Turbo Turtle, a tribute truck
Caleb A. Gallegos/News-Sun
If you thought its been hot lately, it was nothing compared to the heat during this year’s Hobbs August Nights where a number of hot exotic and custom vehicles were on full display for the community.
Broadway Street was lined with Oldsmobiles, Lowrider’s, Corvettes, Ferraris and many other custom vehicles, all drawing eyes to the detail and work behind each machine.
Manny “Fresh” Favela and his show truck Turbo Turtle that he built in memory of his son and daughter who passed, left many onlookers shell shocked after seeing some of Turbo Turtles features.
With its sleek custom paint job, air bag system, and custom built engine Tortuga Turbo lives up to it’s name, as well as an interesting story on how it went from farm truck to show truck.
Favela originally bought the truck for his son Manny Jr, who was going to need a way to get around as he prepared to enter his first year of high school.
“When my son was first going to high school I bought this truck for him. It was a farmer’s truck. You know, an old truck. All beat up,” Favela said. “We started working on it, me and him. We fixed it up and got the engine running.
“If you look at the engine now, its not a different engine. We just fixed it up. When he was driving it back and fourth to high school he blew out the gaskets to the head. We put a new system in it, and he was having fun with it.”
Favela explained Turbo Turtle got its name after they installed Cherry Bomb Glasspack mufflers on the Turbo Turtle. Although you would hear the sound of a speeding car racing down the street, it would only be the Turbo Turtle crawling along.
“Him and his friends would all ride in it, and they would come home for lunch. My wife would cook for them all. And because of the mufflers we put on it, it was loud but it didn’t go very fast. My wife would hear it coming and started calling it Turbo Turtle,” Favela explained.
Favela said after graduating from high school, Manny Jr., bought a different car to travel back and fourth to college, and with blown gasket,s the Turbo Turtle sat abandoned for a time.
In 2013, Favela said his daughter, Karina, went to visit her brother, who was living and going to school in Levelland, Texas, and the two were invited to an event in Lovington. After the event was over Favela said the two were headed to get something to eat when they were struck by a drunk driver.
After the accident took both of his children, Favela said the truck set abandoned for almost nine years.
With plans to eventually fix up the truck, Favela said he would decline offers made by his friends to buy the truck. Then after being questioned by a friend about his seriousness to fix up the truck, it made him think.
“After the day of the accident the truck was still just sitting at home. It was full of garbage. If we wanted to save something we’d just say, ‘just throw it in the back of the truck’,” Favela said. “It was just sitting there, flat tires and everything.
“For nine years the truck sat there in my back yard, and one day my friend came over. He asked me, ‘Hey, when are you going to fix that truck, its a good looking truck.’ I’d say, ‘Yeah, one of these days I’ll get on it,’ and that was usually the end of it. Then he came back again for a different reason, and saw the truck still there. He said, ‘Hey, I thought you were going to fix that truck. You know what, I don’t think you’re going to do it. You’re just talking.’”
Favela said his friends challenging words made him think about it, and said “so that’s when I started getting on the truck.”
“I moved it, fixed it, fixed the engine to where it ran and cleaned it, and then I started working on it. I’ve been working on it from then until now,” Favela said.
“Everything you see on the engine is totally different from back then. I took the engine out and rebuilt it completely. I took everything apart and all those parts are new. Bumpers, paint, mirrors, windshield, windows, rims, wheels – everything.”
With a photo album full of picture showing the process of turning the old farmer’s truck into the Turbo Turtle, Favela said even though his family is always with him, working on the truck gives him a special connection to his son and daughter.
“Its part of the family, you know? I mean its just like a regular truck, but it makes it spacial because I bought it especially for him,” Favela said.
Now that Turbo Turtle is back in action, Favela said he and Turbo Turtle have been attending every car show that they can, and has already been to shows in Mexico, Artesia, Stanton and Amarillo.
Favela said he and his wife, who is always with him, enjoy taking Turbo Turtle out for a cruise on date night, and plans on continue going to as many car shows as he can.
With more ideas to upgrade Turbo Turtle, and different car projects in the works, Favela said car customizing passion isn’t done yet.
