COEUR d'ALENE - Tom Leach said his dad Tad has a catch phrase when it comes to his 1954 Buick Roadmaster.

"One of his famous sayings is, 'I've got to blow the carbon out of it a little bit,' so he'll floor it," he said.

Tom described a time after a car show in Lewiston when his dad decided to "let out some carbon."

"Before I know it, here we are just cruising 80, 85 on these back roads," he said. "It was cool, you know, it was a good father-son deal."

Tad and Tom, both of Coeur d'Alene, lingered by the glossy, Baffin-green Buick during Saturday's drizzle, which fell upon the cars and visitors of the Car d'Lane Show and Shine Car Show. They told tales of the Buick, which was named the "Green Giant" years ago.

For the Leach family, it's not just a car. It's a treasure trove of memories.

"The great story is we reproduced this car," Tad said. "It was a replica of our old family car. The last one my dad bought, the last one my mom drove and the first one my brother and sister and I drove."

Tad's parents had an identical Buick when he was growing up in the suburbs of Chicago. As a teenager, Tad definitely had fun with it. He said when he was 17, he and a few friends were hanging out in the car in the parking lot of the YMCA during a Friday night when bands were playing. Lucky for Tad and his buddies the back seat had a thick fold-up armrest.

"We had a pint bottle of whiskey and some pop in a cooler. We saw the police officer coming," he said. "My friend who was in the back seat, his uncle was the chief of police. I handed the bottle to him and he folded it up in the armrest."

The officer approached them and they denied any mischief.

"He searched under the seat, under the dashboard and everything, and never did find the bottle in the backseat," Tad said with a laugh.

Tom, Tad's second-oldest son, said when he was allowed to drive it, he was constantly on his best behavior.

"I've always had to be really careful, so I never messed around," he said. "No way."

Tad said his mom practically gave the original Buick away when she stopped driving, something he has "kicked himself in the butt" about through the years for not taking it on himself. He said the current Green Giant, although it is not the same one he grew up with, serves as an excellent representation of the old family car. The paint, interior and exterior are spot-on.

Tad and his family gave the replica Buick to his mother for her 80th birthday once the reproduction was complete. The story is one Tad and Tom remember well. Tad said he had the kids pull the car into the driveway and he walked his somewhat bewildered mom out to see her gift.

"I said 'Mom, that's a '54 Buick,' and she goes, 'Yeah, I know," he said. "I said, 'Mom, that's your car,' and she got a little testy and was like, 'Well, I know my own car.'"

He then told her, "Mom, you haven't had it for like 25 years."

"She remembered the car and she didn't think anything about it," he said. "She'd just forgotten she hadn't had it for 25 years. And of course, the kids are just howling. Poor old spacey grandma."

"The memory of giving it to my grandma that day was awesome," Tom said. "It was just funny, we were all just cracking up."

The Green Giant went back with Tad when his mom passed away the next year. He said he knows this one will stay in the family. When he shows it at Car d'Lane, he usually sets out a special sign with it.

"I have on there, 'Just like my dad's' on the sign," Tad said.