Freddie Washburn and his restored 1955 Chevrolet BelAir two-door hardtop with a few of the more than 400 trophies, including many “Best of Show”, that the sleek auto has won at classic car shows acoss the nation.

Many people know this Belton High School alumnus as a Vietnam veteran, a retired after 21 years Wilsonart worker and a Bell County businessman — but most vintage car enthusiasts know Freddie Washburn as "the guy who takes home a backseat-full of trophies from most of the classic car competitions he enters."

Washburn has been awarded over 400 trophies for his completely re-built turquoise 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door hardtop that has dominated competitions as far away as Las Vegas, Nevada and Branson, Missouri.

"I won something most every place I went," Washburn commented. "I have probably 27 Best of Show trophies...First Place most of the time...I won Best Paint out of 500 cars in Sierra Vista, Arizona. The car has won a lot of Best Paint Awards, People's Choice, Mayor's Choice, and others.

"I've done very well the past 17 or so years," he modestly admitted, "I did most of the shows around here until three or four years ago and then I started going out of state. The car's been to places like Arizona, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Louisiana and New Mexico, as well as Nevada and Missouri. The last two years, I've gone to the Autoramas and the World of Wheels, both inside shows. I ran the whole Texas circuit, too, except for Houston. Their show is held on Thanksgiving weekend and my wife said 'no'."

Freddie and his wife, Susan (Safley), were high school sweethearts. He graduated in 1964 and after Susan graduated from BHS the next year, the two got married. She is a successful realtor today and he and their son, Jeff, own and run five Mobil One Express quick lubes — two in Temple, two in Killeen and one in Harker Heights. The couple's daughter, Shelley, lives with her son in Lake Travis.

How did this man with a passion for vintage car get into restoring one?

"I had just always wanted one," he explained. "I had a '57 Chevy in high school when we (all the guys) were 'into' cars. Then, when we got married, I had a '64 Chevrolet that my dad had bought me and I had to give it back because we couldn't afford it. I took a 1956 model that my grandmother gave me.

"I had always wanted a classic so I began looking for a car to build in 1989 and someone told me that Larry Peasley at L&W Paint and Body had one at his house. I drove over there but he didn't want to sell it at first. He was going to build it but he had another car that he was working on and had to finish before starting on the second car. All he lacked was the interior so I finally convinced him that if he'd sell me the car I wanted, he'd be able to complete the one that he was working on. He hem-hawed and walked around it a few times to think about it and I ended up talking him out of it for $4,750. Later, I think he was shocked when he saw it after I got it finished in '94."

Back then, some probably questioned Washburn's sanity — the vehicle he purchased was just a hull, no motor and no transmission, no anything! It had been stripped, everything taken out of it. It was in pieces.

If you think he was shocked to find everything in boxes, imagine his wife. She was way more shocked.

"I had backed it into my side of the garage while she was at work. It had vice-grips on the steering column so that I could turn it, the front end was off and I had carried all the seats, trim, wiring and everything else up into the attic so she couldn't see them. Well, there it was when she pulled into the driveway and stopped way out on the end. She just sat and looked, then drove on up and told me: 'Let me tell you something. Don't you ever think about leaving 'that' sitting out in front of my house...and...it doesn't go in my side of the garage, it goes in yours!'"

Washburn, who had never restored a car before, dutifully kept it on his side (at least while mama was at work).

"Then, after I had gotten it off the frame and done a lot of work on it, I met Gary Locklin who had rebuilt several cars before and he started helping me a lot. David and Johnny Herring did the paint and body work on it and Bobby Jenowith helped with the glass work. We all worked on it."

They installed a 350 horsepower engine that came from a Chevrolet Blazer that Washburn owned and headers....a four speed manual transmission and shifter....a 355 rear end....Cragar mag wheels....and chromed it all up. It took them about five years to get the car in shape to show.

"I took it to McGregor in 1994 and the car won Best of Show the very first time out. It's done good ever since. I drove it to the shows back in those days and still drive when it's not too far but it's hard to clean, so now if I travel any distance, I trailer it."

Recently The Chevy got a new interior. "Andrew Hernandez out at Jarrell just redid it," he said. "It's turquoise and white tuck and roll leather. I bought the material and he put it in for $3,700."

Completely restoring a car is quite expensive. Beside all the man hours, when Washburn first began showing his Chevy, he had $26,000 in it, plus the $4,750 the vehicle cost him initially. Last year, he turned down an offer of $75,000 for the car at a Dallas show. "I told the man that my car wasn't for sale. He was ready to write me a check and I told him again that I wasn't going to sell it. He said 'everything's for sale' but I told him, 'well, this one isn't," Washburn recalled, and added "I went out to Branson, Missouri for five years and won every time I went. A guy there handed me a card with (?) on it and said 'just tell me what you'll take for it.' I didn't and still don't have any intentions of selling it."

Freddie says that it's a good hobby. "We meet a lot of nice people. It's family and I'm telling you there are a lot of good people out there that do this. They enjoy their cars and they'll do anything to help you or whatever you need to know," he said. "I enjoy the competition and camaraderie. Sometimes when I go with friends, I just put a sign on the car "No Judging".

Susan is fine with it now, according to Washburn. "She always knows where I am. When you open that garage door, I'm back there. It's been fun....and it keeps you out of trouble."

Cars went hand-in-hand in the '50s for most guys --- and it still hasn't changed for many of us.