Some cars just seem to have a special life, and the 1964 Ford Galaxie XL500 owned by Roger and Steve Porter is a good example. The Porters own Thoroughbred Ford and Thoroughbred Ford of Platte City.

 Ernie Frey Ford in Bonner Springs sold this Wimbledon White Galaxie to Sam Gillum of Bonner Springs on May 15, 1964. Gillum traded the car to Thoroughbred about 10 years ago. It had 93,000 miles and was in such pristine condition that the Porters decided to hang on to it.

 The Porters eventually enlisted Leroy Adams, their Kansas City sales manager, to shepherd the car through a complete frame-off restoration. Adams has worked for the Porters for 25 years and he’s a car guy through and through. He has compiled an impressive stack of notebooks that detail the car’s history and every expenditure involved in the refurbishment.

 The result is spectacular and best admired when the car is up on a lift. There’s not a spec of dirt on the chassis. The view from the bottom shows a powder-coated frame, stainless steel exhaust, stainless steel fuel tank and an Air Ride Technologies suspension system that allows the car’s ride height to be adjusted from normal to ground-hugging low. Adams said the new rack-and-pinion steering system gives drivability on par with a new car.

 Greg Daughters, owner of VIP Custom Cars in Polo, Mo., did the restoration.

 Under the hood sits beautifully detailed Jack Roush 455-cubic-inch, 457-horsepower Ford V-8. It is mated to a Tremec five-speed transmission and sends power through a 9-inch Currie differential. The wheels are 18-inch Boyd Coddington alloys.

 The turquoise interior makes you think of poodle skirts and saddle shoes. The seat covers and carpet are new, but the rest is original. Vintage Air supplied the air conditioning.

 Thoroughbred Ford of Kansas City sells Mustangs modified by Roush Performance, the Michigan company owned by Jack Roush. When Roger found out that Roush had a 1963 Galaxie convertible, they made a friendly wager as to who would get their car restored first. They finished within days of each other. Roush saw the car when last fall when his race team was here for the NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway, and he autographed the trunk lid and dash.

 Porter plans to show the car during the next year, and he hopes to pair up with Roush and his ’63 convertible at the Woodward Dream Cruise in August in Detroit.

 Porter’s Galaxie probably thinks it’s Cinderella except the clock won’t ever strike midnight.