My Dad was not the oldest child in his family, but he was born in 1912. I guess that my living Grandparents were much older than yours. I do remember how hot the plastic got and how they turned black and disintegrated from the heat.

My Father was born in 1923. At home. He was the 12th of 13 children, all born on the farm.

Back to the cars - My personal experience - not my dads - I would say about any make would have worked as long as it had an 8 cyl., straight pipes, two tone paint, bubble skirts, flippers, white walls, stenciling, fuzzy dice or shrunken head, visor and it was kept polished.

Personally, I had a 55 chevy and am still married to the red head I caught with it back in 58. Wish I still had that car

quote:

Then, as now, the ladies focused primarily on guys with neat wheels and money to spend.

Was and still is the rule been before cars it was the guys with money and the best horse.

I thought the best car we had was an international travel all, one could pack all kids of hunting fishing and camping gear into it and a canoe on top.

Plus I didn't have much money but ended marrying a great gal and have had a long and happy marriage.

I look at what happen to some of the most popular gals over the years. They were not worth the time or effort.

Palmer,

you forgot the Continental Kit...

I got a 1956 Corvette in 1961. It had the 265 engine with two four barrel carbs and a low gear rear drive along with Powerglide. It was a convertible and came with a hard top also.



The car had fast steering but no power steering. It was very hard to steer.

It had a heater but no AC.

I sold it in 1966 when I bought a new Porsche 912. That was low powered and unreliable.

In 1969 I ordered and got a new 1969 Ford XL convertible with the 429 engine. That car had it all! Power, looks, speed, AC, reliablilty, big to do it all, rugged. It was superior to the other cars. It was truly a great car.

In my 30s I drove two '69 Corvettes. One, a 427 rag top auto trans, the second, shown here, 427 t-top with 4 speed trans and the 3 2-barrels carb and side pipes. Sold it after I married. Wish I had stayed single and kept the car.
Cal

Savage,

the elderly gentleman who lived two doors down from our old house has a red-red-red convertible with the same engine. I keep trying to convince him he needs to sell it to me...
16 years later, no luck yet.

I am so glad my wife loves our old Jag convertible.

IN my experience, most women are impressed if you have no car payment vs a jazzy car...

The car that impressed the beautiful girl that I married most was not my favorite the Ford 429 XL convertable but the 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado that I drove in the winter.

While I worked in CT and lived with my parents I used my place in the hills of S. VT for hunting and skiing.

The Toronado had front wheel drive and studded snows on the front in the winter for turning, stopping and traction.

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Grenadier,

I remember graduating from HS in 1967. About three months later Plymouth introduces the Road Runner. Mine was blood red coupe, bench seat, column torqueflite, PS, PB and an AM radio. The msrp was a staggering $2916 on the sticker. 335 Horse, and a 3:91 posi.

My high school Roadrunner was a 1969 black bucket seat console 4-speed in R-4 Performance Red also with a 3.91 rear and black vinyl roof.

Bought it from a neighbor across the street for $1,400 in 1970. He hated the car because his wife ordered it when he was in Vietnam at the behest of her boyfriend.

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
In my 30s I drove two '69 Corvettes. One, a 427 rag top auto trans, the second, shown here, 427 t-top with 4 speed trans and the 3 2-barrels carb and side pipes. Sold it after I married. Wish I had stayed single and kept the car.
Cal

It would fall apart on your driveway. Just sayin'

might be so, but one would not have to worry about the wheelbase growing...

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
In my 30s I drove two '69 Corvettes. One, a 427 rag top auto trans, the second, shown here, 427 t-top with 4 speed trans and the 3 2-barrels carb and side pipes. Sold it after I married. Wish I had stayed single and kept the car.
Cal

It would fall apart on your driveway. Just sayin'

The world loves a smart ass. For your information, before I sold the car I changed the exhaust and now use the side pipes as extra barrels on my 4-bore double.
Cal

I can't resist... this one is different. This is my Berkeley that I owned for a year back in college days. Also my brother's Chevy in front of the stone house my father built during the depression.

The car was tiny, an incredibly dumb car for Michigan's weather and an absolute delight. The memories associated with this car are priceless.

As far as girls go... no one's daughter ever got pregnant in a Berkeley.

Butch is the only other person I ever met who also owned one back in the day.

A very 'hot' young blonde in my class who had all the curves got picked up each day in front of the high school while we walked to the bus stop. We did not have cars in the 50's.

He drove an MG TD like this.

I had a 1932 Ford with a souped up Chrysler hemi. My girlfriends mother wouldn't let her ride in it. Smart lady, she recognized an idiot when she saw one. She always loaned us her 1954 Pontiac 2 door hard top with leather covered seats. Life was good.

Dave

[IMG]
http://i1288.photobucket.com/a...psexoen21m.jpg[/IMG]

I just noticed that the MG in the picture above has left side steering!

I thought the British cars of that era had RH drive?

quote:

Originally posted by Savage_99:
I just noticed that the MG in the picture above has left side steering!

I thought the British cars of that era had RH drive?

Not the American imported ones. Also note the photo from Dick with the Berkely. They were LH drive as mine was also.

Where I grew up western mid Michigan farm country and when I was in high school 1961 thru 1965 girls were impressed if you had some thing to drive other than a pick up. I was able to drive moms 1951 Studebaker to school some times. when I got my first car in 1963 it was a two tone white over gray 1958 ford Fairlane 500 4 dr. ht. Had a 352 police inceptor engine in it with a Fordamatic trans.



By 1965 the body was so bad even baling wire would not hold the head lites still for night driving. I found a 1959 sitting with out an engine so I bought it and put the engine from the 58 in it and before fall I put a stick shift trans in it. It was white over PINK two tone.



When I got back from Nam I bought a 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 2dr ht. Mine was aqua green in color



Then in 1969 I got a Mercury Marauder X100 it was also aqua green with a 429 engine. was the last car I owned till 1984. Had a couple pick ups and 3 Jeeps till then.



Al