THE FALCOON: POLICE CHASES, FIRST DATES & A CRUSHED QUARTER PANEL
SOME CARS NEVER REALLY LEAVE US
Some car stories start with horsepower.
Some start with money.
Some start with prestige.
This one starts with a crushed quarter panel, a California driveway, and a kid who thought a lowered Chevy S‑10 might be his new ride.
This story came from a guy named Anthony — someone from back in my dealership days in Colorado. He works at CPS (Consumer Portfolio Services), a lender I used to work with when my dealership had consultants who specialized in helping people rebuild their credit and get back on the road.
He called me recently, checked out CoolCarGuy.com, and we started talking cars — the way car people do.
At one point I asked him:
“Ever had a cool car with a story behind it?”
He paused. Then he said:
“Yeah… my first car. A ’65 Falcon.”
And the way he said it told me everything.
I listened to his story, thought it was cool, and emailed him that I had actually dropped his ’65 Falcon into my Cool Garage by the Beach article — just as an example of how stories become digital parking spots on the island.
He thought that was cool.
Then he emailed me back with more details.
And THAT’S when the story really came alive.
THE DAY THE FALCOON ARRIVED
Anthony grew up in California. One day he pulled into his driveway and saw a lowered Chevy S‑10 sitting there.
He looked at his buddy and said:
“That might be my new ride.”
Turns out… it wasn’t.
Instead, his dad bought him a 1965 Ford Falcon.
Avocado green.
A little rough.
A little loud.
A little wild.
He called it:
“The Falcoon.”
And that car became the backdrop to the years that shape a person.
THE CRASH (TWO WEEKS IN)
Two weeks after getting the car, Anthony was driving the one mile to school — just another morning.
He stopped at a red light outside campus.
Out of nowhere:
BAM.
Two cars collided and slammed directly into the Falcon.
Quarter panel crushed.
A kid’s dream car dented.
“Welcome to car ownership.”
But here’s the thing:
The damage didn’t ruin the car.
It made it unforgettable.
Because the Falcoon wasn’t about perfection.
It was about becoming who he was.
THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED
From 1994 to 1998, that Falcon saw everything.
It was there for:
- first dates
- late‑night drives
- questionable decisions
- teenage freedom
- the chaos
- the laughs
- the mistakes
- the memories
And yes…
He ran from the Huntington Beach police once.
(Not recommended. His words, not mine.)
In a twist you couldn’t script, he later found out one of the undercover officers involved was actually his uncle’s former police partner.
That’s not a movie.
That’s real life.
THE PART THAT HIT ME
Anthony said something in his email that stuck with me:
“This car wasn’t just transportation — it was the backdrop to some of the most unforgettable moments of my youth.”
Then he added something even deeper:
“None of it would’ve been possible without my dad.”
Because his dad didn’t just buy him a car.
He bought him:
- independence
- responsibility
- freedom
- identity
- a place to grow up
- a machine that carried him through becoming who he is
That’s the part that gets you.
Because every car person knows:
Some cars stay with you long after they’re gone.
⭐ ANTHONY — IF YOU’RE READING THIS…
I hijacked your story.
Ha. Ha.
⭐ UPDATE FROM ANTHONY AFTER READING THIS PARKING SPOT
After reading this Parking Spot, Anthony emailed me again and shared even more of the story behind the Falcon.
Turns out the police chase didn’t end with a simple traffic stop — it ended with a helicopter overhead, handcuffs, six friends sitting on a curb, and a young kid realizing life could have gone very differently.
But what struck me most wasn’t the chaos.
It was what Anthony said afterward:
“I realize now I could have gone to jail or prison for some of my mistakes, but because the police officers showed some mercy on me, I ended up joining the US Coast Guard and served for 7 years — with 4 lives saved in the CG and 6 more outside of it.”
Funny how one old Falcon, a few bad decisions, and a little mercy can end up shaping an entire life.
And honestly?
That’s exactly why these stories matter.
So I’ll ask you the same question I asked Anthony:
“Ever had a cool car with a story behind it?”
⭐ THIS STARTED WITH ONE QUESTION
I asked Anthony:
“Ever had a cool car with a story behind it?”
He told me about the 1965 Ford Falcon his father bought him.
- The first dates.
- The crushed quarter panel.
- The bad decisions.
- The police chase.
- The mercy that helped change the direction of his life.
The Falcoon disappeared from his driveway decades ago.
But the story was still there.
And that is really the idea behind a CoolCarGuy.com Parking Spot.
You do not have to be selling the car.
You can build a page around:
- your first car;
- a car you own now;
- a car you sold years ago;
- your automotive business;
- your product or service;
- or simply a cool vehicle with a story worth telling.
For $7 one time, you get one full-page Parking Spot with up to 25 photos, up to two supported embedded videos, up to 20,000 characters, your own dedicated URL, links and contact information, and a public view counter.
No subscription.
No scheduled renewal.
No scheduled expiration.
And you can come back and update your Parking Spot later.
Think of it as a classified ad on steroids.
Or don’t make it look like an ad at all.
Build the page. Grab the URL. Start sharing it.
Think your first-car story can beat Anthony’s?
👉 Grab A Cool Car Guy Parking Spot
— Click the red + ADD LISTING button at the top of the page.
— The Cool Car Guy