Times Advocate, 1991-08-21, Page 11Times -Advocate, August 21, 1991
Page 11
A perfect pony car
ANGIE LANSBERGEN, Crediton
1968 FORD MUSTANG
engine: 289 cu. In. V-8
colour: Ford red
"You get quite the looks sometimes," says Angie
Lansbergen, who says that car enthusiasts often aren't
expecting to see a young woman behind the wheel of a
restored 1960s pony car.
Just in case they have doubts, the license plate "5
Angie" confirms whose car it is.
The Mustang was completelyrestored by Lansber-
gen's father as a gift for her lth birthday three years
ago. The car, an automatic, is washed regularly and re-
ceives tender loving care to protect the bodywork so
painstakingly restored. As is typical of many cars of
that era, the front fenders had rusted beyond help, and
new ones had to be found to bring the car back to its
original shape.
And no, Lansbergen assures, there is no body filler
on her Mustang.
"It hasn't seen a gravel road since it was painted,"
she added.
While the paint is new, the colour is still the original
red that it left the factory with.
rI almost got it candy -apple red, but I decided to go
with the original," confesses Lansbergen.
Mechanically, the car is runninig well enough that
Lansbergen drives it year round without trouble. And
with her father's patient help, all troubles are soon tak-
en care of. A mysteriously haunted charging system
caused a few problems for a while, but it too was even-
tually hunted down and eliminated.
"It think now we've got all the bugs out of it, so it
runs pretty well," says Lansbergen.
Her father is now working on the restoration of a
1967 Mustang for her sister.
While there are many appealing cars on the roads
these days, Lansbergen says her classic Mustang suits
her just fine. The red machine is just perfect for a
cruise through the 'Bend, she says.
The essential British roadster
CRAIG REDICK, Zurich
1974 MGB
engine: 1.81 L-4
colour: royal blue
"It's not really old, but it's a good year for an MGB,"
says Craig Redick of his latest labour of love.
Last week it had just returned from the paint shop af-
ter getting another coat of the colour it left the factory
with. Otherwise everything else is original, with the
exception of the radiator cap.
Unlike later MGBs, the '74 still had the chrome
bumpers. While the black plastic versions looked
high-tech in their time, it is the older MGs which get
the attention of collectors. (MG by the way, stands for
Morris Garages)
While Redick has only had the MG for a year, it has
been in his family since new. It used to beton* to his
mother, and then was passed to his sister, who, in need
of a better winter car, traded it for Craig's Prelude.
So even though he can't drive it in the winter, Redick
isn't worried. He is certain his car is on its way to col-
lectible status, and while a glance around the cabin re-
veals the occasional empty hole, or broken park, Re-
dick assures that most replacements are already on or-
der. Eventually, it will be perfect.
"rm saving for a new dash next year," confides Re-
dick.
The seats are worn, but comfortable, and the whole
car has that non -threatening aura known only to British
roadsters.
"You'd be amazed at the people who stop and talk to
you," says Redick of what happens when he is parked
on the strip at the 'Bend.
"Everybody likes it. It's not a hot rod."
And like other cars on this page, it has one asset that
beats a high -horsepower engine any day, a convertible
roof. The low windshield ensures that enough air
flows past you to ruffle your hair on a sunny aftemoon
on the road.
"The windshield wipers I never use," explains Re-
dick. "Because I don't drive it in the rain."
s•
A complete restoration
TERRY HAUGH, Hensall
1960 CHEVROLET IMPALA CONVERTIBLE
engine : 283 cu. in. V-8
colour: pearl white
Talk about a needle in a haystack, Terry Haugh of
Hensall didn't exactly find his rare 1960 chevrolet in a
showroom.
"I found it in a drive shed about'two miles outside of
town," said Haugh.
An avid collector of GTO's, he had just sold his third
of three 1967s, and was looking for something differ-
ent, when he happened upon the Impala.
"1 didn't know what I wanted until 1 found tViis by ac-
cident," said Haugh.
He purchased the car just this spring, and it has actu-
ally only been on the road for a week. The previous
owner had been in an accident with it, writing off the
front end. Fortunately, the motor and remainder of the
car;were left undamaged, with only body parts required
to repair it. He found a 1960 Bel Air in Oakville to use
as a parts car and set to work.
With the exception of the paint job, Haugh did most
of the work himself, tearing down the front end, replac-
ing and sandblasting it. The car was stripped to ensure
everything about it was good, before being painted
pearl white. The car had been painted once before, but
the original paint was still underneath the chrome. But
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the original colour had a yellowish tinge Haugh didn't
seem to care for.
"It didn't do much for the car," said Haugh. "I felt it
needed to be a little brighter."
The owner still has a few things to do, such as paint
the engine, but other than that all the car needs is a few
pieces of chrome. Unfortunately, some are hard to
futd,_especially in Canada, and Haugh notes that it can
be very expensive. Decorative gold flags had to be re-
manufactured in Oakville, costing the owner $118 a
Doesn't matter what it is," laughed Haugh. "Every-
thing seems to start at about $99.95 and go up."
As for options, the car has a power seat and a pad-
ded dash. Back then, many cars came with a steel dash
that was painted.
When new, the car was originally sold out of Strat-
ford and has only 56,000 original miles on it. It's un-
likely that Haugh will put too many more on it, hoping
to sell it when he's finished.
But his thirst for more definitely has yet to be
quenched What's next?
"I'd like to find a good GTO."
German precision
MARK TUOKEY, Exeter
1971 PORSCHE 911T
engine: 2.21 flat six
colour: white
"I always wanted one," explains Mark Tuckey, who
went to great lengths to find his perfect Porsche.
He made a special trip to Los Angeles four years ago
to find a vintage 911 which had escaped both the rav-
ages of the Canadian climate, and the ravages of the
customizer. It is increasingly difficult to locate older
Porsches which have not been tampered with by their
owners in attempts to update their styling. For exam-
ple, the infamous "whale tale" was designed to house
the intercooler for the turbo 911 as well as generate
high-speed downforce. However, many non -turbo
9118 have since had fake fibreglass tails grafted onto
their engine covers.
Tuckey's 911 is different. Not only is it completely
original, albeit with a fresh coat of paint, Tuckey was
able to buy it from its first owner.
And Tuckey, a mechanic himself, is able to keep the
car in its nearly -perfect condition. He doesn't drive it
that often, and even then only when the weather coop-
erates.
"I love it. It's fun to drive...it's just a blast," said
Tuckey.
While the vintage 911 doesn't have the gobs of
horsepower that can be found on muscle cars, or even
today's high-powered sedans, Tuckey points out that
the air-cooled six cylinder behind the rear wheels has
plenty of power to move the lightweight coupe.
The interior of the car is laid out in the best German
tradition. This being a tnic sports car, the tachometer,
not the speedometer, gets centre stage in the dash-
board. And there are just two seats...well, there are flip
up cushions in the back, but they're really not large
enough even for children. This is a sports car in the
classic sense.
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