Tom Kuhn purchased his first car for $100 in 1971 at the ripe age of 16, a common transaction for a Naperville teenager of this era.
It was a fixer-upper and came in a hodge-podge of deconstructed parts.
“I had no idea what this car was, or if it would ever run” said Kuhn. “I was determined to take the car down the road.”
With little paint, it came with a 15-horsepower 328 Excelsior engine. The engine had to be assembled with the gear box and there was no manuals or electrical information to be found. (remember, there was no internet in the 1970s).
After many long nights of sweat equity and trial-and-error – rebuilding the car at DuPage Precision – Kuhn finally amassed the auto-part-puzzle into a Berkeley Sports SE 328, or at least something resembling a British-style roadster.
“After I fired it up for the first time, I felt like the best mechanic in the world,” said Kuhn.
Manufactured in Biggleswade, England, and weighing in at just over 600 pounds, the Berkeley Sports SE 328 was in production from January 1957 to April 1958.
Approximately 1,259 were produced and little is known about how many were exported to the United States. At the time, it was estimated to get nearly 70 miles per gallon, and the drivers had to mix their own oil and gas. It had a top speed of 62 MPH.
In 1975 Kuhn outfitted his Berkeley with a new-used, more powerful Kawasaki motor. It was procured from a motorcycle that was in a crash.
“After the restored motorcycle motor was installed in 1975, I was clocked driving the ‘Berk’ at 85 MPH on the old Napeville back roads. I enjoyed cruising town in the summertime, spinning wrenches and getting greasy.
“The last time the ‘Berk’ saw the road was the late 1970’s,” Kuhn said.
In 1991, Kuhn removed the motor with his dad, and the second rebuild began. When asked why he took the “Berk” apart, he replied, “Cuz I could.”
Kuhn has been working on this labor of love on and off for 27 years. He often gets side tracked bringing back to life John Deere tractors and growing soy beans.
In 2017, the restoration ramped up into high gear. The motor has been completely rebuilt in addition to a new paint job and seats.
Kuhn hopes to have the “Berk” completely put back together for the Downtown Naperville Classic Car Show.
The Show runs from 9AM to noon on Sat., June 16 on Jackson Ave., adjacent to the Riverwalk. It will feature 100 classic cars and is free to attend.
As Kuhn reflects on the restoration process of the “Berk,” he said, “We build our future from the past.”
