1979 Ford Thunderbird Heritage                   Owner: Ric and Carlila Hughes

In the Fall of 1981 we needed to upgrade the family car and since we didn't want to hassle with the big city, we just went to our local Ford dealer, Bill's Ford Service in Spangle, Washington. This is where we got a lot of our parts for the farm and some vehicle maintenance as well. Of course, I fell in love with the first car I saw, she looked so shy sitting there just waiting for someone to take her home and run her tires off. She is a 1979 Ford Thunderbird, a limited production, top of the line (of course I didn't know all this at the time!) - Heritage, light medium blue and with all the bells and whistles Ford had to offer at the time, SWEET!! She was a real good sport right from day 1!! Her job was to be jack of all trades, family car was first on her list, she became a very busy part of the farm fleet and would speed after replacement parts or supplies without complaining, she would take lunch and dinner to the farm crew through lots and lots of dirt using her awesome huge trunk and in the 80's and 90's she would endure the hardships of 4 hot rod teenagers. They thought she could go anywhere. I still don't want to know the details (her floor boards look like they thought she was a 4x4!). As the family car we were on the road for many trips, we had family in Montana and on the Washington coast so at least six times a year we went for a road trip. The kids and I and our sweet baby blue left the farm in the Fall of 1989. Sweet! A rare Light Medium Blue with Dark Blue Stripes and Light Medium Blue Padded Vinyl Roof. In the 1979 Thunderbird, Ford had a solid mid sized car that combined the comfort of a sedan with some of the power of a muscle car. Drivers liked its ease of handling and quick acceleration as much as they praised its (relative) fuel efficiency. The Heritage model was only available in Light Medium Blue or Maroon and featured blue leather interior and concealed rear quarter windows.  Fall seems to be the time of year for changes. Ric and I moved in to Spangle the fall of 1997. He brought his 1936 Packard, which we still have, and his cute dog Oscar and I brought Sweet Baby Blue. Fall of 1999 we moved to Lois Drive, where we are now and Sweet Baby Blue took a corner of the shop where she cozied in until 2008 when the ribbing of the Phantom bird finally got to Ric! One of the first things that needed to be replaced was her top, it was cracked and falling apart. Having never had the pleasure of living indoors her top suffered most. We had that done at Top Stitch Upholstery in Cheney. Ric found a place that actually had 1978 fabric for the top, they didn't tell me and when we went to pick up the car boy was I surprised! I thought it was going to be another color, like white. And yes, I cried. Replacements came on a regular basis with the most frustrating being the gas tank and sending unit. Maybe being taken in and out with tweaking to change this and that 4 times. She has newer tail light lenses, front turning lenses, moon roof switch, new head lights, etc. You get the picture. She is so happy now. She enjoyed going to the T-Bird Club's Family Reunion, Summer of 2009, and a few shows so far this year. She is so happy to be back on the road and the recipient of Ric's TLC! Ric has always claimed to be a Chevy guy but he has fallen for her sweet ways and awesome lines. We have a lot of goodies planned for her, like new carpet, new headliner, rebuild her 351, an antenna and front seats recovered. Dow the road she could use a little body work and finally a new paint job, but is' just one thing at a time.

Founded 1983 "Just for the Fun of it" BACK