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March 2013 | Issue #15
A car for the generations. Literally.
Barn find stories are supposed to go something like this: original owner buys a car and after a few years of driving it, pulls the vehicle into a barn and forgets about it. Then, often decades later, the car is “found,” usually by a collector, who buys the car from the family of the first owner and restores it to its former glory then wins all sorts of concours events.
Well, this is a barn find story with a few important differences. Oh sure, there is a barn, a restoration, and trophies. But for starters, the car in question was never lost. Second, the original owner is still very much in the picture. In fact, he’s the grandfather of the person who rescued the car.
The story starts with Fred Speer, who in 1948 was a former bomber pilot just out of what was then called “The Army Air Forces.” After moving back to the family farm on the outskirts of Wichita, KS, Fred bought the brand new 1949 Mercury convertible for $3,036.95.
After enjoying it for over 100,000 miles, he drove it into one of the family farm’s sheds in the early 60s and parked it. And there the Mercury sat. Until his grandson Joshua (the son of Fred’s daughter Nancy and son-in-law Clint Moyer) decided that he wanted to resurrect the car sometime in the mid 2000s. The car was in rough shape, and many critters had made their homes in it. According to Clint, “About a week after we moved the car into the garage, we trapped 30 mice. We’d never had mice before.”
At first, Clint and Joshua, who is a diesel mechanic by trade, tried their hand at the restoration themselves. But after about 3 years, the car was still in pieces and they knew it was time to call in the professionals. Joshua, who still farms wheat and milo on the family land, managed the project while Clint was stationed in Iraq as part of his service as Colonel in the National Guard.
When you look at the Lima Tan convertible in Clint Moyer’s garage today, you’d never guess that it spent over 40 years rotting away in an old barn. The showroom-new beauty is the winner of multiple national-level car shows after a meticulous nut-and-bolt restoration by Steve Nicholson and the team at Classic Body Works.
Says Clint, “Fred knew what we were up to, but I don’t think he ever knew that it was going to turn out the way it did. I think he was extremely surprised when he saw it completed. The first time we took him down to the shop was when they started the engine — which is the original one — for the first time.”
Here’s a link to a video of Fred Speer, who recently turned 87, seeing the hydraulic top in action for the first time in decades.
Now the Speer-Moyer family enjoys the car on sunny weekends, driving the Mercury to nearby car shows, and trailering it to those farther afield. The three-generation labor of love is quickly turning into a four-generation project – as Joshua’s daughter has taken quite a shine to the reborn Mercury.
When asked about the company he chooses to insure this priceless family heirloom through, Clint replies, “American Collectors has been absolutely fantastic. Once I was driving it to a car show, and it broke down… we have the TLC Plan, so I had it towed back home. I faxed American Collectors the bill, and I had my reimbursement within a couple of days.”
See more photo’s of this car’s amazing restoration here.
American Detours –
Our new show, debuts in April
Over the past few months, our crew has been crisscrossing the country shooting footage for our upcoming webisode series American Detours.
The premise of the show is simple: Take one classic car and one classic road, mix, and repeat. Hosted by television personality Jael de Pardo, the first season features a Shelby GT350 among other customer-owned classics, and takes viewers to Louisiana, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania…stopping at great restaurants and other sites worth visiting along the way.
Think of it as a great travel show that just happens to feature cars. Or a great car show that just happens to feature great American destinations. But whatever you do, don’t miss American Detours!
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from the American Detours blog. Right now we are filming in the West Virginia area. Follow us as we share some great photos from behind the scenes and continue to inform you about the upcoming launch of the program.
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