For 50 years Dick Mechalke has been tooling around in his funny little car, getting comments like “Toy car?” and “Car for Munchkins?”
It doesn’t bother him. Mechalke loves his tiny car.
It’s an American Bantam coupe. Built in 1939, it may be one of only a few left in the country, as tiny cars usually don’t last that long.
It was first owned by Harry Cameron, proprietor of Harry’s Drive-In, who used it for promotions and advertising when he first opened his Greeley drive-in.
The drive-in is gone, and Harry Cameron died 17 years ago, but the little car is still here.
Mechalke’s daughter got married Friday, and she wanted the little car to be part of her wedding.
It was, after all, part of her family. So Mechalke loaded the coupe aboard a trailer and drove to Greeley from his home in Hot Springs, S.D. Once here, he’s been driving the little car around town for the past few days. As it did some 50 years ago, it’s still attracting attention.
Mechalke was born and raised in Greeley, Those who lived in his neighborhood years ago will remember Mechalke’s little car, but also the monkeys.
The Mechalke family owned two monkeys, who played in the trees around the house during the day and slept in the house with the family at night. People, driving past and seeing the monkeys playing, dubbed the Mechalke home the “Monkey House.”
The monkeys are gone, but Mechalke’s coupe lives on. He does repairs himself and even painted the car in his garage in South Dakota, applying an eggshell white with dark brown fenders.
The gas tank holds just five gallons, but he said he gets about 50 miles per gallon.
When Cameron had an accident with the little car, he decided to sell it.
“I really wanted it back then, in the 1960s,” Mechalke said.
“So I sold my 1929 Model A pickup for $200 and gave Harry $200 for the little coupe.”
They’ve been together ever since.
