Until recently, an antique car housed in the showroom of the former Vista Motor Sales at the intersection of Pittsylvania and Main in Altavista was a fixture of sorts in the lives of town residents.
In fact, this particular vehicle sat on the premises for close to 60 years for all to see as they traveled along Main Street.
In July, some in the area were keen enough to notice that the car, a 1925 Ford Model T Touring, was missing from its usual position in the window of the building.
The case of the missing Model T is a mystery no longer.
Jimmy Pittard, who lives in Lynchburg, recently shared both the building’s story and the vehicle’s whereabouts.
The former Vista Motor Sales was first opened by two partners, Henry Pittard, Jimmy Pittard’s father, and Cliff Phillips.
Both were previously employees of Virginian Motors, a Ford dealership in Lynchburg. The two sold so many cars to people in Altavista that they decided to open their own partnership in the town.
Their original dealership, which they opened in 1951, was located on the property of today’s Fellers Chevrolet. In 1953, Pittard purchased the corner land of the current location, and he and Phillips sold used cars there.
Soon after, Pittard purchased two Model T cars. He placed one car, which he purchased from Gladys, on the roof of the building as a “sign to advertise the dealership,” according to his son. The other, which he acquired from a Boydton resident, sat outside the dealership
In 1958, the dealership became a Rambler (later American Motors) franchise.
The next year, the Model T outside the building was placed under a newly constructed shed, which is still located at the site today.
Pittard and Phillips remained partners until 1965, when Phillips left the franchise to open Dixie Motors, a Chrysler, Plymouth and Dodge dealership, which was located where the current town hall is built.
In 1966, a visitor from North Carolina saw the Model T under the shed and asked to buy it. Pittard refused to sell it, but he offered instead to sell the Model T on the roof. The visitor agreed, so the advertising Model T on the roof was removed in the summer of 1966.
Pittard continued to run the dealership as a Rambler franchise until 1972, when he went back to selling used cars until his retirement.
The car under the shed was moved into the showroom of the building in the mid-1970s. This is where it sat, visible through the window to all who drove by, for the next 35-40 years.
Pittard passed away in June 2011 at the age of 92, and his original partner, Phillips, still resides in Altavista.
So, where is that familiar Model T now? The Pittard family continued to own it until July 13, 2012, when they sold it to Lynch Station resident Wilbur Gibson, marking the vehicle’s first extended time off of the lot since Pittard purchased it in 1953.
Gibson, who plans to restore the 1925 Model T Touring, is an avid car enthusiast and has collected and restored antique vehicles for many years.
Mayor J.R. (Rudy) Burgess remembers the story of the Vista Motor Sales building well and helped to identify who purchased the car. Burgess remembers that his own brother once helped work on the Model T.
Recently, Jimmy Pittard came across an old dash plaque his father used for the Model T in the Aug. 17, 1957, antique car parade of the Golden Anniversary Jubilee of Altavista. “I can still remember riding in that parade with my father and brother when I was 7 years old,” he said. Finding it brought back fond memories of the town parades and car shows his father entered with the Model T.
As of August, the family of the late Henry Pittard still owns the building of the former Vista Motor Sales.
Negotiations are currently underway between the family, the town of Altavista and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to eventually demolish the old Vista Motor Sales building in order to widen the intersection of Pittsylvania and Main. The widening would better suit the wide turns of large trucks entering the intersection.
According to J. Waverly Coggsdale III, Altavista’s town manager, “The town is working with VDOT in regard to an intersection-widening project. VDOT is negotiating with the property owners, so I don’t have information in regard to what will happen to the building at this time. Hopefully, the intersection project will be done by middle to late next year.”
The mystery of the whereabouts of the Model T has been solved, and the vehicle will remain in good hands even after its home of close to six decades is demolished and the car’s reign as an Altavista landmark of sorts has been brought to an end. The Model T served a memorable and long-lived time on Main Street, and the town wishes it equally colorful decades to come.