Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/250756
more often than not you knew them by their vehicles. They were your friends and you would have a quick spurt for a block or two and then you'd head off to 'the Dub' for a coffee together." Early in his ownership of the car, Prybylski would be responsible for getting the female A&W staff members home each night – and he remembers rides home with as many as four of them stuffed into the tiny space for passengers. He also raced it at the local drag strip and took it on vacations with his wife. He stopped driving it on a full-time basis after five years. He realized the car would not last long if he kept driving it so much, so he parked it during winter. "It's something my wife and I have really enjoyed because we've shared a lot of memories in it," he says. In 1986, the couple looked in the direction of Mecca – and drove to Dearborn, Michigan, to a Shelby American Automobile Club convention. There they joined the 20th-anniversary celebration of the Ford GT40's victory in The 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Prybylski re-upholstered his Mustang's seats about 20 years ago and also had the engine rebuilt. "Otherwise, it's the same as when I first got the keys for it on April 26, 1970," he says. "It's not one of the low-mileage vehicles." When you go to some car shows you will see restored Mustangs in pristine condition. His is a car he's not afraid to enjoy even to this day. "We've had a lot of good experiences with it," he says. "It's something I'll hang onto as long as I possibly can. It's a good way to socialize and when you're driving down the street, people will look." This spring, Prybylski will put his car in the annual Draggins Rod & Custom Car Show, where the Saskatoon Mustang and Classic Ford Club will have a large display to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original pony car, with all the different types of Mustangs produced since 1964. Included will be a Calypso Coral gem, lovingly looked after, with a licence plate that reads: 1 Owner. And when he goes to see the spring show, he will drive there in his fifth-generation, 2008 California Special GT Mustang. It's a black-on-black convertible that suits the personality of an older Prybylski. Once a Mustang fan, always a Mustang fan. (top) gerald prybylski , ron wight p36-39_Automotive.indd 37 Saskatoon's Gerald Prybylski has enjoyed turning heads with his 1970 Mustang Sportsroof (here) for more than 40 years; (below) Ron Wight of Regina bought his dream car, a 1965 Mustang Coupe, later in life and added a few "bling things." A bout eight years ago, when Ron Wight was in his mid-50s, he began to search the classifieds and look for leads. It took a year, but he eventually found what he was looking for – a red 1965 Mustang coupe. "I've always liked early, classic Mustangs and I had wanted one for quite awhile," says Wight, semi-retired and a member of the Saskatchewan Ford/Mercury Club in Regina. "But what happens is it's one of those toys you can't necessarily afford when you're younger and still raising a family. When I was able to afford one we started looking around, and I was lucky enough to find this particular Mustang in Alberta." The previous owner had done most of the restoration work, including a rebuild on the engine and transmission and a paint job that is still holding up. "If you were going to take any classic car that was a little rough and bring it back to the way it was when it was new, it's an expensive endeavour," says Wight. "It's a hobby. You can't think you're going to fix up a car and get your money out of it. It's an investment in something you enjoy and have fun with, and you have to look at it that way." Wight has taken care of safety maintenance, such as replacing the front drum brakes with disc brakes and putting in new shocks and new springs in front. "And I put a few bling things in the engine compartment," he says. "The only thing I really want to do with it now is move from a two-barrel to a four-barrel carburetor, which just gives it a little more power when you want. And it sounds a little better." s p r i n g 2 0 14 | w e s t w o r l d 37 14-01-23 11:05 AM