Wednesday September 4, 2024
Dear automotive enthusiasts, restorers, collectors, and investors,
I have been a collector of brass-era automobiles and have had a great interest in their restoration and preservation for many years. Given my passion for these early relics, being a member of the Horseless Carriage Club of America was, and still is, extremely important. In 2002, I planned a trip from Providence, RI, to Pasadena, CA, to visit my good friend, car enthusiast, and restorer, Loren Burch. I timed the trip to coincide with the HCCA swap meet in Bakersfield, approximately 115 miles from Pasadena. The Bakersfield swap meet is one of the best in the country for finding parts or complete early brass cars and other intriguing objects, and it is a great opportunity to connect with like-minded people from across the country. Attending is a must for any member of this esteemed club.
During my visit, Loren introduced me to an incredible man named Bob Trepanier, who owned a radiator shop and a residence that housed one of the most remarkable collections of antiques and rare collectibles I have ever seen. One had to plot a course to navigate through the narrow aisles of rare antiques stacked to the ceilings. Bob told me he began collecting these rare items as a child and never sold anything. He had built a lucrative business renting these items to motion picture companies in Southern California. Not far from this location, I visited his radiator repair business, where he stored vehicles used in movies produced during the 1950s and 1960s.
Upon exiting the building, I discovered the most incredible-looking tall double-decker bus, partially hidden by a maze of vines and trees, appearing to have sat for many years. On closer inspection, it was clear that this beautiful relic had deteriorated to such an extent that removing and transporting it across the country would be an enormous undertaking. Restoring it might be possible but impractical for most people. However, as evidenced by the 1911 Osgood Bradley Trolley in my PROJECTS section on my website, dickshappyclassiccars.com, I am not an ordinary person. We will save that story for a different newsletter. Bob noticed my keen interest in the bus, and I remember him saying, "You want it? You can have it." At the time, I seriously considered taking on this monumental project but ultimately decided to move on and forget about it.
Approximately eight or nine years later, during another trip to Pasadena and Bakersfield, I asked Loren if he knew what had happened to the old bus, as I had learned that old Bob Trepanier had passed away. We discovered that the bus had caught the eye of a gentleman from Washington State named Bob Sullivan, and a complete restoration was currently underway. I had previously worked with Bob Sullivan on other early projects, so it was easy to contact him and inquire about the early bus he had purchased years before from behind the radiator shop near Pasadena.
Over the years, I had many conversations with Bob on various topics, and the subject of the bus frequently came up. Around mid-June of this year, I received a call from Bob, who stated that after many years of financing and coordinating the restoration of the bus, he had become frustrated with the project. However, due to his interest in seeing the preservation of this early relic completed, he decided to transfer ownership to me at a considerable loss. You might say he made me an offer that was just too difficult to refuse.
My friend Corky Coker recommended a group of haulers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with whom he had a good relationship. I contacted them, and less than a week later, the 1926 Yellow Coach Bus arrived in Providence and now sits alongside the early Osgood Bradley Trolley. The restoration has begun!
