Big Thrills - 1957 Buick Special

What do you do when the kids are grown and fishing just isn’t the same without them for some reason? Friends you’ve made along the way have taken to new roads in hopes to find  new adventures. Times change, people change. Well for Donnie and Paula Johnson they weren’t really sure what all this change meant for them. The house was no longer full of hustle and bustle Donnie found himself sitting watching classic car shows on the tube and before long so was Paula. Paula found herself taking a fancy to the old cars.

The couple was about to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary at the time and decided that owning a classic car would be a great way to meet new friends and spend some time together and get reacquainted with each other now that raising kids was no longer the center of their lives.

So they began looking to see what was out there. Donnie found a car 3 hours from home that caught his attention and thought he’d take a look see. Paula had only one stipulation, ”as long as the car didn’t require work to fix it up”, the decision was up to him. Paula wanted to spend their time on the road, not in the garage. So Donnie left the on a three hour tour to see if the new prospect would be something he’d bring home to Paula. “Well”... Donnie said into the phone, ... “it’ a nice car, but ... we’d have to get tires for it and it needs a paint job and the interior is a little gone,” ... but he could tow it home.  Paula kinda lost her hearing about it. So Donnie came home without the car.

The next week was the last week in April of 2006, they decided to go to Titusville to do some shopping and there were signs for a car show and they decided to go to the car show instead. Oh they saw some beauties there! A Falcon, a T-bird with the wrap around love seat in back, some really cool Chevelles, and on and on and then they both turned at the same time and saw “IT”! .. A 1957 Buick Special! Oh my goodness, Paula said, It was for sale! Donnie and Paula looked at each other and walked very quickly to it and saw that it was a chromed out 455, with after market air, cream over cranberry, with Cadillac pillow seats and they both looked at each other and said Happy Anniversary at the SAME time!

Their anniversary was on May 1st, and since it was their 20th, they were very excited!

I will let Paula take over from here with the remainder of the story ...

....... “We gave the man, a deposit and then couldn’t wait for the banks to open the next day! Paul, the owner had spent 3 years redoing this car and it is a beautiful job! The body is a restored 1957 Buick Special, sitting on a 1973 Buick Estate Station wagon chassis. Sadly for my hubby, he had to go to work out of town the next day so I enlisted the help of my nephew, Kevin Ballou and we went to Titusville to pick up the car.

After the title and money transfer, I handed (actually I threw the keys at my nephew) and told him I was too scared to drive it home and he had to! I tell ya’ the ride home following this car was nice! It just really looked good! Donnie got home on our anniversary (May 1st) and we took it for a ride! Oh how very comfy and the looks we got from people on the road giving the high signs and all, we were just like proud parents again!”

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