The big Ford Raptor, an F150 SuperCrew finished in orange metallic hue, carried us into Nebraska all the way to Kearney, where we toured an impressive display of 200 classic automobiles.
The Kearney Classic Car Collection, a gift to the city 10 years ago, had fallen on hard times and faced closure until Sterling entrepreneur Alan E. Gentz and his VeriQuest Ltd. investment firm paid $1.2 million for the business and 150 cars and guided it back to business-as-usual standing. It was at Gentz’s invitation we made the drive to Kearney.
We joined Kurt, Tammy and Erik Wells for the weekend at their lakehouse at Jeffrey Reservoir, near Brady, Neb. Brady and Kearney are 78 miles apart on I-80.
Heavy winds hampered the truck’s efficiency; its 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine, 10-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive system delivered an average of only 14.2 miles per gallon in the 700 miles.
It stands tall, with running boards 18 inches off ground level, and shows 4,705 pounds of curb weight from its four doors and 5 ½-foot box at back.
Kearney city officials accepted the gift of the automobiles in 2011 from Bernie and Janice Taulborg. Little more than a year ago, Gentz’s daughter Mariah, who is pursuing her master’s degree at University of Nebraska Kearney, read of the city’s financial plight, called her father and said, “Dad, you should come here and take a look.” Which he did.
Shortly after acquiring the collection in a 501(c)3 purchase, Gentz and his wife, Julie, attended a car show at Rapid City, S.D., and won the show’s People’s Choice Award with a maroon-and-silver 1940 Packard convertible from Kearney.
The Packard is indicative of the quality of the large collection of cars. Three among many that caught my eye were a 1940 Ford Coupe, 1940 Cadillac Fleetwood Convertible Sedan, 1930 Lincoln LeBaron Convertible Roadster.
Aiding the museum’s operation are a team of 50 volunteers; one is Jim Cudaback, former Nebraska state senator, who has ordered a 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in electric for himself. He asked my opinion of the car, and was pleased when I told him the Prime was my pick for SUV of the Year for 2020.
Gentz is seeking partner support for his VeriQuest investor group and the car museum, and may be texted at 303-619-8698 or emailed at [email protected].
The Raptor 37 Performance Package refers to its 37-inch BF Goodrich All-Terrain tires, tuned next-generation shocks with live technology. The Raptor carries a sharply elevated sticker price of $82,060.