SOUTHGATE, Mich. (WXYZ) — I know a car that’s tough but sweet — and it’s got a vibe that can’t be beat.
“The name is ‘Just Like Candy,’” said Shannon Hall of Southgate, and she’s talking about her cruiser.
Shannon’s 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis is pretty in pink.
“I get a lot of attention. You can tell sometimes the wives are at the car shows and they're not having the greatest time, but then they see my car, and they just get big smiles and their whole attitude changes,” she said.
You could spend hours staring at this ride, and I bet you’d still pick up on details you may have missed at first glance.
There are rainbow chrome hearts on the rims, light-up hearts in the headlights, the raspberry-tinted glass — yes, raspberry tinted.
And of course, the rainbow chrome dual exhaust tips.
Shannon fondly remembers the time she asked for the exhaust modification.
“I said, ‘I don't want it to sound, you know, like a guy's car. Yeah. I want it to sound like a woman's car.’ And then he said, ‘oh, so you want it to sound kind of sexy?’” she said.
But aside from the pink pizzazz this ride punches, it rolls in honor of someone special.
“It was my Great Aunt Loretta’s car … she was all over the place with it. She just loved it — and it was her favorite car,” she said.
Shannon said her Great Aunt Loretta loved that car, but only got to put 7,000 miles on it.
“She was amazing. She was just so outgoing and never in a bad mood. Always happy for you … even if it wasn't the greatest of times, she would make you feel good about things,” said Shannon.
So to celebrate the joy Loretta brought to her life and to her grandmother’s, Shannon bought it in 2011, and added a splash of color.
“They loved white. I wanted it to stand out, so I wanted to keep the white, but I had to add a little bit of pizzazz to it,” said Shannon.
Just like her great aunt, she takes it out on the town, and to community events with the Crown Victoria Boys and Girls of Detroit Chapter 25.
She said the Woodward Dream Cruise is one of her favorite places to let “Just Like Candy” shine.
“It's been a bucket dream of mine to be featured for the Woodward Dream Cruise. I really have loved this cruise,” she said.
Shannon said cruising is a good hobby and that anyone can take part.
“I wanted all the ladies to know, ‘you guys can have nice cars, too. And you know, it's fun. It's not just the boys — girls can get out there and have a lot of fun, too,” she said.
I guess you could say it’s a candy land, Shannon’s candy land, and we’re just driving in it.
