After 20 years, this Woodstock man is ready to part with his classic cop cruiser
CBC
When you think of classic cars, you might imagine a Corvette Stingray, a Mustang Fastback, or Dodge Charger.
But not Gord Pease.
The car enthusiast from Woodstock's vehicle of choice is a black and white, 1981, Plymouth Gran Fury with red lights on top. It was once an OPP cruiser.
After two decades of logging thousands of kilometres driving it to car shows and festivals, Pease has put his beloved car up for sale.
"It's a very rare piece of history, that's for sure, and I say that knowing there's very few of them left," Pease told Afternoon Drive host Allison Devereaux on Monday, July 3.
Pease first spotted the vehicle abandoned in a field along Ontario Highway 400 in the early 2000s. Having owned and restored one as a teen, he knew it was a rare find.
Pease tracked down the owner to inquire about the purchase price. Once he took ownership, he began restoring it. The roof was rusted and rotten, so Pease had to search at a junkyard to find a replacement.
"It's a fantastic body job that I have on it," he said. "It's probably better now than it would have been [at] two-years-old when it was new."
In the years since completing the rebuild, Pease has travelled across North America bringing it to car shows. He's headed to Dallas for the America Show which featured 75 antique cars following the parade route where John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
He's trekked to Kansas City and Indianapolis, where he visited the Indy 500 track. He's also a regular in the annual Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit, only missing it three times over the past 20 years, he said. One of his fondest memories is using his vehicle as a limo replacement during the retirement ceremony an OPP officer in Cambridge. Pease said the fellow car enthusiast was very happy with the surprise.
"Just a look of delight on his face when they came out," Pease said. "It was fantastic."
When asked who he would like to hand the keys to his prized possession to, Pease said he hoped a retired police officer with a love for cars would give him a call.
"I've had my fun for the last 20 some years…so it's just time to move on to something else," he said.
About 2,000 of the cars were made between 1980 and 1981, he said. But they were a popular choice for destroying in film productions like The Blues Brothers.
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