Allan Hyndman is putting the ‘car’ in Cardale!
- Details
- Published on Friday, September 8, 2017
Allan Hyndman and his beautifully restored cars, a dark blue 1929 Ford Model A and an equally impressive burgundy 1967 Ford Mustang convertible.
Ben Castle
The Neepawa Banner
Allan Hyndman was born and raised on a farm south west of Cardale and has been farming the land there for the last 45 years, where he still lives with his wife Lois. As well as farming, Allan has been interested in motor vehicles from an early age and has always had an appreciation for older vehicles. Over the last 40 years, Allan has owned and restored a diverse range of vintage Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles, as well as some more obscure American brands. You may recognise the red, original 1967 Mustang in the photographs from my review of the 2017 Mustang in June.
What was the first vehicle you restored?
Allan pulled a white 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Convertible, minus an engine, from of a slough out at McConnell around 1980 and proceeded to restore it, following which he ran it for a few years in the early 1980s. Allan and Lois also used it as their wedding car in 1986. Allan still owns the vehicle, but it hasn’t been used for a few years and requires another restoration.
What are your current vintage cars?
Allan has owned his dark blue 1929 Ford Model A Roadster since the mid-1970s and fully restored it to its current condition over the course of around 20 years. He acquired it as a few parts and its current fully-working and pristine condition is testament to Allan’s painstaking restoration. Allan drives this car fairly regularly in the summer on local gravel roads and took me for a short ride. It’s surprisingly comfortable, civilised and rides really well on the gravel and has excellent ground clearance. Allan has fitted a rear “rumble” seat, which takes the place of the trunk.
In light of stiffer competition both at home and around the globe, the Ford Model A replaced the Model T in 1927. It had a 3.3 litre (201 cu in) four cylinder engine, with 40 horsepower and a top speed of over 100 km/h. It benefited from more power and also gained a three-speed sliding gear manual transmission and four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. The controls were also consistent with what we are used to today. It had a fuel tank mounted between the firewall and dash panel, the fuel gauge and carburetor were fed by gravity and it was the first car to benefit from safety glass.
Allan’s other vintage car is his burgundy 1967 Ford Mustang convertible. Allan sourced this car from Ontario 12 years ago and carried out a full restoration over six to seven years, as the vehicle had a few rust issues. This car was well-specced from new, with power steering, power roof, power front disc brakes and a 289 cu in motor. Allan has upgraded the steering system and replaced the three-speed automatic with a four-speed automatic transmission. It’s a stunning car, which gets daily use in the summer and gets taken to a few shows locally where it has won several prizes.
What other vintage vehicles have you owned?
Other vintage vehicles that Allan has owned include a 1918 Ford Model T, a 1963 Mercury Comet, a 1963 Ford Galaxie sedan, a 1951 Kaiser Deluxe sedan and a 1956 Packard Patrician sedan.
What appeals to you about Ford vehicles?
Allan’s father had Fords and they have been good to him in terms of reliability, running costs and for him, they look good and drive well.
What is your favorite car to drive
Allan has enjoyed all of his old cars, they all have their own unique character and remind him of the era in which they were built. Having said that, his Ford Model A is a keeper and he does regret a little selling his 1956 Packard.
Any plans for the future car collection?
Allan needs to decide whether to keep and restore or sell the 1959 Ford Fairlane. He admires the Jaguar E-Type and vintage Rolls Royces but quite fancies getting a 1950s Mercury if a nice one came up at the right price but it would necessitate selling one of his other cars.
