A piece of history is making its way from Martinsville to Blacksburg’s new World War II Museum of the New River Valley for a special Pearl Harbor-related exhibit.
A 1939 Buick Model 46C will be one of the museum’s featured attractions this Sunday, in honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. The car, according to owner and Martinsville resident A.C. Wilson, was one of the few parked at the docks of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, that made it through the bombings largely unscathed.
“It was a small miracle,” Wilson said as he described the car’s proximity to the devastation that would become one of America’s most infamous events. “Most of everything on Dock C was destroyed along with the tremendous bombings of the Arizona and all those ships. The Buick survived unscathed.”
At the time, the Buick was owned by Mary Barton, a family member of its current owner and the wife of a service member during WWII.
When the smoke cleared, the Buick was, for the most part, still intact despite being surrounded by devastation. After the car was driven for decades, including a cross-country trip from California to Virginia, Wilson purchased it for $300.
The wear and tear was greater than the damage it had sustained from the bombings.
“When I got it, groundhogs had been living in it,” Wilson said. “The roof was caved in. It was hardly recognizable.”
It took more than $100,000 for a North Carolina shop to rehabilitate the car to pristine condition.
“He lifted the body off of the frame and sandblasted the frame,” Wilson said. “Then they took the body apart. There was not much rust on it but each part had to be removed and repainted. The engine had to be redone and the drivetrain had to be redone.”
The car’s renovation revealed parts that were typical of Buick models of that era, including headlights that hadn’t been newly manufactured in decades.
A year after the car’s rehabilitation, in 1994, the car took one of the top spots at a Buick expo in Pennsylvania, where it was judged on its condition and the authenticity of its parts. Today, the car remains in good condition thanks to the effort of its owner.
“If I were to guess, from brand new to now, it’s had about 400,000 miles,” Wilson said, adding that he keeps the car in climate-controlled storage in Martinsville.
Wilson said he is looking forward to the exhibit, adding that the museum is a beautiful addition to the Blacksburg community. His friend, Martinsville resident Neal Bowman, talked him into including the car in the upcoming exhibit.
“I just had the idea that the car should be displayed,” Bowman said. “One Sunday morning I saw a news report about the museum opening. I remembered Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day was coming up … and I thought it would be a good display for that museum.”
The Buick will be on display for special hours this Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
The museum’s normal operating hours are 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. The museum is closed Sundays and Mondays.