October 22, 2024 • 7 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, Barry Meguiar tells the compelling story of his rare 1901 Duryea car.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
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
and everything in between, and your stories too. And now
it's time for our My Car series, where our fellow
Americans tell stories about a car that they've once owned.
(00:34):
And 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 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 (01:02):
So I found this nineteen oh one car on auction.
They have these cost car acts. They sell nothing but
old cars. That's why I'll be next week. I'll be
it the same where I bought this, and there's seven
other auctions going on at the same time. They're huge,
probably one hundred and fifty million dollars worth of cars
that we sold this week in.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Scottsdale, hundred and sixty over there now for I told
them one hundred and sixty three and a half.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
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 for this was I said,
would you buy it for me? But here's my limit.
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
(01:48):
in the world is a guy named Vert Lowman. Here's
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 he is the expert on clutching cars.
(02:08):
He could buy anything he wants, and he had picked
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 walk, he just missed it.
I got it. He would have bid me, he would
have got the car, but I got it. So he
comes out, he says, who bought this car? They said, Barry.
(02:30):
He looked at me, he said, he knows I'm in
these kind of cars. I'm not in the seat cars,
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 he said, I have this car,
(02:55):
but it's not correct. This one's correct. We have since
taken this car completely a part and they talk about
numbers matching. This is the real deal. This is all
nineteen oh one stuff. The number 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 a car. He's gonna take pictures. I'll make some
(03:17):
of these parts. I said, of course. So he says,
so you know about this car is it's a dirty
I'm thinking made in France or something.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
I just want to have a nineteen oh one car.
He says, you know what has three cylinders. Now, this
guy's taller than me, and he's he's the most passion
car driver said, he's an helper. He's he's he's he's
just I mean, the guy his presentation is just I
love the way he talks. I I did a TV
show with every car in the collection. This car, it
(03:48):
just it just makes my heart patterns. He's every car
in the collection. He talks to me so but personally
involved with it. So he's really say we get the idea.
He's you know why this car has three cylinders? I mean,
you don't have three celders, you have two four six
because of vibrations, stuff and bounds. You don't have the
three cylinder car. You know why this car has three cylinders? Here?
(04:11):
He said, oh, you know why this car has three cylinders?
I said no. He said, what, you don't know why
it has three cylinderies? I said no. He said, well,
you know they're Christians. He knows I'm a Christian. He's
not a Christian. He's a collection with all this knowledge.
(04:31):
He said, well, you know they're Christians. I said, who.
He's the Drya Brothers. Oh God. Turns out the durry
A Brothers created the first American car gas powered car
in eighteen hundreds. Eighteen eighty six, they created the first
production car. They're the first time they ever make a
(04:51):
second car like the first car. So they have the record,
the first production car, they have, the record winning the
first automobile race. I mean, there's all kinds of history.
I don't know. Anyway, He's sorry, he says, you know
they're Christians. I said, who He says, the Dirry Brothers.
But dirty brothers, he says, yeah, he's in fact, they
call themselves Trinitarians. Are are you? Yeah, he says, And
(05:15):
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, right, I just you know why the
chishion on the side of the car, Well, it was art.
(05:36):
Everything was art. So they put the here's the whole
tail to fish right elogantly? He said, you know why
they put the fish in the side of the car,
And I said, he did very He said, the sign
of the fish the early Christians? Are you kidding me?
He says. He comes to it and he says, do
you not know this is the only car ever made
(05:57):
to honor God? And I got it. I own it.
I mean, can you believe it? So I always look
in ways to talk about God in my car guy situation.
(06:18):
So every chance I get, they always want to know
what kind of cars have it. I got one car.
It's really instinct, and I tell them 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
(06:41):
share your faith, so you don't anybody. I think there's
about twenty of them in existence, and I think there's
only two or three that are running, but none of
them put none of them like that.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
And great job to Manti who helped us with the
and Montieu is a student at Hillsdale College. And what
a great find. And thanks also to Barry McGuire 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. And it turns out he found the only
(07:20):
car ever made to honor and celebrate God. What a
good story. Barry McGuire's story, his car story here on
our American Stories. Folks, if you love the great American
stories we tell and love America like we do. We're
asking you to become a part of the Our American
(07:40):
Stories family. If you agree that America is a good
and great country, please make a donation. A monthly gift
of seventeen dollars and seventy six cents is fast becoming
a favorite option for supporters. Go to Ouramerican Stories dot
com now and go to the donate button and help
us keep the great American stories coming.
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
and everything in between, and your stories too. And now
it's time for our My Car series, where our fellow
Americans tell stories about a car that they've once owned.
(00:34):
And 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 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 (01:02):
So I found this nineteen oh one car on auction.
They have these cost car acts. They sell nothing but
old cars. That's why I'll be next week. I'll be
it the same where I bought this, and there's seven
other auctions going on at the same time. They're huge,
probably one hundred and fifty million dollars worth of cars
that we sold this week in.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Scottsdale, hundred and sixty over there now for I told
them one hundred and sixty three and a half.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
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 for this was I said,
would you buy it for me? But here's my limit.
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
(01:48):
in the world is a guy named Vert Lowman. Here's
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 he is the expert on clutching cars.
(02:08):
He could buy anything he wants, and he had picked
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 walk, he just missed it.
I got it. He would have bid me, he would
have got the car, but I got it. So he
comes out, he says, who bought this car? They said, Barry.
(02:30):
He looked at me, he said, he knows I'm in
these kind of cars. I'm not in the seat cars,
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 he said, I have this car,
(02:55):
but it's not correct. This one's correct. We have since
taken this car completely a part and they talk about
numbers matching. This is the real deal. This is all
nineteen oh one stuff. The number 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 a car. He's gonna take pictures. I'll make some
(03:17):
of these parts. I said, of course. So he says,
so you know about this car is it's a dirty
I'm thinking made in France or something.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
I just want to have a nineteen oh one car.
He says, you know what has three cylinders. Now, this
guy's taller than me, and he's he's the most passion
car driver said, he's an helper. He's he's he's he's
just I mean, the guy his presentation is just I
love the way he talks. I I did a TV
show with every car in the collection. This car, it
(03:48):
just it just makes my heart patterns. He's every car
in the collection. He talks to me so but personally
involved with it. So he's really say we get the idea.
He's you know why this car has three cylinders? I mean,
you don't have three celders, you have two four six
because of vibrations, stuff and bounds. You don't have the
three cylinder car. You know why this car has three cylinders? Here?
(04:11):
He said, oh, you know why this car has three cylinders?
I said no. He said, what, you don't know why
it has three cylinderies? I said no. He said, well,
you know they're Christians. He knows I'm a Christian. He's
not a Christian. He's a collection with all this knowledge.
(04:31):
He said, well, you know they're Christians. I said, who.
He's the Drya Brothers. Oh God. Turns out the durry
A Brothers created the first American car gas powered car
in eighteen hundreds. Eighteen eighty six, they created the first
production car. They're the first time they ever make a
(04:51):
second car like the first car. So they have the record,
the first production car, they have, the record winning the
first automobile race. I mean, there's all kinds of history.
I don't know. Anyway, He's sorry, he says, you know
they're Christians. I said, who He says, the Dirry Brothers.
But dirty brothers, he says, yeah, he's in fact, they
call themselves Trinitarians. Are are you? Yeah, he says, And
(05:15):
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, right, I just you know why the
chishion on the side of the car, Well, it was art.
(05:36):
Everything was art. So they put the here's the whole
tail to fish right elogantly? He said, you know why
they put the fish in the side of the car,
And I said, he did very He said, the sign
of the fish the early Christians? Are you kidding me?
He says. He comes to it and he says, do
you not know this is the only car ever made
(05:57):
to honor God? And I got it. I own it.
I mean, can you believe it? So I always look
in ways to talk about God in my car guy situation.
(06:18):
So every chance I get, they always want to know
what kind of cars have it. I got one car.
It's really instinct, and I tell them 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
(06:41):
share your faith, so you don't anybody. I think there's
about twenty of them in existence, and I think there's
only two or three that are running, but none of
them put none of them like that.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
And great job to Manti who helped us with the
and Montieu is a student at Hillsdale College. And what
a great find. And thanks also to Barry McGuire 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. And it turns out he found the only
(07:20):
car ever made to honor and celebrate God. What a
good story. Barry McGuire's story, his car story here on
our American Stories. Folks, if you love the great American
stories we tell and love America like we do. We're
asking you to become a part of the Our American
(07:40):
Stories family. If you agree that America is a good
and great country, please make a donation. A monthly gift
of seventeen dollars and seventy six cents is fast becoming
a favorite option for supporters. Go to Ouramerican Stories dot
com now and go to the donate button and help
us keep the great American stories coming.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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