In early February, I saw an ad on Craigslist for a chopped ’50 Mercury in Orange County, CA. It was a beautiful car. All the ad said was “1950 Merc custom, must sell.” I called the number in the ad, and it went to voicemail. I left a message. Never heard back. Left 3 more messages thruout the day, and still nothing. Later that day, I had lunch with my business partner Scott Byrum. He tried texting it, and it came back as a landline, “no message can be delivered.” We Googled the number and it came back as Papke Enterprises, a 1949-1951 Ford and Mercury parts shop in Huntington Beach, CA. It also said the owner, Bill Papke passed away a few weeks before.
I knew Bill for many years, and he had a nice collection of cars, but he did not own the car in the ad that I knew of. The ad was a phony ad! Why someone put it on Craigslist, we don’t know. We decided to drive up from San Diego the next morning to Bill’s shop. It was a one man operation, so we didn’t think anyone would be there, but wanted to pay our respects. He knew more about shoebox Fords and Mercs than anyone I ever met! He had a ’32 Ford 5 window coupe, and I wanted to see if it may be for sale.
When we arrived, I was right, the shop was locked up and no one was around. We went to the adjoining businesses to see if anyone knew a family member, or anyone who could help us. Right about the same time, a gentleman drove up, and questioned us on why we were there. He turned out to be the executor of Bill’s estate. I told him I am a Goodguys Rodders Rep for San Diego, and inquired if any of Bills cars may be for sale. He said all the cars were sold, but there was one left in the shop. He opened the door, and inside the shop was a lift with a car on it, and it was covered so no one could see it. I asked what it was, and he told me it was a “Grease Merc.”
Being around cars my whole life, I have never heard of a Grease Merc! He asked me if I ever saw the movie Grease. “Of course, who hasn’t” I said. He said the car was “Hell’s Chariot”, the black convertible Merc with the flames that raced John Travolta in the final scene of the movie. Being the doubting Thomas I am, I said that no car from the movie ever made it into private hands. He said it disappeared 27 years ago, and Bill found it after years of research because it was his favorite Merc of all time. He found it many years ago in a storage warehouse in Southern California and took many more years to convince the owner to sell.
It was a mess! Primered, flathead engine replaced with a small block Chevy, much more modified bodywork, no wiring, steering column, pedals, etc. Pretty much a shell! We made a deal, and the car was shipped to “The Shop” Owned by Dan Condon. The Shop is a full service street rod, restoration shop in Palm Desert, CA. (760) 568-3450. Their work is second to none! Dan took over the restoration personally, and was commissioned to restore it exactly back to the way it appeared in the movie, right down to the flames and razor hubcaps. He did an amazing job!
We debuted the car at the Fathers Day Roadster Show in Pomona, California. Seen for the first time in 35 years, the response was overwhelming! Eddie Paul, of Customs by Eddie Paul who built all 42 cars for the movie was kind enough to stop by and verify that this was indeed the real car from the movie! Back then, movie cars served many purposes. After Grease, it appeared as a primered background car in a junkyard scene in Used Cars with Kurt Russell, then it was painted purple for the movie Streets of Fire. Then it disappeared. How it left the studio lot, we don’t know. The original “Greased Lightning” that Travolta drove is still on Paramount’s back lot rotting away. The car may be the feature car at next January’s Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ. Not sure what we will do with it, but it is available for rent for special occasions, Grease parties, etc. Grease is the highest grossing musical in motion picture history, and to own such an iconic piece of history is humbling and overwhelming.
