Father's Influence

[STEVE POLLARD]

My father has been gone now just over 20 years ( 2-3-31 to 12-25-00 ). He was a huge influence in my life when it came to playing sports and motor vehicles. As a young kid, it was my job to hold the drop light as he went along and did a tune-up on the family sedan, he would explain everything to me as he went along. When my parents went to the local Chevrolet Dealership back in the fall of 1969, they took me along and I remember to this day my Mom picking out the Dover White Impala Sport Sedan !  He probably didn't realized it, but he "planted the seed" into a four year old to where I am today with my enjoyment of the hobby and with that model year vehicle. I guess it could of been a Mopar or Ford, Olds etc. but for some reason, he went with Chevrolet. How many of you have been influence by the brand that your parents purchased when you were a child to the point that you find yourself today collecting that brand ?

 

Oh, my Mom kept the paperwork on that Chevrolet that they purchased back in 1969 - 

 

Steve

 

[72caddy]

I actually went the opposite direction. My father was a VW man. We had a van and many bugs. Learned to work on them and do everything you can to such a simple car but I would never own one again...

[Frank DuVal]

Your Dad was like my Dad, show up at the Chevrolet dealer after the new models are for sale and look at the leftover last years cars on the lot. 

 

Invoice interesting in there is a trade in listed, but must be lumped in with "leftover" discount in the $819.40 discount. Virginia invoices in the 60s had a section to list trade in value.

 

Yes, I'm still a Chevrolet/GM guy.

[JamesR]

Great story, Steve. My dad bought our '69 Impala from my sixth grade student teacher at the time, Mrs. Thurman. The car was less than a year old when we bought it. I thought Mrs. Thurman was very nice...shy and reserved and maybe a little intimidated by a class of sixth graders. We didn't know that it was she and her husband who were selling the car. We just called an ad in the paper. Kismet, I guess.

 

In contrast to your dad, my dad didn't care much for cars, even though he was a consulting engineer. He actually tried to discourage my brothers and I from developing automotive interests. Didn't work. 😄

[rocketraider]

My parents didn't influence it that much, but I had two sets of uncles and aunts who did. These folks truly liked and enjoyed cars, whereas to my folks a car was for getting from point A to point B.

[zepher]

The main reason I own a '64 Malibu today is because my parents purchased one new back in Jan of '64.

They bought a '64 Malibu SS hardtop in Matador Red with black interior.

I grew up in that car so when I was old enough to buy my own car I found a '64 Malibu SS convertible to buy.

Growing up with that Malibu and helping my Dad do tune ups and general maintenance are why I love 60' and 70's GM products to this day.

 

But my love of pre-war cars also came from my Dad.

He bought our Rickenbacker in the early 60's and we worked on that car and drove it all over So Cal for years and years.

Shortly after my Dad bought the Rickenbacker my Grandfather bought the Pierce Arrow I own and I grew up working on and riding around in both cars.

Very early on I learned to appreciate hand built cars and automotive history.

My cars are like time machines for me.

Not only do I get to go back in time to when I was a kid, but I get to experience life as it was in the 20's, driving, maintaining and admiring cars from that era.

 

[STEVE POLLARD]

5 minutes ago, zepher said:

My cars are like time machines for me.

It might sound crazy, but when I start up any of my old Impalas, the sound of that engine running, brings me back to my parents garage.....best part was once Dad was done working on the engine, we would go for a test ride!   Great times !

 

Steve

[STEVE POLLARD]

3 hours ago, Frank DuVal said:

Your Dad was like my Dad, show up at the Chevrolet dealer after the new models are for sale and look at the leftover last years cars on the lot. 

 

Frank, your correct... this was a small Dealership and the new '70 models were parked out in front near the roadway. The '69 that my Mother picked out was parked all the way in the back of the lot - very dirty ! She told the salesman to wash it and we'll take !

 

Steve

[PONTIAC1953]

my dad was a luxury car guy when i was a teenager, 1962 Cadillac Convertible with bucket seats in 1970, 1964 Lincoln Continental sedan in 1972, 1965 Lincoln Continental sedan in 1973, the 1964 Continental was short lived due to a hydraulic hose failure that caused a under hood fire. he bought me my first car in 1972, a 1962 Chevy Impala sport sedan with a 235 six, power steering and power glide trans.

[J.H.Boland]

My dad had Chevies in my formative years ( a '39 Canadian Pontiac-Chevy powered, a '49 and a '55). I learned to drive in the '55 and my grandfather's '53. The influence can work both ways,too. I had a great-uncle that was a service advisor at a Ford dealer's. He would always get me going when he would argue that Fords were better. From about age seven,I always hated Fords. What goes around comes around however. My second wife worked at Ford dealers for 50 years,compaired to my 42 years with GM. I had to tone down the rhetoric and our daily driver is now a Ford Escape !

[jpage]

My dad was not a car guy. While he always had a newer car, and many station wagons, he did not like working on them.  When I was 17, I brought home a Model A Ford that I was excited to start restoring. That day, when he came home from work and found the car, he walked over to me and gently said "Get it the hell out of the yard'! It was just a piece of junk, and he was afraid that I'd waste a lot of time and money and end up with nothing. He did change his tune when 10 years later, he slid behind the wheel for his first drive. It brought back memories of his childhood when his father had a '28 Ford truck and he and his brother had to ride everywhere in the bed, even in bad weather. I think he was pretty proud that I had finished it, but he never really said.

[8E45E]

From an early age, I was determined to own and drive a 'classic' or 'special interest' vehicle, which before 1966 when Studebaker ceased making cars.  My mom owned a 1950 Studebaker Champion at the time which only heighted my brand-awareness in the product and got me interested in the marque overall.    Fast forward to when I finally turned 16 and got my drivers license, my first car was a 1964 Studebaker Daytona, which I still have, as by then Studebaker was out of the car business, and falling in the 'special interest' category for the postwar models.

 

Craig

[alsancle]

My dad started in the 50s with Auburns and went on to have lots of big Classics.  I’ve pretty much followed in lock step except I appreciate more esoteric stuff and he always went flashy.

[Larry Schramm]

2 hours ago, jpage said:

My dad was not a car guy. While he always had a newer car, and many station wagons, he did not like working on them.  When I was 17, I brought home a Model A Ford that I was excited to start restoring. That day, when he came home from work and found the car, he walked over to me and gently said "Get it the hell out of the yard'! It was just a piece of junk, and he was afraid that I'd waste a lot of time and money and end up with nothing. He did change his tune when 10 years later, he slid behind the wheel for his first drive. It brought back memories of his childhood when his father had a '28 Ford truck and he and his brother had to ride everywhere in the bed, even in bad weather. I think he was pretty proud that I had finished it, but he never really said.

 

My dad was not an old car guy. He too had newer cars.

 

My story is when I was about 19 I brought home a '61 Corvair station wagon.  I actually drove it home.  As soon as I brought it home I was told to get it out of here, meaning around the house.  I ended up scrapping the car years later because I could not get any decent storage.  Too many years outside.

[padgett]

My family was more of the "transportation" type though was raised mostly by grandparents. Grandfather talked about exploits in a Stutz (probably a Bearcat) when young though by the time I was there always (except once) had a pair of Cadillacs. Would buy a new one ( Fleetwoods) and give to my grandmother for a year and she would put about 10k on it. After a year she would get the new one and he would take the old one & put 100k on it in a year then would trade that one in on the next.

 

Got in trouble for swapping a carb and manifold in the driveway. Was told that was Not Done.

[JACK M]

My dad couldn't hand over a 9/16 open end if you asked him.

About every three or four years he would buy a one or two year old Lincoln. And he golfed twice a week.

I am quite the opposite, drive old cars and know tools.

Now, my brother buys a one or two year old Lincoln every four or five years and golfs twice a week, he is handier that dad ever was but wont get his hands greasy and wont own an old car. He sometime says that if he found something that was his birth year he might consider it. (he can certainly afford one).

To his credit, every time I find something he might like he reminds me that he has no place to keep it.

There is no  old car history anywhere in my family, I guess I am the black sheep. Dad did have a brother that gave his life in WW2 and a couple of times when I was in trouble dad would say that I reminded him of his brother. Brash and ballsy, I often wish I had known him.

 

[C Carl]

Dad never had a Cadillac. I made up for that.   -    CC. 

[TexRiv_63]

I've posted this before but you did ask. My father was a Ford man as was his father. One of my first car related memories was sitting on the fender of my Mom's daily driver '30 Model A watching my Dad change the plugs. He bought a series of new Fords, 52, 55, and 60, all basic 2 door sedans with V-8s and automatic, he was a wholesale sales rep for a food service company and put a lot of miles on. In 1964 the 55 was my Mom's car and needed an engine overhaul so my Dad did it himself. In our gravel driveway. With the car on a bumper jack and some wood blocks. I held the light and passed the tools and learned a large profanity vocabulary used to this day but I was totally amazed when that car started and ran like new - and in fact ran great until we sold it 5 years later. Watching him do that inspired me to try DIY car work a few years later and I expanded that into a car hobby / business that I am still involved with today. Thanks, Dad!

[TexRiv_63]

My Dad also got me interested in prewar cars. That 30 Model A was our driver in the early 50s, left by the side road with the keys in it. We finally sold it to a local farmer who cut the body off and made into a flatbed, it was replaced with a 48 Ford Deluxe coupe. Dad always wanted an old hobby car but could never afford it, he loved Packards. He took me to many Classic car shows, a few at Lake Forest, IL, where I learned about the real Classics. It took me many years to do but I finally owned some of these cars in the last 10 years. Again, thanks Dad!

[1912Staver]

My Father was a big fan of upper middle class 1930's cars. LaSalle , Hudson , Buick etc. He always made a bee line for cars of this sort when we would see them at shows. They were the cars that were cheap to buy when he was young but he never actually owned. Practicality won out and he generally bought 4 or 5 year old Fords. Cheap to buy, cheap to operate. Family man with an average income, stay at home wife { typical of the era } , 3 kids. By the time my sisters and I were independent the price of cars like this had risen to the point where they were well out of my fathers reach so he remained a fan but not an owner.

 I also like 1930's cars , but don't really aspire to own one. It's either 1920's and older domestic or postwar British cars for me.

 

Greg

[Xander Wildeisen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2iwOzN0dZg

 

[Billy Kingsley]

The Mekeel family is related to me by marriage. 

 

My dad liked whatever is cheap. Throughout his life he refused to pay more than $400 for a car. He bought his last in 1999. He always had two but only one was usually running at a time. We tried to talk him into getting a better quality car but he was not interested. His favorite car was the 1955 Chevrolet. He had one but lost it because his parents actually sued him to get it out of their driveway. I have a trophy he won at the old Dover Dragway with it. 

 

My mom's favorite car is the 1970-72 Chevelle. She had a 1972 as her daily driver until 1991, when dad sold it while she was at work or junked it, I'm not totally sure.  She still talks about that car. I'd love to get her a replacement but finding a four door Chevelle of that era is next to impossible. The fact that she only wants a blue one just complicates things, as does my lack of funds. 

 

I like everything. I tend to favor the El Camino and Edsels, never had any first hand experience with either, I just fell in love with the looks of them. Lately I've been thinking a lot about 20s cars. Give me a week and I'll obsess over something else. It's probably a good thing my health is bad enough I can't drive because I'd probably drag home a new basket case every week. 

[60FlatTop]

3 hours ago, TexRiv_63 said:

a few at Lake Forest, IL,

 

I went through Navy Boot Camp and then Propulsion Engineering "A" school at Great Lakes. I got off the Chicago Northwestern a few times to check out the row of cars at the Lake Forest sports car dealer in 1967. Some Porche's, Alfa's, and a big yellow Dodge Indy pace car are still stuck in my memory.

[Paul Dobbin]

My maternal grandfather married my grandmother in 1911 and

bought a new Model T Torpedo Roadster to replace his Harley Davidson.

My father started out with a used 1917 Model T, but bought a

1931 Model a Roadster before he married my mother in 1938.

In 1950 we moved from Minneapolis, MN to Princeton NJ in a

1941 Oldsmobile with wife and 3 kids.   Not loyal to any brand,

I learned the term "Lemon Orchards" for used car lots.  After

building a house in Princeton he went thru a 54 Ford Station

Wagon, then a 55 Chevrolt Bel-Air SW, both of which we used extensively for family camping trips. 

With no little kids left, in 1956 he bought a 1947 Cadillac Conv.

which we drove to Engelwood Florida for Christmas vacation

where my maternal grandfather lived and got it repainted.

By 1958 he bought a 1953 Cadillac Fleetwood for my mother.   

Then because he liked the fins, he bought a 1948 Cadillac

Conv. and we moved to FL with those two cars in 1960.

Because he'd always has a small car to comute to work, a 1954

Metropolitan Conv. and a 1950 Austin Saloon, in 1961 he bought a new 1961 VW.  Then he sold the Fleetwood and bought a 1956 Coupe DeVille followed by a 1958 Eldorado Biraritz Conv.,which

he traded to my brother for a 1963 Porsche.  Then he traded the Porsche in for a 1965 Ford Thunderbird.  No brand loyality for him.  Me either, but I loved those Cadillacs for dates in High School.   

[alsancle]

4/5s of the family in 1968.

[CHuDWah]

19 hours ago, zepher said:

...My cars are like time machines for me...

 

Before I retired, I had a hot rod coupe as my daily driver.  My boss asked what I got out of driving such a car.  I told him that after a stressful day at work, I'd put on my black leather jacket, hop in the coupe, and I was back in high school when my only worry was getting my next date.  😁

[lump]

In about 1956 when I was 2 or 3 years old, I fell and cut my hand badly, severing tendons. Doctors told my parents that I needed home therapy with grasping round things, like a trapeze bar, etc. So they hung a trapeze bar for me, but I quickly got bored, and didn't stay with it without being forced. So my dad had an idea, and got together with family friends to build me a little gas engine-powered car out of lawnmower pieces, so I would WANT to ride it, grasping that steering wheel. Eventually I was invited to drive it in a St Patrick's Day antique car parade in Middletown, Ohio in 1957. 

 

When I was about 14 or 15 Dad picked up an old racing go cart frame, and helped my little brother and me bolt on a 4 cycle Briggs & Stratton motor. We had a ball in parking lots. We kids were both falling in love with cars! 

 

The first "modern" car I remember my parents having was a 55 Chevy 210 4dr sedan. They had a Plymouth and later a Studebaker for a while, but my dad eventually got the car he really wanted: a 57 Chevy convertible. After that, he and Mom stuck with Chevrolets. They still had the 57 when I came of driving age in 1970 (as a rusty 2nd car).

 

Then dad found a 1941 Chevy as a 2nd car. It had a totally stock drivetrain...except for a hot little 283 engine and glass-pack mufflers. He had it painted and did some mechanical work to make it more reliable, and drove it to work every day. I WAS IN LOVE! But Dad didn't want that "hot rod" to be around long, because I would soon be getting my driver's license. He was seriously worried that I would become a hot rod punk and get killed in a car wreck. So he traded that 41 Chevy to a local Chevrolet dealership for a 3-year old 1967 Impala convertible, with 327 engine (that car FLEW!) 

 

Dad was very strict about driving, so I very rarely got to drive at home. But my grandparents were much more lenient, so when I stayed with them, I was allowed to drive as much as I wanted in my Grandpa's 1957 Chevy 210 station wagon, with 265 V8 engine, 3 speed column-shifted transmission & overdrive. I loved a clutch, and took the air cleaner off to let that "Deuce" carburetor suck air loudly, while back tires chirped on the shift. For the first time I saw pretty girls turn to look as I drove by with a car load of friends, and send us a smile and a wave. 

 

By now I was rabid fanatic of cool cars, and most of the coolest (modern) cars I had been exposed to through my parents were Chevys. So, yes. I am definitely influenced in my car choices by their example. 

 

Most cool cars I've owned in my life have been Chevy's. Sure wish I had more photos of them all! 

 

[Harold]

My father was into the 'keep 'em going' aspect of cars and eventually bought his first new car, a black '52 Plymouth Cambridge.   The story I heard is that my mother flat-out refused to ride in his prior car, a '38 Pontiac, so that prodded him into buying the Plymouth.  When I was born I came home from the hospital in the Cambridge.   A lot of good childhood memories involved that car, and I developed a lifelong interest in them.  I've had several '51-'52 Plymouths through the years, including one Cambridge that's a carbon copy of my father's car, down to the color.  It's only 1200 VINs apart from the one my father had.  It sits in my garage gathering dust, but it feels good just to look at it and sit behind the wheel.

[STEVE POLLARD]

Great stories ! I should of added some pictures in my first post....I still have them except for the White Sport Sedan ( parents ) and the Black Impala that I restored years ago which was sold to purchase the SS427. I now find myself looking at convertibles..😉

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

With testimony from an older friend, currently

aged 101, I'll jump back a few decades to a

first-hand account from the 1920's and '30's,

a time which most people today don't remember.

We published his written account a few years

ago in our regional newsletter.  His father had

ties to General Motors and therefore always

seemed to get G.M. cars, especially Cadillacs:

 

"In 1923, the family moved to a country house,

seven miles from town....By age 5 [1925], I was

interested in the cars....A 1922 [Cadillac] Type 61

seven-passenger open touring car was preferred

by the younger children, who named it 'Chewing Gum'

for the yellow-tan color of its paint.  While they liked

Chewing Gum, they said its predecessor, a Type 57

of 1918, was really much better, because it was 

higher off the ground, like a horse.  At age 5, I believed

everything my sisters said."

 

"This training hit me as a Dartmouth College 

freshman in 1939, as I pedaled my bicycle past

Bailey Brothers Auto Parts in West Lebanon, New

Hampshire.  There stood a 1918 Type 57 Cadillac

seven-passenger touring car..."

 

Well, he got the car from the junkyard and got it

running.  He drove it more than 20,000 miles as a

regular car prior to World War II.  Influenced by his

father's choice of over 100 years ago, he still owns

the car today--81 years after buying it.  He's pictured

in the middle at age 96 below:

 

Edited January 16, 2021 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[STEVE POLLARD]

8 hours ago, Billy Kingsley said:

The Mekeel family is related to me by marriage. 

So you must know Tom ?

[Billy Kingsley]

I don't. I only know the descendants of the one who married in. We had lost contact with that side of the family and only reconnected in 2012. They mentioned some of the other people but I've not met them. 

 

My father's father cut off all contact with them because his sister wouldn't let him smoke in her house. That was sometime in the 1960s. It took the invention of facebook to bring the family back together. Those of you who have fond memories of your grandparents are lucky...I never had that. 

[Mike "Hubbie" Stearns]

By all means, my dad had lots of influence on me.

 

Dad was a high school drop out due to the need to help provide for the family of 7 and grandma. Being quite mechanically minded, he got a job working at a local service station. From what I was told, the owner was a tough old bird. He would tell dad what to do and when he did something wrong, he would make him figure it out for himself. That made him smarter and wiser.

 

I don’t know what my parents first car was in 59 when they got married, but I do know that when I was born, I was brought home from the hospital in 64 in a 62 impala ss. Dad worked for a Chevy dealership until I was 8. He the was a service manager for a trucking company.  
 

Growing up was watch and helping him work on cars and truck in the garage. It always amazed me how he knew what was wrong with a vehicle. He would tell me it’s all just a process of elimination. I can remember when the service manager from the car dealerships would stop by the house with a car for his opinion.  He would give it to him. Later I would ask if he was right, and he would say yes most of the time. I think he could fix almost anything. If it had an engine, he could fix it
 

Dad was a GM man. Growing up, we always had GM vehicles. He disliked Fords, Chrysler’s, and the the imports. I’m also a GM man. All the vehicles I own except for the fire trucks are GM.  He didn’t own any antique or classic cars or trucks. He did help my older brother start to restore a old truck, but when my brother went to college, they stopped. My brother did get it finished once he graduated and was married for some time.  
 

Dad helped make me the way I am. I have a lot of him in me. I am very mechanically minded. I understand how thinks work or should work. I like to fix things. I just wish dad was still around when I have questions. At least I have all of you to help me when I have questions. Thanks to all of you. Mike 

[alsancle]

I could go on and on in this thread.    I learned at an early age that you can wear a suit during the day still should have a full blown shop at home.  Compressor, torches, paint gun, the works.  

It was weird to me that the other dads on the block didn't have a shop.

 

 

 

 

[JamesR]

On 1/15/2021 at 8:02 AM, alsancle said:

 

 

Great story and photos, alsancle.

 

My son is 18 and now away at his first year in college. I tried to get him interested in old cars earlier on, but it seems he was/is mostly interested in them as props in movies or video games. He expressed lukewarm interest in helping to refurbish the '65 T-Bird I'm working on now, which I was very encouraged by, but I decided I'd let his enthusiasm be the guide for how much he would be involved in the project, i.e., he's always welcome to help when he wants, but it's up to him...and it seems he'd rather do other things.

 

The reason I took this approach is that when he was younger, I tried to get him interested in building models: cars, planes, etc. It started when a neighbor gave us an uncompleted tank model her husband tried to build with her son. It was for builders older than my son, but with my help we got it done. I was surprised, however, by his high level of frustration with the project. We tried building several other models that I bought for him. He had a small collection of models, and then one day - he threw them all in the trash; he found the process of building models essentially frustrating. By contrast, he found building LEGOs enjoyable, and couldn't get enough of them. The problem with LEGOs (in my humble opinion) is that there is only one level of build quality, and everyone's LEGO robot looks exactly like everyone else's LEGO robot. There's very little room for self-improvement. I never said this to him, though, and let him be content with his LEGO collection.

 

My dad tried to get me interested in HAM radio, but it never took hold...I just didn't care. I don't want to force an interest on my son...or try to force him away from an interest in something, the way my dad did with cars. There's still a chance he could develop a car interest, but now he can only pursue it when he's home from college. Over the summer I think I'll try to find some middle ground between active and passive encouragement in helping me with the T-Bird. When he's at home, he enjoys staying around home - he's not out fooling around, so that's good. Maybe I just have to be accepting of the fact that cars and an interest in them isn't the same thing to young people today as when I was a kid.

[Xander Wildeisen]

6 hours ago, alsancle said:

I could go on and on in this thread.    I learned at an early age that you can wear a suit during the day still should have a full blown shop at home.  Compressor, torches, paint gun, the works.  

It was weird to me that the other dads on the block didn't have a shop.

 

 

 

 

How was that car viewed, or looked at back then by others? Just an old car? Why would you want it? Or did it still get attention for being a speedster? It would be viewed by a lot of people as being an out of date old car.

[alsancle]

3 hours ago, JamesR said:

 

Great story and photos, alsancle.

 

My son is 18 and now away at his first year in college. I tried to get him interested in old cars earlier on, but it seems he was/is mostly interested in them as props in movies or video games. He expressed lukewarm interest in helping to refurbish the '65 T-Bird I'm working on now, which I was very encouraged by, but I decided I'd let his enthusiasm be the guide for how much he would be involved in the project, i.e., he's always welcome to help when he wants, but it's up to him...and it seems he'd rather do other things.

 

The reason I took this approach is that when he was younger, I tried to get him interested in building models: cars, planes, etc. It started when a neighbor gave us an uncompleted tank model her husband tried to build with her son. It was for builders older than my son, but with my help we got it done. I was surprised, however, by his high level of frustration with the project. We tried building several other models that I bought for him. He had a small collection of models, and then one day - he threw them all in the trash; he found the process of building models essentially frustrating. By contrast, he found building LEGOs enjoyable, and couldn't get enough of them. The problem with LEGOs (in my humble opinion) is that there is only one level of build quality, and everyone's LEGO robot looks exactly like everyone else's LEGO robot. There's very little room for self-improvement. I never said this to him, though, and let him be content with his LEGO collection.

 

My dad tried to get me interested in HAM radio, but it never took hold...I just didn't care. I don't want to force an interest on my son...or try to force him away from an interest in something, the way my dad did with cars. There's still a chance he could develop a car interest, but now he can only pursue it when he's home from college. Over the summer I think I'll try to find some middle ground between active and passive encouragement in helping me with the T-Bird. When he's at home, he enjoys staying around home - he's not out fooling around, so that's good. Maybe I just have to be accepting of the fact that cars and an interest in them isn't the same thing to young people today as when I was a kid.

 

I learned that lesson trying to bribe my son to play hockey.  It didn't work but one of my daughters ended up being the hockey player.  You can't control what the kids get interested in.  Plus times change.  When I was in HS, your car was everything.  Today, kids don't even care about their license. 

 

One thing though,  my son and I both think Saab Sonnet's are interesting.  I should probably get one for a father/son project but I have a feeling it won't go anywhere.

 

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, Xander Wildeisen said:

How was that car viewed, or looked at back then by others? Just an old car? Why would you want it? Or did it still get attention for being a speedster? It would be viewed by a lot of people as being an out of date old car.

 

Since my dad still has many of his cars that he had 40/50 years ago I can tell you first hand that when you drove down the street with either that Auburn,  or the Cord in one of my pictures EVERYBODY in 1970 turned to look at it.  These days I can drive the same car around all day long and most people pay zero attention.     My GT500 would get some of the kids to pay attention,  but even that could be driven practically anonymously.

[edinmass]

In 1973 when I was not quite seven years old, my father taught me how to turn things on a South Bend lathe. We made a new set of mower deck wheel axles out of a couple of bolts. It took me ten tries to get the first one done. Three more for the other side. My reward??? Since I fixed the sit down lawn mower, I was now allowed to drive the tractor and cut the grass. He was a sharp guy for an eighth grade education...........I learned to use machine tools, and he no longer had to cut grass. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

[Doozer]

6 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

Since my dad still has many of his cars that he had 40/50 years ago I can tell you first hand that when you drove down the street with either that Auburn,  or the Cord in one of my pictures EVERYBODY in 1970 turned to look at it.  These days I can drive the same car around all day long and most people pay zero attention.     My GT500 would get some of the kids to pay attention,  but even that could be driven practically anonymously.

This is so depressing for me to hear. Next time you drive one consider me staring 🤩🤩🤩