Hot wheels to Hot Rod - Tremonton Leader

Suited to a T
Ellen Cook
Leader Editor
Bob Campbell knows what he likes when it comes to his automobile. He’s had
the same Thunderbird for over 50 years.
Coming straight off the assembly line, the 1960 black sports car was a hefty
purchase at $5,000 for the Garland man way back when, but Campbell said he was
drawn to its classic look, chrome trim and speedy drive. The owner of Northern
Furniture drove it home and soon put it to good use – taking it once or twice a year
to market shows in San Francisco, as well as regularly cruising the local streets in
it.
“I would drive about 90 miles per hour through Nevada in it,” he recalled.
There were no speed limits in that state in those days. “It was a real smooth ride.”
But revving it up too much higher,
say around 125 mph, and “you
felt like you were airborne.”
Still, Campbell confessed,
he tried it a time
or two.
With regular tune-ups
and a little engine work, the
stylish coupe served the
local businessman well for
many years. Soon, however, it
was seeing more and more garage
time as Campbell traded in the
Thunderbird “life in the fast lane”
appearance for less flashy wheels. So
when a daughter headed off to college, the
treasured T-bird left with her.
Campbell ended up with his black beauty
again when the daughter didn’t want the Thunderbird
anymore. He had the seats recovered and gave it a new
paint job about 10 years ago. Now and then he will take
it out of storage and take a spin, just to reminisce and add
a few rolls to the original mileage counter 97,000.
In 2003, however, Campbell said he visualized a
problem with the classic car. “I have two daughters,”
Campbell said, matter-of-factly. Afraid there might be a
‘battle for the Bird,’ Campbell did what every good father
(435) 257-2200
87 South Main • Garland
BRAKES • TUNE-UPS • ALIGNMENT • STEERING & SUSPENSION
• COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS • STARTERS • ALTERNATORS
• OIL CHANGE • STATE INSPECTIONS • AND OTHER AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES
Car Care Guide 2011 5
Bob Campbell has
not one but two T-birds.
The black one was bought
new in 1960 and the red
one was purchased new in
2003.
would do. He went out and bought another Thunderbird, a shiny red model that
converted to a ragtop. Campbell said he chose red simply because it was the only
T-bird in the showroom at Davis Dodge. “Now there is one for each daughter,” he
said.
Campbell paid nearly 10 times more for the new model. But in similar fashion,
he made sure it could handle the road at high speeds. Campbell admitted he
took the new sports car out on the freeway west of Tremonton and may have gotten
a little heavy footed on the gas coming back. When he checked the speedometer,
he was edging up past 120 mph.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who noticed. Lights were flashing in his
rearview mirror and the patrolman who pulled him over, while he appreciated the
look of the T-bird, had no qualms about giving Campbell a speeding ticket. In spite
of the hefty fine, Campbell said he learned the red Bird, which weighs about 1, 000
pounds more than the older black Bird, also holds the road much better at 125 mph.
Nowadays Campbell keeps his two prized vehicles undercover, but he plans on
doing a little touring this summer in the red one, just to break it in thoroughly for
that second daughter.
When he’s not driving either Bird he can be seen motoring around in his work
truck – a 1984 maroon Chevy El Camino. But that’s a
whole different “auto” biography!