SAM PIKE
Staff Writer
Everyone has his or her “thing.” From hairstyles to clothes, each person finds a way to express his or her unique qualities. Pepperdine is home to a collection of intriguing students, faculty and staff whose vintage automobiles are as much about self-expression as mohawks and stiletto heels.
“I just couldn’t be one of those guys who drives a tricked-out Honda,” said Andy Smith, owner of a 1974 Datsun 260Z. “I wanted something that was different.”
Different is exactly what owners of classic cars get when they purchase these pieces of history. People predominantly view a car as a means of transportation, but these vehicles have played an active role in their owners’ lives.
Dr. Michael Jordan, journalism professor at Pepperdine, is the owner of a 1951 Buick with the peculiar name: Roxy. Roxy, however, is far from an arbitrary label—it represents the conclusion to a long journey of hellos and goodbyes.
When Jordan first received the telephone call informing him that there was a baby girl waiting to be adopted by him and his wife Nancy, he was shocked.
“We had put our names in to adopt two years earlier,” said Jordan. “But we never thought we would be chosen.”
As a result of the surprise, Jordan had to sell his prized 1949 Buick, well-known around the Pepperdine campus in the 1990s, in order to pay the adoption fees.
“It made it easier to say goodbye,” he said. “Because I knew it was going for the best reason.”
Nevertheless, Jordan’s obsession with classic Buicks could not be assuaged, and he immediately began saving for the next one. When he finally bought his 1951, model 56R a metallic gray two-door hardtop, he decided it would be fitting for Kendall, his adopted daughter, to name it.
Jordan explained, “We narrowed down the list of possible names, and Kendall decided on Roxy.”
TJ Kendall, a staff member of Pepperdine’s financial department, acquired his 1969 Chevy Malibu through a completely unlikely arrangement of events as well.
Kendall had met the original owner two years earlier and made an offer at that time, only to be refused. However, when the owner’s daughter decided not to keep the Malibu as her first vehicle, they offered it to him.
“Apparently, they found my business card from all those years earlier and called the number,” Kendall explained.
Though the number went to his old workplace, a counseling office that was no longer in practice, the message eventually reached Kendall, who responded instantly.
“I was really excited,” said Kendall. “It’s just a fun car to have.”
For some enthusiasts, every time they drive their car could mean an unforgettable adventure.
“I’d say the most exciting experience I had in my Z was when I had to put out an engine fire,” Andy Smith casually explained. “It got a little crazy.”
Smith continued to say that if the fire had burned for just one minute longer, it would have burned through the fuel lines. Fortunately, the only resulting damage was to a group of wires that were easily replaced.
TC Cardamore had a similar breakdown experience while driving back in her green 1965 Mustang from her boyfriend’s house.
“I had told my parents that I would be hanging out in downtown Pasadena,” admitted Cardamore. “So it was really embarrassing when I had to explain where I was coming from.”
The quirky flaws that accompany vintage vehicles often provide for a good laugh, but in Cortney Black’s experience, they turned her car into a public spectacle.
The driver’s side door on Black’s 1959 AMC Rambler has the tendency to swing open unless she remembers to lock it while driving—an unfortunate fact that took her by surprise shortly after receiving her driver’s license.
“I was surprised and distracted when the door swung open, which caused me to drive over the curb and onto a telephone line,” Black explained.
That is correct—onto a telephone line.
The line formed a right triangle as it descended from the top of a telephone pole, into the ground. When the car came over the curb, its momentum drove it all the way up the wire until it rested at a 45-degree angle with the earth.
“It took three cop cars, two fire trucks and one of those telephone company platforms to get my car down,” said Black. “I was so embarrassed that I didn’t even tell my friends till two years later.”
However, classic cars do not require adventurous exploits to grab the attention of passersby.
Freshman Andrew Widmar said that at least once a month he finds offers to buy his blue 1982 Toyota Land Cruiser stuck under his windshield wipers.
Widmar admitted, “It kinda makes you feel good, all that attention.”
Although classic car owners drive the most distinctive vehicles on campus, they are constantly dreaming of new ways to make their cars better. Plans range from new paint jobs to refurbished interiors, but all of them aim at transforming the vehicle into a pristine piece of art.
Dr. Jordan has been working hard on his Buick in anticipation of presenting it at its first car show on May 12.
“It’s always scary to be in a car show,” stated Jordan. “You are opening yourself up to people’s criticism about something you love very much.”
For further information:
www.buickclub.org
www.classiczcars.com
www.toyotaoffroad.com
For Kelley Blue Book car values:
www.kbb.com
Browse cars for sale:
www.motors.ebay.com
05-23-2007
