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Used with
permission from The Sunbury Daily Item
Featured Article dated 12-18-03
Author Chuck Koons
Almost as unique as Paul Reeders classic American Motors Metropolitan is
the way in which he
became enamored of the little cars in the first place. In 1970,
as a teen in Williamsport, a neighbor
and longtime family friend summoned him across the street to the
neighbors garage. Inside was a
most unusual, albeit interesting vehicle. In young Reeders mind it was a
fascinating car.
As a typical teen, he loved all cars. But in very short order his
fascination for the tiny Metropolitan
increased ten-fold. The neighbor asked Reeder if he would like the car.
Thus began Paul Reeders
love affair with the cars.
The car was cosmetically sound, and the body in good shape. The engine
was a different matter.
It burned oil at an alarming rate. The smoke from which entered
the passenger compartment to
such a degree as to require that the windows be kept down when the
vehicle was driven. It certainly
needed work, but it was still the greatest car in the world to
Paul. It was his car. A parts car
was located, the engine swapped out and his affinity for that car grew
all the more.
There is little doubt that car made quite an impression. It also made an
impression on Pauls
father, when young Reeder was driving him to work one day. In the course
of the
commute in the Metropolitan, the front wheel fell off the vehicle
causing the spindle to dig into the
pavement and resulting in a rather abrupt halt to the trip, also making
an impression in the
street as well. A tow truck was called, the Metropolitan was hauled to a
garage whereupon the
garage owner offered him $50 for the little car. Reluctant to see his
first car go, but no doubt
with urging from his safety conscious father, Paul agreed to sell the
car.
In the intervening years, there was college, marriage, career, and a
burgeoning family to
consider. Paul had little time or impetus to pursue another of
the odd little cars.
All that changed in 1993. Although he searched off and on for his actual
first car, Paul
held small hope of finding it. Then in 1993, he spied one of the
Metropolitans in the Auto
Locator. The vehicle was located in Wilmington, Delaware, and his
initial inquiries satisfied 
him that, although the vehicle was not his original vehicle, it
had whetted his appetite
all over again. He purchased the little vehicle made by England's Austin
Motor Company.
Side by side with his 12 year old son John, he slaved weekends, summers
and most spare
moments to restore the 1956 American Motors Metropolitan.
The vehicle retrieved from Delaware that day bears little if any resemblance
to the car they enjoy today. The shell came to them complete but in very
poor condition. It wasn't
running, the body was a rusting relic and the interior was shabby at
best. Today it is vital example of the small vehicle engineered by
Nash-Kelvinator and built
by the Austin Motor Company for the American market.
In July, at the Metropolitan Owners Club of North Americas annual meet,
the Reeders
vehicle won the Concurs Medal for excellence in show and
restoration.
It is an award that can only be garnered by meticulous attention to
detail, and a lot of research.
We learned as we went along, remarks Reeder. Once Paul and son John made
the commitment to
their own project and networked with the countless other Metropolitan
owners, they discovered
 an
interesting phenomenon. They were being asked to restore the vehicles
for other people,
such was their familiarity with the restoration and correctness
of the vehicles.
Thus was born their own shop Metropolitan Restorations. People kept
calling and asking for
this part, or to ask us to repair a vehicle, remarks John. The small
fledgling company started as a
sideline for the pair while John went to Penn College. Almost
three years ago, he decided to
pursue the restorations fulltime. Through the network of over 7500
members of the
Metropolitans owners club he has managed to stay busy. To date, the
company has sent its finished restorations throughout the Northeast and
mid-Atlantic States as well as to England.
Right now we have a two year backlog of work, adds John. It is a niche
vehicle, and people who love these cars want to preserve them accurately and correctly,
observes dad. Paul, head
teacher at the Mifflinburg Elementary School, helps out evenings and
weekends. What began as a freebie for Paul Reeder instantly became a passion. Through this
fixation, he works side by side with his son, bolstering the bond between them,
doing something they both enjoy.
Chuck Koons is
a long time car enthusiast and lives in Mifflinburg, PA. He can be
reached at
ckoons@ptd.net .
BIO
Who: Paul Reeder
Age: 50
Born: Williamsport
Lives: Mifflinburg
Works: Mifflinburg Area School District
Profession: Head Teacher/Mifflinburg Elementary School
Family: Wife/Beverly; sons: John, Chris, Nick, Micah
Education: Bloomsburg State College; Elementary Education
Other: Partner in Metropolitan Restorations with son John
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