John and Jeanne Talbourdet started their LCOC experience with a good ’66 4-door convertible, making many friends along the way, but lusted after the 1940 and 1941 Continental. After years of searching and dreaming, in 2005 they purchased Walter & Carol Webb’s 1941 Cabriolet in Ohio and brought it to its new home in Massachusetts where they fine tuned an already excellent restoration. Feeling ready to take her on a “grand expedition,” they planned to drive to an LZOC meet in Uniontown, Pennsylvania that was a week before the 2007 LCOC Eastern National Meet in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Since this was a long trip and the first one for the ’41 under their tenure, they decided to take their ’66 convertible as a chase car. As classic car owners know, anything can happen on the way to a meet!
All was fine for the first day well into southern Pennsylvania until John needed to merge into traffic and an application of the throttle provided plenty of RPMs but no connection to the rear wheels. Jeanne had to run traffic interference with the ‘66 to give the engine time to engage. They nursed it over the steep and never-ending hills into Uniontown where they were contemplating their options when they first met Ed Avedisian. It turned out that the same transportation company that had initially brought John’s Continental from Ohio to Massachusetts was picking up Ed’s 1941 Zephyr Convertible at Uniontown to take it to Cherry Hill for the LCOC meet and then back home to Massachusetts. A quick phone call confirmed that there was space for their car, so the Talbourdets made new friends and had a great time at both meets.
In the ensuing years as they corrected the connection between engine and ground caused by oil leaking on the clutch and embarked on an engine rebuild, John and Jeanne’s acquaintance with Ed and Pam Avedisian grew. Now more than a decade later, this friendship, formed over a passion for their cars at that fortuitous meeting, was deepened by their shared love of music and great wine. Ed retired after 30 years as clarinetist with the Boston Pops and more than 40 seasons with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, and the Talbourdets are long time season ticket holders for the symphony. Besides a discerning palate, Pam and Jeanne have energy that won’t stop and great attention to detail, so they have utilized their sharp organizational skills for numerous car meets. These LCOC meets have become even more enjoyable over that special bottle of wine that somehow always turns up, and they continue to celebrate their friendship.
