Morgan Hill Today 2014 09 Fall | Page 51

clean the head .” After high school Bill attended San Jose City College for one year and then joined the Navy where he attended electronics school and gained an understanding of blueprints , schematics and how to build boats . After he served his tour , which included the coast of Vietnam , he returned to school at Foothill College . At the same time he worked at the Ford Motor Company where he watched mechanics build Mustangs . Bill later obtained his yacht broker license and sold boats from San Diego to Marina Del Rey . He also started a sailboat business in Seattle and imported boats from England and Canada ; then he became a project manager who built boats from Toronto to Christchurch , New Zealand . Later he designed and managed a company in New Zealand and built the fastest boat that broke the record in the Swifsure Yacht Race , which is very big in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia . His philosophy for a good life is ,” If you are not having fun , you should work somewhere else .”
His entrepreneurial journey brought him to where he is today rebuilding classic cars . Bill enjoys his business of restoring British classic cars because he says that he can restore an old classic and rekindle fond memories of the past . What he enjoys most is to “ take the ugly and create something beautiful like growing orchids in a greenhouse .” The sentiment of restoring cars to their pristine condition and creating happiness of times past inspired him to name his business On the Road Again . Bill remarks that for what some people pay for a new sports car , his company can restore a classic car that was loved
and enable someone to enjoy the thrill of driving it again . According to Bill , it is not that difficult to accomplish .
Three years ago Bill decided to take over the management of the Annual British Fall Classic automobile show because he said he wanted to have fun and also introduce the Morgan Hill community to classic cars . He knows how important cars can be to people ; in fact , he knows of people who have made an exhaustive search for the first car they ever owned . In his way , Bill wants to give back to the community that has been good to him because he lives by the motto that “ what you give , you get .”
Always full of ideas , Bill has expanded his business and added a car museum . He displays 500 miniature cars in the showroom . They are exact to scale models that are only 10 inches , but are so perfectly made that they even have leather seats and push-button trunk releases . In his showroom , he also displays posters of classic car races signed by famous drivers .
Of all the fabulous classics that he has restored from the Rolls Royce , Aston Martin , Jaguar , MG , Morgan , Triumph , Austin Healey , Lotus , Morris , what was Bill ’ s favorite ? Although it is such a difficult decision , Bill confides that his favorite is the Jaguar and another personal favorite is the 1949 MG W Type Saloon built after World War II .
So if you are feeling nostalgic for the days of classic cars and racing with Sir Sterling Moss , then exploring the world of classic British cars might reawaken old memories or create new ones . To quote Bill , “ After all is said and done , all that we have are memories – not much else .”
F A L L 2 0 1 4
M O R G A N H I L L T O D A Y
51