A Drive with Purpose: Thunderbirds Rally San Diego

6 Classic Thunderbirds started their Sunday drive at Mossy Ford to help support their efforts to curb local hunger in San Diego

It was a beautiful cloudy morning that opened up to a warm and sunny day for a Tbird Drive with Club friends, new and old!

Mossy Ford Pacific Beach invited the Thunderbirds this past weekend to help support their efforts to curb local hunger at their weekend canned food drive. Sunday was also our scheduled driving tour through Mission Beach and Mission Bay coastal areas to raise awareness about the importance and beauty of keeping classic cars on the road — and, of course, because it was fun for all!

We had lots of people take pictures and give us smiles and waves as the 6 red, black, and gray Thunderbirds — four 1955s, one 1956, and one 1957 — rumbled around and paused for pictures at popular places like Fiesta Island, Paradise Point, and Kate Sessions Park.

But the real treat was that one of these Birds had its inaugural Club flight after many years of slumber. Sue, Dana, and Elle’s 1955 was their grandfather’s car, bought in 1955 in San Diego at a now-not-existing dealer, and just the day before got it back fully revived from a local mechanic, who was referred to them by another member. We drove right by the street where their grandfather bought the car 70 years ago. Full circle!

We ended our tour at Studio Diner, where about two dozen members — a great turnout! — joined on the patio for lunch and our bimonthly meeting, surrounded by Eucalyptus trees. A local resident recently gave us miscellaneous Tbird car parts, and we offered those to members who needed them. Everyone introduced themselves, and from there, the social banter was hard to stop for Club business. So mostly, we didn’t. :)

Many thanks go to Jeff L who organized the tour and for continuing to facilitate our connection with Mossy, and to everyone who joined us to make the afternoon so enjoyable.

Good times. See ya’ll at Mustangs by the Bay, Oct. 5.