Behind the Wheel: Classic cars celebrate special occasions

METRO DETROIT — When members of the Eastpointe-Roseville Chamber of Commerce needed to find classic cars from 1972 for a special golden anniversary event, a bright orange Corvette Stingray and a Rallye Red Plymouth Duster pulled right up.

The cars, both ’72 models, gave a retro vibe during the celebration Oct. 13 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Honey Baked Ham store in Roseville.

Jerry and Wendy Whiteman, of Clinton Township, were happy to bring their Vette to the event.

“Somebody told us they were looking for ’72 cars, and we figured we’d check it out,” Jerry Whiteman said of the 50-year anniversary ribbon-cutting.

The Whitemans, married 54 years, grew up in East Detroit, which is now Eastpointe. They have owned three Corvettes, including 1963 and 1969 models.

Their ’72 model came with a price tag of $5,150 and currently has 63,000 miles on it. When on the road, the Corvette receives “a lot of thumbs-up. A lot of people like the color,” Jerry said.

Parked a couple of spots from the Corvette was Steve Scavone’s 1972 Duster 340 4-speed that he purchased seven years ago. He searched many websites trying to find the vintage set of wheels.

“I looked all over the country and found it in Harrison Township. It was restored before I bought it,” said Scavone, of St. Clair Shores. “Mine is true to how it came off the assembly line, the color, the motor, the drivetrain, the interior.”

Scavone, who grew up in East Detroit, primarily takes the Duster to local car shows.

“People are always commenting on it and taking photos,” Scavone said. “What was so appealing is they’re so light. They’re very fast cars. You feel the road a lot more with a car like this. It’s a lot of fun.”

There’s another car on the road making memories. Last June, Beverly Hills resident John W. Simpson loaned his 2016 Ford Mustang GT convertible to newlyweds Colin and Rae Campbell as they went on their honeymoon to northern Michigan for a week.

Simpson and the Campbells know each other from Grace Baptist Church in Birmingham. Simpson was aware that Colin could drive a stick shift, so he surprised the couple with the Mustang. In keeping with the special day, Simpson even rolled a red carpet to the passenger’s door for the bride to enter.

“The groom’s favorite car is a Mustang; thus, I thought he would love the surprise of having one show up at his wedding as their ‘getaway’ car,” Simpson said. “I believe things are to be used to bless others.”

The first car Simpson ever owned was a 1971 Mustang convertible.

“Everybody remembers their first car,” Simpson said.

Simpson has “lots of Ford blood” in him. His father, Bruce Howard Simpson, worked at the company’s World Headquarters for 35 years, and his grandfather, Howard Woodworth Simpson, reported directly to Henry Ford.

According to the website snaccooperative.org, Howard Woodworth Simpson joined the engineering staff of Henry Ford & Son Inc. in 1918 and worked directly under Henry Ford on tractor and transmission design. The website states that the elder Simpson was the head designer of the 9N Fordson tractor until his resignation on Jan. 29, 1939. He died Nov. 4, 1963, six months after being awarded the distinguished title of Outstanding Michigan Inventor by the Michigan Patent Law Association.

John W. Simpson was born after Ford died but remembers hearing stories from his family about the automobile magnate.

“People don’t know that Mr. Ford was very into tractors,” Simpson said. “He loved to tinker. He loved taking things apart and (putting) them back together to see how they worked. He was one-of-a-kind and thinking way outside the box.”

Simpson continues to carry on the Ford tradition. Last month, Simpson became a member of the Mustang Owners Club of Southeastern Michigan. The group just went on a “fall color” road trip up to Bay City.

“It was very pretty,” Simpson said.

The group holds monthly meetings in Dearborn Heights and even has a scholarship program for students.

For more information on the Mustang Owners Club of Southeastern Michigan, visit the website mocsem.com/default.php.