Most family cars eventually leave the family—that’s a fact of life.
The reasons family cars leave the family are practical because once a car gets older and can’t do daily duty it’s destined to be trade bait on a new car.
Fortunately, this 1987 Ford Crown Victoria four-door sedan never left the family.
Jerry Sutherland
Anthony Norris is the proud owner of the big Ford and he’s an expert on its history. His great-grandfather bought the car for his grandmother when it was brand new. Anthony did time in the back seat as a toddler, so the Crown Vic has a custom-made anchor for a child seat. He remembers his days in the back seat, so owning this car is a trip back in time.
This car has the 302 with the MFI fuel injection, so it was cutting-edge for the late 80s and it gets 33 miles per imperial gallon. The Crown Vic has 120,000 miles on it, but Anthony’s great-grandfather was a mechanic, so he looked after the maintenance from Day 1. Anthony’s grandmother only used premium gas, so that tradition continues under his watch.
The paperwork is impeccable because Anthony has every piece of paper for the Crown Vic. The maintenance records are all there and the sales information and maintenance manuals are all with the car. Anthony is considering making copies to display with the car at car shows to showcase the family history to onlookers.
Another tradition that continues under his watch is inside storage. This ’87 Ford has always been stored inside and Anthony never lets the Ford sleep outside. The paint looks great and vinyl roof is still soft and also in excellent condition. There’s some surface rust on the passenger side front fender, but Anthony has a buddy who is an autobody tech, so they’re going to do minimal work to preserve the factory paint.
Anthony also wants to continue the tradition of constant maintenance on the Crown Vic, so he crawls under the car every two weeks to check all the grease fittings and look for any other issues.
The car has an aftermarket sound system, but Anthony still has the original AM/FM/cassette radio for the Vic. Anthony wants to bring the radio back to life because he’s an electrical engineering tech so it will be a fun project.
The car is a daily driver, so it’s still doing its job. Anthony said, “The ride is like riding on a couch—a cloud on wheels”. He’s used to the questions and observations he gets when he stops for gas because the Crown Vic is a natural conversation starter. He’s happy to explain the family background to the Crown Vic and his own role as the caretaker of the legacy car.
The best part about four-door sedans is that they are always a story waiting to be told because most of them were never saved. This 1987 Ford Crown Victoria didn’t disappoint thanks to its multi-generational family history. Anthony had the last word on family legacy cars.
It makes my grandmother proud each and every day.
Anthony Norris
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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