Talking Cars Tuesday: Your first true love.

Submitted by JFW on

Okay; I like this thread, it helps me get through the dark no football period. So even though its late I thought I'd throw something out there to keep it going. 

What was your first true automotive love? The one that really hooked you on cars? 

 

For me it was when the 5.0 liter mustang came back in the fox body as the GT. My uncle got one. It seemed amazingly powerful for its day. I still remember the commercials 'The Boss is Back'. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1MC3IMmMFs

SoDak Blues

June 27th, 2017 at 3:58 PM ^

I had a friend in high school who was the first to be able to drive (held back twice in grade school). He had a  shitty old white 1988 Lumina with red trim. As shitty as that car was, the old "Luminator" gave us a ton of fantastic memories.

uncle leo

June 27th, 2017 at 4:22 PM ^

What a boat that car was.

It had the two bench seats, no cupholders, and the speedometer went to 80. When I was on the freeway, I literally thought the needle was going to break off the damn thing.

Currently, I'm driving in the modern day Buick line, they are all pretty nice but very boring and conventional. I miss that old bucket of bolts.

Don

June 27th, 2017 at 3:23 PM ^

I still remember the night my dad arrived home after work in it to surprise my mom. Looked just like this one:

More seriously, the first car I was really hooked on as a badass vehicle was this one that I saw in "Goldfinger" in '64.

Yes, I'm that old.

mGrowOld

June 27th, 2017 at 3:37 PM ^

Stuff the Big 3 used to make for street racers (and you could walk into a dealership and buy a car with)

Dual quads (the baddest of bad-ass carberation)

Tri-power (Dual quads little brother)

High-rise intake manifold

Factory headers

Cut-out switch & straight pipes

Long & short duration cams

Radio delete (gotta save weight)

Heater delete (even more weight gone)

Honeycomb aluminum frame (now we're talking light)

Choke switch

Close ratio 4-speed

Posi-traction

4:11 rear end and the ability to order different axle combinations

I'm sure there's more but those are the ones that I miss the most......

mGrowOld

June 27th, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^

You can still buy a hemi cant you?

But the following cubic inch displacements are gone (but not forgotten): 455 (Pontiac torque monster), 454 (Chevelle SS owned Woodward), 440 (Mopar), 429 (so much potential), 428 (beast from Ford), 427 (both Ford & Chevy), 426 (I dont think the new Hemi is 426 anymore is it?), 400 (Ram Air II, III, IV and the Unicorn V), 396 (Camaroand Chevelle), 383 (Roadrunner & GTX),351 (Windsor & Cleveland) 350 (Firebird & Nova) & 302 (what a fantasic small block engine that was in the Mustang Boss).

JFW

June 27th, 2017 at 4:21 PM ^

"I dont think the new Hemi is 426 anymore is it?"

No. I think the biggest they come is the 392. There aren't any big blocks anymore that I know of. Most Hemi's are 350's now, I believe. 

mGrowOld

June 27th, 2017 at 4:49 PM ^

A "double pumper" was a 4 barell carb, usually 750cfm or larger, that pumped fuel simultaniously at all times and not just when the throttle was fully engaged.   I had one on a 1970 GTO with a 455 and that baby got about 4 - 6 MPH on a good day.  

Basically the double pumper just doubled your fuel usage but did give more immediate acceleration.

Add that to my list.....

JFW

June 28th, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^

Always wondered, but was afraid to google it on the family PC....

 

I love that they made something that nuked gas mileage to get that hairs breadth of extra performance. 

Wolverine In Exile

June 27th, 2017 at 3:36 PM ^

Still had the classic boxy look since it was a Sport model and not a Grand. 4.0L 4x4 could still haul ass and felt like a Jeep when you drove it. Loved that car-- wish I had just bought it outright instead of turning it back in after lease.

JFW

June 27th, 2017 at 4:19 PM ^

I think that they were supposed to ditch it when the ZJ came out, but it sold too well. 

 

I too wish they'd kept it, and the 4.0 liter around. They kept saying they couldn't get the 4.0 to make emissions but I don't get why. 

 

ultimately though, sales will tell. 

JFW

June 27th, 2017 at 3:46 PM ^

are some of my favorite engines. That and the 318. 

 

The 260 and 289 because I love that they could deliver alot of power in a small package. The 318 because I had one and it was indestructible for well over 200K miles. Didn't do a damned thing to that engine and it always started right up. 

The Krusty Kra…

June 27th, 2017 at 3:44 PM ^

I grew up in a family where my aunt and uncle both worked for GM, I remember being as young as four years old and my uncle would give me his old Car and Driver magazines so I could look at the pictures. The first car that TRULY caught my loving eye was a 94-96 Impala SS. My aunt brought one over at Easter one year and I thought it was the coolest looking car I had ever seen. Once money is less of a concern, I want to buy one but drop in a more modernized version of the LT1 to make it a true sleeper.

NelzQ

June 27th, 2017 at 3:58 PM ^

The first car that I absolutely fell in love with was the 1969 Pontiac GTO. My dad bought one.

As far as the first love car I purchased, it was a 1984 Toyota Supra in sky blue metallic with black racing stripes and a 5 speed stick.

JFW

June 27th, 2017 at 4:15 PM ^

There. I said it. Even if I called it the Fiasco at the time. 

The mid engine treatment and body were cool for their day. They just didn't match the power to the handling potential. 

To me the Fiero is the car that could have been. Make it with more power, better suspension, and a convertible and its a heck of a car. 

BlueMan80

June 27th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^

You could hear the funny cars and rails running at the track miles from our house on summer nights.  So, drag racing cars and weird vehicles like The Mysterion, The Little Red Wagon, and other assorted oddities really hooked me on cars at a young age.  Cars like the C2 (early 60s) Corvette were very interesting to me.  Always loved the original Thunderbird.  This is what happens when your dad  has to be one of a few people that can say they bought 2 Edsels.

stephenrjking

June 27th, 2017 at 4:15 PM ^

I was a racing fan for far longer and my vehicle preferences tend in that direction. However, the car that first caught my "man, do I want one" fancy was the 1994 redesign of the Ford Mustang. To this day I think it's a beautiful car. 

Eliminator70

June 27th, 2017 at 7:20 PM ^

My first love as well.  I saved my money for my first car in about 1979 and fell in love with the first gen Cougars.  I found one and struck a deal with the owner only to have my dad veto the deal because he didn't want me to have an 8 cylinder for my first car.  Many years later I bought and restored a '68 XR7 and sold it to a fellow in Australia and a '70 Cougar Eliminator (thus the user name),  Great cars but I'm glad I have modern cars now.

Wendyk5

June 27th, 2017 at 5:57 PM ^

Back in 1979/1980, there were two older guys who lived in my town that were bigger than life. By older, I mean 18 or 19. I was 14. One drove a white Camaro Z-28 with t-tops, and the other drove an old Alfa Romeo GTV-6. Those were my first two car loves. My first car was a used Z-28, also white but without t-tops. It was bitchin.' I'm still pining for the GTV-6. Maybe one day when my kids are on their own. 

Goggles Paisano

June 27th, 2017 at 7:25 PM ^

I'm not a car fanatic but I must say that to this day, my favorite car I have ever drove was the '88 Mustang GT 5.0 convertible.  My Dad had a lot of perks when he worked for Rouge Steel and came home with that car one year.  He got a new lease car each year.  I was a high-school senior at the time and had an absolute blast driving that car around jamming toTesla on cassette.  

Almost 30 years later, it is still the coolest, funnest and fastest car I have ever drove.  

Blue Ninja

June 28th, 2017 at 8:54 AM ^

The first car I ever fell in love with was because I was into model cars as a kid and I got this one. 1969 Boss Mustang with the 429. Beautiful car, have always wanted one but alas it will never be.