Collector Classics: 1954 Chevrolet Sports Coupe

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Carla Escobar came back from a six-month tour of war-torn Afghanistan in 2009 a different person. “We were under attack one day with people being killed and then, within days, I was back in Canada, driving a car and going to the grocery store,” she says. It was the purchase of an old car to restore during Covid that proved to be the biggest change in her life. 

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Carla saw an original 1954 Chevrolet Sports Coupe advertised along with a restored 1951 Chevrolet sedan. She couldn’t afford two cars so family friend ‘Uncle’ Joe Halasz bought them both and then sold the Bel Air to Carla. The BelAir was well equipped with an automatic transmission along with power brakes and steering.

“I had no experience and didn’t know anything about restoration,” she admits, but with help from Joe, she jumped in and changed the spark plugs, rebuilt the carburetor, reassembled the interior, got the car running and drove it for a month. Then winter came and she put the car away in her carport. She began disassembling the car piece by piece but soon discovered an unheated carport is not a suitable workplace. Undeterred, she put plastic sheeting around the car and car parts in every room in her house in order to spend months turning the carport into a proper heated garage She did all the work herself except the drywall.

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Further to that commitment, Carla also spent a year at Camosun College taking the auto technician course to build her skills. She learned metal work and welding from an experienced body man by trading golf lessons for his wife. In addition, she met well-known Victoria-area Fifties car restorer Ted Forbes whose own father was a World War Two veteran pilot.  They instantly connected and became good friends as they both shared a passion for classic cars. Ted became her mentor.

The 70-year-old Chevrolet two-door hardtop needed metal replaced in the rear fenders and bottoms of the doors. Carla cut the metal, welded it in and sanded the entire car to get the car ready for paint. But the paint job was a disaster and Carla had to sand the car down for a second time. Then she met body shop owner Dave Holden who was amazed that she had restored her own car. She made an agreement to work in Holden’s shop for three months in exchange for a top-quality paint job. They customized the colour by adding blue tint to 1957 Chevrolet Tropical Turquoise paint. Once Carla was happy with the colour, pearl was added and the colour just popped. A work of art was being born.

Carla is a member of the Torque Masters Car Club and her goal was to have her car ready for the club’s annual August 2022 show in Sidney. “I was putting the finishing touches on the car right up until the last hour as Dave Holden was polishing the car late into the night,” she recalls. Her efforts were well received with crowds around her car all day and the Inaugural Memorial Trophy awarded for the best new restoration. Carla has been affectionately nicknamed The Princess of Bel Air.

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Her determination to finish her car follows years of meeting many challenges. She was 10 years old in 1992 when she and her mother and younger brother visited her sister who had married a Canadian from Victoria in her native Chile. Carla was so determined to stay in Canada, she ran away from the family because she did not want to return to Chile, even though she spoke no English.  Once returned home by the police, she refused to go to the airport. She prevailed and ultimately convinced her mother to stay in Canada.

She joined the military at 17 and ended up traveling the world playing for the Canadian Forces international soccer team. That included going to India to participate in the Military World Games. She did her six-months tour to Afghanistan as a military reservist to serve her adopted country on the front lines as a communications specialist with the Tactical Helicopter Squadron. She spent Christmas 2008 in Kandahar. Returning home with serious knee  injuries and PTSD, Carla had to fight to receive proper medical care after her contract with the military had run out.

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The prospect of restoring a classic car helped her through difficult personal times as her marriage was dissolving at that time. “I had always dreamed about having an old car as I love the clothing, style, music and cars of the Gifties. But I never had the money,” she says. “When the opportunity came to do this car, it was another challenge for me. Something I wondered if I could do.”

Her knowledge of car restoration grew through the mentorship of Ted Forbes and others in the car community. She learned that the first hot rod builders were servicemen who had returned from World War Two. “When I was sanding my car, I understood. It was peaceful and therapeutic. Just you and the car. It’s a bond. You learn how to care for yourself as you care for your car,” she says.

Now that the restoration of Bella the BelAir has been completed, Carla is eager to continue with classic car restoration. She has purchased a rare 1956 Monarch Richelieu convertible and is looking for parts or a parts car to make the restoration easier. “Now that I look back, I remember at one point thinking: I’m making Bella new, and with that a whole new look. I remade the car and, in doing so, I remade myself” she says.

Alyn Edwards is a classic car enthusiast and principal of a Vancouver-based public relations company. [email protected]