It’s been said a car is a piece of machinery, but a classic car is a work of art, and never was that truer for me than during a recent trip to Port Elgin, Ontario for the Labour Day weekend.
On Friday night, the main road through town did not have much traffic, and after parking our car my wife Jane and I walked across the street to eat at The Wismer House, a historic landmark built in 1856 and converted into restaurant/pub.
Parked out front was a classic car that absolutely gobsmacked me. It was an apple red Chrysler 300 convertible. From what I read on the Internet, only 300 units were built when the car debuted in 1969.
Though it was the evening, the sun was still strong and cast a brilliant light on the car, which absolutely glistened. The top was pulled back, revealing a gorgeous white leather interior.
I took some photos of the car because I planned to write a story about it. I asked some employees if anybody knew who owned the car, but nobody did. I assumed because the car was parked in front, the owner had to be somebody who was either eating and/or having a drink inside.
Jane and I decided to talk advantage of the rooftop seating, which gave us a different vantage point to see the town and, in particular, the car. Again, the setting was so perfect I had to take a photo.
While we were eating, a song from the 60s called Build Me Up Buttercup was blaring from the loudspeakers. The key lyrics were “You build me up, Buttercup, baby, just to let me down.”
An old house renovated, a classic car and a song more than 60 years old combined to make this a moment in time for me.
Somehow or another, I had to find out who owned the car.
After we paid our bill and walked downstairs, the car was gone.
Dang.
I really wanted to meet the owner.
But I’ll never know, unless somehow that person or someone who recognizes the car will see this.
Until then, it remains a mysterious moment in time.
I think the lyrics from Build Me Up Buttercup are apropos: you build me up, Buttercup, baby, just to let me down.
Perry Lefko is the Content Manager of The Car Magazine. He can be reached at [email protected]. Feel free to forward any story suggestions or comments.
