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1:1 Cars that had an effect on you, and why.


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First car that I remember - my dad's 1965 Ford Galaxie four-door. It was Phoenician Yellow with a ginger-colored interior, had (I THINK) a 352 with an automatic and duals, and eventually the rear door weatherstripping failed. The rear floor wells would fill with rainwater when it rained - made for FUN foot baths when you are four(Mom wasn't amused!). Nice old car with the nickname of Charlie Brown. I'm currently fumbling toward making a replica of it from the Modelhaus 1965 Ford Custom sedan kit and the AMT 1965 Galaxie kit.....

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My Dads '63 Acadian Beaumont Sport Deluxe convertible is the car that started it all for me. Hes had the car for 35+ years, since before us kids were in the picture. He used to come home from work, have dinner and when we would go to bed, he would head out into the garage to work on stuff, tune etc...... Would come in and wake me at 2 or 3am, tell me to be be quiet so we wouldn't wake mom up ( I was like 4 lol)..... and we would go for a cruise, which generally ended in a smokey burnout on the stretch of highway behind our house.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY5N8yFd7to

He is also now building a 63 Acadian 2dr HardtopDSCN1356.jpg

Ive just started a full resto on my 63 Nova 2dr Hardtop. 450hp 383 stroker th350 ,3000 stall, 4:11s/ Bolt in Heidts subframe, the whole 9 yards.

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When I was a kid my uncle Dave lived next door & he raced an AH Bugeye Sprite. He would drive my aunt crazy by rebuilding his motors on the kitchen table every winter & use up all her cupcake pans to hold various parts (nuts, bolts, springs, etc). He took my cousins & I to Elkhart Lake when the track first opened back in the early '60s & I have been going back there every year since. I still recall the time he decided to use aircraft fuel during practice at the June Sprints. The ensuing fire became the topic of conversation at family gatherings for years after.

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Mr. Mathers' talk about his dad's Acadian reminds of a story I'm sure I've told before. I've been car mad ever since I can remember. As a small kid I could identify most cars I saw pass on the road. But then when I was about 11 or 12 our family made a trip to Canada. We're driving along and this Pontiac passes us. This was a full-size Pontiac. But rather being a Catalina, Ventura, Executive, Bonneville, or what ever, it had a model name I had never seen or heard of before. Laurentian. What's a Laurentian? My dad said that was one those Canadian only cars. Canadians had different cars than we did? I knew they had different cars overseas. Like in Europe and Asia. But in Canada? Cool! As we traveled around Canada I discovered Fargos, Meteors and Monarchs, Acadians, Beumonts, Mercury trucks, and others. A whole new world of cars like ours, but different. This had such an impact on me, that one of papers I wrote in getting my degree in Automotive History dealt with "Canadian Varients."

By the way, as a young teenager I then found out about Australian cars. More cool stuff! Sorry to say, I did not get to go to Australia to learn about these.

Scott

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I have a friend down in Maryland that's addicted to 9C1's, has owned a bunch over the years. Years ago we used to pull banzai-runs to Toledo from Maryland,or to Masscar from NYC, everywhere. Best part is having people get out of your way when you come flying up behind them….thinking YOUR an unmarked car. Total bullet-proof reliability with great road manners.

Way too funny!

I totally agree about the "bullet proof" and "road manners" comments.

I had a couple of lengthy pursuits in these cars and credit the vehicle for my success. Slightly heavy on the front end but once you got used to that, great car.

G

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I love this thread! I have been giving this subject a lot more thought lately. Other people's cars that influenced me the most, in 1962 when I was 12 years old my friend had three older brothers with neat cars. We hung around the big garage watching the cars get worked on. One brother had a '50 Chevy coupe, metallic blue with tuck and rolled blue and white interior. It had a new at the time, 327 engine and 4-speed. I remember watching him change the rear end to a 4:11 posi. and under the car was painted as nice as the top. We always would try to get a ride in any of their cars, including a '55 Chevy with a genuine panic button and an early '63 Ford with a 390. The '50 won me over with an invitation to the local drag strip to watch it race. My first introduction also to cheater slicks. Another time we watched him make custom headers that came out the sides of the front fenders. This was seriously turning it to be an all out race car! I was hooked!

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It was probably the fall of 1956 and I wasn't quite four years old but was already nuts about cars, laying on the living room floor playing with my Tootsietoy cars while my Dad and Mom and Sister were watching the Lawrence Welk "Champage Music" Show in black and white. At the time, Mr. Welk's show was sponsored by Dodge. "A word from our sponsor," with Welk introducing the pitchman the new 1957 Dodge, and my impressionable little mind was blown! All the cars before it were immediately old (especially "Hank," our '54 Ford Customline Ranch Wagon) and, later, all the cars would be judged, stylewise, against it!

http://youtu.be/cm05NKd1GhM

1957+Dodge+Custom+Royal+Lancer.jpg

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Okay, I've told this one before, but Mr Goschke's story reminded of the impact the '63 Corvette had on me and why. One morning in the fall of 1962 I'm guessing, when I also would have been 4, I was watching Romper Room. Right after Romper Room was some game show I had no intrest in. But, early in the program they showed this really cool, sleek looking car, with no headlamps! Then they turn the headlamps on..... Those rolling headlamp buckets blew me away! To this day I love the '63 Spilt Window Vette. Though the '67 roadster became my favorite of the Vettes, later as I matured.

Another story is why I became a Buick freak. After Cord, Buick is my favorite brand of automobiles. Has been for over 40 years now. But, in my household growing up we had Oldsmobiles when I was very young. Then my dad switched over and bought a brand new Comet in 1961. And another new Comet in '67. And I remember him wanting a '64 Comet Caliente (with buckets) which a friend of his had new in '64 and let us use for an afternoon. Plus the long time neighbor next to us, who's father was like a second dad, always drove big Mercurys. So I was more a Mercury/Ford guy throughout the 1960's.

Then I went into Junior High in the fall of 1970. And my favorite teacher there, a shop teacher, had a beautiful 1966 Buick Riviera. This was one of those cool teachers most everybody liked. He liked cars. And had been into hot rods at one time. Showing us pictures of the older cars he use to own. About the same time, I started hanging around with a neighbor kid who's dad had a '70 Electra 225 he had bought brand new. When we got a little older we spent a lot of time cruising around in that Electra. It was one very classy car. It had the Limited package with the split bench seats. Something fairly new on cars at the time. It had center armrests, front and rear. Ash trays with cigarette lighters in the rear passenger doors. Power everything. A factory 8-track tape player. And that wonderful Buick 455 V-8! For a big car it could really move. It would smoke a lot of so called performance cars. Also during Junior High, Buick brought out their new boattail Riviera that same fall. That and memories of old Buicks with their distinctive portholes. The '59 Buicks with it's slanted headlights and cool fins. And the big Wildcats. All of this conspired to turn me into a Buick fan. And I've been been a Buick fan ever since.

By the way, about two years ago, I called that old shop teacher up to say high. He still remembered me and was delighted when I brought up the subject of his '66 Riv. He then told me that he and his then new wife on their honeymoon, accidentally ended up the famous Woodstock music festival in 1969 in that car. Now that is cool too. Adds something to those Riv memories. Even though I didn't know it at the time.

Scott

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Oh, a couple more. Even as a kid I liked the looks of all Thunderbirds. Especially the 2-seaters. But, over the years other things came up to reenforce my interest in them. Things like swing-away steering wheels. Sequential turn signals. Space age dashboards. And that wonderful wraparound rear lounge type seat several Thunderbirds had. Later on I learned about the '62 and '63 Sport Roadsters. Never saw them around here when they were new. There was always something cool and unique with Thunderbirds.

Still remember the first Oldsmobile Toronados. Late one afternoon in in the fall of 1965, in downtown Minneapolis, a Toronado pulled up behind us at a light. We kids were excited to see one for the first time. And the guy driving the Toronado could tell. So just for kicks he raised and lowered the headlights for us. We thought that was so cool, and gave him big smiles and a waves of thanks in return. A year or two later, I remember see the dashboard in one for the first time. I had never seen a rolling speedometer like that before. Cool.

One other memory I have is going to the see the new Ford Mustang on that first Saturday, after it was introduced on TV the night before. My dad and I went to Boyer Ford in downtown Minneapolis on Hennepin Avunue. The place was packed. You could hardly get close to the car. There must not have been any brochures left. For my father didn't pick one up. Which he normally would do.

Another Mustang story. In the spring of 1966 my cousin Judy's husband Russel comes down from Duluth to take my dad and I to the drag strip in Coon Rapids, MN to see the Little Red Wagon run. And what does he show up in? A red Mustang GT fastback! How cool is that? Going to see the Little Red Wagon and riding in a red Mustang fastback! By the way, Rus is still into cars. And we still get together from time to time and go to car shows.

Scott

Edited by unclescott58
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I have a friend down in Maryland that's addicted to 9C1's, has owned a bunch over the years. Years ago we used to pull banzai-runs to Toledo from Maryland,or to Masscar from NYC, everywhere. Best part is having people get out of your way when you come flying up behind them….thinking YOUR an unmarked car. Total bullet-proof reliability with great road manners.

MVC014S-vi.jpg

Maybe this one John? :) Photo taken outside the Liars show one year.. that was my Vic

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The first car I bought just before I turned 17 in May of 1970 was a 62 Impala 2 door hardtop. 283 with 327 heads and exhaust manifolds, Hurst 3 speed and a 3.70 Posi. I bought new Atlas blem whitewall G78's for the rear and F78 blem whitewalls for the front. Mounted them on a set of four used chrome reverse rims I bought for 25 dollars with lug nuts and spider caps. Paid for it all from the money I earned from a paper route and doing odd jobs at the two gas stations up the road from my house. Paying for it all myself was a pretty nice feeling.

Next car that had an effect on me was my first new car, again paid for by me but with my father co signing the loan. In June of 1972 I ordered a 73 Duster 340, 4 speed, 3.23 Sure Grip, power discs, bench seat, dog dish caps and an AM/FM. Not sure what the color was called but it was a metallic root beer with stripe delete. I wanted a sleeper as I was just about to turn 19 in July. Street raced it quite a bit, never got nailed by the police. It was totaled in May of 1974 when I was hit head on by a drunk driver.

If you click on my avatar you can see the tail end of it with my oval track VW on the tow bar.

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There was a house a few blocks away when I was a kid that had this big full sized machine that just roared. But beyond the sound of it, there was a lot aesthetic design choices that really spoke to me, even at the age of 13. The full grill with hide-away headlights, the full width tail lights, fastback roofline, sculpted body lines. It wasn't until I discovered this kit,

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that I even knew what kind of car it was. Afterward I often saw and spoke to the owner and he'd tell me all about the Charger (a '67 with a 440 and a 4 speed if I recall correctly).

I've been in love with this car and the models of it ever since. I hope to own one some day.

Edited by Jantrix
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A car that had the the most profound effect on me was my current daily driver. It's a 93 Nissan 240SX. I'm not a 16 year old fanboy who wants to go DRIFTING, no, instead, I was VERY heavy into muscle cars and classic trucks. I had a 68 Ford F100 Ranger that I had done a LOT of work on, I was absolutely going to make a top notch custom truck and was well on my way when I realized that my 84 Mustang GT350 was not going to be a very economically smart vehicle for daily use. So, to the Ford dealer I went. I found a few 4 cyl. Mustangs, they just didn't do anything for me because I knew what the gas mileage was...not much better than my 302. so I started looking at economy cars. I found a very nice Toyota 2 door sports coupe, which I can't recall what it's called for some reason. Liked it, but it was not giving me any excitement. It was ok on power, it was great looking, had all the power stuff (windows, locks, sunroof), it was 5 speed. It was exactly what I was looking for. but it just didn't feel right, so I passed it up. Went to another Ford shop (I was really hoping for a nice escort GT or something with a blue oval) where I saw, for the first time in my life (that I knew of) a Nissan 240SX SE!

nissan-240sx-s13-coupe-wallpaper-gvmuxej

With power everything, a/c, sunroof, REAR WHEEL DRIVE! I knew that after I finished my Effie, I could find a nice little 302 or 289, heck even a nice little 4.0 V-6 from a T-bird to stuff in there.

Well, long drawn out story shortened, I fell in love with the 240SX, sold ALL of my fords, built the ever loving BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH out of the 240 and now my family only owns Nissans and Infinitis. I've had 3 other 240SX, one Infiniti M30, 2 Pathfinders and now my son owns an Infiniti G20. I still own the same 240SX that I bought back in Y2K, though I've substantially changed it up. It's now putting out around 350hp, has 5 lug wheel/hubs, 2" lower on springs, it's now a 5 speed, a Silvia front end was added and among a lot of other things fresh paint.

here is my car as it sits today:

photobucket-5665-1389488650746_zpsa67abe

still quite subtle, but done enough to make you think...something's different.

As for what kind of effect it had on me, I would have to say that profound is quite understated.

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Since I started this, I should probably add to it. My mom had an old lady friend when I was growing up. Ida had a son that was a car person. He bought a new 57 T-Bird that wasn't fast enough for him, so he brought it up here to Sacramento for the Barris brothers to do a Cadillac engine swap to it.

We became more acquainted with Charlie in 1969 as Ida was getting closer to passing. I was almost 9 and he had a 69 Cougar XR-7 with a 428/ C6. I don't remember if it was Diamond Blue or the similar light grey pastel, but it had black interior and vinyl top. He never kept cars very long, and he replaced it with an identical 70 very soon. His wife raised schnauzers and bought a new basic Ford station wagon every 2 years. In the spring of 1970, they went to the Ford dealer to order a new wagon for Margaret and the dogs. She ordered a basic yellow Torino wagon with black interior. Meanwhile, Charlie was talking to another person at the dealership. When the wagon arrived, it was a basic yellow Torino wagon, but it had a 429 Ram Air. Oops. Margaret was pissed. I loved that car. It may have been a 1 of 1. It was probably traded in around 1972 in Santa Cruz. I hope that it got a loving owner and not a junkyard.

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In the spring of 1970, they went to the Ford dealer to order a new wagon for Margaret and the dogs. She ordered a basic yellow Torino wagon with black interior. Meanwhile, Charlie was talking to another person at the dealership. When the wagon arrived, it was a basic yellow Torino wagon, but it had a 429 Ram Air. Oops. Margaret was pissed. I loved that car. It may have been a 1 of 1. It was probably traded in around 1972 in Santa Cruz. I hope that it got a loving owner and not a junkyard.

A friend's dad ordered a similar '70 Torino wagon,it had a Super Cobra Jet 428 (I think it was a 428, could have been a 429) that one was a really deep burgundy with black interior. They ordered it from the local Ford dealer drove back to Indiana, picked up the Torino along the way and then took in the Indy 500. Those cars had to have been the ultimate sleepers! Up until now theirs was the only similar Torino wagon that I've heard of, probably a few more, back then you ordered whatever you wanted and they built it to order.
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A friend's dad ordered a similar '70 Torino wagon,it had a Super Cobra Jet 428 (I think it was a 428, could have been a 429) that one was a really deep burgundy with black interior. They ordered it from the local Ford dealer drove back to Indiana, picked up the Torino along the way and then took in the Indy 500. Those cars had to have been the ultimate sleepers! Up until now theirs was the only similar Torino wagon that I've heard of, probably a few more, back then you ordered whatever you wanted and they built it to order.

Would have been a 429 in 1970. I know now that Margaret's car was not a SCJ because it had AC. The SCJs had an engine oil cooler that took up some of the space that an AC condenser needed. It was a "regular" Ram Air Cobra Jet. It wasn't much of a sleeper either, with the yellow paint and black shaker. In the first week or two of ownership, it received a larger exhaust system, a shift kit in the C6, and aftermarket wheels with white letter Polyglas tires. I remember a ride to dinner down in Aptos. Charlie was driving, Margaret was shotgun, I was hump seat in the back with my parents flanking me. We got a little sideways on the 1-2 shift and a nice bark from the tires on the 2-3. My 10 year old face was grinning ear to ear. Oh, yeah. The AC was on the whole time. Margaret hated that car the whole time she owned it.

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'61 Impala. 2 door Hard Top. Dad bought one new. Remember cool nights, with the windows rolled down. Little Brother and I would lay in the back....one in the seat, and the other on the "hat rack' / rear window. Best sleep you could get. I've owned 3 since then.

'69 Mustang 428 SCJ. Guy from Hohenwald, TN was dating a girl I grew up with. Every week end he came down, we would exchange cars. I had a '67 Impala SS (HUGE back seat...LOL!) They would go on a "date"...while I cruised the local strip in the "Stang.

First car I ever drove that would roast the tires with little effort. I literally "roasted" a Polyglass GT down to the "glass" one night...challenging other cars. Embarrassing flat. Had to loosen the motor mounts and jack the engine up to change plugs. We finally figured out to pull the front tires off, and drill circular holes in the fender wells opposite where the plugs went.

Insurance cost more than the car. That "Shaker" scoop sticking up through the hood sure was "Kool" though.

'71 Buick GS 455. "Grandma' " comfort...with "muscle". Had one in '90. Liked to guzzle gas.

Nova's. '62 - '72. Owned many. 'Nuff said!

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...Charger...

I've been in love with this car and the models of it ever since. I hope to own one some day.

I'm right there with you bro! I've loved the Charger (though I favor the 68-70) since the day I first found out what it was. I too have a incomprehensibly deep passion for a next to unobtainable iconic Mopar. If I were to ever get one, I'd probably end up hating it for some reason and my childhood dream of doing donuts around an old elm tree would be destroyed.

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I too have a incomprehensibly deep passion for a next to unobtainable iconic Mopar.

Yeah I suppose I'm a bit luckier in that respect. The first gens are much less desirable to most Mopar types (for reasons I don't understand), and I have seen some nice ones go for reasonable prices on auctions. One in my garage, may yet happen.

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I remember a ride to dinner down in Aptos. Charlie was driving, Margaret was shotgun, I was hump seat in the back with my parents flanking me. We got a little sideways on the 1-2 shift and a nice bark from the tires on the 2-3. My 10 year old face was grinning ear to ear. Oh, yeah. The AC was on the whole time. Margaret hated that car the whole time she owned it.

I checked in with my friend other day on Facebook, asked about his folks car. Yes it was a 429 SCJ, no Shaker Hood, at least that's what he says. I don't remember a Shaker Hood either, I do remember it being fast for a grocery getter! I can't remember if it had AC either, back then here in western Washington not many sprung for AC unless it was already on the car. His Dad was an Engineer for Lockheed Missle Division, he liked fast cars and could afford them. He at one time had a big Healey with a 351-W in it, kids and Mom were Banned from driving that one, I never got a ride in it but the stories were legendary even when he owned it.

Anyway I remember a ride in that Torino Wagon, it was a nine passenger wagon, they had four kids. Everyone but the Dad was along for the ride we had gone to Tacoma (WA). I cannot remember just what got his Mom going but she got ticked about something, when she would (still does) get mad her normally heavy right foot got even heavier!

She got pulled over doing almost 100, when the highway speed limit was 70. She calmed down and put her nice Mommy face on, telling the State Trooper there was no way this car could do that fast loaded with all these kids! "But Mam, I had you on Radar at XYZ MPH". OH, no this is a station wagon everyone knows station wagons can't go that fast, there must be something wrong with your Radar thing. "I see Mam, please try to slow down a little Mam, have a nice day!" The Trooper Let Her Go!! We were sworn to secrecy, something which worked in our favor a time or two. The end for the Torino came after his Mom got pulled over doing some ridiculous speed, after the Speed Limit got dropped,to 55 MPH; she wasn't able to "negotiate" her way out of that ticket. My Mom was in the car with her, I heard. The sordid details when she told my Dad. We still get a good laugh about her driving, when we get together, the Torino Wagon is almost always brought up.

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