CLASSIC-CAR BUFFS TO ASSEMBLE FOR ANNUAL SHOW.Byline: EUGENE TONG Staff Writer GLENDALE -- For 65-year-old Hank Ahlers, a spin in his rocket red 1955 Ford Thunderbird The Ford Thunderbird was a car manufactured in the United States by the Ford Motor Company. It entered production for the 1955 Ford Thunderbird model year as a two-seater sporty car but, unlike the similar Chevrolet Corvette, the Thunderbird was never sold as a full-blown sports is like taking a drink from the fountain of youth Fountain of Youth legendary fountain of eternal youth. [World Legend: Brewer Dictionary, 432] See : Unattainability . ``Back in the '50s and '60s, we cruised Hollywood Boulevard,'' said Ahlers, a classic-car collector who grew up in Los Angeles and now lives in Glendale. ``We cruised to Bob's Big Boy. And now as an adult, we want to be teenagers again.'' Ahlers' first-generation classic T-Bird is among the 300 curvy, chrome-covered pre-1973 rides that will rule Brand Boulevard tonight at the 13th annual Cruise Night Car Show and Street Party. Besides sweet rides and warm memories, the event will feature music from The Kingsmen, whose hits in the '60s include ``Louie Louie'' and ``Money,'' and nostalgia band Sha Na Na Sha Na Na is a rock and roll revivalist/comedy group from New York City, who perform covers of doo wop hits from the 1950s, simultaneously reviving and sending up the music, as well as 1950s New York street culture, in their performances. . Ahlers has been a car nut since working on his first heap in 1956 as a teenager at John Marshall High School There are several high schools in the United States named after the early United States politician and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, including:
tr.v. su·per·charged, su·per·charg·ing, su·per·charg·es 1. To increase the power of (an engine, for example), as by fitting with a supercharger. 2. an old Ford Model A with a Chevy engine. ``It was a screaming Jenny, let me tell you,'' he said. ``It was a lot of fun building the cars, and it started from there.'' The party at the city's downtown drag is one of the 20 or so events at which Ahlers shows off his collection. He also owns a 1931 Ford Model A; a 1932 Ford Hi-Boy roadster rigged with a Chevrolet 350 engine and transmission; and a 1957 Chevy half-ton pickup. The Hi-Boy carried ``The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' band leader Kevin Eubanks at the Hollywood Christmas Parade The Hollywood Christmas Parade took place every year for 75 years on the weekend after Thanksgiving in the Hollywood community in Los Angeles, California, United States. The parade's 3. last year, and Anthony Hopkins once rode the T-Bird in a Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). march about five years ago, Ahlers said. ``With my Thunderbird thunderbird In North American Indian mythology, a powerful spirit in the form of a bird that watered the earth and made vegetation grow. Lightning was believed to flash from its eyes or beak, and the beating of its wings was thought to represent rolling thunder. , people will say `Boy, is that nice!''' he said. ``You always get people that will compliment you. It's like somebody looking at a painting on the wall, like a Rembrandt painting. It's beautiful. We all want to be praised for something.'' Mario Sottile, owner of a '57 T-Bird and two other classic rigs, shared Ahlers' enthusiasm for showmanship. ``Cruise Night is an absolute kick in the butt Noun 1. kick in the butt - punishment inflicted by kicking the victim in the behind corporal punishment - the infliction of physical injury on someone convicted of committing a crime ,'' said Sottile, 64, of Northridge. ``People come up, and they're not absolutely sure what (the car) is, but they know they like it.'' A Burbank native, Sottile has fond memories of rolling with friends to Bob's Big Boy in Toluca Lake in his father's car. ``You get rid of the toys when you grow up because you can't afford them,'' he said. ``When the kids are gone, you get back into it again.'' Ahlers and Sottile are members of the Valley Classic T-Bird car club and will be volunteering at today's event. Club President Jennifer Nejman, proud owner of a red '57 Thunderbird, said she looks forward to taking the driver's seat. ``I feel pretty cool because my car is cool,'' she said. ``My husband gets to sit in the passenger seat and waves. ... It's a fun thing to do.'' eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com (818) 546-3304 CAPTION(S): photo, box |
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