By Samantha White
"It was just meant to be" is how June Washington describes her relationship with her Bentley. The gorgeous silver-grayish antique, with lots of attitude and a decadent exterior, and its owner have been inseparable ever since they met just over a decade ago.
In 1999, when Washington was in the market for an antique car, her friend told her about a private owner in Portland, Ore., who was selling a Bentley. When she took it for its first spin after purchasing it, she and the car immediately clicked. "The initial feeling I had when I first sat in the car was surreal," she recalls.
Washington, a longtime community activist, had never even heard of the Bentley when she came across it 11 years ago. In fact, she was in the market for an antique vehicle, but leaned toward an antique Packard. But when she saw the Bentley, it was love at first sight.
"It has a sensuality and elegance to it that no other cars have," she says.
Not to mention vanity lights, foot rests, a sun roof and little picnic tables in the back – all things Washington's fond of in her beloved car.
She affectionately named it "Rubi B.," a combination of her mother and granddaughter's names. "Rubi B." is in her original condition, and Washington hasn't altered her in any way so to retain its original essence.
"I've only done restorations to it, like giving the car new fuel pumps and buying a new exhaust system for her," she says.
Restoring a classic Bentley can be arduous and expensive, which is why Washington only owns one antique vehicle. She laughs, "She's enough on her own!"
She's a precious little thing, and two miles is usually the longest distance that Washington drives her car – much to her mechanic Dan Mitchell's dismay. Even cars need exercise, he tells her.
Mitchell's a luxury vehicle connoisseur and has been taking care of "Rubi B." for the last few years. He's even entered the restored beauty into the Ferndale Classic Vehicle Show and the local Multi-Lakes Cruise.
But her soulmate doesn't need a car show to be seen. Washington says she gets compliments on "Rubi B." all the time: "People are constantly asking me to roll down the window and wave when I drive by. I just feel like I am driving a regular car. I forget that I am driving a Bentley."
It's probably because of how well the car suits her. But the affection and adoration works both ways. Washington's first car as a teenager was a beige Impala. She loved the car, but it hasn't left the same impression that "Rubi B." has.
It's obviously a mutual feeling: "Every time I put the 'for sale' sign in the window something goes wrong," she says. "I am thinking about moving to Martha's Vineyard so I made a few attempts to sell the car, but every time I try to she acts up."
Apparently, Washington isn't the only one who thinks that they were "meant to be."
