St. Henry man's dream car makes cut for calendar

ST. HENRY - When St. Henry resident David Bruggeman purchased his dream car in 2005, he never imagined it would become the September car of the month in Snap-on Tools' 2018 calendar.

Bruggeman, who works for his brother, Joe Bruggeman, at Carriage Werks in St. Henry, submitted photos and an application for his beloved 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 to appear in the calendar after having seen a flier from his Snap-on Tools sales representative.

Snap-on Tools calendars are a common sight in body shops and auto garages. At one time, the calendar featured more pinup girls than anything automotive. But now it's all about the cars, often lovingly restored and buffed to perfection.

Bruggeman decided this was the best time to apply since he had just completed repainting his T-top 442 to top off other restorations he'd done over the years.

"It wasn't even two or three days later, I got a reply back that said I was a finalist already," he said. "I thought, 'they send that to everybody. That's just their reply.' Then I didn't hear anything from them again for a while."

He later learned from his Snap-on Tools sales representative that the company had contacted him to verify that Bruggeman was a Snap-on Tools customer, a requirement to qualify.

"Then after a while I got a letter in the mail saying it was selected … and that was about all I heard from them," Bruggeman said. "Then about a month ago I got about five calendars in the mail."

First prize would have earned a professional photo shoot, but Bruggeman's 442 was eye-catching enough to adorn the September page.

Bruggeman said he bought the car to fulfill a teenage dream.

"I own that car because I got my license in '86, and if I was going to buy a car back then, that's pretty much what I would have bought," he said. "That was my favorite car and probably my preferred color. I always liked the silvers and the grays."

Bruggeman wasn't able to purchase the car as a teenager, and by the time he was an adult, he needed a more family-friendly vehicle.

Years down the road, however, he once again was in the market for a new car.

"I was looking, and the car kind of found me," he said.

While he was working at Carriage Werks, a customer from Coldwater stopped by.

"He just mentioned to Joe that he was thinking about selling his 442," Bruggeman said. "That's when I was looking but hadn't had any luck finding anything. He stopped in, and Joe came right out to me and said 'Hey, I think I found you a car.' "

Bruggeman knew almost instantly the car named for its four-speed transmission, four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust pipes would be his.

"Yeah, it felt like a dream come true when I saw it," he said. "The car was super nice. It was original owner and hadn't seen any snow. He didn't have to drive it in the winter; he always had a spare vehicle. It was nice and rust-free, and that was kind of hard to find because those cars are notorious for rust. So to find one locally from the original owner, and I even got the original title and the original bill of sale when he bought it at the dealership."

Bruggeman's wife, Michelle, and four children, Evan, Eric, Ian and Mara, call the 442 "Dad's loud car." The kids know they will not be getting the car for a while as their father is having too much fun with it.

Bruggeman takes it to a few local car shows and an annual show in Detroit. He also plans to work on more interior refurbishments, including new carpeting. But his favorite aspect of the 442 is driving it.

"I just like it. I put them together and I do it because of what I like," Bruggeman said.