I don’t consider myself a
materialistic person, but I am genuinely sentimental. I was before my brother
died, and I am even more glad of that now. When you can’t have that person
anymore, having something that was theirs or that reminds you of them provides
a comfort and closeness that is indescribable to a person who has been
fortunate enough not to have experienced grief and bereavement. Such is the
case with a car I once had.
As long as I can remember, I have
loved cars. I guess it’s because my dad does and he taught us about them. I’ll
never know as much as he has forgotten, though. He can look at the placement of
a small feature on a car and tell what year it was made. He knows which years
the manufacturers put certain engines and other parts under the hoods and why.
I won’t even pretend that I know all of that, but what I do know is that I love
a Ford Mustang GT.
Twenty years ago or so, our
friend Tyrone drove a black convertible GT. It had been modified and it sounded
good. We would be on the porch at my parents’ and know that he was driving by
the bank in Fulton, which is out of sight from there. We knew because of the
distinctive Mustang sound, & Tyrone’s was especially loud. After seeing and hearing Tyrone’s, I knew that I
wanted to have a Mustang GT someday.
Tyrone and me at my first car show
After I finished college, my dad
bought a 2008 GT California Special and had it sent to Biloxi to have a Rousch
supercharger installed. He put FloMaster exhaust on it himself. It was a fun,
beautiful car. He later traded it on a new Corvette. The Corvette was nice,
pretty, and fun to drive, but it lacked that Mustang sound. He traded it as
well. Whatever lucky dogs bought these two cars hit the jackpot, as they had
low miles and were well cared for.
2008 Mustang GT California Special
A 2011 Shelby Cobra GT 500 came
after the Vette. He said it was like the old school muscle cars from the 60s
and 70s. We drove the Corvette to Montgomery on a rainy day to make the trade.
I loved all those cars, but I was especially happy for my dad about this one.
He told me the story of being a young fellow at a Burger King in Crichton and
seeing one in the parking lot. He had dreamed of having one, and his dream came
true! The Shelby has been a keeper, and I love it!
The Corvette
In May of 2014, it was time for
me to get a new car. I ordered a 50th Anniversary Edition Mustang GT
5.0 in Race Red. It was loaded with black leather interior, 50th
anniversary badging, and Mustang puddle lights. I expected it to take 6-8 weeks to arrive. Weeks became months, and I was convinced that someone was
praying for me to have patience. In October, we lost my brother in a car
accident. A month or so after his wreck, my parents and I were having a “bad grief
day” on a Saturday. Tyrone and his daughter just happened to drive up in her
’14 and offered to take us for a ride. I’ll never forget their kindness and
knowing that they were the answer to a prayer that day. My dad and I cheered up after that.
My dad and the 2011 Shelby Cobra GT 500
Right after Christmas, we got
word that my car had been loaded onto a rail car in Detroit headed for Alabama.
As my luck would have it, an ice storm swept through the north, grounding the
train for some time. Finally, in late January of 2015, my car arrived in Grove
Hill. I don’t know who was more excited- me or Mrs. Debbie the sales
consultant I had been bugging since the previous May. It arrived late in the
evening, so I was unable to get it that day. My parents and I drove out to see
it, though, and it was parked right in front of the dealership. I was ecstatic!
It was absolutely beautiful! I’m not the kind of person who has to be the first
and/or only one to have something, but this was the new body style of the
Mustang, and it was the first in our area. I was still teaching at the time,
and I think some of my students were as excited as I was. I told them that
“today was the day!” We were all so excited. After school, my dad and I took
the Shelby to the dealership and made the purchase. Larry from the dealership was my first passenger when we gassed it up, although I had Jared’s
picture above the visor on the passenger’s side. Daddy and I drove in tandem
back to Fulton. He took it over town and smoked the tires on the bridge “just
to see what it would do.” I can drive a stick (with confidence on level ground
and making only right-hand turns), but I wanted an automatic, since this was my
primary vehicle. It had 425 horses and sounded pretty good stock. My dad
conducted thorough research and found that the best rated exhaust system for it
was a Stainless Works cat-back and H pipe. He ordered it and had it installed
for me. It sounded so good.
My car arriving, then my dad and me with it when we brought it home
This car was special because I
custom built it, waited so long for it, and had always wanted a Mustang GT, but
also because it was my happy place after Jared died, especially that first
year. I have a “Jared” playlist of songs that make me think of him. I would
play it and just ride. Sometimes I would ride by his old house. Sometimes I
would just ride with the windows down in the evenings and think of what we
would be doing if he were here. When I cranked that car, heard that exhaust,
and felt that power under my foot, it trumped my grief.
Larry and Debbie from the dealership came to show their support at my first car show
My dad and me at our first show together
In April of 2018, what was called
“a 100 year flood” destroyed our property. It filled my car with water and
totaled it. I did everything I could to get it back. I cried as the wrecker
took it away, and I have cried many times since. I needed a truck for Voice for
the Animals, coaching, and running club purposes, so I got an F-150. It was a
nice truck and I liked it. I planned to keep it until 2025 and get a 60th
anniversary Mustang GT. Let’s just say that all it took was one look at a
blacked out ’19 with a performance package to assure me that my place is in a
Mustang GT.
I don’t know what happened to “my
red one,” but I hope that someone was able to repair it and enjoy it. I’m
thankful for the memories, photos, and comfort it brought me. I have a memory
wall in our garage for it containing the window sticker, keys, manual, photos,
tag, and car show memorabilia. If there’s ever been a special car in your life,
do yourself a favor and listen to “Long May You Run” by Neil Young (link below). I dedicate
that song to my “red Mustang.”
2015 50th Anniversary Mustang GT 5.0
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