Ray Scanlan of Brampton, Ontario, is the proud owner of a 1968 Ford Falcon Futura Sport Coupe that still looks new even though built at the Ford plant in Oakville 51 years ago. Here is his story:
“My first car was a 1932 Ford Model B pickup which I purchased from one of my Hamilton Spectator paper route customers for $75 in 1957. He had a couple of old cars and had restored a 1928 Chev convertible which planted a seed in me for classic cars which remains to this day.
“Walking to Delta Collegiate every day with several friends from 1955 to 1959, we often admired the new breed of ‘50s automobiles with their vibrant colours and fantastic designs. My favourite was the ’56 Ford Crown Vic.
“Unfortunately our grand plans of renting a garage and restoring old cars or building hot rods faded, and I sold my ’32 pickup for $150 and bought a 1960 Austin Healey Sprite when I started working. Marriage, children, career and life got in the way as well as a string of some great cars and then company cars which had value only in that they were a free ride.
“After retirement and visiting several cruise nights, I began searching for a ’69 Beaumont which held one of my fond memories from the ‘60s. To my surprise, my wife Doreen called me one day from a garage sale in our neighbourhood to inform me that she had found the car I was looking for.
“It turned out to be a 1968 Ford Falcon in good condition with only 40,000 miles and two previous owners in our neighbourhood. With little or no negotiation, I agreed to Orville’s asking price and have enjoyed working on and driving this portion of my retirement investment portfolio (it has done better than my GIC’s!).
“My Falcon now has 50,000 miles and every year I have made minor improvements. It is a six cylinder automatic with 200 cubic inches and is
basically all original including the vinyl top and a lot of fun to drive to cruise nights. I have enjoyed meeting so many interesting folks and swapping car stories and I heartily recommend this hobby.”
I’m always looking for stories. Email billtsherk@sympatico.ca or write Bill Sherk, P.O. Box 255, 25 John Street, Leamington, ON, N8H 3W2
