Day two of Street Fair welcomes classic cars and their enthusiasts to downtown Bluffton
By SYDNEY KENT
Decades of love and dedication led to the restoration of a stunning red 1939 Ford Deluxe Convertible in the Bluffton Street Fair car show.
The owner of the car, a gentleman from Auburn named Marvin Mok, shared the enchanting story of a man who envisioned beauty beneath years of dust and ashes.
One Friday afternoon, a construction worker found the body of a ’39 Ford in the basement of a building that was set to be demolished. He went out on a limb and asked if he could have it.
To his surprise and delight, the owner agreed with one caveat: The car needed to be moved before demolition on Monday — demolition day. Two days later, a hole was blown through the basement wall to collect the body of the vehicle. The wheels started turning.
Over the years, he collected parts for the car intending to restore it to its original glory. A left or rear fender here, a new hood there, some side railings, grills — the list went on. By the age of 91, he had accumulated a significant portion of parts. Sadly, he never got around to building his dream car.
Mok bought the body of the car, and all of its parts, with a dream of his own. He said he felt a little guilty for this at first as he informed the man of his plans. Mok had always admired the beautiful aesthetic of a classic car, however, he wanted a street rod beneath the hood.
“I told him I could deeply appreciate the original aspect,” Mok recounted. “But I wanted to build it like a street rod, like how I believe Henry Ford should have built it. I told him this and — he got silent for a moment.”
Mok paused to collect himself as tears welled at the memory.
“He told me he could not achieve his dream with the car,” Mok finished. “But he said there was no reason that I couldn’t achieve mine.”
With his blessing, Mok faithfully pieced together the car of his dreams. The process took nearly a decade.
“When I got it, the floor was gone completely,” Mok said. “The body had rusted and it was a lot of work. It took three trailer loads just to collect all the parts he accumulated.”
“It’s so fun to drive,” Mok added with a grin. “It has an all-modern chassis, a six-speed transmission. I wanted modern running gear housed in a classic Ford built in 1939 and that’s what I built.”
Attendees of the car show at the Bluffton Street Fair flocked to the car. Mok had an excited sidekick with him at the show Wednesday — his son, Caiden. Caiden squeezed between the visitors for hugs from his dad on occasion, an interruption Mok welcomed with open arms.
On the fourth round of viewing the many rows of classic cars between Cherry and Wiley streets, Mok was finally down to one conversation with a curious car enthusiast.
“The color is beautiful. I’m not sure what it is. It’s almost a candy apple, yet sort of metallic red,” the car enthusiast pondered. “Either way, that is a million-dollar paint job!”
“I wanted a timeless classic,’ Mok smiled. “I wanted it to look as good in 20 years as the day I finished it. This truly is my dream car.”
sydney@news-banner.com
