- Story by Sean McIntyre Photography by Don Denton
From West Shore Life + Style magazine
Disco can inspire some bold moves, and thatB次元官网网址檚 not just on the dance floor.
MetchosinB次元官网网址檚 Jody Dick had only just began his gig as a keyboard player in a popular Victoria band called Tight Hair when things started getting groovy.
The band quickly began lighting up dance floors across the Victoria area. They had the sound, they had the look and they had the moves, but it felt like a little something special was still missing.
It was the bandB次元官网网址檚 guitarist, a 30-something Englishman by the name of Christopher Lloyd, who nailed the missing ingredient.B次元官网网址� The band needed a B次元官网网址減impinB次元官网网址� ride.B次元官网网址�
| Photography by Don Denton |
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 an old soul who digs retro things,B次元官网网址� says Jody. B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 the one who pitched this crazy idea.B次元官网网址�
Nearly two years after the bandmates were tossing around ideas for Tight HairB次元官网网址檚 wheeled mascot, B次元官网网址淢onicaB次元官网网址� is nearly ready to hit the streets and, quite possibly, make an appearance at a disco night near you.
B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 a lot of fun to drive,B次元官网网址� Jody says. B次元官网网址淚t just literally glides likes itB次元官网网址檚 on air. She screams mid-70s with this long hood, the way the windshield tapers back and these really cool lines.B次元官网网址�
You might miss MonicaB次元官网网址檚 distinctive look, but youB次元官网网址檙e highly unlikely to miss her colour. Pagan Candy Apple Gold is every bit as bright as it sounds. The colour seems to illuminate the surroundings, halo-like, on a wet and dreary West Coast spring afternoon at JodyB次元官网网址檚 home in the forested hills of rural Metchosin.
B次元官网网址淚t looks pretty intense,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚n the sun, you literally cannot look at it without sunglasses.B次元官网网址�
Monica is a rare breed, a 1976 Mercury Cougar XR-7, which Dick found stowed away by the grandson of the carB次元官网网址檚 original owner.
| Photography by Don Denton |
Jody was flabbergasted to discover that, as a teenager, heB次元官网网址檇 worked as a part-time detailer at the very same dealership where the car was purchased more than 40 years ago.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a chance I could have touched her then,B次元官网网址� he says.
Jody has come a long way since he cleaned cars as a high-schooler. These days heB次元官网网址檚 the general manager at Victoria Hyundai. Whether in the shop or in the showroom, heB次元官网网址檚 covered a lot of ground in the automotive sector. The experience and relationships he built up along the way served him well when it came to rebuilding his new ride.
Dick saw promise in those iconic lines and near-mint details, like the rear seat B次元官网网址渙pera windowsB次元官网网址� that are stencilled with the silhouette of a fierce mountain cat on the prowl.
As is the case with any creative project, the artist must begin with raw materials from which to carve out his or her vision. From the moment he saw it, Jody was confident the Cougar hit all the right notes.
B次元官网网址淚 play a lot of music, IB次元官网网址檓 fairly creative and I come from an artistic family, so I just looked at it and said B次元官网网址榦kay,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he says.
The car had a pair of minor door dings and a few bubbles of rust. The low mileage was a positive, but years of sitting idle silenced the carB次元官网网址檚 original purr. Dick says the carB次元官网网址檚 long-expired gasoline had turned chartreuse green and wreaked havoc on the carburetor. The entire tank had to come out, and the original 351M engine underwent a near complete overhaul.
The gray body colour was peeling badly and needed to be completely stripped and repainted if the old Cougar had any chance of lighting up the dance floor. The Pagan Candy Apple Gold called for three coats of base, six coats of tint and three coats of clear to really make it shine. ItB次元官网网址檚 set to receive a coat of gloss before the job is complete.
Jody went to see an old friend, Doug Thompson, at an upholstery shop downtown to source some chocolate embossed paisley material for the carB次元官网网址檚 roof. He also found some dark-gold velour for the bucket seats and accents.
| Photography by Don Denton |
As if that werenB次元官网网址檛 enough eye candy, the front headlights now feature multi-colour LEDs designed to flash in synch with the beats of funk and disco tunes playing on the carB次元官网网址檚 stereo. Despite the high-tech upgrade, however, Monica remains true to her B次元官网网址�70s roots with no air conditioning, hand-cranked windows and an AM radio.
B次元官网网址淪he started as a low-budget custom and morphed into not-so-low if you know what I mean,B次元官网网址� Jody says. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 want to gaudy it up or anything, but I think weB次元官网网址檙e at that line.B次元官网网址�
With the sunny driving season and a full schedule of gigs right around the corner, Jody is nearly ready to call the project done. The carB次元官网网址檚 inaugural test spin through the winding streets of Metchosin has already got people talking. Jody says a nearby motorist actually rolled down her window to scream, B次元官网网址淥h my god!B次元官网网址� while stopped at a traffic light.
With some wide, white-wall tires, a little clean up and a stretch of sunny weather, this cat will be ready to prowl.
B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 turned a lot of heads already and believe it or not, has a following of sorts,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淭his isnB次元官网网址檛 a Camaro or Chevelle or Mustang. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a ton of those cars out there, but nobody is crazy enough to customize a 1976 Cougar.
B次元官网网址淓xcept me, of course.B次元官网网址�
| Photography by Don Denton |
