Vanishing Point
on 10/29/2006 at 09:34 AM
Ah, but Skipper Detroit, enviro-wackos and the dumbing down of America (I get nauseous seeing an automatic in a sports/muscle car) will make sure that the resurection will be a pale imitation of the original. Today’s Corvette is a sham to the old ‘65, just like today’s Mustang is nothing like the ‘65 (although a great improvement over the box that almost killed the ‘Stang in the 90s). Today’s Thunderbird is not my dad’s Thunderbird [he leased it when his med practice went that way, my mom was po’d to the max - thought he’d gotten it to ‘impress’ the ladies - he said, would you want a doctor driving a VW?] but I did take a spin in my sil’s (new one ‘05) and it isn’t a bad little car. All the chick cars I love, they’ve killed off - TR, MGB, and the ignored Porsche 914. Oh well when I win the lottery I guess I can enjoy finding a car worth spending those kind of bucks on.
BTW, your ex, like so many women was a wimp. I learned my love of cars from my first boyfriend who had a CamaroZ28 and taught me to properly drive, maintain and appreciate cars. I knew if I could get by with his power clutch - any other car would be a breeze. Until I embarassed myself in a liquior store parking lot - unable to get the damn VW I’d borrowed into reverse! (I’ve driven 3 of those stupid cars - embarassed myself with all of ‘em - there should be a law!!!!)Anyway, it was his best friend who introduced me to the 914, which he kissed every night before going to bed.
Good fer you, Wardmama! I like a dame who loves monster cars. The 914 was a sweet ride, no doubt. I could only dream.
Detroit will surely wimp-down anything they make nowadays. It’s all part of the pussification of America. I hate Alan Alda for starting that “sensitive man” crap.
Yeah its a shame that I’m driving a mini-van. Oh well, sometimes being an adult is doing what you need to do, not what you want to do.
I cry - my friends MGB (ordered directly from Britain) cost about 6 grand with both a soft and hard top. (Couldn’t get that now on a bet) Lovely little car - drove it a couple of times in OK, before her husband killed it. My sister owned the TR, drove it until the mechanic guy laughed and said, No I’m not fixing it - the body which is paint covered rust is about to fall off!
Now days they last until the warrenty expires (if you are lucky)! We’ve had two recalls on this vehicle and here’s the rub - the local ‘dealer’ never got the replacement parts. Some recall that. It’s stupid.
Yes, those were the days, my first new car cost $2400, gas was 35 cents a gallon and a stick shift was a stick shift. Anyone who can drive an old Oldsmobile vistacruiser 109 mph in Montana knows how to appreciate a car. Most of todays models are status crap masquading as cars. And now I relish a 65mph as heaven. Thanks envirowackos and stupid Americans too lazy to use a manual tranny.
Skipper, can we give wardmama a prize or something? She’s fantastic! How about a little Miata with a supercharger on the engine. zoom zoom ZOOM!
One of my first rides was a beat out Vistacruiser ... the station wagon with 2 windshields. And a 455 under the hood. Loaded down with 10 people going up a steep hill at 75mph, if you tromped on the gas the engine had so much torque it could bend the front end up nearly off the ground.
I take all the new cars out for a spin every year. While I agree that today’s Vette doesn’t have the style the old ones did, with the 400+ HP engine it goes like hell. And the thing actually turns corners, stops on half a dime, and is somewhat comfortable to ride in. And it doesn’t need tuning every month.
If you can find a car today with a manual trans, it will have a hydraulic clutch on it that a 10 year old could manage. The days of the 50lb clutch are thankfully gone. Best bang for the buck has been the Spec-V Nissan Sentra, but now that they’ve remodeled that car into a portly little squatmobile like the Corolla and the new Jetta I have no idea if that version is still available.
The new Mustang has the look of a ‘68 fastback, and on paper it has the power, but its gotten fat. Fatter than the fat 1973 ‘stang. If you don’t get the manual trans you’re just making noise and wasting gas. You can shell out extra cash for the 400+HP Cobra, or really spend it for a Saleen if you can find one.
I grew up just a few years after y’all so I remember all those cars too. Except they were used cars when they got to my age mates. So we had to deal with the crappy wiring, the glommed carbs, the insta-rust, and all the major parts that wore out after 50K miles. Blown gaskets, broken springs, split batteries, water pumps, alternators, etc. ... most of those cars turned into parts queens after just 5 years. One thing I can say for today’s cars is that they hold together a whole lot better.
I’ve been waiting for this new Dodge for months now. If I can get it with a stick I want one. It too will corner and brake, two things its forefather couldn’t do. Sorry Skip, but its true. Frame and suspension design is so much better today there’s no comparison. And I never did like the original interior. Yuck. It was the tackiest; it even made Chevys look elegant in comparison.
Agreed, Drew. The interior of the original Challenger was “spartan” to say the least. But in them days, we didn’t need “fine corinthian leather”. Hell, we didn’t need power steering or an automatic transmission. In fact, we refused to let anyone hang out with us who had either.
I learned how to drive on a Farmall tractor and a beatup ‘55 International Harvester pick-em-up truck. Oh yeah, almost forgot ... I learned how to make tight turns on an ornery ol’ brokedown horse named “Dick”.
After 1972, all the cars went to shit and the Japs moved in. By the late 70’s the 240-Z was the height of cool while Detroit tried to finger out what happened.
By then I was behind the wheel of a 1979 Fiat Spider. Cool little beastie but hell to find parts for. Corner and hold the road like glue - even at 80 mph - on hairpin turns.
Dang! Driving used to be so much fun ....
One more thing .... “air-conditioning”? WTF is that? Nobody needed that in a car. Use the 4-70 A/C ... roll down all four windows and drive 70mph. Cooooool!
AND .... all we had was an AM radio. FM didn’t exist. I did add an eight-track player however.
SHIT! I’m just way too old.
"Does it come in Black?”
I love that line from “Batman Begins”
We used to have a ‘63 Pontiac Gran Prix when I was a kid. Dad was a mechanic; for years he had his own shop where he used to hop up muscle cars to realllly sing. So, the old Pontiac that had about 400 stock HP was somewhat modified. It’s only problem was the automatic trans that was in it wasn’t quite strong enough for the engine. It was made before the Turbo 400s came out. That car could have used it, or a 4-speed.
Naturally, Dad sold the car before I turned 15. @&$)(@*&$#^
What we ended up with was a ‘71 Chevy wagon with a 402 in it. Of course, he modified it, too. If you’re going to have something that will move (and that car would...pissed off a lot of people with that old thing) you might as well do it with stealth. People just could not believe a big old boat station wagon could wipe their Grand Torinos and 280ZX’s into the pavement.
About 20 years ago I had a chance to buy a ‘71 Chev convertible minus the engine and trans for $200. Passed it up. Kicked myself a lot, too. That car in a dark blue metallic paint, white interior and top with that 402 in it would be a cruisin’ ride now. Oh well....probably couldn’t afford the gas to feed it.
All I can say is:
*DROOL*
on both cars.
My favorite is the Nash Bridges car: a ‘71 Hemi ‘Cuda convertible (I know it’s really a ‘70 modified). I wouldn’t mind seeing the ‘08 Challanger in a ragtop with that bright yellow paint.
I used to have a ‘72 Plymouth Satellite. Plain vanilla 318, but I still pushed it up to 110. That was back in the days of the double nickel speed limit.
I bought it used for $1700, but another 50,000 miles on it, and sold it for $600. I wish I still had it. :-(
Still, I put over 165,000 miles on the Neon with only one major problem.
I had a 1955 oldsmobile starfire convert, i think there are only 3 in the UK, if you are into old yanks, Kanters in New Jersey is the place to go for parts, they are excellent
10/30/2006 at 03:53 PM
