Happy New Year! Our January feature car is a re-visit of a Pontiac we featured back in October 2013. Leo Capice owns this sharp 1967 Parisienne 2+2 convertible. In the 11 years since we last featured the car Leo has been continuing to improve the appearance and performance of the car. Leo tells us more:

I bought this car in 2012 and mostly mechanical and safety repairs were made between 2012 and 2013. Since 2014 onwards regular maintenance and aesthetics / factory correct items were added or changed to the car. This had to be done because I started going to many car shows on a weekly basis and seeing how good other cars showed, I wanted mine to look as good too! Therefore many trim pieces, emblems and aged parts were replaced. 

Here is a list of what has been replaced in the last 10 years: shocks, tires, correct cigar lighter, washer fluid reservoir, power window switches, console light lense, parking light lenses, rear view mirror, trunk weatherstip, sill plates, tilt steering column, chrome rear trim between tail lights and a new windshield.

And then there were the bigger expenses: I re-chromed both bumpers and a few small parts, re-upholstered the driver seat, re-built the radiator and a partial paint job in July 2024.

Of course I performed regular maintenance such as annual oil change and filter and over the years replaced worn out parts such as bushings, links, spark plugs, battery terminals, antenna cable, alternator belt, and a power top hydraulic cylinder. I want to always be able to turn the key and go since I use the car to move around and go to car shows. I do not use it when it rains but for the rest of the time I drive the car as it was meant to be. Everything works on the car, even the clock!

I start using the car once the streets are clean enough from salt usually in April and store it for the winter on November 30. The car is kept year-round in a climate controlled garage away from the sun and heated around 19°C in the winter.

From May to October I take the car to many car shows (up to 3 per week). Going to car shows is a very enjoyable experience for me as I get to see many interesting cars and people and drive to locations that I normally wouldn't. To many car shows I go alone; my wife accompanies me about twice a year, my daughter most of the other times and my son depending on how free he is. Recently as the "kids" are older and have more of a life of their own they come less frequently with me to car shows.

My son now works in automobile detailing so the aesthetics, whether interior or exterior, temporary or permanent, are being taken over by him. Not just the Parisienne but all the other cars in the family as well.

Having a red convertible classic with lots of chrome turns a lot of heads. So much that the few times my daughter takes the car she feels sub-conscious that everyone is staring but it is quite enjoyable when you are at a car show and you win. This summer the car won 3 trophies and my daughter was present during one of the events so she was very happy.

 Immediate plans is a new set of tires and a shroud which I should get ready either just before the winter or before the beginning of the 2025 season. My son has shown interest in the car so I'm pretty sure it will be enjoyed in the family much more. 

My late father that had a 67 Parisienne Convertible was the first person I let drive the car when I bought it. Both my kids learned how to drive in it so at the moment 3 generations from my family have driven this car and hopefully more will follow.