Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Editor's note: This is part of a series at KSL.com featuring some of Utah's coolest cars. If you own a customized vehicle — from sports cars to semitrucks — email jormond@deseretdigital.com with a photo of the vehicle and a brief description for consideration.
ST. GEORGE — While growing up in Ogden a generation or two ago, Kevin Watkins thought Cadillacs were a symbol of quality and style. He still does.
He says they also let people know you had arrived in society. His father, Frank, bought a new Cadillac every couple of years, bringing home a '55, '56, '60, '66, and a 1972 — his last brand new one from Campbell's Oldsmobile and Cadillac in Ogden. Kevin has fond childhood memories of riding around in his dad's Caddies and said he got mad when his dad sold off the old ones to get a new one.
Frank gave Kevin his first car, a 1952 Oldsmobile, when Kevin was 14; he still has it. Frank also gave Kevin a 1965 Coupe de Ville when Kevin turned 18; he still has it. When Kevin left the military in 1989, he gave himself a 1967 Coupe de Ville convertible; he still has that one, too.
Kevin bought the '67 from the original owner. It had been sitting under a carport for anywhere from five to 10 years when he got it. The car was in decent shape, but there was still work to be done.
Kevin says the car still has the original interior (he added cloth inserts to the leather seats so his kids wouldn't burn their legs on them), though he had the convertible top and transmission rebuilt. He did the motor work at home, which was complicated because the 1967's 429 cubic-inch engine had its own rocker arms, used only that year. Then when Kanter's Auto Parts in New Jersey began reproducing them, he had what he needed and did the rebuild.
Kevin did not do all that work alone. He passed the Cadillac gene to his son, Kevin Jr., with a father-son restoration. Father helped son with his truck project, then son helped father with the Cadillac. Father described son as a very talented mechanic and painter. Father gave son the 1965 Cadillac he got from his own father. He still has it.
It might be tempting to call Kevin a "Cadillac Man," as he described his father. But after our interview, he seems more like a "Cadillac Son." Frank Watkins passed away in 2000. The cars are a link to his father that keeps him going. When Kevin is in his Cadillac, he thinks of his father. The 1952 Oldsmobile isn't worth much on the market, but when he's in it he is taken back to riding in it with his father.
Kevin's latest project is a frame-off restoration of a 1972 Chevrolet pickup. It will be back to original condition — especially the tailgate because that's where Kevin has memories of sitting, talking and laughing with his siblings and dad.
Kevin keeps these vehicles alive because they help keep the memories of his dad alive. He said his memories make him smile, adding that loved ones "never truly die as long as you remember and carry them with you."
More Cool Cars:
Mother-daughter connection puts the 'ma' in Camaro
When an Alaska bush pilot passed away, she left her daughter memories she could drive — loud and fast.
