Imagine driving down the road and seeing a car that you abandoned years ago during your honeymoon. That’s what happened to Ernie McNaughton, who took a trip down memory lane by restoring his 1937 Lincoln Zephyr. He was in Oliver recently as part of a road trip with the Vintage Car Club of Canada (Kamloops chapter). It took McNaughton 30 years to restore the car, which was stripped to the bone when he found it in some bushes on the side of the road.
Lyonel Doherty photo
There’s a story behind every car, and for Ernie McNaughton, this tale of love stands the test of time.
It was 1956 when McNaughton was on his honeymoon, driving a 1937 Lincoln Zephyr on a highway near Kamloops. Although cupid was firing on all cylinders, the Lincoln wasn’t; the engine seized up, leaving McNaughton and his new bride stranded on the side of the road. They had no choice but to abandon it and catch a bus home.
Fast forward 20 years . . . McNaughton and his wife were driving along when they noticed a pile of cars in some bushes, not far from where they abandoned the Zephyr two decades earlier. Upon closer inspection, they discovered the old girl, now part of God’s earth and stripped to the bone.
McNaughton dragged her home and then began the arduous task of obtaining Lincoln Zephyr parts in order to rebuild the car, which took him 30 years. (He was a member of the Vintage Car Club of Canada that recently stopped at the Oliver Visitor Centre for a showing of classics.)
But there was one nagging question: Why didn’t McNaughton go back to recover the Lincoln after the honeymoon? “I was 18 years old. Who needs an old car that doesn’t run. I only paid $100 for it.”
McNaughton said there are very few Zephyrs left in the world, so he’s glad that he decided to restore it.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
