I have been a car nut as long as I can remember. I played with Hot Wheels and car models before I was old enough to drive. It seems most car guys get "brand loyal" early on. I suppose it has something to do with what you learn how to work on. In my case, my tastes have varied from manufacturer to manufacturer. I like Muscle cars, street rods, classics and even world class imports like Ferraris & Lamborghinis.

I was fortunate many years ago to land a job driving exotic cars all over the nation. It didn’t pay that well but I had the chance to drive super cars that others only dream about. Some of the more interesting models included a real Shelby Cobra, several Shelby Mustangs, and The first Ferrari Tesstarosa to hit the streets of Fort Worth, several exotic Porsches, and Mercedes, old and new. I had some interesting daily drivers (demos) that were worth more than the house we lived in. I drove a 1967 ISO Griffo for a while that was one of 47 made. It was an Italian made car with a Corvette 327 and M22 four speed from the factory.

Some of my personal cars have been:

’75 Hurst Olds 455

‘53 Ford Coupe

’47 Tear drop Kit Kamper

’71 Dodge Challenger Convertible

’30 Ford Model A Street rod

2001 PT Cruiser w/ a Mullins trailer

2005 Dodge Magnum (Tanya’s grocery getter)

68 Ford Mustang Coupe

One of the great things about this club is sharing of knowledge, parts, stories and CARS! My latest project was a 68 Mustang many of us saw for the first time a couple of years ago when Dwayne Hargrove showed up to one our meetings driving it after the sell of his ’67 Chevelle. The car was a solid car that he had plans of restoring. Dwayne being a real Chevy guy at heart decided to sell it last spring after another club member found a Camaro that was more to Dwayne’s liking.

I bought it at a Westside Classic Cruiser show in Benbrook. I began working on it right away. I wanted to finish it before the end of the car show season. I wanted to keep it original with a few upgrades that could easily be put back in the event someone later wanted to make it all original again. I decided to repaint it White with Blue rocker stripes. I removed all the emblems and badges. Northside Upholstery put in new original style black interior. I installed a hump hugger console & painted the metal door panels. A new CD player was added to finish the interior.

The wheels and tires are 16" Hot wheels. I thought they had a retro look but with a little modern flair. The car turned out nice. I sold the car the week before Christmas. The new owners are a nice couple who live on the Westside of Fort Worth so I promised to pay the first years dues for them to be members of this wonderful club. So when you see the little ’68 pulling into our next show or meeting, make sure and welcome our newest members.