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14 | June 21, 2018 | Malibu surfside news sound off
malibusurfsidenews.com
Ride of the Week
Milleren shares the story of ‘Big Blue’
Fireball Tim Lawrence
Contributing Columnist
Malibu resident
Since PCH is basically
one street, there’s
always a high probability
that when I head
up into town, I’ll discover
cool rides. And if I missed
one going up, I’ll always
see one coming back. And
for today’s Ride of the
Week, it was no different.
Welcome Frank
Milleren, proud owner of a
very unusual, rare and blue
1955 Dodge Powerwagon
— or, in his own words,
“my baby.” It is originally
a ’55 Dodge M43 Military
Ambulance, virtually identical
to the ones used in the
TV show “M*A*S*H.”
Just take the 5-mile hike
out to where they filmed in
Malibu Creek and you’ll
see what I mean. There’s
still one there!
“My ambulance, aka
‘Big Blue,’ is one of 400
produced with a flat head
six 251 or T249 of the
hundreds of thousands of
M37 series equipped with
230 flathead six engines,”
Milleren explains. “I can
cruise at an earthshaking
50-55 mph vs. 45 mph. Big
Blue weighs in at 7,500
pounds. 3/4 ton. All military
parts to date.”
So basically, the car
can fit just about anything
Milleren wants, including
his super friendly pooch.
I mean, this dog will head
slam and body check his
love all over you. So be
careful of the thunderous
kisses.
“I found my M43 Dodge
ambulance in a 2009
online auction,” Milleren
continues. “I won ... then
set out to drive it from Old
Town [in] Northern Florida
to NYC. Made it to South
Carolina. Spent every
vacation visiting Big Blue
and working on it. Rode
a bicycle 2,400 miles to
work on it in 2016.”
Wow, that’s commitment.
“I knew the first time
I saw it, it was made for
me,” he said. “It is the
amalgamation of every
recreational and extreme
vehicle I had fantasized
about as a man in New
York planning an escape.
A little Land Rover,
frequently mistook as a
Willys across the south,
Jeep appeal, Citroen HY
imposing scale. International
toughness. All rolled
into one.”
JOHNSTON MOTORSPORTS
www.johnston-motorsports.com
Buy and Sell Collector Cars
Consignment Sales
New and Used Auto Broker
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Restoration, Maintenance & Repairs
3555 Old Conejo Road, Thousand Oaks • 805 -262-8000
This rare, blue 1955 Dodge Powerwagon is proudly owned by Frank Milleren, who once rode 2,400 miles on a bicycle
to fix up the car. Fireball Tim Lawrence/22nd Century Media
And it’s blue. Did I mention
it is BLUE? I mean you
can’t miss this truck when it
rolls down PCH, and there’s
a good chance you saw it at
my Wheels and Waves show
last week at the Country
Mart. Beastly.
But there are so many
great things about this
truck that you can literally
just sit on the curb and
dream about the possibilities.
According to Milleren,
it’s setting his sights on
the hood and headlights
while driving, which is the
best feeling he’s ever had
behind the wheel.
“‘Big Blue’ is my cross
country hero and now my
daily, very local driver,”
he said.
But Milleren’s best story
begins like this: “During
my trip from Manning,
South Carolina, to Malibu,
I was constantly adding
new parts. Soldering wires
and anything to keep it
running. During the first
half of the journey, I was
often in need of a pull start.
One of my final pull starts
was done by the coolest
couple and they would not
give up until it was finally
running.
“As they were leaving,
he handed me his awesome
tow-chain. I tried to give
him [money], but he was
not having it. I was almost
in tears. The chain is now
wrapped around my bumper
as a reminder of pure
kindness.”
And that, my friends, is
a story was can all relate
to. Car people know no
boundaries.
Now, for Milleren’s final
words about out our lil’
town.
“Malibu has the prime
roadways for ‘Big Blue,’”
he said. “Ocean on one
side or twisting up a
canyon with speed limits
below its max!”
“Big Blue” rolling
alongside the big, blue
ocean. It doesn’t get any
better than that.
Want to be featured in Ride of
the Week? Send Fireball an
email at askfireball@fireball
tim.com.