The dark green paint is newish, covering the “Texaco Red” and nearly matching the original color.

Some parts have been pitted with rust, a danger of living on the coast, but the bumpers have been re-chromed and the grill is new. The green interior has faded and some of the green velvet-like fabric has thinned on the back bench seat. The car is mélange of mostly original parts and a couple of new ones. All in all, it’s not in bad shape for a car that’s 77 years old.

“It’s not a show car,” insisted Jim Cox, of Elma, even as a group of three passersby stopped and admired the vehicle, parked in front of the Elma Chamber of Commerce. The people peeked in the windows and looked at the car from different angles, murmuring compliments. When asked about it, Cox grinned and called out, “It’s a ’39 Chevy.”

“Oh, some people say it’s a nice car, but that’s about it,” Cox said. He rarely drives the sedan anymore, only once in a while around the block to keep the motor going. Despite its almost original condition, he said it couldn’t be compared to the restored cars and hotrods that will be at the Elma Heat on the Street car show this weekend.

“I won’t park it on Main Street. I’ll be over there,” Cox said, gesturing toward Third Street.

“It’s just old, and I don’t take it very far anymore,” he added.

It was 1950 when Cox bought the 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe four-door, sedan. He was a younger man and $400 was a lot of money. Cox was working at the Nash garage in Aberdeen and the Master Deluxe was traded in for a newer model Nash.

He had to have it, not just because it looked good but because he really needed a car. Cox was earning 99 cents an hour in the garage and though it took some doing, he and his bride-to-be, Aggie, scraped up the money for the car. He rebuilt the engine back then while serving his mechanic’s apprenticeship.

Cox said that’s all they had to drive in the ’50s and his wife Aggie took it everywhere.

“She drove it all over Washington,” Cox said, “No power steering.”

No power anything, really. But the car has some interesting options. For one, there is an exterior nozzle near the gas cap on the right rear side of the car. That nozzle is connected to a hose Cox uses to inflate the spare — inside the trunk. There used to be a tool box, also inside the trunk, which held a jack and tire iron.

Another option added to the car is the town and country horn. One horn, an understated “meeep,” is used in town to politely shoo other cars out of the way. With the flip of a switch, the louder “blaaap,” is used in the country to scatter wayward cows off the road.

“Somebody probably paid $10 extra for that,” Cox said. When he opened the engine, the horns popped into view. Three altogether, two look like silver trumpets, ready to herald a king, and the other resembles a black megaphone.

There’s a spotlight on the driver’s side, in addition to the regular headlights. Cox said maybe it was used to shine on a house address or to use as high beams.

“The lights weren’t very good back then,” Cox said. Other features of the sedan are a back seat heater, running boards and a mosquito-like hood ornament, with clear wings. Maybe it’s a bird, Cox said. He wasn’t sure. He was sure, though, of the all-metal frame.

“All metal,” he said, “except for the rusted spots.”

When Aggie’s dad, Andy Anderson, needed a vehicle, they gave him the Master Deluxe. They had purchased a 1947 Chrysler Windsor, so they were set for transportation. After Anderson died, they got the car back.

Cox said the green machine went to work in the early 60s as a shop car at his service station. It was painted “Texaco Red,” traces of which can been seen under chipped flecks of the green. The car was then garaged in 1964.

Around 2010, Cox took the sedan out of storage, cleaning and fixing and painting it. It was licensed again.

“I just wanted to fix it up a little bit. Everything works, most of the time,” Cox said. “It’s a good, old car.”

He and Aggie had a fine time driving it around again. They even took the Chevy to the Hot August Nights car show in Reno, Nev., a couple of years in a row.

“We really enjoyed that,” Cox said. “We had fun.”

Since Aggie died, he won’t make the trip alone.

The Chevy is packed with memories, making the old car priceless to Cox. He later conceded he will enter his ‘39 sedan in Elma’s car show. He may even change the oil in the Chevy.

“I’ve been meaning to do that,” Cox said.

If you go

Elma’s Heat on the Street Car Show kicks off at 4 p.m. at Third and Waldrip streets. The main event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 6, beginning at 9 a.m.