Jeff Brecht is an independent financial advisor with SagePoint Financial. Since 2007, he has spent his days helping clients filter all the noise and being a voice they can trust. Brecht is also a member of the Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce, a rescuer of greyhounds, a collector of Star Wars memorabilia… And the proud owner of a road-worthy 1981 Lincoln Continental Mark VI.
When he was younger, Brecht’s dad took him to auto shows. At these shows were welcoming salespeople who shared with them the newest models and concept pieces. Brecht would go on to pick up stacks of showroom brochures, which inspired him to shift his degree from political science to advertising.
“One time, an advertising professor actually came up to me and asked if I wanted a job because I was the only one who had made an A in her class. So, from 1988 to 1990, I put showroom brochures together,” says Brecht.
With his interest in cars only growing, Brecht would go on to join the Lincoln & Continental Owners Club. Following an experience with the members of a Houston chapter helping him look into a car, he showed up to a Cedar Park board meeting to see how things were. And despite being fresh-faced and the youngest guy in the room, he wound up as, surprisingly to him, the assistant director.
“I was intimidated, thinking you had to be a real expert on these cars and they had to be museum-quality. It isn’t like that at all,” says Brecht. “We’re a people club, not a car club. These cars are what bring us together.”
Now club president, Brecht was still on the lookout for his own dream ride. What he didn’t expect was that, instead of a four-door, an ad for a metallic brown Lincoln would catch his eye. Because of how expensive it was, he filed it as a pretty car and moved on.
“But the ad popped up again and the price was very reasonable. I just thought, ‘Let me see what’s going on with this car,’” says Brecht. “The next morning, I get a call first thing, and the owner says, ‘We’d like to treat you like a rockstar for the day.’”
The owner had millions of sky miles available because he was working for BMW and no longer traveling. Brecht decided that being flown out to Ohio would be fun and, for that matter, a great story. So, before he had even fully figured out how he would get the car all the way back to Texas, Brecht was getting on a flight.
“We actually ended up having such a good time talking about the car that I missed my flight back,” says Brecht. “I can’t say enough about how fun that trip was. I’m still in touch with these guys today.”
Fast forward and Brecht’s Mark VI has seen it all. It has been in the Cedar Park 4th of July parade, a VIP car for a judge in the Leander Christmas parade, and was featured in the movie Everybody Wants Some!! while filming in San Marcos. What makes the 40-year-old vehicle especially stand out, though, is how it performed at the 2019 LCOC Western National Meet in Junction, Colorado.
Brecht’s Mark VI had no problems driving all the way to Colorado through the middle of virtually nothing. There were no problems driving into elevation, through the mountains, or through the tunnels. Not only did the car pass with flying colors on the drive, but it also won best in class.
“To anybody who’s ever wanted a classic car, you don’t have to be a mechanic. There are cars for every level of ability,” says Brecht. “We don’t have tomorrow—it’s not guaranteed. So don’t save your classic car and never drive it. Go out and enjoy it.”
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