An old friend helps Surrey Ridge resident meet new ones
CJ Hahn with Bessie outside his home in Surrey Ridge. The old gas pump is another of his restoration projects.
By Amy Shanahan, photos by Amy Shanahan and courtesy of CJ Hahn.
Surrey Ridge resident CJ Hahn enjoys doing car shows because he loves talking to people. As his wife Miriam said, “You can put a cap on a fence post and he’ll stand and talk to it!” Hahn participated in the Hot Rods in the Village Car Show on Saturday, August 13th and showed his 1923 Model T named “Bessie.”
The car was purchased in 1923 by its original owner Joe Buchmayer, and it stayed in the family until Hahn purchased it in 2009. It was used as a family car on a farm outside of Iowa City and was used in the fields and on the dirt roads that existed at the time. Hahn was a friend of Buchmayer’s grandson, who eventually became Hahn’s brother-in-law. Hahn himself rode in the car to school in 1949, the same year that the car was retired and put into a barn.
Hahn has been restoring cars and tractors since he was a young man, and he was thrilled to purchase this particular car since he had a connection with the family. When he brought it to Colorado, the car wouldn’t run, it was full of dirt and grime, and the tires were so hard that Hahn had to use a hacksaw to remove them.
It took him a year to get it running again. Hahn replaced the engine and transmission, but most everything else is original, including the hickory-spokes on the wheels. It’s the kind of car that attracts a lot of attention at car shows.
“People gather round because it’s just a fun car,” remarked Hahn.
Hahn and Bessie receive plenty of attention at the Hot Rods in the Village Car Show on August 13th.
Original owner Joe Buchmayer takes Bessie for a ride on his farm outside of Iowa City.
