Lilydale man restores vintage vehicle his family has owned for 75 years and counting

LILYDALE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Many families have a prized possession that is handed down from one generation to the next. But Bob Pollmann's family heirloom is a classic car he has restored to its former glory.

"Kind of exciting. It brings back a lot of memories from the olden days when I used to drive it, so it's fun," said Pollmann.

The 82-year-old Lilydale resident says his father bought the Chrysler New Yorker back in 1948 and Pollmann drove it through high school and college in the 50s and early 60s. The car then sat in a storage shed on his family's farm in Nebraska for more than 50 years, until 2016, when Pollmann and his son decided to bring it to Minnesota and fix it up.

"My dad said before he passed away that he wanted to keep the car in the family. And my son said that he was interested in it and my grandson is interested in it. So it'll be something for them to cherish for a long time," said Pollmann.

Bob Pollmann's family heirloom is a classic car he has restored to its former glory (FOX 9)

It took about three years for an auto repair shop in Dayton to strip the Chrysler down to its chassis and rebuild it, piece by piece.

The car has many old-school elements like white wall tires, a period-appropriate interior, and the original engine, with modern touches like fuel injection.

The vintage vehicle also has LED headlights and a stereo with Bluetooth, all of which impressed a recent appraiser.

"He said there isn't another one like it and he said this car should be in the Chrysler Museum in Detroit," said Pollmann.

"It doesn't have power steering. It doesn't have air conditioning. It doesn't have power brakes. So you have to watch it when you're driving. It doesn't stop as quickly as the cars do today, but otherwise, it drives real nice," said Pollmann.

Pollmann takes his passion project out for a spin every couple of weeks and has even entered it in a few car shows.

And just like the car was passed down to him,  he hopes his descendants have no plans to put it in the rearview mirror for another 75 years.

"Makes me proud to have this car restored like this," said Pollmann.