Make-A-Wish fulfills teen's dream with restored Mustang

Monday, December 01, 2008 3:00 AM  |  Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend | By Hugh Fisher

hfisher@salisburypost.com

Allen Davis has loved cars since he was little — especially Ford Mustangs.

When the 17-year-old East Rowan High student was diagnosed in April 2007 with anaplastic astrocytoma, a malignant brain cancer, his grandparents decided to help him buy one.

"He's really always wanted a Mustang," said Maresa Davis, Allen's mother. Grandfather Leslie Soules and grandmother Betty Davis bought a 1986 Mustang from a local man, and Allen drove it for some time.

But it needed paint and body work following a minor accident.

So, when he and his family spoke with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, a group that grants wishes for seriously ill young people, Allen's choice was to fix up his Mustang.

With the foundation's help, he got the body repairs and much, much more.

The foundation assigned Lauren Barker, volunteer coordinator for Make-a-Wish, and her husband, Dan, to the case. Lauren said she's helped fix up cars in granting past wishes.

"It's a time-consuming process," she said.

But the team was up to the challenge. Make-a-Wish coordinated with Dirty South Customs of Charlotte to give Allen's Mustang a new look and attitude.

Shanann King of Dirty South said her company has worked on a number of cars for charitable causes before. This car, however, was more personal for her.

"I've lost several friends," King said. "I'd never met him (Allen), never been involved. But we went above and beyond for him."

Guided by Allen's wishes and a budget from Make-a-Wish, the crew at King's Charlotte garage repainted the car from the metal up, blue with familiar Shelby-style white stripes.

They added a new body kit, headlights and two-tone blue and white wheels to match.

Dirty South redid the car's interior in blue and black to match the paint, adding a Pioneer stereo system and GPS navigation system.

The process took weeks and exceeded the original budget, but King said Dirty South covered the difference.

After weeks of waiting, the big day came Wednesday afternoon. While many locals attended the Holiday Caravan parade, Allen waited with his siblings, family, friends and girlfriend Katheryn Williams in the parking lot of Outback Steakhouse off East Innes Street for a very different parade.

Just before 5 o'clock, a line of Mustangs driven by members of the Carolina Regional Mustang Club rolled into the parking lot, engines revving — a treat arranged by the Barkers with club members who took time from their holiday weekend plans to drive to Salisbury.

The last car was Allen's Mustang, driven by Dan Barker.

"It doesn't even look like the same car," Allen said. "It's totally different."

He and Katheryn Williams looked the car over, inside and out, then King took him aside and explained everything that had been done. Family and friends circled the car, taking pictures and smiling at his reaction to the newly refurbished car.

"It's gorgeous," grandfather Soules said.

"It's nice," girlfriend Williams said. "And I know he's happy, and that's all that matters."

With tears in her eyes, Maresa Davis, Allen's mother, said she was happy with the way the car had turned out.

"I just hope he gets to drive it for a long time," she said.