Memory Lane

Have you ever had that wonderful feeling when you found something that you thought you would never see again? Parsla Gagainis did when got a chance to see her late husband’s pride and joy, a 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30.

“One of my daughter’s friends saw the car in a car magazine and my husband was listed as the original owner,” Gagainis explained.

Gagainis took a second look at the article.

“It was our car. I couldn’t believe it. We had sold it in 1999 and now 20 years later it looked the same.”

The article gave information on the car and listed all the owners. The car also had been featured in American Car Collector magazine in June 2018 on the cover. The article stated, “the finest original and unrestored 1970 442 W-30 4-speed coupe in existence.”

It was to be auctioned off in Scottsdale, Arizona in January, 2019.

“I could not believe that this was our car, with my husband listed as the original owner. I cried. It was so incredible that here was our car and it looked beautiful. I was just flabbergasted,” Gagainis said.

“My husband, Vilanis, got the car before we were married in 1969. We started dating in 1967. He was a drag racer, and he and his Dad loved working on cars. One of our first dates was at Oswego race track.”

The history continues.

“In 1969, from a Chicago dealership, Vil, bought the 442 Olds with the W-30 package, 4 on the floor, blue on blue, red in the wheel wells and a black stripe on the hood scoop. He raced that car at Great Lakes and Union Grove. It was also his only car back then, so he drove it every day to work until we got married. We worked close enough so that we would use my car after that he used his car mostly for racing. I had a VW Beetle, and I loved that car. It was economical and mine.”

But the Olds was a part of their heart.

“He just loved that car from day one. It was his signature. The car had manual steering, manual brakes, and no air conditioning, but we all loved that car,” Gagainis said.

Gagainis contacted the magazine, who forwarded her information to the present owner of the car, Jefferey Seigel.

“Their jaws dropped when they heard that I was contacting them,” Gagainis said.

After sending her email, Gagainis didn’t expect what happened next.

“Jeff called me. I almost didn’t answer the phone because I didn’t recognize the phone number. We talked for quite a while and then over the next couple of months I sent him photos and documents with his race times that I had saved. He created this book with these beautiful pictures of our car with some of the photos I sent. The car was unrestored. It stood the test of time. Nothing had changed and it was beautiful,” Gagainis said.

“Jeff made 3 copies of the book, one for me, himself and for the winner at the auction. He also offered me two Platinum VIP passes for the auction. My son and I went. Lukas just loves cars like his Dad. He owns a Mustang and also races. My son was in seventh heaven at the auction. The Platinum pass allowed us free access to the entire area. We got there on Friday and we walked around this huge building until we found our car,” Gagainis said.

The car was displayed and auctioned at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Gagainis added, “The car was roped off and all by itself. It felt special. It was surrounded by all the information on the car, its awards and the book on the car published by Jeff.”

The best part?

“The most amazing part is that I was offered the opportunity to drive the car to the stage. I let my son drive the car, and I sat as a passenger. It took a while to get to the stage. We waited in line and advanced as each car went up on stage. It was incredible,” Gagainis said.

The experience brought back many memories for Gagainis.

“That car was so special. Our kids, Ingrid, Lukas, and Larisa would love our weekend drives in the car. My husband was so proud of driving it and enjoyed it when he got some honks from other drivers. He loved that car. We all loved it. It looked exactly the same. This is a story I can cherish and share,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to start 2019.”

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