Blowing new life into old things

All of Warren Stewart's collector cars have been "rescued."  None are perfect but all have been lovingly made operational and almost all eventually sold. He has owned over 150 vehicles in his lifetime (over 70 were Chevy Corvairs) and not a one of them were new.  Vehicles presently being looked after by Warren at his Stevensville home include a rare 1954 Willys Aero Lark sedan, a tired but much-loved 1954 Plymouth Savoy sedan, a 1963 Corvair Monza coupe and a 1966 Corvair Corsa convertible.

When you walk through Warren Stewart’s front door, there's little doubt you've entered the home of a real estate man. Community improvement awards and magazine articles honoring his three decades of work as a realtor, developer, and preservationist cover his walls, as do before and after photographs of historic homes that appear to have risen from the dead. 

But before you think I've changed hats from being an automotive writer to a real estate writer, let me tell you about Mr. Stewart's driveway.

I was first greeted by the prominent "W" of a 1954 Willy's Aero Lark grille. Completely rust-free and painted Notre Dame classic green, with a roof as gold as the famous dome itself, this car would be an unusual sight in any driveway. 

Beyond that were two Chevy Corvairs – a '63 coupe and a '66 convertible – that looked like they've seen a Michigan winter or two.  Then last but not least a well weathered but strikingly solid 1954 Plymouth Savoy boasting every option from overdrive to factory tinted glass.  A perfect example of the car made famous by Johnny Cash whose claim that a ’54 Savoy was the best car he ever owned prompted a national search to find him another one.



Although Warren's collection of cars isn't striking in terms of monetary value, I would come to discover they all have an interesting story and represent just a small slice of 150 interesting vehicles he's owned in his lifetime. 

Perhaps most interesting of all is the fact not one of the cars Warren Stewart has ever owned was purchased new.

I spent only two hours with Warren, but it wasn’t enough. In fact I don’t recall in my 17-year career as an auto columnist meeting someone with a more interesting history as an auto enthusiast. In some ways I consider the Lincoln Township resident to be a true Renaissance man.

Like me, Warren has a deep appreciation of automobile design, but our similarities end there. He is one of those jack-of-all-trade individuals who possess a wide variety of mechanical skills and a profound desire to put things into running order.

Starting his automotive journey in 1973, Warren bought a radical-for-its-time Corvair, the controversial rear-engine compact Chevrolet introduced in 1960. Captivated by its uniqueness and performance, he devoted himself to learning everything he could about the car.

Apparently his enthusiasm became infectious because he ended up influencing several friends to also buy Corvairs, and within a year it was nothing for him to remove an engine or replace a clutch.

Now 59 years old, Warren has blown life into more than 70 Corvairs as well as dozens of other classic cars he’s owned. His pattern is to buy cars in non-operational condition, repair them mechanically, then sell them in good running order to people who will elevate them to the next level. He says his buyers have come from all over the country, occasionally even flying here, and driving them home.

Asked if he considers himself a dealer, he replied, "I only buy cars I'd be willing to own forever, so making money on them isn't a big consideration.  In fact if I earned minimum wage for the hours I've spent reviving cars, I would easily be a millionaire. I also title all of the cars in my name and report the sales to the IRS, so there are many expenses." 

Warren believes he fills a critical gap between those who neglect cars and allow them to deteriorate, and those who buy them to restore and enjoy. After all, he says, "it's very difficult for someone who plans on investing thousands of dollars into paint, body work, and upholstery to risk buying a car that has unknown issues with gearboxes, differentials, and engines. By the time a car leaves my driveway, that risk has been eliminated."

All those cars Warren was willing to own forever have ranged from station wagons to turbo charged convertibles among the Corvairs, but Warren has also owned a large array of other interesting cars. Among them a rare 1953 Willys Aero Eagle, many Ramblers, Renaults, Pontiac and Chevy muscle cars, and even a Mini Cooper, several V-12 Jaguars, BWM’s, Fieros and a Maserati.

It would be impossible to explore all of them in detail, so instead I tried to focus on what motivates this remarkable gentleman to do what he does.

Warren grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, the famous birthplace of Ernest Hemmingway and one-time home of Bob Newhart, Betty White, McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, and the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Known mostly for its beautiful architecture and celebrity residents, the troubled atmosphere of the 60's threatened Oak Park's future and required the town to take bold steps to preserve its way of life and protect the investment of its residents. This effort saved the town from certain decline, and taught Warren at a very young age that it's important to step up and protect things of great value.

Unfortunately Warren's dad wasn't optimistic Oak Park's efforts would be successful, so he moved the family to a new cornfield subdivision 40 miles away.  Warren tells me it was a safe and happy place with good schools, but living there “was like eating food that had no flavor.”

Too young at the time to realize that no longer being surrounded by a lively community and beautiful buildings was causing a “form of malnutrition” to set in, Warren started gravitating towards exuberant old cars of the 40's and 50's to satisfy a craving for stimulation.  He liked their fancy chrome grilles and big fat round appearance, so when he turned 16 he was ready to pounce on an old Packard or Hudson.

Unfortunately, his dad wouldn't allow such a jalopy into the driveway, so they sought the advice of a neighbor who worked as a bank president during the week, but restored a Model A Ford on the weekends.  This gentlemen offered other possibilities, pointing out there were many newer classic cars worth owning.  None of the cars he named appealed to Warren until he finished his list with the words "Chevrolet Corvair".  Warren describes that moment as a religious experience, where he knew exactly what he was supposed to do next.  It made him realize that it wasn’t necessarily an old car that he longed for, but one with a truly unique personality.

Now 43 years later, Warren’s entire life seems to have followed that same thread. Stirred by very early episodes of PBS’ “This Old House” he returned to Oak Park as a young adult to restore landmark buildings and help save his hometown.  He’s also never stopped breathing life into special old cars, many that haven’t run in decades, and often nearly destroyed by neglect.  “All I want to see is a good foundation”, Warren says, “just like a good building”.

My visit with Warren concluded by him mentioning a sign he saw on a used car lot while living in Florida, that read, “Everyone Drives a Used Car”.  He added, “Everyone should learn there is no such thing as new, and there is no such thing as perfect. It's a fact of life that everything in this world other than wine is deteriorating with age. So instead of masking the aging process by buying cheaper forms of newer things, we should be investing in the highest quality we can.”

He continued, “if I can blow life into something built from quality materials that required skill and craftsmanship to create, then I have prolonged the impact those standards will have on the world. It's my way of speaking with past generations of artisans who took pride in what they created, and learning from them. Things that possess higher quality require greater amounts of time and skill to create, but the alternative is the junk that cheapens the world around us. I don't hate those who can't recognize the difference, but I have nothing to learn from them”.