Did You Ever Own.....

[retiredmechanic74]

Around the end of the 60's I owned a 1961 Volvo Pv544.  It had a 4 cyl. engine with twin carbs and a window shade on the radiator ( for more heat inside the car) Anyway I had a set of Chrysler chrome reverse tires and  wheels on it and one day while waiting for the light to change I was challenged to pull a hole-shot. Light changed and I nailed it I looked back and saw the whole intersection engulfed in smoke from the tires, I also saw a flash of a red light and sure enough here he came so I pulled over he got out of his car and said he has never seen such a little car go so fast. When I told him it was a 4cyl. he had to look under the hood. Then he offered to trade me a BMW motorcycle for it ( he wrote me up for reckless driving ) because I turned him down.  

Edited January 17, 2018 by retiredmechanic74 (see edit history)

[padgett]

Friend of mine had a Morris Minor. Was slow enough that it did not matter if you could not read the speedo. Remember driving a Mini in boots and hitting all three pedals at the same time. After I lost the GS my daily driver for some time was an MG 1100 that moved around to different club members as needed. Learned to speed shift in a FIAT 1500 roadster, could just bat the shifter and was in the next gear. Later I had a more mainstream FIAT 124 Spyder with 1498cc Twin Cam. Delco fixed the electronics and had the most air vents I had ever seen. Another FIAT was a 850R Coupe I paid $150 for needing a clutch (easy). Would buzz you to death at highway speed. Then there was the BMW 2000A. Every time my wife got too close to a curb I had to replace/rework the AC pulley. No power steering made it my car after a while. And had a Renault Dauphine for a while that I misplaced in the Carolinas somewhere. Paid $100 and the block was slightly cracked so did not look very hard.

[AC Fuhrman]

I grew up in Upstate NY - there was a family in our town that had a Citroen DS - pretty uncommon for our region. Another family drove a Checker sedan as their everyday car. A gent I worked with had a Renault Delphene, (sp?).

 

We were a GM family so an AMC was pretty exotic for us!

 

 

 

[Pilgrim65]

2 hours ago, 8E45E said:

There were a few Super Snipes in the area of which I lived in Edmonton.  For a time, I owned BMC's closest competitor to the Rootes offering; a 1965 Vanden Plas 4-litre R.

 

Craig

The Vanden plas  versions , of bmc cars were beautifully finished , your model was actually the car I hired for my first wedding in 1968 and friend used to give me a lift to work in a Vanden plas 1100 , class lift!!

[Pilgrim65]

15 minutes ago, AC Fuhrman said:

I grew up in Upstate NY - there was a family in our town that had a Citroen DS - pretty uncommon for our region. Another family drove a Checker sedan as their everyday car. A gent I worked with had a Renault Delphene, (sp?).

 

We were a GM family so an AMC was pretty exotic for us!

 

 

 

Citroen DS 55 , one of my all time favourite cars , way ahead of its time thought it looked like a space ship 

[TerryB]

A great friend of mine had a Morris Minor that he fixed up while in high school.  Sadly he passed away in his mid 20s from cancer.  I used to help him with the car and cruise around with him in it.  In his memory I recently purchased this item from the AACA library.

RIP Sam.

 

[jeff]

I guess my Dad would qualify.  One of my first car memories, at around age 4 or 5, was his NSU Prinz - maybe a '62.  It was a two cylinder rear engine car that looked a bit like a 2/3 scale, first generation Corvair.

 

That would have been pretty unusual in the mid-Sixties.  Hats off to my Dad!

 

Jeff

[retiredmechanic74]

I had a friend back in the late 50'S who had an English Ford and it had a burnt piston in it. I helped him replace the rod and piston. He thought the old piston and rod was "cute" so he hung it upside down on his rearview mirror. Now every time he would shift into second gear he would smash his knuckles into it taking off skin each time. I told him to remove the piston, but he refused. I said your tearing up your knuckles!!!! He said Ya I know but when people see my hand they think I was in a fight. The only thing I could say was......idiot.  

[Restorer32]

I drove a Jag XK 140 in college. Not very exotic now but it sure was back then, especially here in small town PA. Friend drove a Renault Dauphine (sp?) which I actually remember as a reliable little car. In the garage behind our college apartment was an abandoned Borgward. Unfortunately that was before my interest in cars blossomed.

[oily rag]

All of my cars were oddballs for the area. They were cheap because no one wanted them: a 59 Morris Minor  especially a  4 door, an under powered green 71 Merc. Capri, 4 cyl., a boxy 63 Rambler American.

[padgett]

My father had an ID-19 with four on the tree. Top was O/D and would sing to you. To change a tire you did not use a jack - you raised the car, slid a jack stand under, and raised the tire.

Also had a 55 RHD MGA. It came with a crank and an erector set top. Friend had a twin cam, only one I ever saw. And then there was another friend with a FIAT Abarth Bialbero 1000. Name was longer than the car.

[Bush Mechanic]

5 hours ago, padgett said:

Friend of mine had a Morris Minor. Was slow enough that it did not matter if you could not read the speedo. 

 

I was very excited when a copper booked me for travelling at 52 MPH in my low-light Minor convertible. I had no idea the old girl could go that fast! Of course, it WAS downhill. Great car, absolutely nothing to prove, and plenty of character. Sold it to a gent from the US, who wanted to take it home.

[Matt Harwood]

I desperately wanted a Reliant Robin, but...

 

[padgett]

You do realize that those were staged... OTOH Morgan got it right

[RAH]

Terry, OOPS!

 

Edited January 17, 2018 by RAH
mistake (see edit history)

[RAH]

Terry, Does this count? Here am I back in '64 with my favorite '58 BMW Isetta 300 Motocoupe. I just returned from the train station with mom's Christmas care package via Railway Express. I have owned several of these fun cars over the years and still have one which was acquired some 40 years ago. AH the good ole' days! Right?

[Frank DuVal]

I drove a Subaru 360 for many years on and off. I car pooled in it around 1980 with a large (high 200s) person, and myself around 200.... One day we saw a fellow employee standing on the corner waiting for the bus, so I offered a ride. He was probably 6'4". He folded into in the back seat. We got a lot of looks when we unloaded at work!

 

In college (early 70s) my friend drove a Humber Super Snipe for a while. His dad had several unusual cars he drove, Morris Minor wagon, 62 Imperial, 64 Plymouth wagon,  and the Humber.

[plymouthcranbrook]

I always thought I was the poster child for owners of strange and unusual autos. A 1961 TR-3, a 1966 Sunbeam Alpine, a 1966 TR-4A, A 1962 Sunbeam Alpine(didn't learn the first time),  a 1969 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe, a 1972(?) Fiat 128,  A beat to bleep Hillman imp for Ice Racing, and a 1969 MGC-GT.  And the frightening part is that many times these were my daily drivers.  And most were at least partly worn out when I got them so it was work on then all weekend to use them the rest of the week.  I miss some of them but not the constant repairs and searching for parts.