Jim Bacome, of Russells Point, purchased his 1954 Buick Riviera, recalling when he learned how to drive at the age of 14.
Lance Mihm | The Lima News
RUSSELLS POINT — Jim Bacome, of Russells Point, has vivid memories of driving his father's 1954 Buick Riviera when he was a child.
"It was how I learned how to drive," Bacome said of those days. "I was only 14, so it was illegal, but it is a sentimental thing to me."
Bacome, a lifetime car enthusiast, owns four other classic cars. However, the 1954 Buick found its way to him by pure chance.
"Six months earlier I saw the car at the auction in Auburn, Indiana," Bacome said. "I was interested in it and I took some pictures, but I didn't buy it. I then spotted it six months later on the internet with a classic car dealer in Flint, Michigan."
Bacome asked the dealer where he had got the car, and sure enough he had purchased it at the same auction that Bacome had attended. Bacome made the purchase.
"I've always been a car nut," Bacome said. "I have had a lot of cars in my life. I was looking for a 1954 or 1956 Buick because that is what my parents always had, what I learned to drive with."
Bacome said the car still has all original parts. It has been repainted to its original blue color. The interior was also redone with original materials. The very rare standard "three on the tree" transmission is still in the car. Most of the 1954 Buicks came with an automatic transmission. It is also still running on its nailhead V8 engine.
Bacome said the most far-away trip he has taken in the car was to Port Clinton for a weekend drive.
Reach Lance Mihm at 567-242-0409 or at [email protected][1]
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