I always envy the guys who still have their first car. For most of us our first car was usually destroyed (by rust or worse) or sold off never to be seen again. This is not the case for Kevin Brakefield. Kevin purchased this 1967 Pontiac Parisienne when he was 16. Needless to say thanks to Kevin and his family it looks better than it ever did when he purchased it all those years ago. Kevin tells us the story of "Kneehigh":

"It all started during high school in the early nineties in Saskatchewan. Growing up in a small town (pop. 2300ish) the high school parking lot was a time warp as most kids drove relics from the family collections as Saskatchewan govt insurance was dirt cheap and asked no questions. 

At one point when I was 16 years old, we went out to a farmer’s place as they were crushing their yard of old vehicles. That is where I first saw the 67 Parisienne 2 door hardtop. It was rough. Windshield bashed in, rust around the bottom and multiple colors. Farmer was happy to sell the car to me for next to nothing. This car got its name that day since if I hadn’t been able to pull it from the crusher it would have been measured; “knee high”. At the time of purchase, it was also mentioned the car was run on diesel prior to being parked. That didn’t slow the transaction one bit. 

We determined quickly that the car was run on diesel previously. That lead to pulling that original 327 out, putting it into storage for a rainy day, and dropped in a moderately cammed 350 from a written-off 1978 z28. That engine would idle so rough I swore the solid antenna would whip. It was not great for fuel economy but sounded mean for a kid in high school. I drove that car throughout school. Once out of school, I got myself some work in BC so Kneehigh got parked at my parent’s place for safe keeping. 

The car sat unaltered for about 13 years. At that point my parents, aunt and uncle decided there was enough sentimental attachment to that old car and went about putting Kneehigh back together as a surprise for me as I was coming into being a proper home owner (with garage) one province closer. The original 327 was rebuilt and returned to the car with my uncle taking on the bodywork and paint. Roughly 10 months went into Kneehigh before being revealed to me. Everyone knew about the restoration except for me. To say I was floored when the project was brought to my attention was an understatement. 

I flew out from Calgary to Saskatoon to drive Kneehigh home with my father in-law back in 2012. The trip home went off with out a hitch. That car now has a permanent parking space in my garage and has been under going moderate upgrades and non-stop drives ever since. My daughter has grown up with Kneehigh as part of the family and my wife can tell you all the technical details about the car if asked at a stop light. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t appreciate the love I have in my family for the effort put into this car. I can’t help but remember and smile every time I am out cruising or under the hood (or entire car) wrenching. This car is as much family as it gets. Thanks everyone for keeping Kneehigh alive for years to come. 

Technical details on the car. 1967 Parisienne 2 door sport coupe. Produced with a 327 4 barrel and 2 speed Powerglide. Body and interior rebuilt with the help of a donor car or two. 1965 CS front buckets and console. Column shifter was shaved. Car painted seafoam/aluminum mix. Rear seat and arm rests changed to black vinyl from a 1966 Pontiac in 2014. Stitching close enough match to the 1965 fronts (for me). Radiator was upgraded to a 3 core while retaining the original tanks (Calgary Radiator Service). New master and wheel cylinders plus lines. Relocated starter solenoid to firewall. Push button start. I will be swapping transmissions first quarter of 2020 to a 200 4r from a 1986 Pontiac Aero Coupe. "