Our story began in November of 1963. Jan and I met at a local football game after being introduced to each other by a mutual friend. Jan was 13 and I was 15. I graduated in 1965 and in 1966 purchased a 1963 Black Plymouth Sport Fury, with a “big block” 383 cubic inch motor and 4-speed transmission. Jan graduated in 1967 about the same time that I was finishing Army Basic Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. We were married in October of that year.

I did a little bit of “back roads” drag racing with that car, and when we had an opportunity we would open the “factory dumps” that this car was equipped with and run it through the quarter mile. Jan was as crazy about the car as I was. We would cruise through the hamburger places and show it off.

In the summer of 1968 our first daughter was born and the “hot rod” Plymouth was not practical anymore. I had to trade it for something more suitable for an upcoming family. In April of 1971 our first son was born, 1984 our second daughter was born, and in 1987 our second son was born. We were blessed further, as years went by, with grand and great grandchildren, with our 19th on the way in November of this year (2019).

Through the years after 1968 when I traded the original 1963 Black Plymouth, I had many dreams of having that car back. I know that many classic car fanatics, as myself, have had the same thing happen to them. Many times after the year 2000 our 4 children were all for us finding and purchasing another car like the one we had when we were first married. They knew we loved going to car shows and thought it would be great for us to participate with our own “classic” from the years gone by.

In August of 2010 we found one which was almost identical to the original car and purchased it for each other on our 43rd Wedding Anniversary. This car is a 1963 Plymouth Savoy Max Wedge Tribute Car, which was restored and finished in 2000. The block is a 440 “HP” with dual inline 4-barrel Carter AFB’s sitting on an Offenhauser intake, producing 450 plus horsepower, going thru a 4-speed transmission. It also has the Max Wedge Exhaust Manifolds with factory dumps (identical to the original car we had), and is equipped with an 8-3/4 inch rear end with 3.91:1 gears.

We enjoy driving this car and are amazed at the attention it gets when we are on the roads and at car shows and cruise-ins with it. We have met so many wonderful people along the way and continue to show the car as much as possible. Because of the rarity of this type of car, most of the time, we are the only 1963 big block Mopar Wedge 4-speed car at the show. You’re never too old to be Hot Rodders again! CN