Owls Head Transportation Museum

Ron Quebec

I bring more than 17 years of hands-on experience in the powersports and automotive world, blending mechanical expertise with leadership and a strong commitment to preservation and education. My journey at the Owls Head Transportation Museum began as a volunteer and has grown into my current role as Collections Manager, where I oversee the care, documentation, and active restoration of the Museum’s diverse vehicle collection while helping to support exhibits that keep automotive history engaging and accessible.

As mentor and team leader for OHTM’s Great Race X-Cup program, I guide youth participants through vintage vehicle stewardship, analog rally navigation, and real-world mechanical problem-solving. My approach emphasizes preparation, teamwork, and learning by doing. That philosophy paid off during the team’s rookie season, earning a strong 3rd-place finish.

My Great Race experience spans support, mentoring, and driving roles, including driving the Museum’s 1935 Ford Model 48 Phaeton in the 2024 Great Race, allowing me to mentor confidently from both the cockpit and the crew side.

Advisor

Desmond Gonzalez

I’m Desmond “Des” Gonzalez, a 21-year-old from Montville, Maine, with a lifelong passion for vintage cars—especially classic Volkswagens, British sports cars, Datsuns, and late-’50s Plymouths. My favorite is my Mk1 Volkswagen Cabriolet, “Carrie the Cabriolet,” the first car I dreamed of and eventually owned. Through the Great Race, the 1966 Chevrolet Corvair we campaigned has become a close second, earning my respect mile after mile in conditions I never expected.

I’m a graduate of the University of Maine at Machias, where I studied Small Business Management, and Waldo County Technical Center’s Auto Body and Collision Repair program. I currently work at English Auto in Searsport, Maine, building hands-on experience while focusing on a career in automotive restoration.

Alongside work, I continue volunteering at the Owls Head Transportation Museum and organize an annual car show fundraiser at Mount View High School to support the senior class and help pass car culture on to the next generation.

The 2025 Great Race was unforgettable—from a Minnesota thunderstorm to the sweeping roads of West Virginia. Beyond the adventure, it sharpened my navigation, problem-solving, and teamwork skills—an experience I’ll carry with me for life.

Student
Student

Jenny Gold

After graduating from The Apprenticeshop in 2025, I was hired full-time as a youth boat building instructor and continue to volunteer at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. I’m a builder and adventurer at heart, driven by hands-on craftsmanship, mechanics, and learning by doing, with formal training in wooden boatbuilding and seamanship.

I’ve apprenticed with a master woodworker, worked on farms, and taken on a wide range of hands-on jobs that strengthened my mechanical skills and adaptability. Adventure has always been central to my life, from completing a five-month, self-supported ski and canoe expedition to competing for the U.S. in the 2024 Atlantic Challenge, and I’m currently pursuing my private pilot’s license.

The Great Race X-Cup has been a defining experience. Precision navigation through winding roads, historic bridges, and intense weather pushed my focus, communication, and teamwork.

For 2026, I’m continuing to sharpen my navigation skills while also gaining time behind the wheel, growing in each role as part of my ongoing development.

Student

Amelia Spahn

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Oliver Grierson

I’ve been building my skills in vintage automobile restoration for several years, driven by a strong interest in preserving automotive history. I studied for three years at the Mid-Coast School of Technology and have volunteered at the Owls Head Transportation Museum for the past five years.

At Owls Head, I completed an in-chassis engine refresh on a Model T and am currently helping with the restoration and construction of a Model TT Bus in the museum’s restoration shop. My interest in early cars is personal as well—my first and only car is a 1923 Ford Model T, which I bought for my 18th birthday.

In 2025, I competed with the Owls Head Transportation Museum team in the Great Race X-Cup Division. The experience strengthened my navigation skills, teamwork, and ability to adapt under pressure. I’m currently working at Squire Motors / Former Glory Racing, where I’m gaining hands-on experience restoring early European sports cars. I plan to continue building a career in antique and classic vehicle restoration, helping keep automotive history alive.

Student

Terry Pushor

My passion for automobiles started early. After high school, I spent nights working on friends’ oval-track race cars while my days were at Ford and Chrysler dealerships. In 2002, I took a leap and moved to Cornelius, North Carolina, where I joined a company building NASCAR show cars. That experience led me to Roush Racing, where I spent seven years fabricating critical sheet-metal components—roofs, hoods, deck lids, and other parts essential to race car construction.

After returning to Maine, I was invited to volunteer at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. Since then, I’ve enjoyed hands-on restoration work, collaborating with a dedicated team, and helping preserve automotive history. One of the most rewarding parts of my involvement has been mentoring youth through the Great Race X-Cup, guiding young drivers and navigators as they build skills, confidence, and teamwork.

“It’s been a privilege to watch these young adults grow under pressure and represent OHTM with perseverance, respect, and pride. I’m proud to stand beside them on this journey.”

Mentor/Support
1966 Corvair

Goldie

I’m “Goldie,” the Owls Head Transportation Museum’s 1966 Chevrolet Corvair rally car, though around the shop I’ve also been called the classroom, the test, and on long nights, the reason we’re still here.

I wasn’t built to be precious. I was built to be used. Since arriving in 2024, that’s exactly what this team has done. In the Great Race X-Cup, I learned quickly that this isn’t about speed, it’sabout precision. Waypoints, time, teamwork. Someone nailed it in 2025: “The goal isn’t fast...the goal is right.”

I’m proud of our 3rd-place finish, but more proud of the calm roadside checks, sharper navigator calls, and steady leadership when things got interesting. I’m also aware someone once thought I was a bad idea. All these years later, I’m still showing up, still competing, and still proving that good engineering, and good people, age pretty well.

Desmond drives with smooth, meaningful control. Oliver brings sharp math and steady calls. Jenny matches that focus, and in 2026, she’s stepping into the deep end at the wheel. Three pedals. No shortcuts.

Route 66 is ahead. I was built for this.