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Car buffs drive their prize possessions to breakfast

Dan Eakin/Staff Photo - Four of several people who drive classic cars to breakfast at La Madeleine in McKinney every Saturday morning are (from left) Ken Dobbs with his 1957 Chevrolet, Shawn Felts with his 1965 Pontiac GTO, Steve Donnell with his 1940 Ford Coupe and Wilson Walthall, with his 1928 Chevrolet pickup truck.

Published: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 4:28 PM CDT
They are not a club. They want everyone to know that.


But for some time now, owners of a wide variety of classic cars have been meeting for breakfast Saturday mornings at La Madeleine just off of Eldorado Parkway and U.S. Highway 75 in McKinney.

They talk about their prize possessions, how they take care of them, where they got them and how long they've had them. They talk about whatever they want to talk about.


On any given Saturday, between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., at least a dozen classic cars will be out in the parking lot. Some have been owned by the same people for many years.

Wilson Walthall of Fairview has had his 1928 Chevrolet pickup for 44 years. While in Wyoming, he worked in the hay fields for another man who then owned the pickup, and hauled hay from the field to the barn in it.

"I got it sort of as a final payment for my work," he said.

Walthall didn't drive it from Wyoming to Texas when he moved here. He had it delivered.

"It will only go 30 to 35 miles an hour," he said.

Shawn and Joni Felts, who attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, have been riding in their 1965 Pontiac GTO since before they got married.

Felts bought the Pontiac in either 1969 or 1970. Joni Cunningham was impressed and intrigued with the vehicle and its driver when he drove by, and they've now been together for more than 40 years.

Would Felts be willing to sell the classic Pontiac that he paid $800 for about 42 years ago?

"If someone offered me $80,000, I'd probably think about it for a minute, and then say no," Felts said. His wife wasn't so sure.

Several of the classic car enthusiasts have cars that are several decades old, while others have only one.

Among Walthall's collection, in addition to his 1928 pickup, are classics such as a Jaguar, an MG and a Rolls-Royce. The Hamms, in addition to their Nash, have a 1928 Packard, a 1947 Dodge pickup, a 1960 Corvette and a 1959 Turner (British vehicle).

David House of Allen had enjoyed going to La Madeleine on Saturday mornings for a long time, just to see the interesting looking vehicles and talking with their owners.

Last January, he finally joined the club. Well, he didn't really join the club because there isn't any. But he did buy a 1972 MGB.

"We want everyone to know we are not a club," Alesia Hamm said. "We are just a group of people who enjoy getting together."

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classic car lover wrote on Jun 28, 2012 8:37 AM:
" The cars that go to La Madeleine are amazing and their owners are among the friendliest people I have met. We have been joining them for breakfast for several years. You never know what is going to pull into to parking lot. We are usually there from about 8am to 11:30, come join us sometime! You don't have to a car just a love for them. "
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