Bruce Bouvet's 1965 Valiant Convertible 519-776-4268
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Wednesday, June 11, 2008 • Page 22 Mosquito A Essex Kinsmen This weekend the team exciting game and both really wanted this game and travelled to St. Thomas for teams we're playing well. they all played excellent. our first tournament of the Going into the last two Brody was on the mound season. innings being down 4-3, the again and with great batting Our first game was on boys knew they had to do and lots of stolen bases from Friday afternoon against something. The Sarnia team Adam, Colin, Tyler, Josh, Bruce Bouvet’s 1965 Valiant Convertible North London. The game had us down two outs and Jarrod and Kane we ended started out with Brody on then Kane started us out the first inning with a 6-0 In the late 1950s, small imported cars, especially the Volkswagen, were attracting a grow- the mound and was fol- with a solid double and lead. The team continued to ing percentage of new car buyers. The Big Three took note of this trend and began produc- lowed by Dalton and Tyler ended up being the tying play great throughout the ing their first generation of compact cars in 1960. Ford came out with the Falcon, General taking over later in the run. Jake was walked and game, both at bat and in the Motors with the Corvair, and Chrysler with the Valiant. game. We kept the Nationals eventually stole home to field. With great plays by The new Valiant was noteworthy for bold new styling and a new “Slant Six” engine under even with us in runs until take the lead. Then came the infield and outfield, we the hood. Valiant offered convertibles from 1963 to 1966, and a total of 37,622 were built. the late innings of the game home runs by Dalton and ended taking this third and Canadian winters were very hard on these open-air vehicles, and most of them ended up rust- and then they took the lead. Tyler to match Brody's earli- final game. We lost out on ing away in scrap yards. They had strong bats and er. Everyone hit strong and advancing to the semi finals But not all of them. Bruce Bouvet of Victoria, B.C., enjoys reading CarStory in “Lookout” ended up taking this first had great defensive play, on Sunday by four runs. (a west coast military newspaper). He is the proud owner of a Mopar survivor: game. and we ended up taking this Great job, boys. We're all “My 1965 Plymouth Valiant convertible has been in the family almost since new. Our second game against game 10-6. Way to go guys. very proud of you. Our next Originally purchased from Pacific Chrysler in Vancouver on March 13, 1965, it was later Sarnia was our turn to show Our third game was games coming up are Friday traded in by the lady owner for something newer at Lawson Oates in Vancouver. we had some strong bats of Saturday afternoon against in Belle River at 7:30 and our own. Colin started pitch- Milton. The boys were Tuesday, June 17 in Essex at ing and was followed by excited and still pumped up 6:15. Come out and support Jake and Zach. What an from the last game. They our team. Pee Wee Essex Legion The boys had two home On Saturday, Harrow gave up just a single run in games this week, with came to town and the boys the seventh and struck out Riverside coming in on were ready to play. Joshua the final batter as Essex won Thursday evening. It was a Grondin started on the 12-7. The boys showed tight game for the first two mound, handcuffing some real character by com- innings until Riverside Harrow’s hitters, and Essex ing back to win after surren- Bruce Bouvet’s 1965 Plymouth Valiant convertible. broke it open in the third was leading 4-1 after three dering the lead, excellent with timely hitting and a innings. Harrow jumped job boys! “At the time, Dad was selling cars there and took a liking to the condition of this little red few walks off starter into a 6-4 lead in the top of bombshell. It was purchased for my mother who at the time was driving a 1962 Studebaker Brandon Flood and reliever the fifth, with Essex battling Lark. I was fresh out of school and looking for a car as well, but settled for the Studi (Dad’s Tino Iacobini. The boys just back to tie in the bottom of philosophy was that a new driver like myself needed lots of iron around him). couldn’t get the bats work- the fifth. Harrow couldn’t “Two years later, fresh out of Military Boot Camp and ing together to mount any muster any offence in the heading to Victoria for a career in the Navy, I was given the CARSTORY IS kind of comeback. Clinton top of the sixth, and the bats opportunity to purchase the Valiant (Mom and Dad had SPONSORED BY Beaulieu with 3 and Kyle came to life in the bottom of bought a Dodge truck). After handing over $1,000, I was Hill with 2 led the hitting, the inning as Essex sent 12 behind the wheel. while Matthew Krutsch led batters to the plate and “I used the car over the next five years as my principal the defense with 3 great scored six runs to take a 12- vehicle, driving it across Canada and back on one occasion on catches in centrefield, keep- 6 lead, with everyone get- a summer jolly. ing the score down. ting in on the action. Call “Upon my purchasing the family truck, I decided to hang Your Security. Riverside went on to win the Michael Caille, who came 519-776-4268 onto the convertible as it was now the era when convertibles Our Responsibility. game 14-3. on in the sixth to relieve, were no longer in production. “The car is virtually original. It was repainted in 1980 and has had the bumpers re-chromed. Only minor cosmetic repairs have been done to the upholstery. The 225 CI Slant Six remains strong with 79,000 miles to date. It still sports the original starter and alternator. Only the fuel pump and carbu- retor have ever been worked on. The car only sees the light of day when the sun is shining. “I have owned this car longer than I have known my wife, and though I have the keys, I still believe it to be Mom’s car!” We want to say thank you to our readers who send in their stories. When a reader’s story is published in CarStory they receive a copy of Bill Sherk’s book “60 Years Behind the Wheel: The Cars We Drove in Canada 1900-1960”. To share your stories or photos e-mail [email protected] or write Bill Sherk, 33 Oak St. E., P.O. Box 10012, Leamington, ON N8H 2C3. SANITATION SEPTIC, HOLDING TANK PUMPING & EEL SERVICE “A PLEDGE OF SERVICE” nd eeke (519) 738-3309 W ice Serv lable Avai (519) 791-7964 CELL Uncle Earl.