By Joyce DeWallace, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – Who hasn’t admired an old car that’s still being driven on the road? Talk to anyone who restores old cars, and they’ll tell you that there’s an almost magnetic attraction to antique vehicles. Finding a classic, then searching all over the country for the proper parts and putting the whole thing back together becomes an obsession. Ask Bill Marsten of Marsten Greenhouses in Shrewsbury.
“I just like old machinery,” he said. “It was more honest. I can’t remember when I wasn’t working on cars and have been exposed to a lot of mechanical stuff on the farm.”
The Marstens have five old cars and one truck in all different stages of restoration. They are proud of a 1931 Chevy Roadster they call the “Romance Car.” In the mid-1950s, Bill was
working to get it back in shape. He used to visit a junkyard in Westborough for parts. One of his friends was dating a girl who had a friend named Marion. Her house was on the way to the junkyard, so he stopped by one day and met her. Shortly after, they went out on a date and married in April of 1959. Over the years, he rebuilt that roadster from scratch using parts from a 1938 Plymouth and the front wheels and suspension from a 1951 Chevy. This original yellow car was the start of both his marriage and his car collection.
Marsten likes to relate the story of their fully restored and drivable 1913 Model T Ford.
“I used to bring flowers to the Higgins of West Main Street every week. They were in their late 80s, and I fixed things around the house for them. When Warren, who had quite a collection of antique cars, passed on in his mid-90s, I told his widow that I’d like to buy the Ford. I promised her I’d take care of it and never sell it,” recounted Marsten with a smile.
He bought that car six years ago. Prior to that, it had been up on jacks without moving for at least 20 years. A group of friends actually picked up the Model T, put it on a trailer, and brought it back to the complex on Spring Street. Within a half hour the Marstens had it running. Now his son Joe drives the red three-seater during the day for both fun and errands at about 35 miles per hour.
Joe and his other son Jim share their father’s passion for classic car projects and have the skills to make them road-worthy. They just wish they had more time to devote to their avocation. Joe bought the green 1925 Model T in Northborough. It had four wheels and an engine that didn’t work. Joe unseized the engine which had been sitting in a field full of water for 15 years and got it running. The brothers built the wooden body from plywood and two-by-fours, added wooden running boards and purchased a set of tires and now drive the car around the farm.
Tucked away in one of the garages is a blue 1928 Buick.
“He always wanted a Buick so we saved our money and squirreled it away for years,” Marion Marsten said. “He saw an ad in an old car magazine and got the car from New Jersey in 2010.”
It’s a work in progress, but Bill has scoured the country for new parts and hopes to have time to work on it this winter.
Back in 1959, they acquired a 1923 Dodge touring car, which is very slowly being brought back to life. They also have a 1928 Reo Speedwagon ¾-ton truck that’s tucked away, waiting for its turn at restoration.
Joe likes nothing better than pulling into a parking lot and asking people who stop to admire the Ford.
“What other car parked here will survive for 100 years?” he enthused. “These cars are absolutely wonderful. I love being able to drive them and share them.”
