It can be said there are two kinds of people in the world. 

The first group thinks a car is a tool to move around in their lives. The second group thinks of cars as an extension of who they are. 

As most of you know, I am in the second group, for sure! 

My love of cars came first from my family.  My dad, Gerald “Jake” Jacobsen, owned Jacobsen Pump and Tank Service in Willmar as I was growing up.  He installed gas tanks and pumps throughout the region and I started out working for him. 

I purchased my first vehicle, a 1969 Dodge, and spent the next two years working on it with my dad. By the time I was able to actually drive it myself, it was my own version of a Little Red Express. 

From then on there was a constant stream of projects moving in and out of the garage.  

My family and I continue to enjoy bringing cars, and trucks, back to life.  

In the past several years my wife, Kristin and I, along with our children, Ali and Ben, have done just that: a 1974 Chevy Nova, a 1970 Chevelle, and a 1968 Nova. 

When Ben was 14 he purchased his own car, a 1984 Camaro that we restored together.

We have also created a memorial to my dad in a 1956 Chevy pickup made to be a replica of his Jacobsen Pump and Tank work truck.  We bring cars back to life.  In return, the cars bring my family together on cruise nights, at car shows, or just hanging out in the garage.        

In my family, cars are not simply a means of transportation, they connect us with the people in our lives.