Sharon and Layne Brannan met at a Christmas party in 1974. After they married the following September, they drove up north in their beloved Datsun 240Z and spent their wedding night sleeping in the coupe, waiting in line for the ferry to Victoria, B.C. Maybe it wasn’t the most romantic start to their honeymoon, but it was memorable.
It had been decades since Layne Brannan, 77, had last seen the bright orange car. When he came down from his apartment at Touchmark at Fairway Village on Saturday morning to check out the retirement community’s annual car show, however, he recognized his ride right away.
“He came down. He goes ‘that’s my car,'” said his son-in-law Greg Sleeper, 51.
Sleeper had secretly been restoring the car to its former glory over the last 18 months. Bringing it to the car show the day before Father’s Day seemed like a fitting way to surprise his father-in-law.
“He’s hoped to have it in the car show for several years,” said Sharon Brannan, 72. The Brannans have lived at Touchmark for about five years.
After the car was in storage for a long time the Sleepers set about trying to restore it. Finding parts for the Japanese-made car was difficult, Sleeper said, and parts needed to be reconditioned and rechromed. Although he had never refurbished a car before, Sleeper watched YouTube videos to replace all the parts and rebuild the engine.
“You did a great job, Greg. Absolutely incredible,” Sharon Brannan said.
Brooke Sleeper, Greg’s wife and Layne Brannan’s daughter, cherishes memories of her dad driving her around when she was a child. She and her sisters could all sit — or sleep — on the small platform in the back of the two-seat coupe. (This was before seat belt laws were passed.)
“We loved it. It was the best,” said Brooke Sleeper, 50.
Layne Brannan didn’t allow any of his daughters to drive the small, speedy car. But he gave it to Greg Sleeper as a gift for his 30th birthday.
“It’s amazing how many fun memories can be made with a car of all things,” Sharon Brannan said.
The show at Touchmark sparked memories for a lot of people, who saw cars they remembered driving as teenagers. About 180 cars were on display at Saturday’s show, which attracted people from other surrounding senior and assisted living communities. A few of the cars belonged to Touchmark residents but most belonged to local car enthusiasts. Touchmark has been hosting the event for 11 years, always on the third Saturday in June, and seen it grow in size and popularity.
The car show had a bit of everything — from a 1917 Franklin Speedster to a bright purple 1956 Baby Bird to a 1992 Jeep Wrangler. There was also a barbecue and a raffle with proceeds going to the Clark County Food Bank, Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon, Alzheimer’s Association and Clark County Veterans Assistance Center.
