In 1969, when Leo Alvarez was only 13 years old, his dad was
furious when he spent $15 on a 1949 Chevrolet Aero sedan.
Hollister – In 1969, when Leo Alvarez was only 13 years old, his dad was furious when he spent $15 on a 1949 Chevrolet Aero sedan.
Leo hadn’t asked permission, a friend just towed it home for him. His dad, cautious and practical from years of following the crops throughout the U.S., ordered Leo to take it right back.
But Leo, now a Captain with the Hollister Fire Department, persisted and today says “the car was worth every bit of the $15 I paid for it.”
It was an uncle, Louie Alvarez, that sparked his love of cars despite his father’s disapproval. Louie was only six years older than Alvarez and the duo spent time working on a pair of Chevys – one from 1955 and another from 1957 – during the time Louie was in his life. Eventually, the uncle moved back to Texas, but the fascination would never leave Leo.
On Leo’s own first car, the ’49 Chevy, the entire engine and much of the body needed restoration. He was planning to take auto shop in high school, but couldn’t wait to get started. Able to earn $1.75 working in the fields, he had the cash he needed for parts and equipment, even though the new job meant he could only work on his prize on weekends.
A car owner, but too young to drive or date, Leo laughs, “I would meet girls at the show on my Stingray (bike).”
Now 49, Alvarez has never lost his love of classic automobiles. Over the years, he estimates he has owned and restored around 50 cars. He currently owns an impressive lineup of eight classic rides: a 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline, restored to original condition; a 1935 Chevy pickup with whitewalls; a 1946 Chevy pickup; a 1951 Chevrolet “woody” station wagon; a 1949 Chevrolet Aero sedan; a 1960 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop; a 1949 Mercury and a 1951 Mercury.
“Sometimes I feel I should have been born in an earlier era – there was more style, more attention to detail, more craftsmanship,” he said. “I like the architecture of that period, and it seems like there was more courtesy. Cars were like living rooms on wheels.”
Alvarez’s interest in cars has never wavered, and he now shares it with his sons, ages 22 and 23, and a grandson, Leo III. The youngest Leo enjoys pointing out vintage cars to his grandpa – he’s learned it’s a foolproof way to get attention.
The family rarely shows the cars, preferring to enjoy working on them and observing admiring glances as they drive them around town. They also visit swap meets locally, in San Jose and Sacramento and as far away as Pomona, in search of parts for the various treasures.
When he’s not working on hot cars, Alvarez still feels some heat as firefighter. He joined the Hollister Fire Department as a volunteer and a year later became full time, after a stint in the Marines and nine years at Ozeki Sake. His work in the fire department recently led to a poignant irony. Answering an emergency call over the Christmas holiday a year ago, he and his crew went to the aid of a man who was having a heart attack.
The man turned out to be Alvarez’s Uncle Louie, the one who had inspired his automobile fascination years ago. Having lost touch after the uncle moved to Texas, Alvarez was not aware Louie was in town. But sadly, it was not meant to be a reunion, since the uncle passed away despite efforts to save him.
Local Stories focuses on the people who love living and working in San Benito County. Subjects are chosen at random by the Free Lance staff and published every Wednesday.
