Zoomin’ orange beauty

CINTHIA RITCHIE

May 23, 2008 at 9:03AM AKST

Two Seward residents took top honors in the Alaska Custom Car and Cycle Show 2008 at the Harry MacDonald Center in Eagle River.

Keith Lindsey of Petro Marine won first place on May 4 in the Truck division with his 1966 Chevy C-10 half-ton step-side short bed. The finishing touches were performed by K.J. Auto Restoration in Anchorage.  

Dave Williams of Two Dogs Trucking took home second place in the Best Pro Sport division with his blaring orange 1951 British Ford Anglia.

Williams lives on Exit Glacier Road and almost lost his hot rod during the Oct. 9, 2006, flood. He had to completely redo the interior and go through and clean all mechanicals and interior engine components.

He bought the Anglia six years ago from a former drag-racer up in Anchorage who had converted the car back to street status. According to Williams, the owner had been ill and unable to care for the vehicle.

“He kind of chose me to let buy it,” he said. “You don’t really own collector cars. You caretake them for a while.”

The orange paint is from an original 1975 paint job. Which is why Williams hasn’t changed it.

“It does have a bit of nostalgia,” he said. “You’re going back 30 years, and that’s kind of a little bit where the baby boomers are coming of age and going back to the things we enjoyed in our youth.”

Although he racked up a second-place finish, Williams said he doesn’t enter shows to win but to share his love of cars with others.

“When I’m out driving, I’ve had people follow me home wanting to know about the vehicle,” he said.

He recently purchased another Anglia, a 1953 Thames, which he’s in the process of remodeling.

“It’s one of the first things you start doing is changing wheels and motor modifications and sometimes a complete paint job,” he said. “You have to personalize.”

According to Williams, getting a new vehicle is like having a man’s Christmas.

“It’s almost like having a child,” he said. “You’ve never seen the vehicle before, so it’s pretty exciting.”

He sees his cars as works of art, back from the days when style was still important.

“Anyone who has old iron?” Williams said. “My hat is off to them.

Cinthia Ritchie can be reached at (907) 342-2428 or toll free at (800) 770-9830, ext. 428.

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