Page 50 - midland

Corvette. He and Billie found it in Odessa. Other collectors thought he paid too much for it, but today it is worth fve times what Jim paid for it in l984. Anything this valuable has to be protected, so the Huckabees use a large trailer to move the vehicles from car show to car show. Jim’s personal motto? “You don’t drive a ‘show car’, and you don’t show a ‘driving car!’”

As much as Jim and Billie love their collectibles, Jim admits that they will sell them “if I can get the price I want”, and Billie recalls that they have “made a proft off every one we have ever sold.” Before they surrender them to new owners, however, they photograph each vehicle. Framed photos of those automobiles from yesteryear hang on the walls like old friends.

The Huckabees are uncertain about the exact number of items in their massive collection. When they moved from Andrews to Midland a few years

ago, they packed up their treasures, and even they were shocked at how many items they had managed to collect. They sold some of the vintage cars, but an appropriate place to store and display the rest of the collection became an integral part of their new home. Walking into the carefully designed “museum” attached to their beautiful home is like stepping back into Mayberry. Even though the array of vintage oil signs and gas pumps and scooters, not to mention those fabulous classic cars, almost makes your head spin, there’s always room for more. The Huckabees continue to search for specifc items to add to their collection. “I’ve always wanted a Kurtis Midget race car from the early ffties,” admits Jim, “and a l957 pickup—Chevy, of course!” Chances are, some member of the family will locate these missing treasures, and when that happens, Jim and Billie will eagerly rearrange the museum, or, who knows --- even add on to it!  MLM