Edmonton, Alberta — Early this September, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) autobody technician students began restoring a 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan convertible that once carried the then, future Queen Elizabeth II.
Ron Lyons, Edmonton-based owner of the Legends Golf course and an avid car collector in the area, reached out to the students to ask for help restoring the vehicle after it had sat in his garage for 17 years.
In a comment originally outlined by Techlife Today, Lyons noted that he felt that restoring the Cosmopolitan would be an especially attractive project for the first and second-year apprentices.
Additionally, the news source noted that while the school’s program doesn’t accept just any vehicle from the public, instructor Ryan Pomedli embraced the offer, highlighting that “it’s not very often that people get to work on a car the then Princess Elizabeth rode in.”
While the restoration project is still ongoing, students began by completely stripping the body, removing and disassembling all trim, bumpers and lights. From here, students then chemically stripped the vehicle’s paints and undercoats.
Cecile Bukmeier, instructor and program chair commented that the restoration is “all relevant to the (current trade). What (students are) doing at this stage, working with metal and underneath all the paint, no matter what car it is, it’s still metal. They’re still learning the fundamental skills.”
Bukmeier further told Collision Repair magazine that the students will be working on the historic vehicle until June 2025 where it will then be showcased and returned to Lyons.
“This project is very exciting,” said Bukmeier, “it allows students to perform a unique repair with the students who find it memorable and grows their passion for the auto industry. As educators, we often describe old coatings, so having the opportunity to work on a vehicle with older coatings allows us to connect our lessons. As well, it gives students an opportunity to see how vehicles were built 70 years ago, the factory stamping and craftsmanship is not the same as it is today–they can see the evolution of vehicle manufacturing with this project.”
“The project is not extensive, the students disassembled the trim, and bumpers, then removed all the old coating. The coating was a lacquer finish, so they opted to chemically strip the vehicle. After the paint was removed, they found some minor dents and a couple small holes. The students welded the holes up and then prepared the rest of the vehicle for epoxy and polyester filler. The next prep class will be blocking the entire vehicle and then priming and preparing for paint. The refinish class will then paint and polish the vehicle and put the trim back on. The vehicle was in good shape when it came in, the coating was just older and required a refresh. We are putting modern coatings on it, with better protection so the vehicle will last for another 50 years!”
Bukmeier concluded that “our program does not see many restorations, as we try to bring in one unique vehicle each school year that stays on our campus from September to June to showcase to different classes and have them do some of the work on the vehicle. With each vehicle, we must make sure the work required fits into the curriculum, the restoration aspect is only a very small part of the overall training–and it is relatable to what they are learning (removing coatings and preparing substrates for topcoat etc.,). The majority of the vehicles used for training are modern, requiring current repair techniques.”
Tune in to see coverage of the complete restoration project in an upcoming issue of Bodyworx Professional magazine.
Check out photos of the project below:
