My family made a very difficult decision a few weeks ago to
say goodbye to a long-cherished 'family member'.
Daisy has been in my family since 1965, when she was
purchased new by my eldest aunt in New York in 1966. She is a 1965 Ford Galaxie
500 convertible.
She lived in
California for many years and she is the vehicle that I first saw the original
Muppet Movie in at a San Diego drive-in during the summer of 1979 with my
cousin Ernie Scholz- we were six years old at the time.
She came to live with my dad in Texas about a dozen years
ago, as we wanted her to remain in the family.
My dad and I have worked on her carburetor, washed her,
waxed her and enjoyed long drives in her. She was intended to be an early
inheritance at some point, as she held many fond memories and is a gorgeous
piece of industrial art.
Several months ago, my dad asked me if I was ready for my
inheritance and could I make the necessary accommodations for her. We discussed
options back and forth and Katrina and I decided that our present lifestyle was
not the most suitable situation for maintaining a classic car and that the
storage and maintenance expense would be significant and would likely require
us to go back to a more traditional lifestyle that we no longer desire and
possibly couldn't afford comfortably long-term.
We shared our concerns with Dad, who was very supportive and
understanding and we decided to pursue other options for Daisy.
This week, Daisy joined the extensive Gullo Ford Family
Museum collection, where she will be on display for the enjoyment of many for
decades to come. If you ever have a chance to visit the collection, please say
hello to her from us. It's not often that a family heirloom finds its way to a
museum in your lifetime.
As sad as it is to see Daisy go, we know she is well cared
for and loved.
'Hippie Van' now takes the lead as the patriarchal vehicle
in the Holt family as he enters his fortieth year and possibly the
half-a-million mile mark one day soon. He has not been driven much in the last
fifteen years and his newly rebuilt engine and transmission should help to
change that very soon.
In the meantime, I am keeping up the family tradition with
Molly (Jeep), as she prepares to celebrate her 25th year this July. My dad and
I drove to my hometown of Cocoa Beach, Florida on July 14th, 1990 to pick her
up. I was seventeen.
I am reminded in writing this that many of my fondest
memories with my dad revolve around these and other vehicles. His passion for
collecting and maintaining his very own 'pieces of industrial art' have always
been a part of our relationship, and washing the cars every Saturday was a
childhood ritual that I will never forget. He taught me how to change my own
oil and tires, lube a chassis and gap a spark plug.
He knows the answer
to any and every mechanical question there is to ask about any internal
combustion or nuclear powered engine ever manufactured. He can look at four square inches of a
fender, bumper or tail fin and tell you the year make and model of any car
built after 1950. He owns every issue of Car and Driver and Motor Trend since
1969. He has one hobby and one passion and he’s dedicated a lifetime to honing
his expertise because he is simply overcome with curiosity about all things
automotive.
We bought my first car before I was even old enough for a
driving permit- a neglected '78 T-bird that had sat for years in a field in
Virginia. We spent two years rebuilding the engine (using the onion skin manual
that my dad ordered from Ford for $100) and polishing off the oxidation until
she shone. I owned that T-bird for fourteen years and more than 260,000 miles.
She drove from Texas to Alabama, Oklahoma, all over Florida and the southeast,
and she towed my worldly possessions from Alabama to Utah as I fled an abusive
relationship and a case of bronchitis so severe that my dad ended up driving me
from Houston to Salt Lake City at a moment’s notice while I slept fitfully and
heavily medicated most of the way.
My own Detroit fascination is homage to him and a continuing
tribute to the amazing man who has skillfully shaped and continues to influence
my life today.
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