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Classic car feature: 1963
Thunderbird
By Dave Chapman, Staff Writer
Purchasing a classic car from out of state or any
long distance from home requires a number of things.
First and foremost, it requires that the car be
brought home.
Some people drive them home, some trailer them home
and some have them shipped home by truck.
Southgate resident Gary Kapp had his 1963
Thunderbird shipped home in a most unusual way. It was flown home in
a C-130 Lockheed Hercules cargo plane.
Kapp and a friend went to California to find a pair
of classic cars. Neither of them had any leads on cars, they just
went looking.
Kapp looked at some other cars, but none of them
met his standards, at least not until he spotted a ’63 Thunderbird.
He knew immediately there wasn’t any reason to continue the
search.
Once Kapp acquired his car he made arrangements to
have it shipped to El Paso, Texas. Because of Kapp’s job at
USA/Active Aero he knew there would be a Lynden Air Cargo C-130
Lockheed Hercules soon flying to Willow Run Airport completely
empty.
His car was flown back as a favor.
"I’ve always had a passion for Thunderbirds from
the early ’60s," Kapp said. "When I was young I always wanted my dad
to buy one; maybe that’s why I like them so much."
Or maybe it’s because of Kapp’s involvement in the
air industry he has grown to appreciate the jet aircraft-inspired
lines of the Thunderbird. Kapp’s car comes
complete with fender skirts, rare spinner wheel covers and vent
window extensions.
While the exterior of the T-bird required only a
good cleaning and detailing, the interior required a little more
elbow grease and the replacement of its carpeting.
Even though Kapp’s Thunderbird is more than three
decades old, it came complete with most of the creature features
found on today’s automobiles, including power windows, power
steering and factory air conditioning. It even has a swing away
steering wheel for easy entry and exit for the driver.
The 390-cubic inch motor under the hood still runs
strong and Kapp has no intentions of touching it.
One unique item about Kapp’s car is that it has its
original California black license plate. This allowed Kapp to verify
that his recently purchased car was indeed an original California
car.
When cruise time comes Saturday, Kapp probably
won’t be driving his Thunderbird. His daughters, Kelli and Rachel,
already have spoken for the car. Instead, Kapp will be behind the
wheel of his 1974 Grand Torino Elite, which he purchased from his
aunt and has under 16,000 miles on its odometer.
For that one, there was no need to have it flown
home.
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