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METRO DETROIT — On Sept. 9, Ruthy Bedard will sit down with local documentary filmmaker Keith Famie for an interview about her 1936 Ford Coupe 3-window.
Her story will be among many narratives that will highlight Famie’s documentary, “Detroit: The City of Hot Rods & Muscle Cars.” Bedard bought the 1936 model in May 2019. Bedard recently provided details about her vintage vehicle via email to C & G Newspapers.
“The car was restored in Illinois by a true-hearted hot rodder with modern features,” Bedard said. “It was a seven-year build and owned by Robert Bozarth who passed away in 1977. I am the proud caretaker of his jewel. The Renaissance Red paint (is) by DuPont color.”
Bedard said that everyone who checks out the “beautiful coupe wants to know what’s under the hood.”
“The coupe’s engine is a 350 GM crate connected to a Turbo 350 automatic transmission with a Ford 9-inch rear end, Roadster Shop Chassis and V-8 engine with many styling upgrades,” Bedard said.
Those upgrades include a power trunk and windows, leather interior, functional spotlights, continental spare, fender skirts, flipper hubcaps, air conditioning, power brakes, a CD player and an AM/FM radio. Oh, and she even gave the car a name: “Ruthless.”
Bedard became the owner of the coupe as a result of her divorce. She was awarded “one of our joint-owner hobby cars,” which was a 1947 Ford panel delivery truck.
“That vehicle wasn’t me, so I sold it and looked for a car that fit me,” she said. That’s when she got behind the wheel of her coupe.
“I loved the styling of the ’30s, loved hot rods and joined a car club called South Lyon Cowtown Cruisers as a single woman,” she said. “I loved the styling of the big curvy fenders and a curvy back end ‘booty.’ The girls and the color red fit my style. Looked for a coupe because it is smaller in size versus a truck and wanted to take my girlfriends with me to car shows and go car ‘cruzin.’”
Driving the coupe is “awesome” and “big fun.”
“Everybody smiles as I pass them by,” she said. “Happy times.”
Bedard currently resides in Howell but has lived in Novi, Detroit, Livonia and Milford. The coupe owner has a driving partner each time she wants to go for a spin: her husband Gary. She said it’s Gary who meticulously maintains the classic car “so I can turn the key and we go cruising.” She looks forward to being part of “Detroit: The City of Hot Rods & Muscle Cars.”
At press time, Famie and crew members were planning to attend the annual Woodward Dream Cruise to film a portion of the documentary. On July 21 at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park in Eastpointe, Famie and company met up with several classic car owners who are also war veterans. They shared their stories about cars and wartime for the film.
According to a letter from Fred Nahhat, the senior vice president of production for Detroit Public TV, “Detroit: The City of Hot Rods & Muscle Cars” will premiere “centered around Father’s Day 2023.” Famie grew up in Farmington Hills and resides in Novi.
Famie is a producer, director and author with Visionalist Entertainment Productions in Wixom, and the executive producers of the film are Famie and John and Carole Kulhavi. Famie wanted to inject some girl power in the movie. So he and crew members attended this year’s Women’s Motor Fest June 18 at Bakers of Milford Restaurant to film the movie. Women’s Motor Fest is a female-focused event where women can share their passion for cars, motorcycles, trucks and off-road vehicles.
At the event, Michigan-based singer-songwriter Jill Jack performed live, including her song “Fast Cars Ain’t Just for Boys Anymore,” which was written for the documentary. Commentary about Famie’s experience was posted on the film’s website at detroitmusclecarfilm.com.
“It’s no secret that the car industry has mostly been dominated by men since cars were invented. Women are too often excluded from the automobile and motoring culture,” the website states. “We’re excited to share this story in the film as a tribute to a sometimes overlooked community in the automotive industry. There are many women with just as much, if not more, of an interest in fast cars and the motoring culture.”
A second Women’s Motor Fest show is scheduled for Sept. 10 in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, visit the Women’s Motor Fest website at womensmotorfest.com.
Do you own a vehicle with an interesting story? Email Maria Allard at allard@candgnews.com for a chance to be in a future edition of Behind the Wheel.
