Contributed by Philip Ezra Miller
There was this one car I really loved. It (she) was a 1960 Chevy Biscayne. My dad found the car behind a barn on the Madawaska Road in 1974. The car had been out of use for some time. He advised me that the cast iron, flat six engine was in very good shape (approximately 60,000 miles). Most of the required work would be on the body rust. For me, this was a 16-year-old’s dream come true. I didn’t even have my license yet.
Contributed photo
Old Blue, a 1960 Chevy Biscayne, is the only car that Philip Miller ever loved. While not pictured above, Philip couldn’t afford white letter tires and would freehand his own lettering, which he would have to re-letter every time he washed the car. Now that’s dedication.
I acquired it cheap. Problem number one was turning a powder blue, four-door grocery getter into a righteous street cruiser. And problem number two, learning to drive a standard shift. With the help of autobody genious Freeman Wright the car became steel blue with chrome mags on the rear, and baby moon hubcaps with chrome rings to the front. I couldn’t afford white letter tires, so I lettered them myself … freehand. Music was provided by a REALISTIC 8-track player pumping through house speakers jammed atop shag rug in the rear window. She always ran better when the “Beach Boys” were playing loud.
One my second attempt I became street legal, but not able to handle a clutch. One snowy winter morning I decided to teach myself how to drive the stick. I knew the basics, just had no practical experience. I spun my wheels to and from school without incident. After that I was hooked. The car became my daily driver for the next 15 or so years. She was painted every two years, every time a different hue of blue.
The oversized steering wheel was like ice in the winter and burned your hands in the summer. Her blinker lights rarely worked in the rain, but I loved her. My wife and I left the church after our wedding in this car. We switched to a brand new Pontiac for our honeymoon. Ironically, the newer car broke down on our trip. Old Blue remained in our family for several more years until I could no longer afford to maintain her.
I often still think about the fun times we had in Old Blue.
