Everyday is a good one in the south, but Monday was another special occasion on Chestnut Street. Dan Haugh discovered that special car(1915 Locomobile) owned by his wife’s grandfather had landed here at Coker Tire Company. He found the car’s pictures on our website and started the dialog with Jessica White about setting up a little reunion. The reunion turned into surprising his wife, as the car was the one they rode away in on their wedding day years ago.
What made the day even more special was that Dan had located the car’s original owners manual and presented it to Corky Coker. The car was owned by her grandfather from the 1950s through the 1980s before it hopped a few garages over to our house. Dan and Jay to their special ride in the Locomobile in 1983 and that was reason enough to hop a plane from Kansas to pay the car and us a visit. Dan brought a pile of documentation as well as the manual of the car with him. It was as cool a car moment as you ever see! They toured our headquarters, took a ride in the Locomobile and our Nyberg Speedster while they were here. Jay said that here grandfather’s car couldn’t have found a better home and we couldn’t agree more!
November 18th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
What wonderful pictures and what a surprise to see that car again.
November 18th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I was fortunate to meet Dan Haugh a few weeks ago and he shared this story with me before it happened. He also showed me the highly detailed owners manual. I didn’t think that attention to detail was important in 1915. Was I wrong! The owner’s manual for this 1915 Locomobile is a testimony to strict maintenance and attention to details. I was happy to learn that Dan and his wife made the trip to Tennessee and had this reunion. What a great story for automobile historians involved with AACA.
November 18th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Thanks to everyone at Coker Tires for the Southern hospitality that was extended to us — a truly memorable day, and full of surprises not just for Jay, but for me as well. I thought I had gone to heaven…..or close to it anyway. A special thanks to Jessica White for her efforts to keeping two surprises a secret — one for Jay, and the other, a surprise gift of the Locomobile Operating Instructions manual to Corky, with the historical information of the car’s two restorations over a sixty year time period. Those gifts were provided by Mr Gene McLaughlin who had kept them in a cabinet for 25 years. He witnessed both the restorations in the late 1950s and 1960s, and had valuable first hand information to help clarify the hundreds of questions I had regarding the providence of the vehicle. A special thanks to him for preserving, and enabling transfer of that knowledge to the Coker family.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:02 am
A fabulous car!!! Fabulous pictures!!!