Your FIRST ANTIQUE === Running driver or Project

[1937hd45]

The Driver vs Restored Show car thread got me thinking. With 1997 used cars now on the show field along with the cars the club started collecting in 1935, was your FIRST "Antique" a running car you slapped plates on and drove, or a "Project" you liked and could afford? At 16  a 1926 Ford Tudor was delivered New Years Day 1967, total cost was $220.00. I've had projects ever since. The one driver was the 1956 Ford pickup I bought in LA and drove home to Connecticut in 5 days. Adventure was over, I never put plates on it, took months to sell it. 

 

Bob

[John Byrd]

The 1st antique car I bought was a 33 , 3 window Chevy coupe. 40 bucks in 68, hauled it around for several years and never did make it a runner..... but it looked neat, ha !  My 1st dependable, driveable, trustworthy antique was a 55 Thunderbird I bought in 87 or 88.  Had several, well, actually, a lot of old vehicles since, and yes, it's hard to believe things that are 30 years old are considered antiques.. My favorite one ( that I considered a REAL antique )  I had was a 38 Packard 110 series 2 door sedan. Living room on wheels ! I still have trouble thinking my 55 Studebaker and 63 Mini are antiques.... they just don't seem like "old" cars, lol.

[hidden_hunter]

Late 20’s I imported my 1922 Cadillac from the US as my first antique because I couldn’t afford the premium for a local RHD cad 

 

Previously worked with the old man on the 1926 buick

[Guest]

First one for me was a 1929 DeSoto 3 window coupe that I worked on for a few years but never got on the road.   Finally traded it off for a POS Jaguar (Yes, I know....).

Found this pic on line.  Probably not my  old car but it looks identical.

Wish I had it back today.

 

[J.H.Boland]

I bought this '39 LaSalle in 1961 for $75 when I was 14. Managed to get it running and drove it around the farm a bit but never had it licensed.

[keiser31]

My first car is a 1931 Dodge Brothers 2 passenger coupe. Given to me in pieces by my Dad when I was 15. Assembled it, drove it to high school and have moved with it numerous times. Will be finishing it soon.

[JV Puleo]

This...a 1927 Cadillac although I bought it and registered it as a '26. Purchased for $1500 when I was 19. I had about $1600 in my bank account at the time, the result of working in my dad's print shop.

 

 

This was actually my first car. It was my regular "driver" for the summer I bought it though I eventually got a very flogged out Corvair rather than try driving it in the winter.

[Den41Buick]

I wish my first antique was a Packard. My first antique was a great great uncles 1953 Olds Super 88. It was originally factory black according to the paint code. Before delivery it was painted gray and white. Looking back it was a sharp combination. When I got the car with an original interior and engine with 27K miles. Oh yes, original US Royal tires too. I was fortunate to have some connections, and the car was brought to a local technical school where they completely stripped the paint and painted the car as a shop project. I chose the colors. Overall I paid less than $500.00 for the paint. It was a sharp car but I always longed for a prewar car. 

 

 

[jpage]

My first project was an old Model a Ford dootlebug that was given to me by a friend when I was 17. My family was none too excited about it when I brought it home. The only comment my dad made was, "Get it the hell out of the yard!". It took me 10 years to complete it in a little garage 10 miles from my home. I didn't have any photos of it when I got it but here's a few of the finished car. Kept it 16 years after restoration then , like an idiot, sold it to do another car, which I'm still working on! These pics were taken at time of sale. Coincidentally, the license plate number matched the year it was registered!

Edited April 4, 2022 by jpage (see edit history)

[Soupiov]

My first car was a 1930 Plymouth rumble sear coupe purchased from the original owner for $200 in 1962.  It was his daily driver and was replaced by him with a new Plymouth Valiant.  It was my daily driver until 1972 when it developed a wrist pin knock.  Life got in the way and the car sat until 2019 when I decided to undertake a full restoration.  It's almost done now and once again will become my daily driver.

[TAKerry]

I grew up in a farming community. Nothing exotic as far as cars were concerned but it seemed that all of our 'first' cars were either antique or close to fitting the category. Mine was a 65 f 100 hand me down that was my brothers. Although it was only 15 years old when I got it, it seemed like an antique, my other brother drove a 53 Bel Air. 

[54Coupe]

I got my first car in 1977 at about 15 years old. It was a 46 Hudson Pickup. It was my only transportation for quite a few years, and I drove it anywhere I wanted to go.

 

Dany

[Dandy Dave]

First car I bought I was around 12 years old. It was the remains of a 1928 Desoto sedan. $25 bucks. Too many parts missing to do much with it but I had the dream.

[60FlatTop]

My Dad and uncles were all car guys. I got a 1949 Plymouth when I was 11. Actually I have never really owned "old" cars. Most were 10-15 years old and we grew old together.

 

 

The '41 Olds is in the background with the '39 Buick.

 

About 15 years old with the Caddy. Still not old enough to drive.

 

Never a shortage of support for dragging one home.

 

It was always nice to show off a newly purchased one to my Dad. He always pointed out the good things about them.

[28 Chrysler]

After I scraped my $5 1954 Ford wagon I bought a $50 Model A sedan delivery. At that time well used trucks had very little value.

[Pfeil]

Your FIRST ANTIQUE === Running driver or Project

 

I assume you mean a vehicle 25 years or older.

I have 6 vehicles that come under that category. All running of course because two of them I bought new and all the others but two, I bought when they were a couple of years old.  

Edited April 4, 2022 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

3 minutes ago, Pfeil said:

Your FIRST ANTIQUE === Running driver or Project

 

I assume you mean a vehicle 25 years or older.

That is the "NEW" antique. The 1997 Lincoln Town Car we sent to the crusher missed it by one year, great daily driver, I could fit three garbage cans in the trunk and three plastic totes on the back seat. 

Edited April 4, 2022 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[Pfeil]

3 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said:

That is the "NEW" antique. 

In 1990 when my 1965 Type 111 beetle became 25 I took out a Antique auto insurance policy on the car, Also the dept of motor vehicles issued a antique lic. plates. The "new" antique has been around for longer than some members here have been alive.

[Dave39MD]

I picked the 39 Chevy up in Manhasset, NY from my grand parents in 1972. My uncle let a friend and I use his taxi garage for a week and we got it running. My aunts cooking was wonderful, we should have been slower on the repair. The old farts would come around every day and say we were going to ruin the car and we would never make it to Stuart, Fl. We did make it but it was an adventure and when I drove it this Sunday the memories of that trip gave me a smile.

 

Dave

 

[Pilgrim65]

Nothing  interesting   as many of the above 

1952 Austin A40 Somerset in my twenties , then 1960 Morris minor traveller in my thirties both tatty drivers , recently completed cobra replica in my late forties , best a restored 1953 Buick special convertible in my sixties 😊 both immaculate 

[coachJC]

In 1991-92 when I was 19yrs old I built my 1920 Model t Roadster. I got a chassis from a friend of my dads, bought a body that was for sale on line, then bought another car that was was all there but completely taken apart no wood in the body just wired together. I used parts from that car to finish building my Roadster. I still drive it to this day, as seen in the picture attached from this past October on a Model T tour.

[Mark Gregush]

Oh hell, every car I have owned, even my everyday drivers, have or seem to be, project cars in one way or the other. LOL

[jukejunkie1015]

Bought a flatbed full of a 1931 Ford A  Doctors Coupe for $400 when I was 14 with money I made picking raspberries in the Puyallup valley.

Restore it and sold it to pay for my first year of college.

[plymouthcranbrook]

I bought a driving car that became a good part project.  After 20 years it drives well and looks good but the interior refurb will be by the next owner

[zepher]

My first 'old car' purchase was when I bought my 1964 Malibu SS Convertible in 1987.

It was my only car for many, many years.

It was only 23 years old at the time but I held onto it for over 30 years before selling it.

 

[Cole motor car lover]

My first antique car was purchased in 2018 when I turned 18. It’s a 1923 Cole custom two person sport coupe.  
 I am very proud to be the owner of it and love taking care of it as it’s a very special car with a unique history! 

[60FlatTop]

I posted this picture of the 1939 Buick earlier. I would like to mention that it was a very significant car to me and changed my life.

 

The car was in a junkyard my friend and I spent a lot of time at from about 12 years old until the second generation owner died last year. His father, John told me I could have the car in exchange for the labor to dig a hole for a used septic tank he needed installed. It was lying on its side near the building and we had christened it "John's Rocket" with yellow tire crayon. John Zerniak's Polish rocket. Lots of Polack jokes back then. They said my friend Mike and I were dumber than Polacks because we couldn't speak Polish.

Anyway, I spent one day digging in the hard clay to earn that Buick and quit. I earned the money a lot easier. And that incident put me off hard work for the rest of my life. Haven't done a lick of it since. I hear people talk about "their hard earned money" but I made sure I never had a nickle of it.

A few years later, old Tom Burns, the High School business teacher who remembered teaching my dad gave a class explaining the sale of tangible versus intangible goods. I connected with that and followed my preferred path from then on. Mostly from what I learned from the old car.

 

Not wanting to single out ethnic comments, my ancestors are all Irish. I went to the dentist one time when I was 16 or so, picked up a big Life magazine and saw a full page ad saying "Drink Canada Dry". I thought "Well, I'll just start with western New York and take it from there."  But that's a whole other story.

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[Dan Cluley]

Running driver or Project - Yes?

 

July of 2002 I bought this '65 Chrysler for $1000 and immediately drove it to work - carefully - since I knew that the brake lights didn't work (along with about half of the electrical stuff)  A lunch hour trip to Radio Shack had a temporary fix for the lights, and I was good to go.  In 20 years I think the longest it has been inoperable is about 3 months.  So, driver with constant attention or project that gets driven a lot?