How does a former car nut with an opinion on everything automotive, find himself at a Ford Dealership on the Northern tip of Vancouver Island, selling mostly trucks and SUV’s? And now that the automotive bug has bitten again, what to drive?
I have recently started working as a sales consultant and social media manager at Dave Landon Ford in Port Hardy. This is a little introduction to my automotive background. I will be posting here weekly on all issues related to the automobile from recent trends to historical perspective, dealership news and community events. Please check back often and don’t worry, most articles will be shorter than this one.
As a kid, I had a special bond with cars, especially interesting cars with exotic heritage, delightful sounds and artistically sculpted panels. My mother said that she thought I would never tire of sitting near our neighbours red 1964 MGB Convertible with black hardtop, chrome wire wheels, black leather upholstery with white piping, and just stare at it. And listen to it. It had that special sports car sound, that years later Mazda tried and failed to get right in the Miata. I will never forget that sound. Why is this something that is seared into my brain?
I grew up in a great time for the automobile. The late 1950’s and 1960’s were the greatest time for cars for someone my age. My grandfather might have liked the brass era better.
American makers were designing new models every year and there were some of us that eagerly awaited the new cars every October, the search lights in the sky downtown and the showrooms full of great new looks and a lot of our neighbours having a look as well. I remember my Dad had a particular love for a certain 1964 blue Thunderbird. He would never consider buying it. It was far too ostentatious and impractical for him.
Our family suffered through some of the worst cars ever produced that my Dad inexplicably thought were suitable for our family. It all started with a 1941 Dodge Coupe that might have been the most beautiful car of the bunch. Not a great car though. He followed that up with a Rambler Classic 4 door with push button auto, a Renault Dauphine, a Mercury Montcalm with armstrong steering and a big block 352, a Green Ford Maverick, a Chevrolet 6 cylinder van he turned into a travel van, and finally a Cavalier Wagon. The only thing these cars had in common were that they were all sold to him by a certain salesman that was the epitome of the white shoes and belt, plaid jacketed, Herb Tarleck of a car salesman that always seemed to have Dad’s number.
As I became a teenager the muscle car era was in full swing and I wanted one badly. It took me a while, but I did manage to own a few. A 1970 Mercury Cougar with a 351 Windsor, a 68 Mustang 302 Coupe, a 73 Mustang Mach 1 fastback with louvres, a 69 Charger RT 440, and a few more. My tastes later ran to European BMW, Porsche, Mini Cooper, Jaguar, Triumph and an MGB. To me, cars were objects of art, not just in their visual lines, but also in their sound and smells. The smell of a Jaguar is unmistakable; blindfold me and sit me in a car and I will pick out the Jag every time.
My dream garage would have a few muscle cars for sure — a 67 Gurney Cougar, a 68 Shelby GT500 KR, a modern era Mustang Super Snake, a Camaro RS/SS, a 67 Corvette 427 coupe with knockoffs and sidewinders, and a Pro Touring 67 Chevelle Hardtop with a modern drivetrain. My dreams would also hold some rare oddities, a Daimler SP250 Dart, a Sunbeam Tiger, a Jensen Interceptor, and a Lamborghini Miura (the most beautiful car ever made i.m.h.o.). My garage would also hold 3 jags, a 68 E type 4.2 tri-carb convertible, a 71 E type series 3 coupe and a new F type R. To round out the garage, there would have to be a Porsche (although I am pretty much done with Porsche) so I think a 1989 930 Turbo. In order to pick up groceries and take the family with me I would need something practical, so a new AMG E class Wagon.
So that brings me to my current situation. What to drive when you’re approaching 60 and you work at a Ford dealership. I started to type that over the last 10 years or so I have not kept up on the automotive world, but in truth, it has been a lot longer than that. It probably started in the late 70’s with the fuel crisis and the muscle cars vanishing. Then the Japanese invasion with their perfection and body styles they would stick with for 6 or more years made for little excitement in October each year. Finally I think that it was that all car makers started building bubble cars. Rounded cars to cheat the wind that looked a little like a suppository and just like every other car. Brand identity became a joke and I quietly drifted away to motorcycles, travel and Dominican Rum.
2008 was a tough year on car makers in North America. The financial meltdown caused all of them to have to re-think how they did business and start thinking that they needed to be more responsive to consumer demand. “Build it and they will come” turned into “We better build what they are coming for.” Good times have followed. GM is now back on top of the world, and Ford is building some of the best cars and trucks I have ever had the privilege to ride in. Chrysler, under Fiat ownership still hasn’t figured out cars and as of this writing, they are planning a departure from all of their cars to focus on Jeep and RAM products which are the only things that consumers are telling them that they want. This is very sad from a company that used to be the number one automotive engineer in North America.
Ford has been a revelation for me. From top to bottom, the product line is well built, feature rich and performance oriented. I love that our lot is full of vehicles that I am proud to announce the horsepower and torque figures. That I am secure enough to go out on a test drive and show off the performance and features in the real world.
Even the truck line has interest for me — 6000 pound behemoths that have enough horsepower to make you pause before stomping the throttle. Is the road too wet for this? What’s up ahead because I am going to be there instantaneously? Trucks are practical again, because they are so efficient. Gas mileage is pretty good and man can these machines haul in both senses of the word. Huge payloads, massive towing capacity, efficient interiors, technologically advanced, comfortable and fast. And Ford still builds cars with loads of customization possible, either from the factory or the dealer. If there is a desire for a one of a kind vehicle (or close) Ford can deliver.
So, the question about what an aging car guy on Northern Vancouver Island would want to drive — my dream garage has just 2 vehicles; an F150 Lariat Supercrew 3.5 Ecoboost with 365 hp and 420 lb-ft of Torque, and a Fusion Sport 2.7 All Wheel Drive with 325 hp. Both great choices for North Vancouver Island living.
