1928 Ford Model A that drove 40,000 miles from Chile to Detroit in 1969 – trying to reunite it with its original owner

Hi,

I wanted to share an incredible story and hopefully get some help tracking down a very special car.

In 1967, a 22-year-old Chilean named Gonzalo Labbé Barrera set off from the southern tip of Chile in his family's 1928 Ford Model A, driving 40,000 miles north to Detroit, Michigan. He crossed the Atacama desert, the Andes, and the entire Pan American Highway. The trip took 21 months and was featured in Ford World magazine on July 25, 1969.

After arriving in the US, Gonzalo went to work in Miami and eventually lost track of the car. For over 50 years he had no idea what had become of it. He now lives back in Chile, in his late 70s.

Recently, through a thread on The Ford Barn forum, we discovered that the car ended up in South Central Ohio. A family purchased it in the mid-1970s and has kept it ever since. It still has the original Chilean flag and stickers from the more than 20 Ford dealerships Gonzalo visited along the way.

I'm writing on Gonzalo's behalf hoping to help reconnect him with his car after more than half a century. If you know anything about this car or the family in South Central Ohio, please reach out.

I've attached the original Ford World magazine clipping from 1969.

Thank you! 🇨🇱