Unique Collection of "Coral Orange" Ford Trucks

Unique Collection of "Coral Orange" Ford Trucks PICKUPS Miscellaneous 23-6-44 Over the past 23 years, the Watt family of Westlock, Alberta, has put together one of the most unusual collections of trucks anywhere. Each truck the family owns has two things in common û they're all Fords, and they're all bright "coral orange" û a popular factory color that Ford discontinued back in 1981. Wayne, Ron, and Darryl Watt run "Watt Bros. and Sons Drywall" in Westlock. They all share an interest in restoring old Fords. The passion has been carried on by Darryl's son James, and Wayne's three boys, Jerry, Kelly and Cameron. The family's collection consists of 19 vehicles. They created quite a stir last summer when they entered 12 of the brightly colored trucks and vans in a local parade. It was quite a sight to see 12 beautifully restored vehicles all with sparkling polished orange paint and lots of chrome, assembled in one place. The parade entry consisted of three Supercabs, 6 identical 1/2-ton pickups, two Econoline vans, and one Ranchero. The other trucks in the collection include two pickups, a 1956 dual-wheeled 1-ton flat deck truck, a 1923 T-Bucket Roadster (hot rod car), and three vehicles that are currently being restored - a dual wheeled four-door Crew Cab, another Supercab and another 1/2-ton truck. In addition, Wayne and his sons own four "coral orange and white two-tone" 1964 1/2-tons. Although these vehicles are not solid orange, they compliment the fleet nicely. The Watt family keeps all of its vehicles in top condition, using five of them for their drywall business. The rest are stored indoors and rarely driven. The hobby got its start in 1977 when Ron went to his local dealer and ordered a new coral orange Supercab from the factory. The order had to be specially filled at Ford's San Jose factory in California, as the color was unavailable elsewhere. In 1978, Wayne and Ron each ordered two more Supercabs. Throughout the following years, the three brothers, and then their sons, continued to add to the collection. They were only able to find one used truck that was already coral orange. They had to paint the rest with factory paint, which is still available. "I get more excited about finding another of these old trucks in mint condition with low miles than most people would get about buying a brand new Lincoln Navigator," Wayne says. When asked why he chose coral orange when he made that first, fateful purchase back in 1977, Ron says, "It was a new color just out, and we just thought it would be kind of sharp." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Darryl Watt, 9811 - 96 St., Westlock, Alberta, Canada T7P 2A5, (ph 780 349-3700; fax 780 349-7070).

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