THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 27, 1997 TAG: 9701260314
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR
STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 85 lines
THE 1959 CHEVROLET Parkwood station wagon is considered by many Chevy enthusiasts to be the ugly duckling of the decade, but don't tell that to Leola Holstein.
To her, the 16-foot-long, clunky-looking piece of turquoise and white chrome and metal is nothing less than a beautiful swan. Sure, it's less glamorous than those fancy Chevy convertibles of that era, but like the motto says, the machine was built to last.
So was Mrs. Holstein, who turned 100 yesterday. And it seemed only fitting that the family matriarch be driven to her birthday celebration at Tandom's Pine Tree Inn in the beloved vehicle that gave her so much pleasure.
``I think more of that old car than anything,'' said the spirited centenarian, who has two daughters, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Her husband, Charles, died in 1981. ``I bought it because I liked the color and everything about it.
``They don't make anything like they used to,'' she added with a derisive snort. ``I've seen new cars with paint falling off in six months.''
Mrs. Holstein's vision is nearly gone, but she can recall every detail of her '59 Chevy right down to the twin hood ornaments and the $2,800 sticker price. The wagon was used for long trips to visit grandchildren and for when they came to see her in Jacksonville, Fla., her hometown. Whenever she pulled into gasoline stations, recalled Mrs. Holstein, many admiring attendants offered to buy the vehicle on the spot.
``But I wouldn't sell it to anybody for any money,'' said Mrs. Holstein, who has lived in her own home in Virginia Beach for eight years to be close to daughter Barbara O'Brien.
Grandson Chuck O'Brien of Maryland inherited the car in 1987 and promptly dubbed it ``Leaping Leola.'' Barbara O'Brien laughingly said it's also called ``Leadfoot Leola'' because of the way her mother drove. Chuck O'Brien, a bookstore owner, keeps the gleaming vehicle in his garage and only takes it out for special jaunts like this trip to Virginia Beach.
After all, the wagon gets maybe 12 miles to the gallon, O'Brien pointed out as he helped ``Grandmom'' into the passenger side. O'Brien added seat belts and had to replace the speedometer (the mileage is somewhere around 78,000, he said). Other than that, everything else in or on the car is original.
``I've had a lot of fun with it - every time I drive it around, I get a lot of thumbs up,'' he said, maneuvering the monstrous vehicle down First Colonial Road as his grandmother sat next to him on the flat, vinyl-covered bench seat. That was from pre-lumbar-support days, as his aching back testified Friday when he drove down from Maryland.
``Unfortunately, the car is worth more as an oddity than for any money,'' said O'Brien. ``It's probably worth $6,000 or $7,000. It's a wagon from an unpopular year.''
Actually, that's just his opinion. According to Tim Maguire, a member of the Virginia Chevy Lovers Club, the years from 1955 to 1964 are very popular for Chevy collectors, even those massive station wagons. That's because they're ``good, strong muscle cars'' and are cheap to restore, he said.
Chevy produced 1.4 million cars in 1959, but very few of the station wagons, including three other models, exist today.
``Since it's an original-owner car, it might be worth more,'' Maguire said. ``Of all the car shows I've been to, I haven't seen any wagons like that. There are few to be had.''
Don't even try to offer Mrs. Holstein - or her grandson - any money for Leaping Leola. It's not for sale. She gave the car to Chuck O'Brien with the stipulation that it not leave his hands. And it won't, he vows.
``If I make it to 100, I'll have 60 more years of driving it, right, Grandmom?'' he said as they pulled into the parking lot of Tandom's Pine Tree Inn, where the rest of the family waited.
``That's right, son,'' she replied.
Mrs. Holstein reluctantly stopped driving at age 80 because of her failing vision but still yearns to sit behind that gigantic steering wheel. Incidentally, Mrs. Holstein credits her long life to good genes (her parents lived into their 90s), because she loves eating fatty foods and worries about something all of the time.
``I sure do miss driving,'' she said wistfully. ``I used to drive everywhere. But I don't need one now. I know Chuck takes good care of it.'' ILLUSTRATION: VICKI CRONIS
The Virginian-Pilot
Leola Holstein gets a hug from grandson Chuck O'Brien on the way to
celebrate her 100th birthday. They rode in the 1959 Chevy station
wagon she drove for years before giving it to him.
``I think more of that old car than anything,'' said Mrs. Holstein.
``I bought it because I liked the color and everything about it.''
KEYWORDS: CENTENARIAN