By Dyane Hendricks

Mark Andermahr getting out of his Willys race car. Photo credit: Dyane Hendricks.

The garage at Solar Universe in Half Moon Bay contains a bounty of vintage race cars, as well as motorcycles, a canoe and even a Volkswagen Beetle converted into an electric car. Owner Paul James believes classic vehicles should be saved from wrecking-ball fates and restored to their original glory.

“I do the rebuilding and engine assembly,” said James. His interest in rebuilding cars began when he was in high school. Watching the Trans Am races in Monterey, he became devoted to vintage race cars.

His prized Allard, a frequent exhibit in the Pacific Coast Dream Machines, features an aluminum and wood coach body that sits on a 1940s Ford frame with a V8 engine. English manufacturer Sydney produced the race cars from 1936 until 1940 when the company made parts for Ford trucks during World War II.

The 1976 Jaguar that has seen time in the La Carrera Panamericana race in Mexico came into his garage by way of Bob Senz and his son, Neil.

Paul James and his Allard racer. Photo credit: Dyane Hendricks.

Bob Senz, Dream Machines founder, has a simple philosophy about these motorized works of art. “You got it, you should drive it,” he said. Remodeled classics should be seen by everyone and not hidden away. Currently with an empty garage, Senz sells vehicles he might have spent years rebuilding. He works on anything that interests him, including a 1989 Webster engine that pumped water for one Thelma Keys. Keys, still driving her Ford Thunderbird while in her 80s, asked Senz to come to Pescadero to see if the Webster could be fixed. Senz, fascinated, was able to repair the fabulous engine when Keys supplied him with the original documentation still intact. Senz has also rebuilt boats and planes, and in 2008 completed a seven-year project restoring a 1931 Aeronica.

Bob Pelikan, Dream Machines co-chairman, has rebuilt planes but prefers hot rods and roasters. In the past five years he has completed a 1932 Ford roadster hotrod, a 1951 Buick Riviera and a 1931 Buick Victoria. Stopping at gas stations on the road to Michigan, Pelikan found himself in conversations about the roadster. “A guy would come out and talk about how this reminds him of his father’s first car,” Pelikan said.

Bob Pelikan’s 1931 Buick Victoria, one of only 22 of these cars in the world. Photo credit: Allen Furst.

With all the comforts of late-model cars, including air conditioning and cruise control, the Victoria is Pelikan’s favorite; he notes that only 2,000 were made. His own creation is a Rotohak motorcycle with the engine in the Mazda sidecar.

There are dozens of reasons why anyone puts time and energy into rebuilding vintage vehicles. Hank Marsh has his own reasons. “It’s just plain fun,” said the El Granada resident. His recent projects include a 1934 Model T roadster, a 1934 Ford and a 1931 Ford two-door sedan; he’s currently working on a 1939 Chevrolet. Most of his life Marsh worked on cars, but he also rebuilt commercial fishing boats. Discovering he was not a sailor, Marsh returned to his first love. “That,” he said, “is what it’s about. Enjoying what you’re doing.”

Mark Andermahr, known for his Half Moon Bay Bakery, certainly enjoyed rebuilding his five vehicles, but admits that his favorites are the two Willys race cars occupying his garage now. He first encountered the classic coupe while in high school and attending car shows and races. He determined then that one day he would own his own. While he has done some improvement to all his cars, his current project is a 1953 model, which will be “the one that I’m going to rebuild my way.” He expects to spend two to three years completing the remodeling job.

The universal requirement for rebuilding cars, vintage or otherwise, is patience. “I’ve picked up a lot of projects that other people just couldn’t finish,” said Marsh.

Car clubs and the Internet offer a wealth of information of information, said James.

“Know what you’re going to do with the car when it’s done,” advised Senz. “You should have the time and wherewithal to finish it. Make sure that it doesn’t own your life.” Pelikan agreed. “I have to make a conscious effort to remember that I have a wife. Keep a balance, don’t go off the deep end,” he said.

This article is dedicated to the memory of George T. Hendricks, who believed that cars, like cats, have nine lives.