Nebraskan can't get enough little cars
Posted: Monday, July 14, 2008
FREMONT, Neb. (AP) -- All Merwyn Dunker wanted to do was decorate a Christmas tree.
It was 1984 and Dunker was president of a Corvette club. The group was planning a holiday party and Dunker -- known as "Mert" by his pals -- figured he'd use little toy cars to adorn the tree. So he set out to buy Hot Wheels versions of the popular sports car, but only found about six different colors.
"That wasn't enough to decorate a tree," the Fremont man said.
It was enough, however, to fuel a hobby.
Today, Dunker has almost 3,000 cars of almost every color. There are Hot Wheels cars and promo cars -- toys that dealers gave to customers' children -- and die-cast metal cars.
That doesn't include the doll cars, farm toys or semitrailers. Many of the toys fill specially made Plexiglas cases that cover the walls in a room of his home he calls "Dunker's Klunkers." Others line shelves and still more are in boxes. Dunker even has an assortment of cars and car memorabilia in a nearby china cabinet.
He's running out of space and doesn't buy many cars these days, but he hasn't lost his appreciation for them.
"I never get tired of looking at (the collection)," he said. "Even today, if I buy a car I don't have, it's still an excitement for me."
Dunker takes good care of his cars -- a habit he formed as a child. Back then, his dad gave him some farm toys and said he wouldn't get any more if he broke them.
"So I've still got them all," said Dunker, now 71.
Not being able to find enough cars to decorate a tree didn't stop Dunker from hunting for them either.
"I started collecting any kind of sports car, but quit -- except for Corvettes and Vipers -- because they're making so many you can't get them all," he said.
Some of Dunker's cars are loaded with nostalgia. Back in the 1950s, when a man went to buy a Corvette, he got the real car and his child would get a toy version of the automobile.
Some of his die-cast cars feature cartoon characters such as Donald Duck and Spider-Man on Corvettes and Pluto on a Viper. He also has die-cast pace cars, four-wheel drive and funny car Corvettes.
"I have a lot of Ford street rods, too," he said. "I collected for a few years before I really got a direction, and then I decided to go heavy with Corvette."
His favorite car is a die-cast Corvette that's half transparent. He likes it because it's different.
"Most are solid colors. With this you can see the inner workings and the engine," he said.
Dunker has arranged his cars by size, type and year.
Besides cars, Dunker has other automobile-related items, including a red Corvette telephone. He has a Corvette lamp that's turned on with a key. It used to make the sound of a car engine starting, but that part doesn't work anymore.
"I must have played with it too much," Dunker said, smiling.
So does he have enough cars now to decorate a Christmas tree?
Dunker figures he probably has about 180 ornaments of cars, trucks and tractors, but he has yet to decorate a tree with those -- or with the Corvettes.
"I don't really have room for a tree in this house," he said.
It was 1984 and Dunker was president of a Corvette club. The group was planning a holiday party and Dunker -- known as "Mert" by his pals -- figured he'd use little toy cars to adorn the tree. So he set out to buy Hot Wheels versions of the popular sports car, but only found about six different colors.
"That wasn't enough to decorate a tree," the Fremont man said.
It was enough, however, to fuel a hobby.
Today, Dunker has almost 3,000 cars of almost every color. There are Hot Wheels cars and promo cars -- toys that dealers gave to customers' children -- and die-cast metal cars.
That doesn't include the doll cars, farm toys or semitrailers. Many of the toys fill specially made Plexiglas cases that cover the walls in a room of his home he calls "Dunker's Klunkers." Others line shelves and still more are in boxes. Dunker even has an assortment of cars and car memorabilia in a nearby china cabinet.
He's running out of space and doesn't buy many cars these days, but he hasn't lost his appreciation for them.
"I never get tired of looking at (the collection)," he said. "Even today, if I buy a car I don't have, it's still an excitement for me."
Dunker takes good care of his cars -- a habit he formed as a child. Back then, his dad gave him some farm toys and said he wouldn't get any more if he broke them.
"So I've still got them all," said Dunker, now 71.
Not being able to find enough cars to decorate a tree didn't stop Dunker from hunting for them either.
"I started collecting any kind of sports car, but quit -- except for Corvettes and Vipers -- because they're making so many you can't get them all," he said.
Some of Dunker's cars are loaded with nostalgia. Back in the 1950s, when a man went to buy a Corvette, he got the real car and his child would get a toy version of the automobile.
Some of his die-cast cars feature cartoon characters such as Donald Duck and Spider-Man on Corvettes and Pluto on a Viper. He also has die-cast pace cars, four-wheel drive and funny car Corvettes.
"I have a lot of Ford street rods, too," he said. "I collected for a few years before I really got a direction, and then I decided to go heavy with Corvette."
His favorite car is a die-cast Corvette that's half transparent. He likes it because it's different.
"Most are solid colors. With this you can see the inner workings and the engine," he said.
Dunker has arranged his cars by size, type and year.
Besides cars, Dunker has other automobile-related items, including a red Corvette telephone. He has a Corvette lamp that's turned on with a key. It used to make the sound of a car engine starting, but that part doesn't work anymore.
"I must have played with it too much," Dunker said, smiling.
So does he have enough cars now to decorate a Christmas tree?
Dunker figures he probably has about 180 ornaments of cars, trucks and tractors, but he has yet to decorate a tree with those -- or with the Corvettes.
"I don't really have room for a tree in this house," he said.
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