Rick Agius’ 1948 Ford two-door sedan is unmistakable among the many vintage cars that stand out on the roads of Powell River. It’s orange.
Introduced in 1941, the last year of production for this Ford model was 1948.
The car’s claim to fame is that the character Danny Zuko, portrayed by John Travolta, drove a 1948 custom convertible in the 1978 movie Grease. A 1948 Ford Super Deluxe Convertible Club Coupe also appeared in 1984’s The Karate Kid, starring Ralph Macchio. The film’s main character, Daniel Larusso, was given the car by his mentor, Mr. Miyagi, as a birthday present. After filming was complete, producers of the movie gave the vehicle to Macchio, who still owns it.
How did the car come into your hands?
I bought it about 25 years ago. It was parked at a garage on the corner of Alberni and Joyce. I happened to be in town, saw it and thought it would be a great family car so we picked it up and hauled it to Nanaimo, where we were living at the time, and started the process of rebuilding it. A friend used to drive this car in high school and I remembered the car when I saw it. I thought it was a cool car and would make a great cruiser.
Was it orange back then?
No. It was blue. I love orange.
What is the model?
It's a 1948 Ford two-door sedan. It has a 305 Chevy and a Chevy ten-bolt differential. It has a front clip on it, front disc brakes, and power steering, so it handles real nice on the highway.
Is this model significant in the car world?
It was more of an inexpensive family sedan at the time. Usually you get them in a four-door sedan. I was lucky this was a two-door, which is what I wanted.
What’s behind your passion for cars?
I like tinkering with cars and I recently bought another one. It's a 1958 Chevy Yeoman Station Wagon. You don't see them very often. They only produced them for one year. I picked it up last summer in Victoria and drove it last year. I took it apart this winter and redid all of the windows, and put springs and shocks in the back. That's enough for this year. Then next year I'll tinker around and do some more stuff.
