Cars That Tell Our Tale

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: April 2024

1924 Yellowstone National Park bus

In memoirs and movies, we tell our story. Through residences and restaurants, we reveal our history. And in all the many ways we talk about ourselves and our past, it is in the metal and chrome and rubber of our automobiles that our legacies are most appreciated.

The history that was written by the likes of Brass Era and Pre-war automobiles – classic cars manufactured before World War 2 – can be seen at the Highlands Motoring Festival June 6-9. Bringing together vintage car enthusiasts from the region and beyond, the festival launches with two days of curated driving tours through the scenic roads of Western NC, and includes the Main Street Parade, two car shows and a special Saturday evening gala at the Vineyard at High Holly.

The tales of three of the 85 cars shown at Saturday’s event, “Classics in the Park” are told here.

For Van Thurston, his 1909 Sears carries on a connection to a family heirloom and a venerated family tradition. In 1909, great grandfather, Albert Lee, purchased the car in Chicago, shipped it via train to rural Georgia, had it driven to the family farm and housed it in the barn – where it remained in the same stall, only driven when “it wasn’t broken down.” By 1982, when the car was passed down to Van Thurston from his grandfather, the engine was in pieces. He spent the next 14 years restoring the car and was able to give his 93-year-old grandfather one more ride in the car. Today the car is driven by Van Thurston’s grandsons – the sixth generation of owners!

1937 Peugeot Darl’mat

Intriguing is the provenance of the 1924 Yellowstone National Park bus. What is little known is that Yellowstone was the site of the last commercial stagecoach operation. Fearing that the park’s dirt roads would be too steep for safe travel, cars were not allowed entry. Still, touring the park in stagecoach required 10 days. Finally in 1916, cars were permitted, albeit only private cars, and mass transportation remained under the control of the stagecoach companies. Alas, the combination of cars and stagecoaches on the same narrow roads proved dangerous. The noise and backfiring of the internal combustion engine—a new sound on the landscape—spooked the horses, and there were several bad stagecoach wrecks. In 1917, park managers decided to do away with the stagecoaches and switch to small buses, and the stagecoach became a part of Yellowstone’s history.

Emile Darl’Mat, creator of the 1937 Peugeot Darl’Mat on display, is best remembered for the sports car based on a Peugeot 302, the engine taken from the 402. The cars were built in very limited numbers and three models – a roadster, a coupe, and a drop-head coupe – were offered. Several Peugeot-Darl’Mat 402 “spécial sport” models raced at Le Mans with success in 1937 and 1938.

This roadster was delivered to a Mr. Kacher from Valence in 1937. The car was impounded by the Parisian police in 1957 and purchased at auction by Alain Cerf, founder of the Tampa Bay Auto Museum, where the car remains today following a meticulous restoration.