We’ve all heard the old adage “Men and their toys,” and I recently became acquainted with a guy that definitely owns a very special toy. His name is Patrick Peets and he only just made Lincoln home.
Patrick Peets is currently stationed at Whiteman Air Base and owns an automobile he purchased in England a few years ago. The car is a 1952 Austin Sheerline and it came off the assembly line in England the week King George VI died and his daughter Elizabeth came to the throne. So the car is now known as Elizabeth.
Peets was stationed in England from 2018 through 2022 and he purchased Elizabeth in 2020. He said, “I bought the car from an Automotive Historian that restores vintage British cars for museums and he was who named her. Originally Elizabeth was supposed to go to a museum before I acquired her.”
When questioned if the paint was original he replied, “I guess close to original as it is the original color.” It had come off the line with the black & white paint job it has now but then the Royal Air Force acquired it for a staff car and they painted the vehicle gray.
When Patrick came back to the States, the Air Force helped him get the car here too, like they did his household belongings. Before Pat left England he had his picture taken with Elizabeth at the Royal Air Force Base in Lincolnshire, England where it once served as a staff car. His girlfriend jokingly says Elizabeth is the other woman in their lives and when he talks about Elizabeth, I believe her.
Owning and maintaining an automobile like Elizabeth isn’t simple or easy. Peets says there is no one he has found in the United States that can work on the car and it is currently the only one like it stateside that is still functioning. Car parts are not sold here either but there is a worldwide registry and Elizabeth is on that registry.
Patrick Peets was born in Portland, Oregon but raised in Fernonia, Oregon, a small community similar in size to Lincoln. He has served seventeen years in the military, three of them at Whiteman. He has lived in Lincoln for about six months and loves it. He shared,“ I love the friendly small town feel that gives you a sense of family.”
He especially loves the fact he has a nice garage for Elizabeth.
