Creek of Dreams – One Car’s Story from the Dallas Mecum Auction

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Dallas 2023 Mecum Auction at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (my first-ever car auction). Now, I’m an antiques and collectibles kind of girl. My tastes tend to run to mid-century swung vases rather than vintage automobiles (although I am a sucker for a candy apple red ’64 Mustang).

However, I have to say, thanks to Mecum Auctions, I am reliving the massive girl crush I had on muscle cars during my high school years. The moment I walked onto the convention floor, my senses were assaulted with vehicle visuals. I have never seen so many gorgeous cars gathered in one (large) area. As I wandered through the convention center, I was sure that I had dropped my jaw somewhere close to the entry. There was automotive eye candy in every direction. It was actually quite heady.

When I was a teen, many of my friends had muscle cars (although I don’t remember that we called them such). Here I was, surrounded by the vehicles of my youth, and it was fabulous. 

When the auction started, I found a spectacular seat, where I watched the cars crossing the auction block for some time. One of the early cars to cross the block was a breathtakingly colorful Chevy Camaro Z28. My high school crush drove a Camaro Z28. Well, obviously, I had to get a photo (and post it).

It didn’t take long for me to acquire some friendly seatmates. They gave me a bit of auction-schooling (the meaning of “the bid goes on,” etc.) and told me about some of the cars they’d seen on their initial walkabout. They told me a tale about a particular car (and the gentlemen who had restored it). It seems that there was a beautifully restored 1969 Dodge Charger R/T with an interesting background story, so I decided to go see it myself.

I wandered down the rows of cars, continuously reminding myself that I was on a mission and that I couldn’t dawdle. I found Weylan McAnally and Lucio Gonzales standing next to their immaculately restored Dodge Charger. I gave them the short version of my seatmates’ story and asked if they’d mind elaborating on how they came to find the car.

According to Lucio Gonzales, he had found the car a few years ago, sitting in a field next to a creek. Apparently, the person who owned the car had quite a few vehicles sitting in this particular pasture. During the rainy season, the creek would fill up and overflow its banks a good ten feet. As the creek flooded almost yearly, the car slowly made its way closer and closer to the creek bottom. The car would be partially underwater until the creek receded and then dry for most of the summer months. The only thing that stopped the car from total immersion in the creek was a lone tree. The driver’s side front quarter panel was wedged against the tree, preventing it from moving into the creek completely.

The car had experienced quite the life before it ended up in a waterlogged pasture. In one incarnation, it was used for drag racing. The seats and console had been removed. It had been haphazardly sprayed with B7 Blue, and the rear racing stripe had been painted on (rather than decal application). At some point, it ended up in the pasture until the owner passed away. Gonzales and McAnally then purchased the car. It was securely jammed into its spot and surrounded by more trees. McAnally told me, “It took us an hour on a tractor, not rolling it out, but dragging it out. Dragging it through this woman’s lawn—destroying her backyard.” I doubt she was terribly happy with that turn of events.

According to Gonzales, they’d rebuilt nearly the entire car. The interior was destroyed, and the exterior didn’t fare much better. Rust was prevalent, and the car was rife with dents and dings. McAnally told me that he nearly drove Gonzales crazy. Every time Gonzales pronounced the car finished, McAnally found something else that needed to be done.

Gonzales owns a shop where he does this sort of work for a living. According to him, he is the big project guy. He did the bodywork, installed AC and anything computer-related, and got the car running. McAnally is good with smaller jobs, like building the grill and dash. The two friends routinely restore vintage cars and told me that they have a ‘Cuda and a Chevelle that will be out at the Texas Motor Speedway from September 29^th – October 1^st, 2023.

I’m sure that there are many fascinating vintage car acquisition stories out there to be heard. Guess I’ll have to drag myself out to another auction or car show so that I can hear them. Oh, the pain…

– Kele Johnson is the Digital Content Editor of the Collectibles Group at AIM Media. She has a fondness for mid-century ceramics, glass, and atomic design, walking a thin line between collector and hoarder. She has never met a swung vase, Tiki mug, or Shag print she didn’t want to add to her cache. She is also, apparently, a closet muscle car fanatic. Who knew? Kele has been researching, writing, and editing in the collectibles field for several years. Reach her at kelejohnson@aimmedia.com.

If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

Want a taste of Old Cars magazine first? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter and get a FREE complimentary digital issue download of our print magazine.

Old Cars Weekly