Making a Family Legend; a 1965 Thunderbird goes to Church
Richard | Jul 07, 2008 | Comments 0
Legendary, the family side
The legend began with the original owners. It was 1965 and the husband went into a Ford dealership in Las Vegas and picked out a sweet new Mustang for his beautiful wife, Lucy. She was a June Taylor dancer and also had appeared as a dancer in Vegas Shows. She was a knock out.
He went home picked up Lucy and they went to the dealership. When he and Lucy, walked in and saw this gorgeous frost Turquoise Thunderbird slowly spinning on the turntable in the showroom she had to have it. The deal for the Mustang was canceled and a new one struck for the Bird.
The husband was an influential man in Vegas in the late 60s and for many years to come. He interviewed every major star on the strip and wrote reviews of their performances for the local newspaper. Unfortunately no records of all the stars who may have ridden in the car were ever kept but just think of the names from that Vegas era; Howard Hughes (he attended there wedding and kept hitting on Lucy even after the vows were exchanged) Elvis, Frank and the Rat Pack and the list goes on.
These love birds still had their Bird when the husband passed away. Lucy reluctantly decided to part with the car but only to the right family. Katrina and I are the proud caretakers of this legend. As the two new love birds we restored the Bird and gave it a second life. Katrina and I are the second owners of the 65 Bird convertible and intend on keeping its family legend alive and growing. While it has been in our hands we have not shown it in serious competition. It is intended to be a driver and provide entertainment to our family and others. We have used it to provide rides for seniors and others at community events and the Bird and Katrina have appeared together on a Muscle Car TV Flashback feature.
However, our proudest moment to date and the one that makes the car a true Legend and keepsake in our family is when my oldest daughter asked if Katrina and I would drive her and her new husband from the Church on their wedding day. They wanted something special and not the same old limousine that everyone else uses.
It is a proud moment when a father walks his daughter down the isle but I think it is even prouder moment when a gear head and his wife drive his daughter and her new husband away from the Church in their collector car and head off to the reception and a new family beginning.
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Filed Under: Car Stories
About the Author: I grew up and lived in Iowa for nearly 40 years before moving to Southern California. The time there was very rewarding but the urge for a slower pace moved us to Tennessee a few years ago and we love it. I have been into cars since I was old enough to remember. I don't have a brand loyalty although I do prefer American Muscle. As long as it has four wheels on it I get excited. Few men are lucky enough to be able to share their passion for cars with the woman they love. Fortunately, my wife Katriana is also a gear head and many of our activities revolve around the cars. When they don't we are usually out with our miniature donkeys. You can see more about that part of our lives at http://www.LegendaryFarms.com.
