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| | 4- PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, August 9, 1995 "Scugog"s Community Newspaper of Choice" Cruising with the 'Old Car People Area couple's love of vintage automobiles is taking them places By Stephen Leahy Special to the Star Roy BEBEE and his wife Bess call themselves "old car people." What they mean is they like old cars such as the Ford Model A, and they like the. people who drive old cars. To be truthful, these old car people like the people who drive old cars more than the old cars. And so on most Sundays you'll find the BeBees chatting with some folks, their 1928 Model A Roadster Pickup truck parked in one of Ontario's many out of the way country villages. The BeBees, who retired to a 100-acre farm west of Sonya on Brock's 13th Concession two years ago from Scarborough, will be having a coffee and people will stop to talk about the car. And some- times they get invited to take a look at an old "A" that's tucked into a dusty corner in a drive shed or garage. Hon FORD, who was born in the midst of the American Civil War, believed he would never make another car after he'd perfected the Model T and its production in 1908. According to Roy, Ford wanted to be in the automobile replacement parts business rather than a new car-maker. Ford thought that when most people owned model Ts, he'd simply supply them with replacement parts. For that reason Ford designed a durable vehicle, simple in design and repairable by the average per- son. And for 10 years, some 20 million nearly identical "Tin LR 'OLD CAR PEOPLE' Roy and Bess BeBee have had a decades-long love affair with vintage automobiles, such as their 1928 Model A Roadster pick-up. You won't find it: shut up in the shed on sunny afternoons; the BeBees love to tour, and the Model A is the means by which they like to get where they're going. From his home near Sonya, Roy edits and distributes a monthly newsletter for Model A i] enthusiasts, and is organizing an international convention, set to take place next year in Toronto. Lizzies" rolled off Ford's pro- duction lines. In the mid-1920s though, the Ford Motor Company was losing money. Henry Ford was persuaded to introduce a new model, known as the Model A, in 1928. It was an instant success and in the four years it was made, more than five million STEPHEN LEAHY/PORT PERRY STAR A little maintenance and tender loving care helps keep vintage automobiles like Roy's 1928 Ford running in top condition. Although he's not a mechanic, he's become proficient at carrying out the work that's occasionally needed. He says he's owned 50 cars in his lifetime, and the majority of them have been used. A's were made world-wide; 265,000 A's were made In Canada. "You can easily identify the Canadian-made cars by their screws," says Mr. BeBee. "They've got square heads." It seems at the time the A's were being made in Ontario, the Robertson Company of Brantford, Ontario was in the screw manufacturing business. Ford Canada preferred their square headed screws over the standard slot screw, and most of the screws in the Model A are the now ubiquitous "Robertson." y y HILE THE Robertson screw is still with us today, how many of today's 50 million new cars and trucks being made world-wide every year -- two million in Canada -- will be delivered to their new own- ers without any tires and the bumpers in the back seat? Apparently in the 1920s, car manufacturers were keen on that chilling phrase: "Some assembly required." "Generally there would be no heater, or defroster or turn indicators," says Roy, rhyming off a list of automotive features today's drivers might consider useful. But, he says, the A's were an improvement over the T's, because they had electric windshield wipers and four wheel brakes. And in 1928with a likely sticker price of $499, Roy and Bess' Roadster, with its con- vertible roof, was considered a useful, small pickup. The Roadster began its life, the BeBee's think, as a mail truck. They have traced its pedigree and know for certain it was purchased by the French family of Eganville, Ontario in 1937 at a post office auction. "It must have strictly been used as a farm truck by the Frenches," says Bess, "because there was no rust on 1t when we bought it in 1963." Rov WHO was in the Air Force for 10 years and spent another 26 with IBM, likes to fix up cars. He's quick to say he isn't an expert or even a real mechanic, or anything like that. But so far he's owned about 50 cars -- he has the pic- tures and old bills of sales to prove it. And very few of them were purchased new. Bess, who was a nurse in the Air Force and later worked in early childhood education, likes the Roadster better than the '568 Harley motorcycle they used to fly around on. "It was a beautiful bike, but it got to be pretty uncomfort- able at times," she says. Tux ROADSTER, now worth about $18,000, has taken the BeBees places few automo- biles ever could. Twelve years ago they joined the Model A Owners of Canada Club. Roy soon found himself the editor of the club's monthly newslet- ter. Every month he fills 16 pages with information on club events across Canada, repair tips, sources of parts, and cars for sale. "And I've never missed a deadline yet." Now that they are enjoying country living, both are involved in organizing the first- ever international Model A Ford Club of America conven- tion in Toronto next July. "We expect at least 350 peo- ple from all over, but it could be as many as 500," says Roy. There won't be that many model A's, but there will be a ton of them. Some will be pris- tine show cars which look as if they'd just rolled off Ford's assembly line. While the rubber on those glossy beauties rarely hit the road, the BeBees have put a lot of miles on their Roadster. They won't be in the barn pol- ishing the vehicle's oak trim on a sunny afternoon; instead, you'll find them bouncing along a concession or regional road, going for ice cream or a visit with some friends. Surprisingly, it was India's great advocate of peace, Ghandi, who seems to sum up the BeBees' love for their old car and old car friends best: "There 1s more to life than increasing its speed." a SSS a Ge SR i NB. ir SM :20434 --------------------A CR GOL TN RS a A A CN GR SR STR VE wl Se NT SR Gg Aa "Ny