Heather Wright/The Independent

Among the 143 pristine classic cars at the Oil Museum of Canada, Ron Atmore’s stands out.

The 1935 Chevrolet’s story is told inside the vehicle.

Atmore, from Brigden, bought the Chevy a decade ago. Unlike many of the classic cars at the Wells and Wheels event Saturday, the car has never been restored. And it is in remarkable shape.

“Everything is original,” says Atmore. “Well, the drive train is not,” he adds quickly saying the car can still travel the roads, hitting speeds of up to 120 km/h, although it gets “a bit wobbly at 80.”

When Atmore lifts the hood, you can see the original dark blue paint. “At some point in its life, they painted it, I think, with house paint.”

The previous owners had kept meticulous records of the car. Atmore knows the first owner’s name – Walter B. Kelly – and there is a photo of him with a small child in front of the car.

Atmore also has his insurance policy from the Railway Passengers Assurance Company which tells part of the story of Kelly’s life. 

The 29-year-old was a draughtsman at Imperial Oil, for example. The car cost him $780. The insurance policy cost him $31 a year.

While he didn’t have it on display at the Oil Springs car show, Atmore says the last ownership Atmore has was from 1956.

The car also came with some of the original bills for repair work on the car. Atmore photocopied them and his wife papered the interior of the vehicle with them.

The Chevy draws attention wherever it goes. It even caught the eye of one of the former owner’s granddaughters at a car show about 10 years ago. 

She recognized her grandfather’s handwriting. The pair talked and made plans for the elderly man to go for a ride. 

But he passed away before that could happen.  

Instead, Atmore was happy to be part of the funeral procession.

The Brigden man is still hopeful more of the car’s story can be uncovered. The granddaughter says the original 1935 licence plates are somewhere in the family’s collection, and has promised them to Atmore when they’re found.

He’ll be glad to add it to the story. “The story is worth more than the car.”