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Some here in the So-Cal section may have had the opportunity to meet him on occasion. I was fortunate enough to get to know him even if it was on a small level. He was one of the greats who helped turn the Corvette into the car that we all love today. Godspeed Dick and keep the hammer down until we meet again.
I'll never forget the first time I met the guy. I had just bought my first vette (a C5) and had taken it to his shop for some suspension and exhaust mods. I pull up to the shop and out comes this older man in a white lab coat rubbing his hands together like he was excited about having a new project in the shop. It was awesome. He was a great guy, RIP
Sad to hear. It's been almost 10 years since I setup a CF get together with Dick at his shop in Burbank. Thanks for the good times & great memories Dick.
I saw this guy hanging at a small local vette show and was impressed with his open friendly nature. It seemed everybody there was his friend. I was just checking out the table that had the prizes for the drawing, and he was behind it, with a steady stream of friends coming by. You have to respect a man with enough to give that people seek out and value his friendship in his old age.
He was a great guy.... My son had visited him several times with questions about his 427 C5 Guldstarnd... guess one of the last he did... always nice... I have met him also, very cool cat, he will be missed in our community,...
Dick was a great guy. I started going to his shop in the 1990s and he turned my 1991 Camaro into a very fast car. He used to organize track days for his customers and at the end of the track day would always award the Most Improved Driver award to the best looking girl there. He treated my Camaro as well as the most expensive Corvette and I'll never forget going to pick it up and Dick himself was washing it by hand for me. I'm an engineer and Dick would talk to me about the engineering behind handling along with mixing in stories not to feed his ego but to entertain the listener. A European car magazine did a spread with his shop and Corvettes with a nude model. Dick told me he was so old the only thing that hard was his ear lobe. He absolutely loved cars and told me he would work on them forever and figured he might as well do it at the shop and get paid for it. I was lucky enough to be invited to his 80th birthday party and there were hundreds of people there and they all loved him. Not many successful racers and businessmen can leave behind so many people that thought so highly them. I lost touch with him and his family but if anybody knows if there will be a funeral or services, can they post it?
I used to hang out at Dick's shop in Culver City quite often in the 90's. I was driving Camaros in those days. He had lots of stories to tell. John Hotchkis was working there before he started his suspension business. How the years fly by...
I'll never forget the first time I met the guy. I had just bought my first vette (a C5) and had taken it to his shop for some suspension and exhaust mods. I pull up to the shop and out comes this older man in a white lab coat rubbing his hands together like he was excited about having a new project in the shop. It was awesome. He was a great guy, RIP
When I first bought my 98 C5, I lived in Mar Vista. I took my vette to his shop in Culver city many times, he did my first Head/Cam work and then Steve Cole tuned it.
He was ALWAYS a gentleman! He would get on the phone with me and say something like "hey, it's the famous Joel Feingold" I would just laugh, and say HE was the famous one, which of course was the truth...
Fabulous snippets, reflective of Dick's affable warmth, no matter what. Thanks, despite the sad news.
Dick really got me started anew, after a hiatus from Corvette, when my '84 was just out of warranty, with his suspension tightening up the car very nicely. Like the brash yo9ung-un, I did not follow his sage advice to sell the '84 and buy an '86 or newer, to get the power I sought, ably demonstrated by a ride-along from the gasoline alley in a GS80; an indelible memo9ry, racked with smiles and laughter.
I was able to do him one favor, long ago when he awaited a return flight from DTW. My nice surprise at seeing him was doubled when our gate agent awarded him a FC seat after I said he was a good friend of the airline. Dick never forgot that, which will surprise no one who knew him.
Rest easy in speed heaven, my Corvette pal. You live on in my thoughts, very frequently.
I smile, recalling our last hello at the C7 unveiling @ the Peterson, when you seemed to remember me, despite the years.
Last edited by whalepirot; 09-07-2015 at 11:22 AM.
Dick came up to NorCal for quite a few Corvette events. Every time I saw him he was standing around talking with everybody who wanted to meet him. A really nice guy.
Here's a shot I took May 17, 2015 at the Plastic Fantastic show in San Diego. Dummy me just thought 'oh a tribute car' and never looked close enough to see who was actually driving. That'll teach me to pay attention.
I'll never forget the first time I met the guy. I had just bought my first vette (a C5) and had taken it to his shop for some suspension and exhaust mods. I pull up to the shop and out comes this older man in a white lab coat rubbing his hands together like he was excited about having a new project in the shop. It was awesome. He was a great guy, RIP
I had the same experience in 1986 with my C4. One of the most down-to-earth guys in the business I ever met. Definitely "old school."
I met Dick during an SAE meeting in the 80s and later when he moved his shop to Burbank I would drop in to visit since I lived in Glendale. I also remember him racing at Riverside raceway so many years ago. When he attended the car shows I would have brief talks with him. The last time I saw him was at the Redline Corvette show a few years ago and Phil his chief technician took a photo of us. I will miss him. RIP Dick.
I'd love to attend a semi-official gathering for Dick, somewhere near gasoline Alley, perhaps, despite the renovation of the area. Photos, Corvettes, stories shared in warm recall.
Sad to hear. It's been almost 10 years since I setup a CF get together with Dick at his shop in Burbank. Thanks for the good times & great memories Dick.
Dick was a great guy. I started going to his shop in the 1990s and he turned my 1991 Camaro into a very fast car. He used to organize track days for his customers and at the end of the track day would always award the Most Improved Driver award to the best looking girl there. He treated my Camaro as well as the most expensive Corvette and I'll never forget going to pick it up and Dick himself was washing it by hand for me. I'm an engineer and Dick would talk to me about the engineering behind handling along with mixing in stories not to feed his ego but to entertain the listener. A European car magazine did a spread with his shop and Corvettes with a nude model. Dick told me he was so old the only thing that hard was his ear lobe. He absolutely loved cars and told me he would work on them forever and figured he might as well do it at the shop and get paid for it. I was lucky enough to be invited to his 80th birthday party and there were hundreds of people there and they all loved him. Not many successful racers and businessmen can leave behind so many people that thought so highly them. I lost touch with him and his family but if anybody knows if there will be a funeral or services, can they post it?
I heard that a funeral date has not been made yet.
Great man and always willing to help-whether you were a regular enthusiast on a budget or a large pro team. Great memory too-When I was talking to Mr. Guldstrand at the Monterey Historics a couple years ago, he remembered the Trans Am he built for me decades ago(and loved that I used it to stick it to the Porsches and Ferraris at Riverside!).
Here's a pic of my dash signed by Guldstrand and a couple other Corvette icons.
09-04-2015, 12:25 PM
Dick Guldstrand leaves us.....RIP Friend.
