My Totally Hot Car: 1952 Packard Mayfair

Diamonds are a girl's best friend, they say. Then there are those ladies who go gaga over cars. Meet Becky Sue Huff of Anaheim, whose 1952 Packard Mayfair could be called the best of both worlds. For Huff, this coupe is much more than a rare classic: It's a promise of something far greater than any mere physical possession. My boyfriend, Matthew Means, co-owner of the Department of Customz picked up the Packard as a promisering project for us, Huff said. This " though, needed some serious polishing. The couple bought the car in 2008, and Huff and Means immediately went to work on it She was sitting neglected on the side of a house in Buena Park, Huff, 29, recalls. After we signed the ownership papers over, we asked, Will she make it to Fullerton? The prior owner answered, I don't know; I have never driven it that far.' That didn't deter this automotive-loving couple, who set a goal of making this a show car just weeks after buying it. This poor neglected child was in for it, as Matt and I had plans to overhaul her for the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender Car Show, which was only 30 days away. The following day, we got her up on the lift and began pulling her apar" Huff said. Matthew painted the Packard a custom House of Kolor Kandy blend to match the color of my hair at the time. Many sleepless nights and help from a lot of friends was put into this car, but we managed to get her on the road merely hours before the car. The trip to Vegas was Miss Mae's test-drive, and she did great! We have driven her to Las Vegas and back three time" A Packard is a rare car to begin with, but it's even rarer to find a female under 30 driving and relishing one. Huff wouldn't have it any other way.- I don't have any modern" says Huff, who also owns a 1961 Comet with a Ford 302 engine and loves being around whatever classic Means is working on or bringing home, such as an old RollsRoyce once owned by actress Jayne Mansfield. Still, she says they are known and accepted at local Packard gatherings. Usually the Packard folks are very traditional, she said. Doing a custom candy paint job was unique in itself. But it's a mild custom. We did" And, Huff said, ultimately, I think they respect that it has the original motor (a straight eight) and transmission and that we drive it ever" Like the promise on which this car stands, automobiles for Huff have long meant something deeper. As long as I can remember, I've been into" said Huff, who as a girl cherished time with her mechanic father, My dad is a man of few words, and it was an opportunity to get him to op" she said. Not surprisingly, I started dating automot" Huff said with a laugh. She and Means have now been together four years. So how could he ever top a Packard when it comes to, ahem, future jewelry? The couple had looking at vintage rings from the 30s and '40s, then one day Means bought a classic Hudson.