No. 2: Chuck Truesdale, of Waynesfield said “the first Ford Mustang came off the line on March 9, 1964, and this one came off on April 3, 1964. He and his wife Sharon have owned it for 25 years.
No. 3: Rick Musser, of Lima, searched 10 years before finding this 1960 Chevy Impala convertible. Musser owned three Impalas during his high school years. His memories of kids piling in and going places made him ache for another one.
No. 4: Craig and Teresa Cobb, of Elida, own this 1948 Ford pickup. It is the first generation of Ford’s popular F-Series and was restored by her stepfather.
No. 5: Rick Fields, of Harrod, has owned this 1966 Chevy Nova for more than 25 years. The car is all original, with all numbers matching. He and his son, Kyle, restored the car.
No.6: David Shepherd, of Lima, owns this 1963 Oldsmobile F85 Cutlass convertible. It was “a mess” when he bought it. “A buddy and I worked on it for over a year. We just got it done in 2016,” Shepherd said.
No. 7: Lee Roof, of Ridgeway, waited more than 30 years for this 1916 Ford TT Truck. “When I was young, my dad would take me to car shows. I told my dad I wanted that truck someday. It took more than 30 years, but I got that same truck.”
No. 8: Gary Eitzman, of Napoleon, traded for this 1969 Chevy Camaro SS 36 years ago. He owned a 1969 Chevy Chevelle when he was 16, but couldn’t keep a transmission in it. Thus, he swapped cars with a friend. The Camaro ran but was in bad shape. His dad was not happy.
No. 9: Talk about standing out in a crowd of cars, this 1937 Ford Cabriolet does that and more. It was purchased by Steve and Janet Bechtel, of Belle Center, from an estate sale in Florida.
No. 10: Just like a candy apple, Clinton Sybert’s 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback is sweet. It was the first year for the 390 engine and first year for a Fastback, the Elida man said.
No. 1: Tom Purdy’s dad was a hot-rodder in the late 1940s, and his father’s love for cars was passed down to his son, who owns this 1967 Chevy Corvette convertible.
Northwest Ohio is car country. Each Saturday throughout the year, the Real Wheels feature in The Lima News spotlights one of the many classic cars across the region and shares the interesting story behind its owner’s love for the vehicle. At this end of the year, we then feature the Top 10 of Real Wheels. We asked longtime car guy Greg Tomlinson to select the best of 2020. Tomlinson is the owner of ”Tomlinson Motor Service” in downtown Lima, a business that proudly notes it has been “Keeping the Classics humming since 1922.”
