‘Cali’ goes for a spin

They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. That’s one of the reasons why Fairhope resident Forrest Beeco is more than happy to hold on to Cali. Short for caliente, which means hot in Spanish, Cali is Beeco’s 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible.
With a 350 cubic inch V8 Rocket engine under the hood, Beeco drives Cali frequently. He knows well the lesson car experts preach: Drive ‘em regularly and they’re happy. Let ‘em sit too long and problems develop. Beeco has owned Cali for around nine years. He doesn’t know the car’s history, but believes it used to reside in Gulf Shores.
Beeco and Cali are a frequent sight around the eastern shore, driving the streets of Fairhope and visiting city parks. Comments from onlookers are a regular occurrence wherever Beeco and Cali wind up (the bright red color probably has something to do with Cali being hard to miss). Making its debut in 1962, the Cutlass Supreme convertible became a best selling car in the early 1970s. Among the muscle cars in Oldsmobile’s product line, the Cutlass and similarly styled 442 were considered the ultimate. Beeco says he gets low-ball offers in the five digits from time to time for Cali but they all get the same answer: “Nope.”