My father was president of the Colombia Club of Antique and Classic Cars (http://www.clac.com.co/) before retiring in the 1990s. At that point he decided to write the book whose images you see above. The book profiled over 20 American car manufacturers, describing both their origin and the historical impact of specific models. This was a book meant to stimulate interest in the antique car hobby within Colombia, and part of my father's lasting legacy in this regard to ensure anyone with interest in the field had avenues for engaging with it.

In 1977 my father inaugurated Unicar a car dealership in the northern part of Bogota that sold Renault models. However, having made his career at Chrysler in Colombia, he always wanted to find a way to sell American models in Colombia and got his opportunity in 1994 switching to Chevrolet. He renamed his dealership Multicar since now with the Chevrolet product line he could sell a wider variety of car types, from passenger cars to pick-up trucks and buses.

My siblings and I have vivid memories of visiting car shows from Hershey to Daytona, in search of missing parts for his cars. We were each given a list, which we roughly tended to given the variety of distractions available at a good antique flea market. This was a very special part of our childhood, and the “search for parts” is for us a quintessential aspect of the classic car ownership experience. With eBay and other online resources, this process is easier than ever. But it shouldn't dissuade you from making a yearly visit to a classic car show and flea market in your area to talk to other enthusiasts, admire the culture, and see some amazing model at the car corral. A very nostalgic and rich experience.