by Topeka Capital-Journal

Michel W. Horton likes the driving rock sound of the band Bon Jovi. But music from the band The Cars also would be appropriate for his vehicle's compact disc player.

In a span of 10 days, the Topeka man learned he had won two automobiles in separate contests.

On Friday, he picked up his newest ride - a sport utility vehicle ramped up with Jon Bon Jovi logos, a black paint job and sharp wheels. The presentation took place at the Ed Bozarth Saturn dealership at 3731 S.W. Topeka Blvd.

The 2008 "Bon Jovi Special Edition" Saturn Outlook is Horton's second free vehicle.

He was notified Oct. 5 he had won a Mitsubishi Lancer in a contest sponsored by Bic lighter.

Just 10 days later, he got a call from a Saturn spokesman telling him he won the Saturn SUV based on his entry in an online contest. The entry also netted him a guitar and gold-plated Bon Jovi records.

As if that weren't enough, he also won tickets to a recent Kansas City Chiefs game in another drawing.

"I was pretty lucky with this," Horton said of winning the Saturn, the Mitsubishi and the tickets. "I was in a little groove."

Horton, whose first name is pronounced "Michael," wasn't lost for words when he got the word about winning the SUV.

"When they called the second time, I knew what to say: ?Thank you very much,' " he said.

Rather than collecting the Lancer itself, Horton opted to take the cash-in value of $28,800 for the car. He took the cash so he could pay the income tax and personal property tax totaling about $22,000 on his winnings.

The Outlook and Lancer aren't Horton's only prizes. His entries in various sweepstakes or contests have won him hats, and a big win two years ago netted him a grand prize trip to Richmond, Va., to see a NASCAR race.

The Bon Jovi contest celebrates the band's 25th anniversary.

Bon Jovi and Saturn have partnered to build several houses for underprivileged families in Philadelphia and Detroit with Habitat for Humanity, said Sandy Belvedere, Saturn zone manager.

"It's kind of a neat marriage of interests," Belvedere said.

Bon Jovi doesn't receive any money from Saturn, which contributes to construction of the homes.

Horton is a longtime Bon Jovi fan whose favorite song is "Bad Medicine." He attended the group's concert in Topeka several years ago.

Horton has a rule before he enters a contest.

"I check to make sure that I'm not signing up for something," he said, meaning he confirms he isn't obligating himself to buy anything or to pay for a service when he enters. "If it's a contest, that's OK."

Relatives are encouraging him to drive the mid-sized SUV, and for the time being, he is going "to keep it awhile. I have to figure what the worth of it is. It's a one-of-a-kind."

But Horton wonders whether there is a Bon Jovi fan out there who wants to buy it worse than he wants to keep it.

Others celebrating Horton's good fortune Friday were his wife, Candie; mother, Phyllis Horton; brother, David Horton and his daughter, Emma, 10; uncle and aunt, Dean and Maxine Horton; and sister and brother-in-law, Kelli and Juaquin Martinez.

Horton, 56, retired in 2007 after eight years in the Air Force and 22 years in the Kansas Air National Guard's 190th Air Refueling Wing. He is a human resources specialist in the hiring area at the Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center.

Meanwhile, Horton figures his run of luck may be over for a while. On Wednesday, he bought $5 worth of lottery tickets.

He netted zero from that.

Steve Fry can be reached

at (785) 295-1206

or steve.fry@cjonline.com

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