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In the Hot Seat with ...
Gene Garland

So, tell us about yourself. How and when did you become interested in classic cars?

I am a 62-year-old American living in Ohio. For the past 33½ years I have worked for the Ford Motor Company; 28 of those years as a Process Engineer. My current assignment is working as a Process/Quality Engineer on the Jaguar designed 3.9L V8 engine. This engine is used in Lincoln LS’s and Ford T-Birds in the states and a similar engine is used in a number of Jaguar/Land Rover applications in the UK.

My introduction to sports cars was when an uncle purchased an early 50’s Singer. For a 10 year old it was exciting; racy looking and the top was down. My next encounter was when I met a very nice young lady in high school in 1958 whose father raced an Austin-Healey at Sebring. Our friendship blossomed even more when her father took us riding in the Healey – I was hooked. Tops that dropped and the greatest sounds in the world of wind and exhaust.

What was your first car?

1950 Chevrolet, 4 door sedan. With some real quality time spent with my father, we got it into a very useful condition. I bought it in 1965 for $100, drove it for 10 months and got $300 for it when I traded up to something slightly newer. It wasn’t classic, but it was better to drive to class and to work than my 10 speed bike.

What is your daily driver?

My weekly daily driver is a 2002 Ford Focus station wagon. My weekend daily driver is wife’s Lincoln LS.

What classic(s) do you currently have?

A 1967 Sunbeam Alpine V, with 75,000 miles on the clock. It still gives the same thrill as riding in my first British car. It is obviously not a factory color, but as you can see in the attached pictures, it has the potential as great toy. It is better than three beers after work when one can drive through the rural Ohio countryside listening to the wind, the road, and the exhaust sound.

I normally don’t drive it in the snow, but I start it up a couple of times a month and attach an exhaust pipe to the outside it get up to operating temp. This particular day, I backed out into the snow for a picture. My second favorite toy is the two-car deep (48 feet) garage that nicely holds three cars and my workshop; along with a gas fired furnace. Makes for an enjoyable place to work on the car, or anything else. The neighbors give you a strange look when you park your convertible in the driveway with 6 inches of snow on the ground.

What made you choose the classic(s) you own?

I had a professor in college that had a 1963 Alpine and I thought that someday I would buy one of those. My first choice was a big Healey, and then economic reality struck and I bought the 1967 Alpine V.

Have you ever missed buying a particular classic and lived to regret it?

In the summer of 1966, I test drove a Sunbeam Tiger and I knew that was what I needed. Just finishing graduate school, I knew I would be cool in a black Tiger. About the same time I met a fantastic redhead. Thirty-nine years later I am glad I stuck with the redhead; never a regret.

What would be your dream car?

My first choice would be a 2005 Ford GT and my second choice (a more realistic one) is a 2005 Ford Mustang convertible. Luckily my wife’s first choice to replace her Lincoln is my second choice car. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

What car do you regret parting company with?

I have never regretted parting with a car as they serve as a function of transportation. Of course, my plans are to be buried in the Alpine – or that is at least what my children think I am going to do with it.

What is your favourite run in a classic car?

I totally enjoy the 180-mile round trip I make several times a year to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington, OH. Top down, engine purring, and I know I lose at least 10 years in age on every trip. From vintage races, to the SCCA run-offs, and to anything else that takes to the 2.4-mile course. Getting to drive the Alpine on the course for a couple of parade laps just adds to the enjoyment.

How much work on your car(s) do you carry out yourself?

I have been very fortunate, it hasn’t needed much. The fellow I purchased it from had spent a good bit of money on the things that didn’t show on the outside; like the engine, radiator, exhaust system, and overall maintenance. I have rebuilt the seats and am working on the new interior. The brakes are to be redone this spring.

What do you carry with you when out in your classic?

A smile and a mobile phone. Since I installed the new seats, my wife will even consent to a trip every now and then.

Do you get involved in the club scene and why?

I am a member of The Sunbeam Alpine Owners Club of America. The clubs’ annual Sunbeam Invasion draws a large crowd when it is held.

Do you take an interest in motor sport, and if so where is your favourite venue(s)/club meetings?

As I stated above, going to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course provides great sports car racing for me. In addition, as with many folks stateside, I love watching the Nascar guys run – speed, noise, and color. They are even running some of the early 90’s Nascar machines in the Vintage Gran Prix. Watching these guys pilot these 3800 pound vintage cars through the 14 turns at Mid-Ohio is very enjoyable.

What is your worst memory involving a classic?

I was going to show off my newly installed seats to one of my engineering colleagues in my freshly polished Alpine by taking him to lunch. Only the hydraulic clutch line cracked and sent a fine stream of fluid up against a hot pipe, resulting in, luckily, only a cloud of white smoke. He didn’t let me forget that he had to ride in a tow truck while I got the car back to my garage.

What is your funniest memory involving a classic car?

A few years back, I decided that before I put the Alpine up for the winter, I would mount a camcorder to the roll bar, attach an electric condenser stereo microphone to the camera (with the mic pointed to the rear) and make a 30-minute road trip tape. The camcorder was positioned to look over my shoulder, out through the windshield, and record the drive through 15 miles of travel through the countryside. The trees were turning so I could capture the leaves turning red, orange, and yellow and have a perfect stereo sound of four cylinders producing a musical exhaust. The taping went very well and gave me the desired effect. When I invited a couple of friends over to view the tape, when it was freezing outside with snow on the ground, the surround sound in the TV room made it seem like summertime again. They both had a good laugh and we drank a few beers.

What is your most enjoyable moment involving a classic car?

It happens every time I get in the car to go for a cruise. Wind, sun, noise, and motion get the trick done.

If you won a competition to have the unlimited and unrestricted use of any classic car for a week, what would you choose and why?

A new Ford GT – what a rush. The GT’s are produced in the same plant where the T-Birds are assembled and I travel to that plant once a month on a quality visit. Walking through the assembly maze of the GT’s being built is awesome. Then they fire up a new one and it is a totally exhilarating experience.

How do you define a classic?

Being a classic is like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder. It is so impressive to see the graceful lines of the truly old classics of the 20’s and 30’s, and then to move into the 50’s and beyond. There are true works of design art rolling around, what beautiful creations.

What in your opinion is the worst car regarded as a classic and why?

I am sure that every vehicle has some supporter that views that as a classic; all in the eyes of the beholder.

So what in your view will be a future classic?

The new Mini’s, the Miatas, my favorite the Ford GT, and the list goes on. Viewing the new production and concept cars at the Detroit auto show this year demonstrates that everyone is making them great.

What question would you like to ask and to whom?

My father was a tool and die maker for Packard during WW II and he machined parts for the Rolls engines used in the Spitfires, Mustangs, and many other planes. I would love to talk with a pilot that flew one of those planes that was powered by an engine that my father helped to build. In the 50’s we used to watch the Unlimited Hydroplane boats race on the Detroit River and they were powered by those same R-R Merlin engines – what a beautiful sound.

What classic car publications do you regularly read?

I read a lot of sites on the web about classic cars, and shows, and their restorers. Of course, the Classic Car Times is on that list. Although it is not a regular publication, one of the most interesting books I have ever read is entitled “The Romance of Engines”, by a Dr. Suzuki. It has fantastic history of engines from 1902 to the present. Excellent write-ups on engines from the UK and everywhere else in the world.

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