June is for Dads – and Sharing their
Love of Antique Cars

Tending our vineyard and developing our new wine brand, Ammons Horn Wines, seems to be all consuming these days.  However, with the COVID-19 pandemic winding down, I now can find some time to focus on our antique car.  I feel guilty that I have not driven this beautiful car, at least since the beginning of the pandemic.  When my father Ed McGlochlin passed away in 2014, I inherited his 1941 Buick Super 8, and I am still learning how to take care of it. I love taking this royal blue and silver pre-war sedan out for a drive along the back roads of the Carneros or touring this car through the Napa Valley and visiting other wineries with my “gal pals”.

I was hoping to take this car out for a drive on Father’s Day, but there is a common problem that antique car owners share; if you do not drive your antique car frequently, then it may not start.  That is what happened to me.  Since March 2020, when Californians were asked to shelter in place due to COVID, this car has just been gathering dust in our garage.  Usually if I do not drive the car for a while, the problem is a dead battery.  Thanks to my brother Bruce for determining a faulty electrical connection to the fuel pump was the problem, not the battery.  The car is now dazzling clean again and I can resume puttering around the Napa Valley

Growing up in Carmel Valley, California, my dad (a mechanic and auto repair business owner) was always restoring antique cars.  He must have owned/restored 10 antique cars, most 1920s or older.  When he bought this 1941 Buick, I teased him that it looked like an art deco toaster.  Little did I realize how easy this car is to drive and comfortable.  Yes, it is a tank… and it does not corner like my BMW, so I need to slow down around those sharp corners.  It has an elegant interior and shiny exterior chrome details that are in art deco style all very typical of its 1941 vintage. It still has the “Roosevelt for President” sticker in the back window.

In the early 2000s, my parents drove this vehicle on a road tour of Route 66 from California to Chicago with other old car enthusiasts.  Aside from having no air conditioning, the Buick ran like a champ.  If only I had known how easy this car was to drive, then I would have driven my dad around in it when he was older and could no longer drive.  That is if he would have let me drive it.

My husband and I hope to have some special events on our property starting this fall. One of the events we are planning will be an old car themed event so we can share our love of antique cars with other old car buffs. Of course, we will serve our award-winning wines during the event. Dad, wish you were here!