CLASSIC CARS
DAVE WOOLLEY
Worth every Minute
Some people say patience is a virtue. But a restoration that takes 25 years? Was
it worth it? You bet it was for Ken Gervais of Gervais
Towing. Back in 1976 he bought a rusty old 1941
Lincoln Zephyr Convertible in St. Catherine’s, Ont. He and his buddies, Norm Waghorn and Wayne Crabtree, started the long road to perfection − with many obstacles along the way.
The restoration process continued, and
25 years later, in 2001, the car was just about finished. Ken had the car appraised and it was determined that it is an 86.6 “point” car. Very few cars attain a 100-point status, but with a few upgrades on the deficiencies, Gervais is expecting it to reach 97 “point” car status this June. Some of the car’s deficiencies were: a
slight under-inflation in the spare tire; a gauge calibrated slightly off-perfect; a back-bumper bracket a little off-centre; paint stripes on the wheels missing; and a slight ping in the motor from the lifters. All these, with the exception of the motor,
were tiny adjustments. So the major issue, the motor, started a search six months ago for a 1941 Lincoln Zephyr V-12 motor. It was found recently and has since arrived in Ottawa waiting to be installed. This car has been repainted in its original
10 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
colour of Darien Blue Metallic. I offered to buy the Lincoln from Ken, and when we negotiated back and forth, and brought the difference between my offering and his asking to a mere $100,000, it really confirmed to me what a special car this is. We’ll be watching it at many cruise nights in Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley this summer. Ken started his vehicle restorations in
1973, when he bought a beautiful 1939 Mercury Club Coupe the first year Mercury made a coupe. The restoration took 16 years (1973- 1989) because he was working on two major
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