If you are looking to pinpoint a time when Maurice was not riveted by cars, you are out of luck. His two older brothers loved cars, so his fascination with cars began at a young age. When Maurice upgraded the family’s 1963 Galaxie 500XL daily driver to dual exhaust in high school, it confirmed what everyone already knew: He is a gearhead. Then, in the early ’70s, he rebuilt the engine in his brother’s ’68 442. That sealed the deal.
An engineer by trade, Maurice spent the late ’70s and early ’80s working for the State of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation overseeing its safety and emissions vehicle inspection programs. From there, he worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under a two-year contract before moving back to his home state of Connecticut, where he worked as a systems engineer in then-Hamilton Sundstrand’s space and aircraft development programs until 2013.
Over the years, Maurice has owned and worked on a number of cars including a ’63 Ford station wagon with a 390, a ’64 Chevelle, a ’64 Ford police car, a ’76 Monte Carlo that belonged to his mother, a Mazda B2000 truck, and several Ford F250s.
When it comes to performance, Maurice’s philosophy has always been “bigger is better” – and that includes horsepower. As a senior in high school in 1963, he ordered the ’64 Ford Galaxie 500XL that he still owns and drives to this day. He ordered it with a four-speed manual transmission and a 330 hp Police Interceptor 390 (only because his parents would not let him upgrade to the more potent 427). In the early ’80s, he finally upgraded to a 427, before eventually progressing to a legendary SOHC 427 “Cammer”, sourced from individual parts which he then built himself. (He also owns a brand new Cammer, which was originally part of Holman & Moody’s stock.) In 2005, he purchased the most powerful motorcycle available – the massive 2,300 cc Triumph Rocket III. And in 2013, he gifted himself the most powerful American production car available – a new 662 hp Shelby Mustang GT500, which he regularly races at his local drag strip.
Maurice, the Muscle Car Appraisal team’s resident Ford expert, is ready to consult with
you on your FoMoCo vehicle today. But don’t let his Ford passion fool you. As he grew up
through the 50’s and 60’s and being the automotive enthusiast that he was (and still is), he is
aware of all makes and models. Truly a great asset to the Muscle Car Appraisal team!