The 1939 Plymouth sedan the Chilliwack farmer bought new was the centerpiece at a family garden party celebrating the car’s 87th birthday. Photo by Submitted

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Albert Hall would have been very proud. The 1939 Plymouth sedan the Chilliwack farmer bought new was the centerpiece at a family garden party celebrating the car’s 87^th birthday. The pre-war sedan had been restored to its former glory and painted royal blue instead of the original battleship gray. ‘Uncle Ab’ was the brother of Rob Wilkinson’s grandfather. Rob was 18 years old in 1969 when he paid his great uncle Ab $25 for his well-used and rather battered Plymouth. Over the years, the old car had suffered damage, including bent running boards from being driven through cornfields and a dented front fender from a run-in with a mailbox. At some time, the car had been brush painted robin’s egg blue.

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“I found several empty wine bottles hidden under the front seat, proof the car had seen some fun in its past life,” Rob says. Rob’s father owned Wilkinson’s Towing in New Westminster. So, towing the car home was no problem. Rob got it running and drove it, even though the brakes were questionable and the car was worn out. Over the years, friends helped swap engines, hunt down parts and worked on the car. “I always say, restoring an old car takes both time and money. You rarely have both at the same time,” Rob says.

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Rob and Patty Wilkinson in the restored 1939 Plymouth that was their wedding car with best man Chris Hilliar and his wife standing by. Photo by Submitted

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When Rob and Patty decided to get married in 1976, the old Plymouth would be their wedding car. A hasty resurrection took place with Patty and her bridesmaids sewing seat covers while Rob and friends worked to make it presentable and roadworthy. All went well until the brakes failed and best man Chris Hilliar rearended the photographer’s car. Everyone survived, Rob pursued a career as an industrial designer, the couple bought a home in Coquitlam and the car went into storage in the garage for more than 30 years. That was until 2016 when Rob and Patty’s daughter Katie wanted the Plymouth for her wedding car. Rob’s brother Craig is an experienced body man/painter and took on the project to bring the Plymouth back to original condition. The old car underwent a mechanical and cosmetic rebuild in time for the wedding. Then it was used for the weddings for the couple’s two sons, Andy and Danny.