Willoughby resident Alanna Madec has always been a fan of classic cars.

"The 60's and probably the early 70's and also the 50's cars," the 18-year-old summarized.

"Cars that you see now, modern day cars, they all kind of look similar. Whereas cars back then had their own personality, their own character."

"I've always liked older things, like more antique things, and just been drawn to older things," Alanna elaborated. "They have more character than modern-day things."

When she was as young as 12, going for a ride with her family, she would see an older car and think, "I want that someday," Alanna recalled.

"I never thought it would happen," she admitted.  "I thought I'd always be looking. It just kind of sparked in the last year or so, that I was like, hey, I'm really going to focus on getting one." 

Which is how Theodore, the name she has given her 1966 green Ford Thunderbird, happened.

"I was open to looking at kind of every kind of car," she recalled.

"I was on [Facebook] marketplace, consistently for like six months, looking, and then my uncle said the value of Thunderbirds  [holds up well], and even their interior is very nice. That's what kind of stood out to me, was the interior, the curved seats, it almost looked like a kind of lounge. [And] I really like the shape to the front of the 66."

It didn't hurt that Theodore was her favourite colour.

"I's kind of funny, every time I go out with the car, I have a matching outfit, the colour to the car. And my favourite colour is green, too," she laughed.

She even enjoyed figuring out the mechanical mysteries an older car can possess.

"It broke down one time at a gas station when I first got it. And it was kind of a fun night, because I had my best friend with me, and you're trying to, you know, solve all these problems, [figure out] what could be the issue. It turns out it was the alternator."

She has learned a lot about working on older cars in the time she's been driving Theodore, which will be on display at the Good Times Cruise-In.

"I'm getting to know it just a bit more, especially how my car drives and runs and how it functions." 

She says it helps that she has her own support crew, in the form of helpful relatives who also love older vehicles.

"I have people that support me, especially family members who know more about older cars."

Most of the people her age, while supportive, don't share Alanna's fascination.

She is tolerant.

"A lot of my friends like, you know, the modern cars and stuff, which is fine."

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