AC034985-83D4-43D7-BF00-57D7BC8DB534.jpeg Eddie SewellThumbnailsWilshire - 1954 TruckEddie SewellThumbnailsWilshire - 1954 TruckEddie SewellThumbnailsWilshire - 1954 Truck
This article is an excerpt from the November 2010 "Bowtie Bulletin"

Lloyd Nicholson Enjoys Antique Cars and an Antique Home

At the charter meeting for the Lone Star Region, held in Arlington on April 25, 1971, Lloyd Nicholson was already acquainted with a couple of the other charter members because he worked with them at the General Motors assembly plant, also located in Arlington. They were Huston Shelton and Bill Fulmer. Lloyd decided to become one of the charter members on that day and has been a Lone Star Region member ever since. Lloyd's rebuilding of old cars began when he was a teenager growing up on a farm near Petty, Texas. His very first car was a 1930 Model A Town Sedan. When he wasn't busy with farm work, he would help his Uncle Joe with automotive work. He was known as the "grease monkey", doing anything that needed to be done on the old cars. By the time he began dating Nina, who would later become his wife, he had begun to take cars apart and put them back together himself. Some of their dates included Lloyd working on a car while Nina sat nearby reading a book, or going to a wrecking yard together. Nina said, "I can't say that I didn't know what I was getting into".

Over the years, Lloyd has bought and sold over 350 cars. He has owned a 1918 Chevrolet Touring, a 1924 Chevrolet Coupe and a 1923 T-Bucket Street Rod, just to name a few. One that he really takes pride in is a 1954 Ford that only has 970 actual miles on it. Lloyd said, "It has never been rained on". One year he entered this car in the American Automobile Club of America's national meet and it was awarded First Place - Original in the USA and Canada. Lloyd has purchased 65 new automobiles from General Motors since the time that he began work at the Arlington plant April 1, 1954.

In the mid 1980's, Lloyd teamed up with Arlington evangelist and gospel singer, Joe Atkinson, to compete in the Great American Antique Car Race. This is a race that tests your navigation skills, your ability to make needed repairs during overnight stops and the endurance of your automobile. Lloyd and Nina were the support crew, driving the truck and trailer and helping out in many areas during the long course of the race. Lloyd and Nina did this for four years, and they both said it is an experience that they will never forget. They traveled through many parts of the country and met lots of new people and media from all over the world. New York City was one of their favorite places to see, even though it did offer a lot of challenges to the racers. Governor Mark White proclaimed them Good Will Ambassadors for the state of Texas during one of the races.

In 1985, Lloyd and Nina, bought a home in the small town of Honey Grove, TX. This is not too far from where they both grew up. The house had been built in 1895, a Queen Anne Victorian with three stories. They restored all of it except the third story and enjoyed the results of their hard work immensely. In 1988, they made a permanent move back to Honey Grove. After they finished with the restoration of the house, they joined a car club in Paris, Texas called the "Red River Honkers". They have been active in community work in Honey Grove, joining several organizations, including the Habitat for Humanity. Several members of the Lone Star Region have visited them and enjoyed a tour of their beautiful antique home.

Lloyd and Nina have four children, three boys and a girl, who all drove antique cars to school when they reached driving age. They also have four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren , with some of them living in the Arlington area, some in Dallas and some in Kentucky. Lloyd and Nina don't make it back to Arlington very often to see their family, but when they do, members of the Lone Star Region are always pleased when they happen to see them at a club function or other car-related event.
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