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The Bucket List. Remember that movie from back in ’07 with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman? They team up to do a bunch of wild and wonderful stuff they’ve always wanted to do before they die. There’s more to it than that, but that’s the gist of the story. One of the cool “car guy” scenes in that flick involves Jack and Morgan’s characters hot rodding around a track in a couple of muscle cars. It’s great watching those two tackle everything on their bucket lists, as their time draws near. You really come away from this movie thinking, “Whatever it is, do it before it’s too late.”

Road Trips: Plan One!

You may be wondering why I’m writing about road trips now that it’s wintertime. Well, most road trips take planning, and what better time to do that than now? Spring always gets here faster than we expect, then summer. Besides, planning a trip now will help you tune out those winter blues.

This stunning 1963 Galaxie 500 XL belongs to Gary and Kae Wise of Molalla, OR. Gary acquired his love of Fords at 20 years of age, when he started working for the Holman-Williams Ford Dealership in Molalla, OR. In 1960, Gary and his wife Kae bought their first Ford, a 1960 Red Starliner, 352 3-speed car. In November of 1962, the 1963-1/2, Sports Hardtop with the 427/425 engine became available. The couple just had to have one. Kae's color choice was Rose Beige metallic, with a black interior. This made the Ford 500 XL the prettiest car in town. Gary chose the R-code 427 engine, 4-speed transmission, 4:11 rear end gears, alternator, and transistorized ignition to round out the powertrain.

How does a car guy go about beating the winter blues?

Well, old man winter has gripped the nation – in most parts of the country anyway. As I’m writing this, I’m reminded that I live in a pretty decent part of the USA, where winter is virtually non-existent. Central Florida can be downright nasty during the summer months, but come mid-October, the weather here can’t be beat. So attending local car shows and being able to work on cars this time of year is a great privilege. Before you start with the hate comments, know that I’ve only lived here for the last 5 years. Before that, I lived in the mountains of southern Oregon. I know what long, cold winters are! I remember venturing into our unheated garage only on sunny days to work on my old Buick Skylark, or my wife’s Ford Galaxie. Even then, after an hour or so, the cold overcame the joy of turning the wrenches. Back in those days, come wintertime, I found other ways to satisfy my old car hobby itch…

The Next Generation: No doubt about it, we’re all getting older. Sorry for the reminder, but it’s true. I’m 58 years old and hopefully still have many years ahead of me to enjoy this hobby, amongst other things! As the years roll on I wonder who’ll carry the “classic/muscle/hotrod” torch in my family. For me, most likely my son- in-law. My own son isn’t a car guy. He grew up with a dad who was (and still is), car crazy. My father was definitely not a car guy. I grew up with a Fiat and a Rambler– it was rough! When my son was a teenager, I asked him what his favorite “old car” was. He said he liked the ’68-’72 Novas. Ah, a flicker of encouragement! I still hope to find one of those cars and turn it into a father/son project with him. Right now, he’s entrenched with his career and our new grandson.

Last summer, at a car show in Cleveland, Ohio, I sat around with a few older gents discussing ’50s cars in general. One of the guys was itching to buy late ’50’s Chevy or Ford, didn’t matter. He just loved that era. He’d seen a few advertised for sale that had stirred his interest, and they had been relative bargains, but, they all required complete restorations. He’d said he’d come to the conclusion that he simply didn’t have the energy any more to embark on a lengthy project, and had decided to buy a finished, completely restored car. Totally understandable, considering how long it can take to build a car– be it a back-to-showroom stock restoration or a full-on custom build. This particular gentleman had the financial means to pull out his checkbook and seal the deal, good for him.

Let’s talk about doing really, really stupid things. Like racing cops – ever done that? By accident I mean, of course. I’m not talking about squaring-off against a marked cruiser at a set of lights– that would just be suicide. I did however, put on an “exhibition of speed”, right in front of an unmarked Chevy Tahoe police unit.

Stranger In A Strange Land - Putting our recent International issue of Chevy Classics Magazine together got me thinking about classic cars in unusual places. Seeing a ’61 Impala in Australia or a ’55 Chevy in Sweden is not all that unusual- after all, both of those countries are well known for housing plenty of classic American iron. Seeing a Roman Red 1960 Corvette cruising the streets of downtown London, England is certainly unusual though– especially one with California plates