4 brakes, master cylinder and proportioning valve from West Coast Fiero along with steel braided brake lines from the Fiero Store.
The interior was upgraded with leather seat covers from Mr. Mikes. Dave pulled the seats from this low mileage car and put them in his gorgeous stock '88 Fiero GT. The seats from that car were covered with the leather and installed in the PPE. The interior also received a Grant steering wheel, Lloyd floor mats and a new shift knob.
What was the reason for Mrs. Warber selling the car?
Dave & Barb
First of all, she didn't know how to drive a stick shift. Besides, there are other reasons you don't see 60 year old widows driveing hot Rodded cars around.
She kept the car in the garage, after we finished it, right where Rich would have kept it. For a while she said it made her miss him less.
When she finally had accepted his passing she had the car on EBay twice & sold it both times. And both times she got a Cashiers Check for a down payment. Both times when the EBay winner came to pick up the car they found things to nit pick about the car to drive the EBay bid price down a little bit. That's a typical car guy thing nit picking to try to push the agreed price down a few bucks.
In response both times she did the same thing. got the guy's Cashiers' Check which she hadn't deposited yet & gave it back to them & told them to get the HE77 out. She wasn't going to let anyone badmouth Rich's car.
She called me after the second guy & was very upset that people would dis Rich like that.
That's when I bought it & told here I'd find it a good home & I did.
Now it appears to have an even better home.
Archie
[This message has been edited by Archie (edited 04-06-2009).]
Dave put his car up for auction on Ebay in July of 2008. Here is the description from the listing:
Here for your consideration: a beautiful 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT, with 23,700 original miles, that has had a fair amount of “customization” done to it to truly make it one of a kind! This car is affectionately referred to as “The Purple Pavement Eater”, and once you read what it’s got you’ll understand why!
Now for the goodies!! The standard Fiero engine has been replaced with a 355 cubic inch, 4 bolt main, small block V8, which generates approximately 450 horsepower! To go along with that, we have tunnel port injection (professionally installed by Street & Performance of Mena, Arkansas), a new Nascar radiator, a 4 speed Muncie transaxle, four wheel coil over suspension, a Corvette brake master cylinder with 11 inch Corvette disk brakes, and a rear anti-sway bar. The car sits on 17 inch American racing wheels; all of the tires are in great shape with minimal tread wear.
Externally, the top has been chopped 3 inches, custom rocker panels have been added, along with a customized engine hood with “SS” hood scoop. The body of the car is generally good condition; no dents or structural damage. The car is in need of a new paint job; from 20 feet away it looks great, but when you get close you begin to see small blisters in the paint, and there are small stress cracks in a few of the fiberglass panels starting to develop.
Open up the doors, and you’ll find custom leather seating, custom made floor mats, and a Grant steering wheel. There is a moon roof, power windows and door locks, and cruise control. The car is equipped with air conditioning, all the components are present, but the system currently is not working; it may need to be recharged, or something might be disconnected.
This car is being advertised locally as well as on other internet sales sites, so we reserve the right to cancel the auction early if we have another interested buyer. Don’t wait…use the “Buy it Now” option to ensure you’re the next owner of this custom street machine!
This is a great thread for the history of Rich and his car. I just hope it finds another great home with someone that understands the history of the car and what it has ment to many here. I wish I had the money!
Shortly after the auction started I drove up and looked at the car. It ran poorly when we went for a ride. Dave found two spark plug wires had come off. The wires were reconnected and we went for another drive. It ran better. The car was smoking from an oil leak. Aside from these and several other minor issues I was very impressed with the car. The next day I, Alan Wood, purchased the car by exercising the buy it now option. Dave said there was a guy from Arkansas who was in the process of buying airline tickets to come and look at it. Sorry fellla....
