ONE BOY’S DREAM COUPE

Seen in a flash from a curb, it stayed with him.

When I was 11, in 1942, I lived in a quiet residential area of Los Angeles called Eagle Rock. I played baseball in the street with my friends, and when the occasional car came along, we’d move to the side to let it to go by.

I was impressed one day by a passing car that was long and sleek. It reminded me of the World War II fighter planes of the day.

But when I was 16, Ford was the vehicle to have. I bought a 1932 Ford coupe for $175. My next car, a much better one, was a 1932 Ford roadster.

In 1968, the company I worked for moved to the San Diego area, and for awhile, I became interested in airplanes. I got my pilot’s license and bought a Piper Comanche with a friend.

Years later, after I had retired, my son Bill, a painting contractor, was on a job when he spotted a dust-covered car in the garage. Bill negotiated a trade: the painting job for the car.

It proved to be the very model

I’d seen and liked during the war. With help from my other son, Rich, Bill and I restored it using parts from a junked model. It took us

10 years to finish the comprehensive restoration, but it turned out beautifully. It has factory accessories, including push-button radio, heater and clock.

When new, the car sold for $825, plus $25 for the fluid drive feature, which allowed for fewer downshifts at stops or on moderate hills.

We’ve been driving it for a couple of years and have entered it in local car shows. I have owned 27 vehicles over the years, but I finally have the car I admired so much as a boy.