I also couldn't resist this thread; too many good memories that I have to=20
share=2E
'79 VW bug convertible
My parents' car=2E I mostly hated it at the time and dreamed of gettin=
g a=20
'57 Chevy, but I've come to realize that it was really not a bad car=2E
'57 Chevy
With help from a mechanic who owned a restoration/race prep shop, we=20
installed a 400+ hp small block and a 4 speed=2E Aside from being the faste=
st=20
car (in a straight line, that is), this was and probably always will be the=
=20
best sounding one I've ever had=2E
'71 B-GT
My first MG, but I don't have any special memories of it=2E I used it=20
just for transportation, and I never liked all the plastic in the interior=2E
'71 Fiat 850
Spent all its life in sunny Santa Barbara but was still a rustbucket!=20
Paid $75 for it, and even that was too much=2E
'66 Plymouth Barracuda
Bucket seats and a four-on-the floor=2E A project I never finished=2E=20=
I=20
ended up giving it to a friend who got it running and then sold it=2E
'65 Buick Riviera
One of the nicest cars I've had=2E It made me realize that all the old=
=20
ladies driving 60's Cadillacs in my neighborhood didn't just drive slow=20
because they wanted to but because they had to: taking corners at even the=20
speeds I was used to in the VW made the tires squeal and brought angry=20
stares from people watering their lawns=2E The 421 motor loved highway=20
cruising and the original radio sounded better than the modern ones I've ha=
d=20
in other cars=2E Really a gorgeous car, and I'll probably buy another somed=
ay=2E
'69 Olds 442
After hearing its the big-block motor idling through the trumpet-shape=
d=20
exhaust tips, I had to buy it=2E
'76 Alfa Alfetta (sport coupe)
Paid $900 for it, put several hundred more into it, never had it=20
running right, and finally sold it for $175=2E 1970's Italian "craftsmanshi=
p"=20
at its worst=2E
Cars I still have:
'67 B-GT=2E
My favorite of all the cars I've owned=2E
'67 Triumph GT-6
They say it was a competitor to the B-GT, but it really wasn't a=20
well-made car=2E They're cramped, cheaply built, are more unreliable, and h=
ave=20
scary handling=2E And yet they have a really funky character that makes eve=
n=20
the B-GT seem too refined=2E Also, the first time you sit in one--this tiny=
,=20
cramped little car--you expect to hear a raspy little four cylinder, but=20
instead you hear that lovely, lazy two-litre six=2E Still have it and plan=
on=20
doing some much-needed fixing up this winter=2E
'86 Toyota MR2
A terrific car=2E After so much white-knuckle driving with the swing-a=
xle=20
GT6, this car was a revelation to drive: so much easier and safer to drive,=
=20
and much faster=2E The car comes into its own at speeds where the GT6 feels=
=20
like its about to fall apart=2E However, the Toyota is sort of a black box:=
=20
nothing ever breaks, but if something did I wouldn't know how to fix it=2E=20
Also, it looks like a steam iron=2E
Karim
Santa Monica
|