My Favorite Ride: Jim Schlick leaves a collection of much-loved Peugeots as his legacy

Laura Lane, The Herald-Times
·4 min read

Jim Schlick, a connoisseur of French-made Peugeot automobiles, died April 23. Besides family and friends, he left behind a collection of fine Peugeots. Sixteen, I think.

The Bloomington man did not initiate this obsession with Peugeots. It was his wife, Pam, who was responsible. In high school, she drove a 1960 Peugeot 403 inherited from her grandfather. There weren't many Peugeots on the road in Iowa; the car stood out among a sea of Fords and Chevrolets.

When she married Jim, their first car was a Peugeot just like that one. Discovered outside a barn and obscured by tall weeds, the owner said they could have the car if they would just haul it away.

They did, got it running and drove it for two decades.

This Peugeot, part of Jim Schlick’s collection, has a very stylish front end. (Courtesy photo)
This Peugeot, part of Jim Schlick’s collection, has a very stylish front end. (Courtesy photo)

Over time, the collection grew. When the Schlicks moved to Bloomington in 2006 from Pennsylvania, they brought with them a dozen Peugeots. They built a home north of Bloomington, and beside it a large two-story temperature-controlled garage called the Peugeot Pole Barn.

It contains hydraulic lifts that allow more than a dozen cars to be stored on two levels. I once described it as resembling an upscale French car dealership.

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I've written about Jim and his Peugeots a few times. The headline for one column was: "Oh no, not another Peugeot." He'd let me know when a new, unique car had arrived, and educated me about his beautiful classics from decades ago — a 1958 403C, a 1966 403B, a fancy red 1968 204 convertible — that he collected, cherished and drove.

Jim Schlick, left, has a two-level pole barn filled with Peugeots. (Courtesy photo)
Jim Schlick, left, has a two-level pole barn filled with Peugeots. (Courtesy photo)

If not for him and Patrick Fiore, a Bloomington man whose taste in Peugeots is less discerning than Jim's, I would struggle to spell the word "Peugeot" and my only knowledge of the carmaker would be of the 1959 Peugeot 403 Cabriolet Peter Falk drove as Lt. Columbo.

An autumn highlight for years was an annual car meet Schlick hosted at his place. He continued the tradition after Pam died in 2006.

Jim's obituary in The Herald-Times said this about the annual event. "Every fall he hosted 'Pam’s Fall Car Meet' in her honor, which was an excuse to get his Peugeots out of the shed and for friends to park their cars on his lawn and spend an afternoon socializing."

People brought food for a pitch-in buffet. Schlick invited "all interesting and/or classic autos to join my French Peugeots."

Jim Schlick's 1992 Peugeot 605 SV3.0. The 605 model was never imported into the United States, so they are very rare here.
Jim Schlick's 1992 Peugeot 605 SV3.0. The 605 model was never imported into the United States, so they are very rare here.

One year, I saw a mix of cars that included a 1984 Porsche 928 S, a 1972 Volvo P1800 ES sports wagon, a 1959 Edsel Ranger, a 1962 MGA Deluxe, a 1952 Kaiser and so many Jim Schlick Peugeots.

I will miss seeing my friend and neighbor. And those cars he loved.

I last heard from Jim in an August 2020 email about a column I wrote about Fiore's latest wrecked-yet-prized Peugeot find, a faded red station wagon.

"Needless-to-say, his Peugeots are always very interesting and usually have a story to tell," the email said. "By the way, in 1989 a 505 SW8 station wagon (which seats 8 passengers) was only available in North America. It was a 'top of the line' Peugeot, especially if it had a turbo-charged engine."

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The man knew his Peugeots. And had downsized his collection by a few cars, he wrote. "My Peugeot count is now 16. They are now, finally, all stored inside, 15 in the Peugeot Pole Barn and one in my attached garage."

When I read the last paragraph of that email this week, I realized I never responded. There was no message in my "sent" folder. I regret that. I get a lot of mean and critical emails about stories I write. His was kind, and I should have thanked him.

"Laura, please keep up the great work on your weekly automotive column. I also enjoy your other reporting in The Herald-Times. I believe that your reporting is always fair and objective, even as you report on people and situations for which there are strong opinions on all sides."

Best regards,

Jim Schlick."

Have a story to tell about a car or truck? Contact reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com, 812-331-4362 or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Peugeot collection lives on after car collector's death in April