When George Munro first encountered the 1940 Lincoln Zephyr Club Coupe, he saw potential where others only saw a shell sitting under a tree in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He had been looking for a Lincoln restoration project, and a vehicle missing its fenders, doors and hood, with only half of an engine, certainly was that.
You have to understand that George had been looking for that special car since 1957. He'd started out seeking a similar vehicle that could replace his 1941 Lincoln four-door sedan, but had become taken with the Club Coupe's styling after seeing a photo of one. Since he knew what the vehicle could become, George decided to challenge himself to turn a pile of parts back into a fully-restored vehicle. He succeeded, after two attempts that took 17 years.
George was still working as a long-haul truck driver when he first undertook the project, leaving him only weekends and vacations to work on the Club Coupe. He slowly took the vehicle apart and collected parts as he could find them. The process quickened once he acquired the original specs from the Lincoln archives and was able to begin restoring the vehicle to original factory settings – down to even the most minor details.
Unfortunately, 12 years of progress was lost after a fire consumed George's home and garage. The Club Coupe had miraculously remained mostly intact, though he'd lost all of progress with the upholstery, brake work and engine parts.
“When you look in and see what’s supposed to look like (a car), and it’s only this high off the floor, it’s a little discouraging,” George stated, while gesturing at knee level. “But you go in there, and you dump it in a dump truck, and dry away your tears — and you keep going.”
George spent another five years on the restoration. In August 2015, he finally put the finishing touches on the car and could share his handiwork. He's since driven the Club Coupe to five Lincoln owner's club meetings, including one in far-away Michigan. George describes the car's ride as "…like sitting in your living room."
Over the years, George has owned many cars, fixing them up, selling them and then moving on to the next. However, he's long decided that the Club Coupe is a keeper.
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