A few weeks back, I let you in on one of the rare machines that would be featured in our upcoming MotoCops -- a 1954 Harley-Davidson 50th Anniversary Police Servicar. I came across the bike at the AMCA National Meet in Wauseon, Ohio in late July and new it was something special. My good friend Hegel Campell found the bike in Wisconsin in rough shape, and after a rigorous 2 year restoration process, he had it finished just in time for Wauseon.
Keeping in mind our upcoming exhibit, I looked the bike over, admiring each and every one of its unique and rare features. Hegel has been restoring servicars for sometime now, and is reknowned for his fantastic work. He's been collecting parts and accessories for these machines for about 20 years, and each bike he finishes is of the highest quality and made up of countless impossible-to-find parts. Hegel and I got to talking at the meet, and both decided it would be a great addition to Wheels Through Time and would make a great feature piece for our MotorCops exhibit. Shortly after, we made a deal and agreed on a delivery date since we had a full load in the trailor on the ride home from the meet.
Well, the day finally came. Yesterday, Hegel drove down to Maggie Valley from Eastern Kentucky with the servicar ready to run. My son, Matt, met him at the museum shortly after we closed and got it put into place. I, unfortunately, was out of town until later that night, so I made the decision to wait until the morning to have a look.
That decision lasted all of about 30 minutes. I pulled back in the driveway about 11:00p.m. and jumped out of the truck with one thing on my mind -- the servicar. Matt had the garage door open, waiting for me to get back. I could see it from across the lot. By the time I got to the door, I was basically running.
I've seen a lot of servicars in my time, but never one like this. Hegel brought together all of his rare parts for this one, from the Motorola Radio to the double headlight mount to the original fire extinguishers mounted on the handlebars and frame. Tire marker mounted to the windshield, rear wheel driven siren, and a windshield mounted spotlight to top it off. It even had the genuine Harley-Davidson issued notepad next to the right grip. What a machine.
This morning, Hegel and I caught up and continued to talk the bike over for an hour or two. He even agreed to bring his brother down for the opening of the exhibit. If you ever need work done on your servicar, he's your guy.
Keep an eye out for this machine in the MotorCops exhibit this fall. The exhibit opens on September 26th and will run through our closing date of November 30th. Its going to be one heck of an exhibit, filled with countless rare police machines and memorabilia, including one of the world's best police servicars.
Talk to you soon!
--Dale
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