This was my first classic car. And it spawned a lifetime of my love for classic cars.
I had made friends with a girl who went to my school; Kim who was a fun-loving, and sweet girl and we enjoyed each other’s company. On her driveway sat a Rangoon red 1965 Thunderbird. The car had a white vinyl top and a red leather interior.
My interest was piqued and I asked her dad about the car and if it was for sale. It was a sad story; his brother had bought the car brand new. He then went to Vietnam, and never returned home.
He went on to explain that the car, while loaded for the day, did not have air conditioning. We were living in Fort Myers Florida and he said no one liked driving it!
He finally agreed to sell it to my dad and I after my dad came over to see the car. For $500, we now owned a father and son project.
While I wanted to do things correctly, my father chose to go cheap! A fact I would soon find out.
Dad had a job opportunity on the East Coast of Florida and asked me to drive my mom over. The car seemed to wander all over the road and I thought for sure something was loose up front.
No, it seemed my dad felt the steel belted radial tires were too nice and put bias ply tires on it!
When Dad accepted the new position, I chose to stay in Fort Myers. I worked for a painter and as a sort of sign on bonus, he agreed to paint the car. He spent a day filling in the weather check marks in the vinyl with Marine 5200 caulk and brushing out white Imron! Then he resprayed the car in the original color and it was very sharp.
When I bought the car, it had 78000 miles. And living across the state from my parents, the miles added up quickly. But I was starting to become tired of the no air conditioning.
Image from the web.
My wife, Cindy, and I met at a shopping center. I was in charge of the maintenance, and she worked as both an eye doctor and at Publix. I noticed her walking around at lunchtime, and admiring me?
No, my car as I would find out later!
Anyway, I thought she was beautiful and I asked her out. She accepted, and then almost backed out….
I had sold the Thunderbird while I was in Fort Myers and thumbed a ride home to my parents. It’s at this point my dad and I bought my precious COAL, my Caprice! The day before our date, I pulled up to see her leaving Publix. I asked her what time, etc.
She looked at my Caprice and said, “Oh my! You have two cars! How cool!”
I explained that, no, I wasn’t cool and I owned just the Caprice.
She then said, “You traded that red car on THIS?!”
Having felt punched in the gut, I quietly asked her if we still had a date! We did and you all know the rest of the story.
Whatever happened to my 65 Bird? Well, Cindy and I were visiting Fort Myers one weekend and found it on a lot. She wanted to buy it! She called her dad, who said he’d loan us the money! But, as we know, you can’t always go back. The car was in a sad shape. The leather seats were torn, and the carpet had succumbed to the hot weather. We walked away and I promised to buy her a Thunderbird someday. But that’s another COAL!
Since my last COAL shows a much younger Chip and Cindy, I’ll tag a today picture. In December, we will celebrate 40 years of marriage.
What a great story, and congratulations on your long and happy marriage!
I am happy that your red 60’s Thunderbird experience went so much better than mine did (https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1961-ford-thunderbird-chapter-wherein-realism-crushes-optimism/). Yours would have been a really nice car to experience as a kid.
Nice story with a happy ending! 40 years is quite an accomplishment these days.
Did ’65 T-birds have a white leather option then? Dad had a Rangoon Red ’64 T-bird for a while and it had white vinyl buckets iirc. Leather was of a much higher quality back then and pretty expensive, not like the thin plastic-coated junk in most cars today, not many of them have truly good stuff like Bridge of Weir.
Nice car and better story .
-Nate
Your story with Cindy is a bit of the classic switch and bait? Get her attention with the T-Bird and then show up with a Chevy? 🙂
Congratulations on the long-lived outcome.
Congratulations on 40 years! Incidentally, my own 20 year anniversary is coming up this month, and when I first met her, I was pretty intrigued that she drove a Thunderbird (a ’95). We still have it, though I don’t know for how much longer. But in my opinion, Thunderbird girls are great!
Too about about the car having been in such poor condition when you caught up with to it later, but it’s a good thing you had the foresight to walk away.
My sister had a 1966 T-bird in the early 2000s (sister and her daughter in the pic). It looked great, but the brakes were terrible – probably just badly adjusted, but they did nothing when you first touched the pedal and when you pressed a little harder they almost locked up. I gave the keys back after a driving around the block, and refused to touch it again.
Thank you all! It’s been a terrific 40 years!
For those asking, I did buy her a Thunderbird for Christmas a few years back.
She wanted a 1978 Diamond Jubilee edition and we found one, with a moon roof and 84,000 miles!
It’ll be a COAL soon! I must say there seems to be a few more Brougham fans out there than I thought!!
Nice story! You’ve had several nice old cars! The T-Bird started it all!
I lust for those 60s T-birds if only I had the space for one. Your story is wonderful and congrats for forty wonderful years together. I do admire that as much as cool cars! 🙂
So your wife-to-be was an eye doctor AND worked at Publix?
Great story by the way!
I own a ‘65 landau in Rangoon red with a white vinyl top. The interior is white with red accents. Everything works but the air conditioner and the in dash clock. It has spinner hubcaps. I like driving it around town and to local car shows. Not in it for awards or ribbons, just for the fun of it.
@Alan Olson
I had the clock in mine cleaned and it kept perfect time.
The place I used then is gone, but I’ve also used Clock Worx for my 76 Mark IV
My favorite part of my Bird was the swing away wheel!