Of all the things Bob Ford has done during his life, collecting classic cars might be his favorite pastime.
After a long career with Eastern Airlines, working in law enforcement and now full time in real estate, the Stafford County man enjoys sharing his passion of antique automobiles, hoping others, like him, will stare and marvel at these classic works of automotive art.
Sitting on his front lawn Wednesday was a 1930 DeSoto convertible. In its day, it was Chrysler’s answer to many of the fancy cars Oldsmobile and Pontiac were rolling off their assembly lines.
Today, there’s not many DeSotos left.
“This is the car that people want to have their picture taken in. This is the one they want to be seen in,” said Ford.
The DeSoto, complete with chrome, a green paint job, its upholstery in excellent condition and a rumble seat in back, was one of only 184 to be made. It can seat four and is ready to be driven on any given Sunday afternoon.
Through Ford’s research, he’s found it is quite possibly the last running DeSoto in existence.
When not in Ford’s garage, you can usually see the vehicle at a North Stafford car show. It’s also been seen sitting in front of businesses on Va. 610, at the request of their owners, because the car draws crowds, said Ford.
But as nice as it is, and as much as he likes sitting behind the wheel, Ford is selling the automobile.
“I don’t want to get rid of the car, but it is a good way to make money,” Ford said candidly.
Anyone who has to ask how much a car like this is worth most likely couldn’t afford it, so Ford called someone who probably could.
He contacted Jay Leno, the Tonight Show host, who has long been known for his love of rare automobiles. Ford said he left a message with one of Leno’s reps but has yet to hear back.
This hasn’t been the first time Ford has sold a classic car. Three years ago, he sold a 1932 Chrysler to a man in Germany for $60,000 on Ebay. It now sits in a museum in that county.
Back in his Stafford garage, Ford still has photos of that car the walls and in an album on his workbench, as if it was a love that got away.
“I never knew that when I posted the car up there on Ebay that someone would put down the money for it,” said Ford. “But I sold it because it was the start of the hard economic times, and we didn’t know exactly what was going to happen financially.”
Bob has photos of other classis cars that he’s owned through the years, and he’ll tell you stories about each of them.
His first car, a 1950 Oldsmobile coupe he got when he was 16, still resides vividly in his memory.
“That car smoked like the dickens. My parents gave it to me because it needed a new engine, so I started with a wrench, and called the junkyard to have them bring one over, they did and I started working on it,” said Ford.
While he hasn’t listed the DeSoto for sale on Ebay just yet, people have been asking him about it.
“How fast does it go?” and “what type of gas does it use?” are just some of the regular questions.
His favorite one, “is it fun to drive?” he always answers quickly. “Yes,” he said.
