TIME CAPSULE CAR

Rip Van Winkle Buick Awakens Collector Interest

Walter Zemple of Manawa, Wis., was a careful, frugal man who lived in a home without modern utilities. However, Mr. Zemple took exceptionally good care of a 1951 Buick he owned. When he passed away last year, the black Buick Special Deluxe two-door Riviera hardtop was found in his garage, carefully perched on raised boards intended to provide airflow under the Survivor™ type vehicle. The car’s odometer showed it had traveled just 20,391 original miles. It still had what are believed to be its factory spark plugs and original tires. After getting a new battery and fluid changes, the car was found to run “just like new.”

The “Rip Van Winkle” Buick is a car that slept for most of its 59 years and for far longer than Washington Irving’s fictional protagonist, who snoozed for two decades. Walter Zemple purchased the Buick on May 25, 1951 at Waupaca Motor Sales in Waupaca, Wis. It is fully documented. Walter is the only person this car has ever been titled to. The car is now belongs to the Zemple estate and Gunner’s Great Garage has been asked to help find a serious collector who understands what a Survivor™ car is and realizes the value of this a vehicle.

The car has been appraised at $30,000 and that is the family’s current asking price. For more information or to make a serious offer on this outstanding vehicle contact John “Gunner” Gunnell at (715) 281-5925 or gunnellj@TDS.net

News