The smiles come easily for Terry Peterson as he drives around Lindsborg in his 1941 Mercury.

The Ford flathead V8 engine still growls under the hood, powering the retro ride down the tree lined brick streets. “I just love to drive it,” he said, waving to neighbors along the way.

The sedan was a silvery, streamlined bullet when it rolled off the production line nearly 80 years ago. Since then, countless miles and time have peeled away the factory paint job, but not the soul of the touring machine. “It still loves to rumble down the road.”

Peterson first admired the car at a friend’s farm in northern Nebraska. “He’d found it in Idaho, but lost interest in fixing it up so it sat collecting dust for the better part of ten years,” he said. A few more conversations led to the purchase and delivery of the ’41 Merc just a little more than a year ago.

A diesel mechanic by trade, Peterson went to work immediately on the suspension, brakes and transmission. He even wired a John Deere alternator into the mix to help the ’41 come back to life.

Some friends and acquaintances still ask him when he’s going to restore the car’s color back to its former glory, but it’s unlikely this owner will cover the patina with new paint.

“I like it just the way it is.”