Restoration showcase
International Route 66 Mother Road Festival gives vehicle restorers place to display work
By Tamara “Tammie” Browning
The 1969 Opel GT owned by James Trumbower of Ossian, Indiana, was purchased on March 21, 2021, and promptly pulled out of the barn it had been in for over 20 years.
Well. “Promptly” isn’t quite the word.
As told in the “1969 Opel GT (Restoration in Progress)” photo album on the Opel GT displayed at the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival held Sept. 26-28, 2025, in Springfield, Illinois, it was really a matter of digging it out.
“We had to move a lot of wood and a bunch of metal to get the Opel out,” Sam Trumbower narrates in photo album captions.
“When we started to pull it out we realized we had a problem. The front brakes were stuck! They are disc brakes and disc brakes get stuck if they have been sitting for a long time. So in this picture we jacked up the rear and tried to move the Opel over. It wasn’t steering since the front wheels were stuck, and it was going to smash into the tree. So we jacked it up.
“Then we had to jack up the front because the front left wheel was rubbing against concrete and there was a bolt sticking out of the concrete, so we thought we were going to pop the tire. Then the jack slipped onto the rack and pinion steering! Thank goodness that it didn’t break anything.”
The 1969 Opel GT was a two-seat, front-engine, rear-drive sports car produced by Opel.
The Trumbower Opel GT has a 1.9-liter, 4-cylinder engine “that makes 102 horsepower and 115 pounds feet of torque.” Its original color is silver. It has a red interior. It has a 3-speed automatic transmission. It has “77,710 miles on it.”
The Trumbower “1969 Opel GT (Restoration in Progress)” was among dozens of classic vehicles displayed during the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival.
Heard at the Mother Road Festival: “I love the Novas.”
Tasted at the Mother Road Festival: Giant hot dog with chili and cheese sauce
Seen at the Mother Road Festival: “The Green Machine” 1956 Ford F100 truck by Jerry Weisenberger of Cantrall, Illinois
The Trumbower 1969 Opel GT was entered in the “Best Opel” class of the festival.
John DeRosa of Aragon, Georgia, won first place in the Best Opel class for his 1970 GT; Thomas Juli of Janesville, Wisconsin, placed second for his 1972 GT and David Eyles of Batavia, Ohio, placed third for his 1972 GT (Other 2025 judging results are online).
But once when the Trumbower Opel GT was “trailered” to a different car show, it won the “Work In Progress” award.
“I think others should get a ratty old car and drive it and enjoy it! Don’t let them sit in the garage and rot!”
Want to know more about Trumbower restorations? Visit the YouTube channel “The Trumbower Garage,” which has all the Opel GT videos.
“On this Channel I (Sam Trumbower) and my Grandpa and My dad work on junk,” according to the channel. “My grandpa and I mostly restore cars and rescue them. My dad and I also work on dirt bikes and motorcycles. The main focus is working on my Opel Gts but we work on all kinds of junk.”
The International Route 66 Mother Road Festival opened on Sept. 26 with the “Route 66 City Nights Cruise” in which vehicles paraded to downtown Springfield, Illinois.
Road Rules – News, Events:
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Illinois) has re-introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would designate Route 66 as a National Historic Trail.
“The Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act” was re-introduced with U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-New Mexico), U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois).
“Designating Route 66 as a National Historic Trail will help rehabilitate and preserve this iconic highway, while supporting the economic wellbeing of communities along its route,” LaHood says in a press release. “As we prepare to celebrate the Route 66 Centennial, I am proud to join my colleagues in this effort to designate the highway as a National Historic Trail.”
The full text of the bill is online.
The Rooted Home Evergreen Evenings: Winter Preview Sip & Shop. From 6-8 p.m. Oct. 28-29, 2025, The Rooted Home, 516 Elevator St., Farmersville, Illinois.
Door prizes, snacks, gift with purchase. More information online.
Route 66 Main Street Mingle Market: More than a Market, It’s a Movement! Oct. 25, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Virden Town Square, in Virden, Illinois, along Old Route 66.
Vendors, artisans, food, drinks, activities available. More information is available online.
Route 66 Centennial is in 2026 -- more coming on ways communities will celebrate.