Curious passersby and people on the street seem to stop Maurice Martin, a native Demopolite, nearly everyday as he drives around town in his car.

This is because Martin&8217;s car has a personality and style of its own.

Known to many in town as the &8220;Alabama car,&8221; Martin can be seen cruising the streets of Demopolis in a completely renovated vintage Ford Comet, which is decorated with University of Alabama logos and their signature colors of crimson and white.

Martin said he bought the car from a friend, whose mother had purchased it off the showroom floor in 1964.

After having the classic &8220;A&8221; striped on the front, Martin went to work taking out the seats and inside door panels to replace the upholstery with Alabama patterned material. After taking out each piece, he fitted and sewed covers for all of the seats and door panels.

Martin said he was drawn to the car because of its classic body style.

The first time Martin thought of the idea was about a year ago, and he has worked on this car all summer. But this is not the only car he plans to do a major overhaul on. He has gotten word of another Ford Comet, this one a 1963 coupe, which he hopes to make into another Alabama-themed car.

For the next car, Martin said he might change up the paint job, such as an entirely crimson car with a white stripe.

Although his car is impressive as it is, Martin said he still has more work to do, including reupholstering the trunk with Alabama material. He also plans to get a stuffed &8220;Big Al,&8221; the team&8217;s mascot, to put in the back seat window.

The finishing touch on the car, Martin said, will be a new horn. He plans to go to Tuscaloosa and purchase an exclusive car horn that plays the Alabama fight song, simply known as &8220;Yea Alabama.&8221;

The next trip he makes to Tuscaloosa, Martin said, will be for the first football game of the year. Martin plans to debut the car to the crowd there and hopes it will get a good reception from his fellow fans.

When asked if he has a favorite player or coach on the team Martin said, &8220;Bear Bryant is the ultimate, but I&8217;m anxious to see what Nick Saban has in store.&8221;

When asked if he ever gets tired of people stopping him about his car, Martin said, &8220;I get kind of excited when people stop me. It&8217;s for the fans so I&8217;m glad to see them.&8221;

Only a few times has he had people drive by and yell &8220;War Eagle,&8221; Martin said.

Kelli Wright is a staff writer for The Demopolis Times. She can be reached by e-mail to kelli.hilyer@demopolistimes.com