The Only Car Ever Made to Honor God

On this episode of Our American Stories, Barry Meguiar, CEO of Meguiar's, set out to buy a 1901 automobile simply because it matched the founding year of his family's company. What he discovered after the auction surprised even one of the world's foremost car collectors.

Barry shares the remarkable story of the rare Duryea brother's automobile he believes is the only car ever made to honor God, and how its history has given him an unexpected way to share his faith.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib, and this is our American Stories,
and we tell stories about everything here on this show,
from the arts to sports, and from history to business.
Today's feature is from Barry McGuire, the CEO of his
third generation family company, McGuire's, which is the largest car
care products company in the country. He told us about

(00:31):
purchasing his favorite car, one that he was trying to
buy just because he wanted a car from the same
year that his family's company was founded, nineteen oh one.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
So I found this nineteen oh one car auction. They
have these cost car acts. They sell nothing at old cars.
That's why I'll be next week. I'll be it the
same where about this And there's several other auctions going
on at the same time. They're huge, probably one hundred
and fifty million dollars worth of cars. We sold this week.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
In Scottsdale, hundred and sixty for over there now for
I told them one hundred and sixty three and a half.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
It's a crazy it's a crazy marketplace. So I saw
this as a boucher and I decided I'd like to
get it. And I was at another auction and friends
that were at the auction this was, I said, would
you buy it for you? But here's my livement. I
only go over this amount. So by the time I
get there, they just bought the car, and they paid
more than I wanted it for it, fortunately, because I
wouldn't have bought it. The number one car collector in

(01:32):
the world is a guy named Wet Lowman. He has
the Lowman Museum. It's on the grounds of the Queen
in the Hague in Holland. The collection itself and the
cars and the building probably worth a billion dollars. This guy,
he knows every He is the expert on collector cars.
He could buy anything he wants, and he had picked

(01:55):
out this cars one he wanted to buy. And it
turned out that when he went in to buy it
and just got off the block, he just kissed it.
I got it. He would have bid me he would
have got but I got it. So it comes out
he says, who bought this car? They said, Barry. He
looked at me and he said, he knows I'm in
these kind of cars. I'm not in a seat car,

(02:17):
said Barry, you bought this car. Yeah, and he's looking
at he says, oh, I'm so jealous. Well, this is hilarious.
He could buy this with pocket change. I mean, this
is a nothing car. He's got cars are worth twenty
whatever million dollars. He know, he said, I had this car,

(02:39):
but it's not correct. This one's correct. We have since
taken this car completely your part and they talk about
numbers matching. This is the real deal. This is all
nineteen oh one stuff. The numbers is in all the parts.
Everything in this car is original, which makes it a
very special car. He says, I have one, but it's
not correct. He's gonna take pictures. I'll make some of

(03:01):
these carts. I said, of course. So he says, So
you know about this car, is it's a dryer. I'm
thinking made in France or something. I don't know. I
just one hand a nineteen o one car, he says,
you know what has three cylinders. Now, this guy's taller
than me, and he's the most passion car drivers. He's
an elder. He's he's just I mean, the guy his

(03:24):
presentation is just I love the way he talks. I
did a TV show with every car in the collection.
This car, it just it just makes my heart patterns
every car in the collection he talks about. So personally
involved with it, so he's really we get the idea. He's,
you know why this car has three cylinders. I mean,

(03:44):
you don't have three celders, you have two four six
because of vibrations and stuff and bounds. You don't have
a three cylinder car. You know why this car has
three cylinders? Here? He said, oh, you know why this
car has three cylinders. I said, no, what you don't
know why three selling? I said no. He said, well,
you know they're Christians, and he knows I'm a Christian.

(04:10):
He's not a Christian. He's a collection with all this knowledge.
He said, well, you know they're Christians. I said, who?
He says, the Dirry Brothers. Oh God. Turns out the
Dry Brothers created the first American car, gas powered car
in eighteen hundreds eighteen eighty six. They created the first

(04:33):
production car. They're the first time they ever make a
second car like the first car. So they have the
records the first production car, they have the record winning
the first autobile race. I mean, there's all kinds of history.
I don know as anyway, he's sorry, you know they're Christians.
I said, who? He says, the Dirry Ay Brothers. But
Dirry brothers. He says, yeah, he's In fact, they called
themselves trinitarians. Are you are you? Yeah, he says, And

(04:59):
look at that, he says, you know when there's a
fish on the side right, Well, I had looked at
that and I thought, that is the dumbest thing in
the world. Why would anybody car a fish into a car?
I mean, that just doesn't make any sense. I just
I'll buy it. I would like it. Why that? I
just do you know why the chish on the side
of the car. Well, it was art. Everything was art,

(05:20):
so they put this, here's the whole tail to fish
right elegantly. He says, you know why they put the
fish in the side of the car. And I said,
he are very He said the sign of the fish
the early Christians. Are you kidding me? He says. He
comes over and he says, do you not know this
is the only car ever made to honor God? And

(05:47):
I got it. I owed it. I mean, can you
believe it? So I always look in ways to talk
about God and in my car guy situation. So every
chance I get, they always want to know what kind
of cars have it? I got one car. She's really

(06:07):
instant and I tell him this story. What have I
just done? I just told there is a God who
works miracles. That's central to my life. And I didn't
offend anybody. You know, you find ways to share your
faith for you don't come to anybody. I think there's

(06:29):
about twenty of them in existence, and I think there's
only two or three that are running, but none of them.
But that don't like that.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
And great job Tomanti who helped us for the piece.
And thanks also to Barry maguire and what passion he
has for this car, this car that he just had
to own because he needed a car from nineteen oh
one because that's when his family's company was founded. It
turns out he found the only car ever made aid

(07:00):
to honor and celebrate God. What a good story Barry
macguarie's story, his car story. Here on our American Stories.

(07:23):
This is Lee Habib, host of our American Stories. Every
day we set out to tell the stories of Americans
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from all walks of life doing extraordinary things. But we
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(07:44):
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