Real Wheels: Fast and functional, Bluffton couple take advantage of deals

BLUFFTON — Two memorable factors happened to Dennis Morrison right after a young girl caught his eye when he returned dwelling from Vietnam in 1969.

The greatest was having a date with former classmate Donna McCluer, whom he will be married to for 50 a long time on Oct. 7.

The second experienced to deal with quick cars and her 1967 Buick GS 400.

“It is a enjoyable automobile to generate, specifically for these who think it does not have a great deal power,” Dennis mentioned. “Little do they know about what is under the hood. Buick kept the mentioned horsepower very low to retain insurance policies charges decreased. The 340 horsepower is possible a good deal much more.”

The 1967 Buick GS 400 was the 1st automobile Donna ever bought. She purchased it from Clark’s Buick in Bluffton just after the unique operator traded it in. He owned it just a number of months immediately after obtaining it new.

“At that time he stated he did not know why he procured it,” Dennis reported. “Now he says he wished he had stored it.”

That’s legitimate with a lot of persons who as soon as owned a Gran Sport, according to Scorching Automobiles magazine.

The Buick 400 was the result of Normal Motors’ attempts to build sports designs during an era exactly where muscle automobiles dominated the streets. The 400 was intended to be the most splendidly outfitted GM sports design of that period. Having said that, the Gran Activity under no circumstances claimed the “in-your-deal with magnetism” of GM cars like the Pontiac GTO or Chevrolet Camaro. They ended up referred to as “Jimi Hendrix cars” by Muscle Auto magazine, while the Buick GS-400 was stated to be much more uncomplicated listening, much more Herb Alpert.

Which is all transformed now.

Nowadays, the Buick Gran Activity is a common car hugely sought by muscle mass fanatics. Donna Morrison is one particular of the couple who can say she has owned her 1967 product for 55 many years.

“We delight in using it to automobile displays like the Lions Club Pageant of Wheels in Bluffton or Pioneer Days in Kalida. It draws in a lot of notice,” Dennis says.

The Buick GS 400 isn’t the only classic auto the Morrisons very own. The other end of the spectrum places them in the seats of a 1992 Eddie Bauer Ford Aerostar minivan.

The Aerostar was Ford’s response to the Chevrolet Astro through the 1980s. It was a time when the humble minivan turned out to be one particular of the automotive industry’s finest results stories. Mini-vans opened an untapped market place of inexpensive and economical relatives transportation that continued into the 1990s. Ford developed extra than 2 million Aerostars from 1986 to 1997.

Morrison’s 1992 Eddie Bauer Aerostar is now a display car or truck for Dennis, who labored at the Lima Ford Engine Plant for 41 several years. And like his wife did when she bought her GS 400, Dennis received rather a deal when obtaining the Aerostar.

“I purchased it from my superintendent at the Lima Ford Motor Plant. He only had the Aerostar for a shorter time. I’ve owned it all but two months of its daily life,” Dennis explained.

And while there is no these types of factor as a “hot mini-van,” quite a few persons can relate with Morrison’s Aerostar when he will take it to auto exhibits.

“We took it on quite a few family trips to Florida,” he reported. “It seems like many people our age once had a mini-van.”

When the primary operator traded in this 1967 Buick GS 400 convertible soon following he acquired it, Donna Morrison was rapid to acquire it. It is the very first auto she at any time owned.

Dennis and Donna Morrison each and every have classic cars and trucks.

Dennis Morrison acquired this 1992 Eddie Bauer Aerostar from the superintendent of the Lima Ford Engine Plant. The govt only experienced the Aerostar for a handful of months when he bought it.

With 340 horsepower and 440 pound for each foot of torque, the 1967 Buick GS 400 was able of ripping off zero to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds.