Hover won’t sell the car, and his wife supports that decision, he said. “I always wanted another Thunderbird, but I didn’t know it would take me 35 years to get another one.” “I had a Ford Thunderbird in 1962 for four years,” Hover said. It has about 235,000 miles on it, he said. It’s all original parts, and the engine and transmission were rebuilt. Hover bought the T-Bird in 1999 for $30,000.
The car originally cost $2,502.02 and was owned by John Downs, Betty Grable’s dancing partner when she had a Las Vegas act from 1956 to 1957, according to documents Hover displayed with the car. Up the street from the rusted racer, Don Hover, 72, of Anaheim showed his shiny, black 1956 Ford Thunderbird. The car appeared to be worn by the elements and covered in rust. The car was raced at Bonneville Salt Flats and the dry lakes at El Mirage near the Antelope Valley and Muroc in the Mojave Desert, Baverstock said. Jon Baverstock, 67, of Long Beach displayed one of the first factory-made racing cars, a 1933 Chevrolet. Total value of the cars on display was estimated at $25 million, according to the car show website.Ĭar show officials estimated about 50,000 people would attend the event.Įxhibitors paid $30-$35 to register or $80 to be a “power parker,” those allowed to chose their parking location without waiting in line. Classic roadsters, coupes, sedans and convertibles were parked next to muscle cars, sports cars, hot rods and low riders, including a 1950 Oldsmobile Futuramic, a red 1970 Volkswagen Beetle convertible, a 1919-20 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost and a 1971 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Harley-Davidson Service Car. It was an auto menagerie of one-of-a-kind, limited editions and customized vehicles from the 1920s to the mid-1970s.
“It’s pleasurable to have, but it drives like a tank,” BeCotte said, chuckling.īeCotte was among numerous car enthusiasts who displayed more than 700 classic cars at the show. The only part not original is a modified gear in the steering column, so it’s easier to make turns, he said.īeCotte said he still drives the car, which has about 175,000 miles on it, but only during nonpeak traffic times, such as late mornings and early evenings. He said he purchased the car about 40 years for $600 and has invested about $35,000, purchasing original parts and bringing it back to its original luster and shine. The side streets that intersect with Second Street also were closed for displaying cars.īob BeCotte, 77, of Long Beach displayed his black, 1930 Ford Model-A. The 14-block stretch, from Bayshore to Livingston avenues, was closed to accommodate several hundred classic cars lining both sides of the street for the 23rd annual Belmont Shore Car Show. LONG BEACH – Second Street in Belmont Shore on Sunday was a parking lot – literally.
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