1930 McLaughlin car leaves qathet region for new home in Europe

A 1930 McLaughlin-Buick that Stan Gisborne restored and drove for about 100 miles in the qathet region and on Vancouver Island has begun an 11,500-mile journey to its new owner in the Czech Republic.

It was placed on a trailer and taken to Vancouver by the buyer’s agent Oldrich Blaha, who arranged for it to be trucked to Montreal, which is estimated to take approximately two weeks. From there it will be put in a container and shipped to Bremenhaven, Germany. Once it is unloaded, it will go by train to Prague.

“Because the [McLaughlin] Buick is very long, I went to buy extra straps at Canadian Tire,” said Blaha. “When I was installing them, a gentleman came to ask me where I got such a beautiful car because it looked familiar to him.”

When Blaha replied here in Powell River, he was asked if by any chance it was Stan Gisborne’s car and responded in the affirmative.

“Obviously the car is known in the community,” said Blaha.

The new owner spent five years looking for a car like this and the whole process of selling it to him took eight months.

“There are only three of that model left; it’s a rare car,” explained Gisborne. “There’s an original in Ontario and one unrestored one in BC. The guy bought it for $6K, then gave up when he realized how much work it was. All of the wood was rotten.”

Gisborne has been a member of the McLaughlin-Buick Club of Canada since the 1990s.

“The buyer saw it advertised there and got in touch with me,” he added.

Gisborne’s wife Jan said, “We are really comfortable about letting it go and happy to have it go to someone who will enjoy and use it. He and his wife plan to get vintage clothes and go on tour with it.”

Jan gave them some books she had showing what clothes match what years.

“I had emailed them photos of the covers of the books to ask them if they wanted them,” added Jan. “They were so excited to be receiving them.”

Stan and Jan also wore vintage clothing, which she sewed, when touring with the McLaughlins. They put more than 20,000 miles on their 1936 model, which he bought in 1998.

Initial interest

Stan’s dad raised Clydesdale horses and used McLaughlin equipment; that is where his interest in the Canadian company began. It started as a carriage company in 1867 under founder Robert McLaughlin and in 1907 his son became interested in manufacturing automobiles. The first one was the 1908 Model F.

In 1918 General Motors of Canada bought McLaughlin Motor Car Company and McLaughlin-Buick continued to be produced until 1942.

In total, Stan owned and restored six McLaughlins, the oldest from 1915. He found the one on its way to the Czech Republic in Alberta in 2004 on his way home from a trip to Newfoundland. In fact, via the internet he found two owned by the same person who refused to sell just one.

“How was I to get them both home as he wouldn’t sell just the one I wanted?” recalls Stan. “I bought a trailer and brought them home to Powell River in September when there was snow on the Coquihalla [Highway].” 

He started to restore the Model 3061 using the best parts from either car and had many parts cast in bronze, such as hubcaps and badge bars.

“I found some parts on eBay,” he explained. “I replaced the rotten wood with Garry oak and repaired the u-tube manometer gasoline gauge.”

Surprisingly there were no dents and coming from Alberta very little rust. Stan sandblasted wheels and the metal, painted metal, replaced interior wood as well as glass and had the seats recovered. He also added turn signals, another tail light and an electric window wiper.

Stan had some advice for Blaha to relate to the new owner, in addition to what can be found in the repair manual.

“Tell the buyer when he is driving it, if he hits a bump in the road the front wheels might wiggle,” he said. “Push hard on the brakes momentarily and it will stop. Also, the tie rod ends are worn and I have been unable to find replacements. They are both right-hand threads; one is coarse, the other is fine. And the windshield goes up and down with the crank above it.”

The 1930 is the last of Stan’s McLaughlins to leave Hammer Valley Ranch in Paradise Valley.

In October 2015, after undergoing regular heart surgery to repair an embolism, he had a brain stem stroke.

“When they tried to wake me up, all I could do was blink; I had locked-in syndrome,” said Stan. “When I realized I couldn’t even stand or roll over, everything was to be sold.”

His vintage cars went to new owners in Quesnel, Seattle (two) and Texas, to people who are able to drive and enjoy them. Another was bought by a man in Aldergrove who planned to take it to France to be part of the Vimy Ridge commemoration.

The one that just left town closed the chapter on his passion for McLaughlins that began in his childhood and lasted for decades.