"I'm a real Southern boy. I got a red neck, white socks, and Blue Ribbon beer"
My mother went into the Peace Corps when she was sixty-eight. My one sister is a motorcycle freak, my other sister is a Holy Roller evangelist, and my brother is running for President. I'm the only sane one in the family"
Among Presidential relatives, no one stands out as more colorful or more controversial than Billy Carter, brother of 39th president Jimmy Carter, from Plains, Georgia.
Billy Carter was born on March 29, 1937, thirteen years after his future President brother. It was said that Carter's father, Earl, was as easy on Billy as he was tough on Jimmy, and, as such, Billy was close to Earl and often seen in his company. Billy was 16 years old when "Mr. Earl" died, and he was devastated.
The death of Earl brought eldest brother Jimmy back from the Navy to run the family peanut warehouse that everyone, including Billy, assumed would be taken over by Billy. Billy was "mad as hell" at both his brother and the turn of events.
Billy married his 16-year-old sweetheart and joined the Marine Corps at age 17. After a four-year stint, he eventually returned home to Plains. Brother Jimmy, finding himself more involved in politics, relinquished daily operations of the warehouse to Billy. According to the PBS television show American Experience, it was Billy who ran Carter's warehouse, and he did it well. "I have made more money for the business than Jimmy ever did," Billy boasted, by all accounts demonstrating a sharp mind, strong work ethic, and natural ability to get along with people.
As Jimmy became Georgia's governor and eventually Democratic candidate for President, the press found a gold mine in the persona of Billy Carter, who could almost always be counted on for a quote, often about one of his favorite subjects, beer. "Paintings are like a beer, only beer tastes good and it's hard to stop drinking beer." Or, "Yes sir, I'm a real Southern boy. I got a red neck, white socks, and Blue Ribbon beer."
In 1976 Jimmy Carter ran for President and won. Billy Carter ran for mayor of Plains and lost. Billy continued to hold court at his Plains gas station, an important part of the social scene in a town that small.
One year later, Billy Carter, part businessman, part philosopher, part good ol' boy, got into the beer business, lending his name to a brand called Billy Beer. With appearances around the country, Billy became the toast of the talk-show circuit. Billy, who was said to drink as many as 30 beers a day, found himself having to live up to his reputation.
It wasn't too long before things turned murky for Billy; he became associated with Libyan interests after a trip with Georgia legislators. A suspect loan for $220,000 and some not-too-well-thought-out comments by Billy served as fuel for President Carter's detractors and produced a Presidential scandal that became known as Billygate. The simple explanation that Billy (a gas station owner) and the Libyans (an oil-producing state) were in the same business did not fly among those who felt Billy's cross-cultural relationship was about influence peddling.
Billy Carter died of pancreatic cancer in 1988. The same disease felled both his sisters and his mother.
SCM Analysis
Detailing
| Number Produced: | 525,791 (21% 4x4) |
| Original List Price: | $4,122 |
| Tune Up Cost: | $311 |
| Distributor Caps: | $11.99 |
| Engine Number Location: | Front right side of block |
| Club Info: | Chevy Club of North America, PO Box 11238, Chicago, IL 60611 |
| Website: | http://www.chevyclub.com |
| Investment Grade: | D |
Billy Carter’s 1977 Chevrolet “Redneck Power” Scottsdale pickup sold for $19,250 at the RM Amelia Island Florida sale, March 11, 2006.
There are at least five ways to look at this truck and its value. Let’s dissect each one.
1. Survivor. This 1977 pickup has just 10,549 miles and definitely makes it into the survivor column. There has been some paintwork done to the vehicle, but as a truck, the standard is a bit lower than for an imported car from the same year. $19,250 for an almost 30- year-old pickup? For the survivor buyer, it’s a stretch to say this was a good buy.
2. Value in use. Automobile appraisers like to talk about this term. A pickup has more value in use than a car because the user can haul things in it, possibly even making money off its utilitarian side. Those of us who own pickups are also aware of the downside of this-friends and neighbors want to borrow our trucks for a “quick errand,” which might involve a cement mixer. As to our subject truck, it’s a bit too nice for hauling wood chips on a daily basis, but for picking up a barbeque grill, it would be handy. As to value in use, this one fails the test, as any other old pickup would likely fill the bill, and for less money.
3. Donation. Buy the truck, keep it for a while, donate it after getting a (presumably) higher appraisal. There is a possible upside here; if I were the owner, I’d be writing letters to Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Library right about now. Billy’s pickup could be a cornerstone for the Carter family story. Better still, write the Smithsonian. After all, Presidential relatives and their foibles are a recurring theme in American politics. Worth it as a donation? Doubtful, as many factors come into play here. Wouldn’t you hate yourself because you triggered an audit with an inflated donation amount?
4. Celebrity. Billy Carter is a well-known character to many Americans over the age of 40. Below that age, you’re likely to get a blank stare. Billy was a true footnote in American history, not good enough (Mother Teresa), or bad enough (Adolf Hitler) to hit the big time. Not to dis Billy, but his star has set. The upside? He is the poster child for redneck chic, and rednecks, as we know, survive no matter what. Is the truck worth the bid to someone who wants to fly the redneck flag? You bet it is, and possibly quite a bit more.
5. Collector. This truck was made into thousands of scale models distributed to kids and model builders around the world-this very truck, not one that looks just like it. This is one of the strongest cases for value here, as only a handful of vehicles around the world are directly replicated in scale.
Billy Carter’s “Redneck Power” truck was a great buy, but only for a very specific market. You won’t class up the joint (in most places) by arriving in the front seat where the President’s brother once sat (and perhaps enjoyed a few cans of Billy Beer), but your truck is a famous, one-of-a-kind vehicle that has a unique story to tell, footnote or not.
Channeling Jeff Foxworthy here, you may be a redneck if…you own Billy Carter’s pickup.