A man who nearly gave up looking for his father’s beloved car finally found it on social media.

The 1934 robin egg blue five-window Ford Coupe was one of many entries during the annual Head Turners Car Show at Whisler Chevrolet on Saturday, June 1, 2024.

Albert Bertagnolli, the owner of the ‘34 coupe, is originally from Rock Springs. He is currently retired in Lander.

According to Bertagnolli, his father, Jack, originally built the car in 1955. Jack sold the car in 1958 to buy a house after he and his wife got married.

Bertagnolli explained that when Jack was 21 years old, he built a hot rod out of a 1934 Ford Coupe. He used a 1951 Hemi 331 that originally powered a hearse. The car was equipped with a Columbia two-speed rear end from a 1937 Lincoln Zephyr and had push button solenoids to actuate the door latches. It was also channeled with a 6-inch drop front axle and a 1932 Ford grille.

“When I was a kid, my dad used to tell me stories about the hot rod that he had and details of how it was constructed,” Bertagnolli said. “I always wondered what happened to the car. For many years I tried to track down what happened to the car after he sold it.”

Many garages and backyards in the Rock Springs area were searched and a lot of questions were asked about a robin egg blue ‘34 coupe, but he never got a lead as to where the car went after it was sold 66 years ago.

In March of 2015, Bertagnolli came across a post on Facebook showing a 1959 photo of a young man with a robin egg blue ‘34. The Facebook page was on a site talking about the early history of Rock Springs. 

Gus Hernandez of Billings, Montana was the author of the post. Hernandez indicated he bought the car from his father in 1958.

“What a surprise that was,” Bertagnolli chuckled. “You never know what you’ll see on the internet.”

Bertagnolli and Hernandez developed a friendship centered on the 1934 classic. Hernandez was planning on getting the old hot rod back on the road and was not yet willing to part with the car. In July of 2015, Bertagnolli took a trip to see Hernandez in Billings and get a first-hand look at the car that he heard so much about and searched for over the years.

“Gus took real good care of this car,” Bertagnolli noted as he glanced at it with a smile. “It had been stored in a shed for many years and was well protected from bad weather.”

He added that as a young man, Hernandez worked at the Broadway Chevron station in downtown Rock Springs. He spent many evenings working on the ‘34 in the service bay of the Chevron shop. The Chevron station later became the 50s retro restaurant Broadway Burger Station. A picture of Hernandez and his ‘34 is displayed on the wall in the restaurant’s lobby.

After several years of discussions with Hernandez about selling him the ‘34, Hernandez decided to allow him to purchase it in September of 2018.

“It was one of the happiest days of my life,” Bertagnolli said. “I was truly excited. I couldn’t wait to load it on the trailer and take it home.”

On Sept. 11, 2018, the ‘34 arrived at his home in Rock Springs after 60 years. Restoration had begun to return the car to a 1950s style hot rod. The car was partially disassembled, but all components were there and the same as when his father sold it. Bertagnolli rebuilt it by 2020.

“It was meant to be,” he said. “I’m glad I have it.”

This story was published on June 5, 2024.