Telling your tale
Here, in his own words, Johnny Seagul explains how he got into American cars, rock ’n’ roll and acquired this simply magnificent 1958 Ford Skyliner, after literally years of wishin’, hopin’ and searchin’…
It all began for me, here in the UK, when I was a boy – my mum and dad loved swing music, rock and roll and dancing, and I can’t think of a time when I wouldn’t see them jiving if they got half a chance. I was born in 1966 and by eight, and after seeing Jailhouse Rock on the TV, I was buying Elvis Presley records myself and asking my mum to make me clothes ‘like Elvis wore’ or which I’d seen those ‘Teddy boys’ at the fairgrounds wearing.
As I grew older, I realised that girls were more interesting than football and moved into Teendom. Naturally I found resonance in period films depicting teenage angst and frustration, such as Rebel Without a Cause, The Wild One, Rock Around the Clock and The Girl Can’t Help It. I was becoming hooked on all things Fifties and American: clothes, hairstyles, the lingo, dancing, the cars, planes, architecture and design generally. It all just seemed so cool. Looking at images wasn’t enough. I wanted to touch, hold and own stuff, so I started collecting things from the Forties and Fifties and over the years my passion developed and grew.
By the age of 14 I was playing double bass and already had my own rock and roll/ rockabilly band and bought, listened to and collected what I could afford from that era. My bedroom walls sported posters and ephemera, and in pride of place was the ultimate, my ultimate Fifties dream car. And what was my dream car? You guessed it, a Ford Skyliner. I couldn’t get over its retractable roof…
I was still at school by the time I was old enough to drive, but had managed to get a green and white two-tone 1959 Ford Prefect which served as my British-American alternative transport. It wasn’t quite a Ford Skyliner, but hey it was a Ford and you have to start somewhere, right? In fact, the Ford Prefect would probably have fit in a Skyliner’s trunk. The other kids used to laugh and call it the ‘Orville Sandwich’, but I didn’t care. I knew it was cool, even if they didn’t.
Jump forward 30 years, now with a greyer quiff, I’d finally decided ‘ it was time’, having gone through numerous modes of vintage and retro transport, including various convertibles and twowheeled alternatives.
And, having worked with various retro bands, yet still with my love of everything Fifties intact, I decided if I was ever going to get that dream car of my youth it was now or never. So, cash in hand, I thought I would hunt down and find that Skyliner – I gave myself about one to two months and thought that I would have one in the garage within that time-frame.
Initially I wasn’t sure which model I wanted, but finally settled on a ’59 and joined the Skyliner Owners’ Club as a step to help in my search. I was adamant it needed to have a continental kit and a good few other optional extras, the correct codes, and I wanted it to be as close to original spec as possible. Through the club I was put in touch with Mike McGuire, then club treasurer, who agreed that he would be happy to help me in my search and was willing to direct me to suitable cars. One or two months indeed – how naïve I was! And how fussy!
Tempus fugit…
The days passed quickly and incredibly turned into months, testing the patience of my partner. Most nights were spent online searching, spec-checking, following-up, e-mailing. Being so particular and wanting the very best car for my money, I found that before long two years had slipped by and with them, a great number of cars in the process. I looked at so many, both physically and virtually, in person or via third-party appraisal companies and viewed and discussed a huge range of cars across a number of countries, including the US, Canada, Germany, Finland, Mexico, Denmark, England, Ireland and Holland.
Over this period, I found that I sometimes lost hope and energy, became very frustrated and also, through frustration, meandered away from my dream car and found myself tempted by other models and makes. I came close to buying a beautiful ’55 two-tone Bel Air convertible, an Impala, a couple of lovely Sunliners and, of all things, an Auburn replica, and I was tempted more than once with numerous T-birds of various years.
But during this time, I also became quite familiar with the shipping process, import and export duties, appraisal processes, transport costs, the various models and their differences and the optional extras available. I also became aware of the things to look out for and which extras added what value. I also became obsessed with the fluctuating currency/exchange rates and sterling’s value. This all went towards making the whole car buying process multi-complex with many variables.
My ‘possible cars’ spreadsheet was ever growing and my partner thought that I was going mad and, at times, so did I. However, with Mike’s help I persevered and then one day, when I was expressing my frustration to him about the whole process, he said: “Well, I know mine is a ’58 and you are after a ’59, but if you were interested I’d consider selling it to you.”