Hollister resident Barbara Hawkins is used to hearing
compliments on the cars she and her husband restore. But in July of
2005, people all over the world will be flipping their calendars to
find a picture of her firecracker-red, 1957 Chevy Cameo pickup.
Hollister – Hollister resident Barbara Hawkins is used to hearing compliments on the cars she and her husband restore. But in July of 2005, people all over the world will be flipping their calendars to find a picture of her firecracker-red, 1957 Chevy Cameo pickup.
Hawkins entered pictures of the cars she restores to the Snap-on Tools Incorporated calendar contest. The pick-up was one of 12 trucks in the world to be selected.
“We have a local Snap-on rep who comes once a week and he said ‘you should send in some pictures of your cars,’ so I did,” Hawkins said. “It’s very exciting. We’ve been showing our trucks for a long time, and we do it because of our love for the sport.”
Hawkins, who has lived in Hollister since 1965, has been getting her hands dirty and working on cars alongside her husband since 1969. The couple first owned the Hollister Garage, but after selling it, they moved the body shop to California Corvettes and Classics.
While some families go camping or to the beach to spend time together, Hawkins said her family bonding time is always centered around the cars.
“One time it was Mother’s Day and a guy asked my husband ‘well Chuck, it’s Mother’s Day, where are you going to take her?’ and the answer was no where,” Hawkins said jokingly. “We were going to work on the cars together because that’s what we love to do.”
When restoring antique automobiles, Hawkins said she brings the cars and trucks back to the way they looked when they originally appeared on the showroom floor decades ago.
Even though the truck is the lucky calendar winner, Hawkins said there’s another car that’s her favorite.
“I really like the truck, but my favorite is a 57 Chevy convertible,” she said. “I even call her Peggy Sue.”
Christine Tognetti covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330, or [email protected].
