The 1945 Chevy that would later be affectionately named Bertha started life as an army truck, built too late for service in World War II.

Nearly 70 years later it’s been handed down through four generations of a family who has worked to keep it running and looking good.

Larry Boggiano is the latest generation to work on the truck. He saved it from the scrapyard, after his grandfather’s passing. Starting when his great-grandfather Ed Willhoite purchased the truck, Bertha had lived through the eras and adapted to modern times. Recently, she earned the title of Powell’s Best Truck in the 2023 Powell car show.

Bertha was built for war.

“This truck sat in Oakland [at] the Army Depot there,” Boggiano said. “In ‘47, they [the Army Depot] were auctioning it off after it had sat in the yard for two years. My great-grandfather went and got that truck for around two hundred bucks, a lot of money for the time.” 

Over the next several decades, the truck would be worked on by Boggiano’s grandfather Vern Willhoite, father Gary Boggiano, and eventually himself. Larry dedicated three months to sanding it, replacing the rusted bodywork and more with the help of his father. 

Now almost 70 years later from the original purchase, Bertha has found a new purpose in the modern day, delivering nostalgia for those reminiscent of an era of unique craftsmanship but simultaneously allowing Boggiano to execute his interpretation of what the truck can be. 

“I want people to go to a car show, and be like, ‘Oh it’s got little details, like these are all military insignias and gold stars [describing interior doors] in tribute to the war,’” Boggiano said. “The hot rod style matches the time period, with my grandfather’s side of the family having a pretty good history of race cars and dirt tracks clear into the ’70s. It’s just the little stuff.”

Evidently, the little stuff carries over into more of the projects completed by the father-son duo, especially a 1951 Chevy pickup. Adorned with the logo of their business G&L Custom Repair, the truck has played a pivotal role in each of the Boggiano’s lives, a testament to the pastime they both treasure.

“Wherever Dad was, I was, and working on these trucks, in the shop with my grandfather,” Boggiano said. “Now my stuff is more cosmetic, bodywork, painting, all of that. I can do all of the basics … but I can make it look good going down the road. When the older guys see Bertha, they get it.”