BS: Your favorite car ever....

Subject: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bobert
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 06:55 PM

Okay, I'm sure that a lot of folks will be surprised to find that Iz a certified motorhead... Sure I maybe temporarilly in semi-remission, though I still have couple cool rides under car cover but...

... I was wonderin' what cars others folks think to be the ultimate car???

'49 Hudson Hornet?

'39 Ford Coupe?

'56 T-Bird?

So which car/cars float yer boat???

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,Skipy
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 06:57 PM

1.8 diesel escort van.
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: pdq
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 06:59 PM

1978 Scout II

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Mr Red
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 07:01 PM

Fiat Panda/Seat Marbella. any number of reasons but when I get squeezed by a fast idiot I usually catch him (a lot of hers these days) looking for a parking space. I squeeze in to less that 3 feet longer than my car's length if I have to. It ain't what yer got it's what ya do with it.

Cars are for transport.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bobert
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 07:08 PM

Danged, pdq... I had a '78 Scout II. Had the 354 (?) V8 and the hardtop that came off... I had a tonue cover made that snapped above the windshield, had side which snapped and sloped bacl to the tailgate so when it rained, I'd just put it on and let it rain... I had it a couple years and loved it... In the winter when it snowed, man geeze o' man, that Scout (with hardtop) would grind thru snow like it weren't even there...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: pdq
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 07:21 PM

Bobert ... was yours blue? Holly 2V or Carter Termoquad?

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 07:23 PM

'56 T-Bird, and not just because Boberdz mentioned it. Always has been. Always will be.

Coulda had a '57 T-Bird for my first car. My mom's hairdresser had one for sale. But my parents wisely figured that since just about every kid wrecks his first car it'd be stoopid to give such a nice car to a 17 year-old idiot. And, anyway, I wuzn't enough of a motorhead to keep a 12-year-old T-bird runnin' right. So Mom gave me her '63 Impala SS and I wrecked it instead. Wuzn't my fault, I just hadn't learned all those defensive drivin' tricks yet. But it wuz wrecked just the same and if it'd been that T-Bird, it woulda been just as wrecked and I'da felt a lot worse about it.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: beardedbruce
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 07:27 PM

1968 AMX... and I still have one.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bunnahabhain
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 07:32 PM

Any one I've got out of when my brother is driving. Maximum speed, maximum decibels, and minimum restraint.....

Bunnahabhain

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Rustic Rebel
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 07:47 PM

I've always wanted a Woodie wagon. Like the 41 Packard wagon. All wood sides and interior has wood roof, seats 8 people. Something like that. They run for about $125,000. right now.
I was in Santa Cruz for a Neil Young concert years ago and he drove down to the show in his Woodie. It was mint. I like the wagons or vans. (I like my 75 volkswagon bus too. It goes where no man has gone before!)

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: kendall
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 07:56 PM

Two that I used to own; a 1947 DeSoto, and a 1960 Mercedes Benz 220 S

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bobert
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 07:58 PM

Nah, pdq, it was gray witha white fibergalss top. When I got it it had some rust in the rocker panels so I fixed it and repainted the entire car... It had a 4 barrel carb but I can't remember if it wasa a Carter, but it wasn't afternarker so if that;'s all they came with I guess it was... It did have duals, which I'm not sure was stock. It was a real nice ride. I owned it from 1989ish to 1992ish... One thing I do rememeber real well about it, it got lousy gas mileage...

'56 T-Bird was one hot car!!! My dad worker for Ford Motor Company as a district manager so he was always bringing home cool Fords. Some we'd keep for 6 months. Others aweek. I was a kid and never understood it to well but it sure was nice to have some cool ass Ford to ride in.

The coolest of the cool was a '56 Crown Vic with a 312 V8 and three 2 barrel carbs. I'm not too sure whoes idea it was but not only did it have the glass half roof but it also had a glass sunroof in the niddle of the hood so you could look down at the engine... Heck, I was only 10 years old but allready drawing cars every night so I was way into this Vic... Wish I had this car today...

But, true story. In 1964, at aged 17, my dad brought home an AC Cobra, 289/271 and I convinced him that it would be a great idea to let me drag race it as a promtional thing since Ford was allready drag racing a 427 '64 Galaxy named "Honking Henry". So for 7 glorious weeks I got to drive this Cobra to high school and to various drag stripes on the weekend to take on the local Corvette hero in the best-ouy-of-5 exhibtion until....

(drumbeat...)

one unfortunate Fridat night where, upon returning from Manassis Speedway, decided, along with a guy ina '63 Chevy SS with a 409 decided we hadn't gotten the racin' out of our systems at the drag strip and went at it hot and heavy and both got busted big time since both of us outran the cop but not his radio...

(Bad move, Bobert...)

Yeah, bad move. I went from Mr. Cool to Mr. Walkin'-to-School... Lost my license for ONE YEAR... Talk about a big dose of Humble Pie!!!!

Plus the car got impounded so my poor ol man musta had to eat a little of the pie himself onMonday mornin'...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Cobble
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 08:01 PM

The one that got me home after a good night out.

                               Yawn.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 08:31 PM

When I got my first car in the good old days
It was a 1951 Chevrolet
With white wall tires, 'cept for one that was black
Three speeds forward and no speeds back

No car can ever equal your first one, even if it didn't have a working reverse gear half the time.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: beardedbruce
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 08:35 PM

Jerry,

Only back up the other half of the time!

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: jaze
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 08:40 PM

Never had one, but I always loved 57 Chevy's. My favorite car I owned was my 69 VW Beetle. Now, that car knew the way home!

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 08:42 PM

For practical uses: Any Subaru. They're marvelous. Specially the All-wheel drive ones. I have a front wheel drive one at the moment. I also like Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, and Mazdas. Banzai!!!

For classic looks: The great cars of the mid to late 30's! They were gorgeous looking vehicles. The Duesenbergs, Mercedes, Cord, Lincoln, Packard, you name it. Those were the height of aesthetic car design.

For more recent good looks: Jaguar XK sports cars, early MG sports cars, Triumph sports cars, old Mercedes SL's, and the like...from the 50's and 60's.

Bobert - You oughta call up Bruce Springsteen and compare notes! The guy is nuts on cars. He wrote some 500 or so songs. 479 of them are about girls and cars...or cars and girls...or girls in cars...or just cars...

"Baby, you can drive my car...
Beep! Beep! ummm... Beep! Beep! Yeah!" (Beatles)

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bobert
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 08:52 PM

Yer gonna find this kinda funny, LH, but when I knew Bruce in '69 he was like, ahhhhh, 20 years old, maybe 21, an' I'd bet he didn't even know how to drive???

But, Subi's and Toyotaers ain't like, ahhhh, cool...

But MG-A's and Jag 120's are....

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,Hetero
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 09:08 PM

1972 Lamborghini Espada, a 4 seater low slung sporty saloon, fast, sleek,soft hide seats.
Hetero

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Peace
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 09:30 PM

A picture is worth . . . . But, in red.

http://www.hubcapcafe.com/i/2000/white_bear/must6701.JPG

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 09:39 PM

my first car was also a 51 Chevy, like Jerry's was...2-tone green.

The most fun I ever had was with a 56 VW bus with a 59 engine....I turned it into a rolling office and parked on campus and had parties in it..*grin* (yeah, I had curtains)

but the car I've always wanted,(45 years or so, now) and I don't CARE how it runs, or how impractical it would be to maintain, is this... 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C 'Tulipwood' Torpedo. Just pushes my buttons...

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 09:47 PM

the most interesting cars I ever rode in were an MG-TC...fun!

and a 1947 Lincoln sedan with wood paneling and leather seats...a friend bought it and took several of us for a 'spin' out US 50, east of Wichita, Kans...we tooled along for a bit, when the guy said "I'd better slow down some, it's kinda windy."...I'd been sitting in the back seat, not even noticing any 'speed', so I looked over the seat and saw the speedometer was at 105MPH!...That baby wasn't even straining...

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bobert
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 09:49 PM

WOW, Bill...

Makes a Cord look like a Checker cab...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Once Famous
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 09:59 PM

My first car, which was a 1963 Ford Galaxie 500.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: number 6
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 09:59 PM

I've always been a jeep cj7 fan, but only the ones built before 1986, before Chrysler took them over. That straight inline 4 litre 6 cylinder engine would last forever. Carbs could have been improved though. Easy to work on, fun to drive. Had 2 cj7's a 1981 and a 1984.

1954 MGB is always a fav of mine, also any Austin Mini, the originals that is.

Currently own a 2004 Subaru Outback, This is probably the best car I've ever owned.

How about the biggest POS ever produced. I'll endorse the AMC Pacer for that.

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,marks
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 10:10 PM

The '96 Impala SS. Best piece of iron ever to come out of Detroit. Size, speed, comfort, and at speeds over 85 settled down on the road and hugged it like a rug. Had a 350 LT1 that could be tuned to a fare the well with bolt on parts - I can only imagine what the car would do if you spent any money on it.
Never be another like it.
Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bobert
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 10:43 PM

Yo, GUEST, marks....

When GM came out with the replacement for the tried and true Impala boxy car with the "new 'n improved" model in the eraly 90's I thought it was about the ugliest car I've ever seen but...

... it grew on me little at a time...

Yeah, LT1 engine and beefy suspension in an SS model? Yeah, one cookin' hot rod...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: open mike
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 02:48 AM

Dodge Dart or Plymouth Valiant 6 cylender with Push Button Tranmission
63 or 64...when you lift the hood you can see and reach everything!
they ahd wheels that the lug nuts turned opposite directions on either side of the car....good little machines.

i also had a Dodge Colt Vista....8 passenger...4 wheel drive....
mitsubishi made them....this was in 85..they only hold 6 pass. now..
my uncle waas a Dodge/Chrysler dealer...got a horse in trade once.,..
and i got to have her after my cousin went away to college.

i also like my international travellall..it was a used high way dept.
crew vehicle....windows all around....when the engine blew up :-(
it made a great fruit dryer....and green house.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: hilda fish
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 03:42 AM

69 Chrysler Valiant with blue top and white bottom. That car was so great. Did Melb to Bris in 19 hours once when speeding wasn't such a social irresponsibility. Finally I couldn't afford to register it any more and it was running on only 6 of its 8 cylinders so we used it to round up the sheep and after that the cows. It's still going strong in the bush although it's lost its roof, its boot cover and it's tyres. Old Rover 90 was another one. It had lovely wooden dash and rode like a dream. I rode the crap out of it too and it looked after me very well. Now, well now I have a little white Japanese car that is economic, efficient, is easy to park, was cheap to buy and causes offense to no-one. It has no 'sex' (excuse me) in it but it gets me around. I am so practical these days!

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,MBSLynne
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 07:48 AM

1949-51 2 1/2 litre Riley.

Though I'll admit to an inclination towards V8 Mustangs and just about any Jaguar that exists. And Landrovers......

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,jim tailor
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 07:56 AM

'66 Super Sport

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 11:26 AM

Honda Civic wagon, 1985. My current car--2003 Suzuki Aerio SX AWD w/ ABS ain't half bad, either!

best,

bbc

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 01:47 PM

I had a '57 Chevy briefly during the 70's but sold it back to the "owner" because we couldn't get a clear title on it. So a few weeks later I was talking with a junkyard operator who assured me that for a few bucks he could have gotten me a title on the car by certifying that I had bought it from his yard as a wreck and restored it. But, of course, it was gone by then.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 02:11 PM

My first car, a wonderful Triumph 2000 saloon, 1967 model, navy with wine-colored velvet upholstery. Drove like a dream, but had this tendency to get up to about 85 mph while I wasn't paying attention. The good thing about that was that the car actually looked like a beat-up old Datsun (if you weren't looking too closely), not like a fast car, so I never got stopped.

How I wish I could find another! But rare in England, impossible to find here in California.

But I was recently able to buy my husband HIS dream car for our tenth anniversary. Fortunately his tastes are humble: It's a 1961 Buick Skylark, two-tone blue and white, and he drives it everywhere! It was Buick's first foray into "muscle cars" and has a high-performance aluminum engine, but because the engine was (and is) pretty high-maintenance, the car was only made for three model years.

It's great fun being able to do that for the one I love, but it's a good thing he's not a Hispano-Suiza fan...

Claire

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Blissfully Ignorant
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 02:50 PM

I like sensible cars. Like Volvos..easy to drive, easy to maintain, easy to get parts for...

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: frogprince
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 03:04 PM

Bill D., have you seen that Hispanio Suizo "live"? It was at the Meadowbrook Concours near us a few years ago. Must agree, it's a wild, gorgeous design. Given a winning lottery ticket and one choice in the world, I would have a Duesenberg SJ. Give me two more choices and I would add a Continental MK II. and a '57 Bird.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 03:14 PM

Well, the three cars I've owned that I liked the most were:
a) a 1934 Studebaker Dictator Coupe (that's the model that placed fourth at that year's Indy)

b) a supercharged VW beetle and

c)a SAAB Sonett (I still have one)

All three were blasts to drive.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: RolyH
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 03:17 PM

I loved my 1979 rusty Ford Cortina.

The body fell to bits before the engine did.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 03:47 PM

1954 MG-TF (dark blue, red interior) -- at the same time I also had a 1962 MGA 1600 Mark II (light metallic blue w/black interior) and a 1967 MGB-GT (white).

Alas, at the same time I had a model husband -- unfortunately, he wasn't a WORKING model, so I ended up selling the MGs to bail him out of some financial debacle. Didn't finally divorce him for another 8 years.

I was young and stupid. Selling the MGs was the biggest mistake of my life. Staying married to Hubby #1 for 10 years was my second biggest mistake. Third mistake was in not being able to buy the 1952-MG-TD with the 6-cylinder Italian racing engine that I found in a junk yard for $200. (It had been rear-ended.) I had neither the 200 bucks, nor a place to put it.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Blissfully Ignorant
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 03:53 PM

Saabs, too, i like Saabs

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 03:56 PM

nope, frogprince,...never saw the Hispano live...good thing,...I mighta drooled on it, and been paying forever!..(and yes, a Dusenberg would be a decent 2nd or 3rd choice)Lots of those old European classics also ring my chimes.)

(oh,,one of the most interesting cars I saw was when I was a kid, 50+ years ago...they brought one of Hitlers limosines thru the US on a tour...bullet proof glass..etc..)

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: *Laura*
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 04:00 PM

old style mini.
and I am getting one oh-so-soon
(red with a union jack top - yeh!)

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: MBSLynne
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 04:11 PM

Oh yeah Laura! Forgot minis! Lucky you!!

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: robomatic
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 05:24 PM

1955 Chevy. Our other car was a '56 Chevy. The kind of metal you could hit with a frying pan with nary a scratch. Big 8 cylinder engine in front with space all around and an oil bath for an air filter. No 'frills' like power brakes or steering, air conditioning, or seatbelts. Bumpers front and rear, each waying as much as a mini.

When the Volkswagen Dasher came out, its roof barely cleared my hood (bonnet). I'd get behind 'em in the fast lane and shine my brights into them until they got out of my way. I had a learner's permit!

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 05:35 PM

Looks like people's ages are showing by some choices---me, my favorite is my current one 1999 Camry---gets me where I want and is fairly trouble free.

What did I like the most though---just loved my 1969 Plymouth Fury III. Was like a ship on land---and was still going strong when I sold it w/ 130,000. The fellow who purchased it went to Calif. with it and kept using it there.   But for nostalgia--my family's 1st one---1947 Plymouth De-Luxe--the De Luxe meant it was $50.00 more and you got a chrome strip and---here it comes----a heater. I think it cost 800.00 (or less).

The times are not a-changin---they have changed.

By the way-why o why did they do away with those nice little draft windows. They really served a good purpose.

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 06:15 PM

now, MANY years ago, when I worked at a grocery store, I carried out a big bunch of groceries for a lady and found they had to go into one of these!....an Izetta. She had 5 bags of stuff and 3 gallons of milk..(in glass bottles, then)...she climbed in, and I stacked the stuff around her as she assured me there would be someone at home to UNpack her!

I'd like to have one of these...or a Messerschmidt, which is similar, except that I'd be scared silly of what traffic would do to me!

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 06:25 PM

I cannot resist posting this story since Bill D mentioned Messerschmidt.

After WW2 a U S Army Air Force ace was giving a talk to a ladies garden group---and he said---"there were Fuckers to the right of me--there were Fuckers to the left of me"--at that point the chair lady interrupted to tell the assembled group that he is referring to the Folker--a German plane. He said--" Hell no lady---those Fuckers were Messerschidts".

Drum Roll please.

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 06:41 PM

"Fokkers" wasn't it? 'folkers' are the residents of this place!

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 06:45 PM

Point well taken---and spelling point too---it surely was not Messershit.

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 06:52 PM

If I don't need to have owned one... Hmm.

Original (maybe 1932) Daimler Double Six

or 4 1/2 litre Invicta low chassis

Or speed 6 Bentley

or Facel Vega HK500

Or SSK Merc

or Allard J2X

Or SS100, or maybe XK150

or TVR Tuscan V8SE (about 1967)

Or Gordon Keeble GT

or Morgan Plus 8

Several Bristols are possible...

Aston DB4 Zagato

How could I forget - the 1 1/2 litre Straker-Squire.

So many cars, so little space...

Bugatti Royale...

Maybe a Pegaso...

Or an Isotta Fraschini...

Oh, and a propos planes, the funny thing is the Fokkers (not Folkers) were German in WW 1, but Allied (Dutch, I think) WW2

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 06:59 PM

Etoire Bugatti was once upset by a complaint that a Bugatti was hard to start in the Winter...he replied, "Anyone who can afford one of my cars can afford a heated garage!"

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bobert
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 07:03 PM

Nice list, Richard, an' there's quite a few on there I at least know something about...

A buddy on mine had a Facal Vega. I think it was made by Farrari but I would swear to it... It looked good but was a bear to keep everything working....

I'm really surprised that, given the age of a lot of Catters, that we're not seeing more 50's cars...

Oh well...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 07:47 PM

Cars? Given the 'Catters ages---cars?   Let me tell you about my Surrey with the Fringe On Top.

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,Jaze
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 08:26 PM

Open Mike, my first car was a 1963 Plymouth Valiant with push-button transmission. Cost $199.00. Had a lot of fun in that car!

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 08:37 PM

Jaze: You must have purchased it used. Correct? So-=--now what kind of fun did you have? Yu drove it so you wer not in theback seat for sure.   

Bill Hahn (doing a survey on fun in cars)

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 08:49 PM

hey! How many of you have ever ridden in a gen-you-wine rumble seat? . My mother's cousin had one in the mid 40s, very much like the pic...though probably a Ford or Chevey...I remember getting to ride somewhere in it...(The National Safety Council would no doubt turn blue if anyone tried to intorduce one today)

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: harpgirl
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 08:54 PM

This one's easy, too! My mom had a little baby blue Plymouth Valiant with those baby fins in 1966. My next door neighbor Rick, who was my best friend, and I used to push it out of the garage and down the street in the middle of the night then start it, so we wouldn't get caught. I loved that little car....

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Amos
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 11:14 PM

I rode in a rumble seat as a boy, Bill.. don't remember the model but the rumble qwas a blast!!

My best and first car was a Willys Jeep Station Wagon with a Ford 8 cylinder engine adapted into it. Sucker would wind up in every gear and walk up the side of a building.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 03 Feb 05 - 01:16 AM

"Rusty Ford Cortina" which is a song I am waiting for the words for...

TTO: "It never rains on the dusty Diamantaina"

I had both a Rusty Red Ford Cortina & a Fiat 128....

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Mooh
Date: 03 Feb 05 - 08:18 AM

No classics here, but my Dad's '61 Valiant with push button gear shift on the dash was my first idea of cool. My own favourite vehicle was a '74 Volvo sedan...for a year I lived in it more than my "fixed address". I suppose if I never ditch the '93 Voyageur van in the driveway it'll become a classic before I figure on leaving, and I'll always be able to get parts, if not fuel.

How are those for dork cars?

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 03 Feb 05 - 11:28 AM

Bill D,

I think it does have something to do w/ age, but also w/ circumstances. The 2 cars I mentioned are the only ones I have gotten to choose completely on my own & I've really liked both of them! Prior to that, my parents or my husband chose. Not the same at all!

best,

bbc

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,Jaze
Date: 03 Feb 05 - 08:02 PM

I wasn't ALWAYS driving, Bill :>) It was the freedom. Being able to get out and go wherever I wanted. That's what made it fun.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Feb 05 - 04:24 AM

peugeot diesel 50mpg great to drive good seats

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bunnahabhain
Date: 04 Feb 05 - 04:31 AM

Now I've thought a bit...
The Landie (landrover) that I crashed in. The defender 90 pickup, diesel. Only slightly overloaded coming back from the builders merchants, probably weighing about 4 tons total, so going nice and gently, 20mph, or so. Not a car to be driven at speed empty, let alone like that. So about a mile from home, on the little twisty country road, the one I've driven so many hundred times I could do it blindfold, I come to a corner by a farm.
Bettet slow down for the corner. Off road tyres, and a thick layer of mud put me in a nice skid. How about going round it? Nope. Wheels turn, car doesn't. So I decide to crash....
Through the hedge. Slowed it down nicely, so I didn't hit the wall too hard. Just enough to push it over.
It is hard to believe how stupid you feel, crashing at slow speed, on a familiar road, and doing enough damage to write off a small car. Not a broken headlight, or noticeable new dent*. I almost died, as I was laughing so hard I could scarcley breathe. And I manged to stall a diesel, I was that distracted. Drove home, unloaded the thing, then went back round to apologise, when I could hold a straight face again.



* Note to Americans, and all those unfamiliar with landies. They have been manafactured in very much the same shape for 50something years, which is a solidly built box. They are manafactured to be, from new,

At least 20 years old,
Mud coloured, and coated,
Dented, scraped, etc

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,Phot at work
Date: 04 Feb 05 - 08:12 AM

My Landrover 110 V8 csw(prototype), which will get restored at some stage, followed closley by my Discovery V8 (No 451 off the production line) I know I'm sad! The best 4x4'sxFar!

Wassail! Chris

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: kendall
Date: 04 Feb 05 - 09:42 AM

I've driven and owned hundreds of cars and the most impressive one ever was a brand new Rolls Royce. It belonged to the father of a good friend of mine, and he was delighted to show it off.
As the propaganda said about these cars, the loudest sound was the dashboard clock ticking. I had to see it to believe it.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,skipy
Date: 04 Feb 05 - 10:27 AM

Toyota Spatula RSI

Skipy
(in a white wine sauce)

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: beadie
Date: 04 Feb 05 - 11:15 AM

My Dad was a brilliant man, but clueless about automobiles. When Mom said she wanted a second car to run about in while he was at work (and for me to use to get to and from after-school activities), he brought home a '58 Ford Ranch Wagon. He seemed a bit unsure, however, about the significance of the insignia on the front fender, . . . . it said "Interceptor Special."   I never told him that this was a retired police vehicle with the BIG engine.

Thankfully, the price of gas in those days made keeping the thing on the road affordable.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: robomatic
Date: 04 Feb 05 - 12:09 PM

Just drove a Toyota Camry LE across country. Talk about a sweet ride...
I'm convinced those folks at Toyota like not only cars, but DRIVING.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: JennyO
Date: 04 Feb 05 - 11:24 PM

My favourite car now has to be the '93 Ford Fairmont wagon I have just bought. After some of the sorry old things I have driven in the past, to me it is pure luxury. Power everything, including windows, glides along quietly, comfortable seats, nice cherry red colour, a good size for when I go camping, it even beeps at me when my fuel is getting low - which can be kinda annoying actually. Reminds me of the baby magpies we have that go "yark yark yark" at their parents, demanding to be fed. So I have christened her "Maggie" or "Maggie May".

Another car I had some years ago which was lovely when I got it, was a 1974 Valiant Charger Coupe. It was metallic blue and went like a rocket. Unfortunately the rust got it in the end, although it was still going like a rocket. I sold it to some young guys who were going to do it up, so I didn't feel so bad.

I get quite attached to all my cars, and even when they get really old and decrepit, I like to think they are going to a good home, not the scrap yard. Call me sentimental but I do believe those old hunks of metal have a soul.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 12:33 PM

Bill-

My parents put their foot down when my brother and I were drolling over a Messerschmidt. It was probably a good thing in the long run...

My favorite car has to be my grandmother's 1963 Buick Skylark, one of the first compacts, It was black with a white vinyl top with red leather upholstery. It was hot! I inherited it when she passed on and managed to keep it running till 1975. The VW Rabbit was a less than adequate replacement.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Scoville
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 02:19 PM

My favorite of vehicles we've owned was probably my 1986 Nissan Stanza wagon. No kidding. It was hideous and slow but it had great visibility, sat five adults comfortably, and had sliding doors in the back. The back seat came out so it was like having a pickup only everything was enclosed. Mazda is supposed to be introducing something similar this summer and my Dad is on the edge of his seat waiting to see if it will come in a stick shift so he can have an excuse to replace his Ford Contour (Mondeo). The Ford is our least favorite car--Ford can't get the hang of standard transmissions. Dad prefers the Beetle (1974). Mom's favorite was her 1972[?] Toyota Carina.


In my dream world:

1957 Chevrolet pick-up (the one with the big grille)

1953 Packard Caribbean

I think these are a trip.

And I've always had a soft spot for both Chrysler Airflows and Tuckers. I think they're very interesting even if they didn't work out as well in reality as they did in concept.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Greg F.
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 08:51 PM

Austin Healey 3000. No question.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 09:06 PM

I'm convinced those folks at Toyota like not only cars, but DRIVING.

Maybe they like driving Camrys, but the Corolla I rented a few years ago for a run from Pensacola to Miami and back was pure torture. Might have been okay for a midget, but I'm 6'3".

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,Auggie
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 09:11 PM

1952 MG-TD

It's what a classic sports car should look like.
If you could only get one to run like a classic sports car should.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 10:26 PM

We had a 38 woody I dont even know what it was I was so young that I never knew but we loved it as a person . I think we had it right up to the flood in 55 . My first driving car was my dad's 1949 Willies Jeepster convertable with the starter on the floor and a hand choak.It was gry with a black interior. God I loved that car. It was cool and elagant and everyone thought it had a majestic feel on the road . My father sold it for $300.00 while I was away in Wales."It had a flat tire ". Its the only sad thing I can remember of the time in Wales
( much worse then the broken neck off theTriumph bonnivile ) .All the best , Guy

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bobert
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 10:53 PM

HEY, CHANGE OF RULES!

Heck, I started this thread so I have the right to change the rules and I don't wnat to hear nuthin' more about nobodysw '76 Toyotas 'er Subarus that they just happened to loozer his or her virginity in, gol dang it....

NO MORE of this crap...

Okay, if you maybe lost yer danged virginity in a Subaru ST then you shouldn't even be posting here but at some contortionist website.

I mean, like lets get real here. In 50 years there won't be no group of old folkies singin' about their '76 Corollas... Like none... So can we get beyond the sentimentalism and get back to like, ahhhhh, real friggin' cars here?

Thank you very much...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,bflat
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 11:53 PM

My favorite was a TR-3 that my older brother gave to me while he was in the US Marines, to be returned upon his return. He taught me to downshift and not use the brakes which I think was very cool. I met a wonderful man because of that car. Yeah, that would have been my fav. It was a convertible and red. I don't know a thing about the model, they may all have been convertible and red. Driving a stick shift made me a better driver for the rest of my life, I do believe.

Ellen

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Mudlark
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 12:21 AM

Well, Bobert, I still feel pretty sentimental about my 52 MG TD.

It's not true that we all love our first cars. My first car was a humongous V8 Hudson my dad fobbed off on me. I could barely see over the dash and it had such a wide turning radius. cul de sacs were a disaster. God, I hated that car. I never got the "elegance" of stepping DOWN into it...what was that all about, anyway? So there was more than a little relief mixed in with all the love I felt for my MG. It was the bright metallic blue of a butterfly wing, had a moveable windshild which could be laid flat for the full effect of wind in the hair, and was more fun to drive than was legal. Driving along the coast on a summer's night, radio blasting 50's rhythm and blues...for my money that's what's in the dictionary under "youth."

The only other car I ever coveted was a friend's British racing green Morgan, with a leather strap that held down the hood. Very cool. But, like the MG, it was in the garage more than on the road, but definitely worth the trouble.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: JennyO
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 10:41 AM

In 50 years there won't be no group of old folkies singin' about their '76 Corollas... Like none...

Hey Bobert, you might be wrong about that. There's this song. Some friends of mine, Craig and Simone
sing it. In fact that Frank Sample character looks a lot like one of them:

The Ballad of The Little Ford Laser

When I was about 16
I had no idea I was so green
but somehow got involved with a girl.
Then one night beneath the stars
we were in the back of her new car
we thought perhaps we'd give it a whirl.
But there aint a lot that you can do
You can try and try until your
face turns blue -
there aint no room in the back
of a little Ford Laser.

And so a few months went by
we were doomed to fail
though we did try
It doesn't even matter how poorly
endowed you are.
So we split up went our separate ways
but you'll never guess within a few days
I met another girl who owned a
similar type of car.
And I never thought
in my wildest dreams
I'd stay a virgin throughout my teens
The greatest contraception
is a little Ford Laser.

I know what you're thinking
about this song
I didn't think - I had it all wrong
Just take out a blanket and head
for the nearest tree.
But there's one thing
you don't understand
A Ford Laser girl doesn't like the land
A prim and proper and fussy
little Missy is she.
And the front of the car is still too small
Just four cylinders and that's all
You slip and slide on the bonnet
of a little Ford Laser.

This anti-sex machine is carefully designed
by an engineer with the weirdest
sense of humour
With seats too small to steer
and no room in the rear
you wonder what's the use
of a little Ford Laser.

I can't work it out - I'll never know
why these women thrill me so
Is it their smile or that look
within their eyes?
That seems to suggest
they know a lot more
Than you or I could ever bargain for
When you jump in the car you'll
no doubt get a surprise
'cos you'll think you're bigger
than what you are
when you twist and strain inside the car
A modern day chastity belt
is a little Ford Laser.

Well now I'm older and married too
my days of matchbox cars are through
but I have to tell you 'bout the
woman who moved next door.
Well, it's not her hair or her pretty eyes
Its more to do with the car she drives
my heart skips a beat and my
jaw falls to the floor
I'm reminded of my misspent days
when we tried and tried a million ways
I'm a frustrated man with a passion
for a little Ford Laser.

©2004 Frank Sample

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: open mike
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 01:59 AM

yes i miss the wing-wing windows too.
i guss the engineers thought that
air conditioning would eliminate
the need for them..they are esp.
good to draw smoke out of the car
as they cause air currents to flow
both in and out. or i should say
"caused" as they are extinct now.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 10:58 AM

I have a 2000 lb collection of die cast cars of every era.
What I'm going to do with them isn't clear.
I was thinking of welding them together* in such a way as to form a VW bug or something but I am open to suggestions.
Maybe a horse sculpture made of cars is a better idea?

*I have a friend who is a an expert steam fitter weldsman.

.............................................

My first favorite one was the gull wing Mercedes.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 09:07 AM

The story about the safari style Landrover brought back vivid memories of my reconnaissance geology training mission in Ethiopia, back when I was a Peace Corps volunteer there in the 1960's.

Most of the year I was teaching sciences at a secondary school 9 to 5 but during the summer vacation we were supposed to do special projects. Since summer was the rainy season in Addis Ababa, I decided I wanted to be somewhere drier and the area around the old railroad center of Dira Dawa, at the foot of a high escarpment, seemed to fit the bill. Making use of my geology training and mapping experience in the wilderness of Maine, I was able to convince the University and the Mining Ministry that I should lead their prospecting students on an 8-week field course. I was provided two brand new Landrover jeeps, camping equipment, surveying accessories, and money for provisions. We were able to use the classrooms of a secondary school in Dira Dawa as our base camp which greatly simplified things.

Everything worked out great. Each morning very early I'd assign an area for a team of two to explore, using air photos, and we'd load up the teams in the Landrovers and head up the dry river valleys which provided a good view of the rock structure. We'd drop off the teams and pick them up a few hours later before it got too unbearably hot. Then we'd head back to town for refreshment at the local pubs, take a siesta, and in the late afternoon process the morning results.

One did have to be careful about working the river valleys. If it rained in the highlands, they were subject to floods. We never got caught but there were a few close calls. And the only time we turned over a Landrover was when some University faculty members were visiting and took one of our vehicles out for a spin. They took a gravel curve at 20 mph and that was it. The Mining Ministry was not too pleased.

Still, the Landrovers were great rugged little cars and with reasonable care would get you most anywhere.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,James
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 10:16 AM

1964 Austin Cambridge.....I LOVED it, great car.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Cats
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 06:37 PM

My blue Citroen Dyane 2CV. Where one or two 2CV owners are gathered together, there they will take them apart...

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: frogprince
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 02:06 PM

Perhaps this one..

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Becca72
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 02:18 PM

My dream car is a '68 cherry red Mustang...I asked for one for my 8th birthday but I'm still waiting.

I also love my current car...'02 VW Passat. That thing has BALLS, baby.

My first car was an '82 LeBaron...shit brown with tan interior. Can you say Nana??

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: PoppaGator
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 02:27 PM

My grandpa's 1952 Studebaker Land Cruiser. Big, comfortable, and absolutely futuristic-looking for its time.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: redsnapper
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 03:38 PM

Don't own a car.

Moto Guzzi 750 Nevada for me.

RS

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Gurney
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 03:46 PM

Austin 1800. But not for towing. Too short between back wheels and towball.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 04:25 PM

Subaru Legacy.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: bobad
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 04:48 PM

Volvo 122S - had two of them, a 1965 and 1966 - great, solid cars - I rolled one 360° and walked away without a scratch - unfortunately the car didn't fare as well but the motor went into a friend's car and lived on.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Amos
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 04:58 PM

My first car was a Willys station wagon from the 50's that someone had swapped in a Ford V8 engine. The sucker was all windup, even in top gear, could climb brick walls, and as for virginity, well, it had plenty of lying about space int he back.

But I think my favorite of all time is going to be a V6 RAV4 Ltd I am about to purchase, I hope. Fully loaded, all mod cons, plenty of power, good gas mileage, relatively, and comfortable as a bug in a rug.



A

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 06:45 PM

My dream car and one I have driven ....once....was a Lamborghini Espada.....a superb but now very dated four seater sports saloon.
Very sleek and very very fast even by todays standards but in 1972 when I drove it.......well...need I say more?

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bee
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 06:57 PM

Prettiest car I remember was my Florida Aunt's 1957 DeSoto, deep scarlet and French vanilla cream, lots of chrome, cream leather (or leatherette) upholstery.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 07:28 PM

My Dad's Humber Hawk - it went about 12 miles to the gallon. comfortable miles though.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bobert
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 07:52 PM

Go sit in the corner, LH...

The Subaru Lagacy is worse than yer, or anybody's, grand-daddy's Oldsmobile...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: number 6
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 08:31 PM

Is it worse than my grand-daddy's Buick?

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: catspaw49
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 09:27 PM

100

I finally get one!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: catspaw49
Date: 13 Mar 08 - 09:33 PM

Had 7 Vettes, a 68 Shelby, a beatup E-type, a Lotus Elan+2S/130 and a piece of crap Europa as well, a 67 442, a 70 Goat, and a slew of interesting everyday drivers from junk to good fun.....and a few pickups and vans as well. Which one do I want back? All of them.......

But to pick one?

71 LT1 roadster, yellow.........This car was my garage queen of sorts. She only went out occasionally outside of going to SoloII events and Hillclimbs.   Engine was balanced and blueprinted, 202 angle plug heads, Offy roller cam with roller lifters, Jahns 12.5:1 pistons and Carrilla stainless rods, custom 1 3/4" tube headers exiting out the side, Edelbrock Equitube aluminum manifold with 700 cfm DP Holley, Mallory Dual Point (later replaced with an Echlin Electronic conversion). Borg and Beck Clutch tied to an M22 Muncie rockcrusher shifted by Hurst, and a 3.98 rear gear. Frame was all-seam welded, triangulated and gusseted, F41 suspension with the rubber bushings replaced with nylon/composite, polished Moog linkage, Adco sway bars, 1 1/4" front and 7/8" rear, Koni shocks, American Racing wheels with BFG T/A's shaved to half tread depth. The interior was black and the driver's seat was replaced with a Recaro.

Lots of other neat touches to the setup as well and some other fun parts but that was it in a nutshell. At the SoloII's it was a Porsche killer and that was the whole point. I have friends who'll verify this car could take a freeway offramp loop at over 75 mph like it was glued to the road. I sold it in '79 for $17,000 which was a lot more than a new one at the time.

I was young and healthy, made a lot of money, and spent it all as fast as I could......and I loved every minute of it. Now we struggle through like everyone else and I have paid for all my youth.............But I'd give my ass in hell for just one more Vette.


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Jeanie
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 05:56 AM

Without a doubt, the favourite car I ever owned was an orange VW Beetle. I owned it in the 1980s, but it was 1970s built - can't remember what year. Part of the registration was HUC, and I called it "Little Mrs. Eileen Huckbody", for no real good reason.

The heater didn't work, and in the winter I had to scrape the ice and frost off the *inside* of the windscreen, as well as the outside, sometimes several times during a journey if it was cold enough. All part of the charm of the car. Sadly, rust got the better of it and it would have cost me far more than I could afford to have it repaired to get through the MOT, so we had to part company, and I part-exchanged it for a bright blue Yugo (remember them ?) which was another jolly little car, but never quite the same.

For the past several years I have been driving Daewoo Matiz - now Chevrolet - on my third one now - and like them very much. In some ways, they remind me of dear old Eileen.

- jeanie

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Grab
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 08:52 AM

Cars we've owned, or cars we'd like to own?

Favourite I'd like to own is a Marlin (now Javelin) Cabrio. If I had ten grand spare, I'd buy a kit to build. If I had twenty grand spare, I'd get one built for me.

Favourite owned. Hmm. Being a bit sad, I'm actually very attached to our Citroen Berlingo. Reliable, comfortable, extremely well-designed, great fuel economy, and it'll take a full PA system in the back no problems at all.

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 09:00 AM

I never owned my dream car, because my Mum wouldn't let me buy it! It was a bright blue 1939 Standard Flying 9, in almost perfect condition, that was owned by the landlord of a local pub that was closing down for demolition. He offered it to me for 5 pounds (in 1970), but my Mum wouldn't let me park it on the (unused) drive, so it went for scrap.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Amos
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 09:50 AM

All part of the charm of the car.

Gee, Jeanie-- I guess one man's charm is another man's royal pain in the knickers. I personally would not think fondly of a car that built up rime on the inside of the windshield! :D


A

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 10:10 AM

Jeannie, I've always enjoyed you being around here but now I know why.

There has to be a special spirit and attitude to anyone that names a Bug Little Mrs. Eileen Huckbody.   But it takes an extreme wacko to describe a Yugo as a "jolly little car."............LOL

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Jeri
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 11:10 AM

I liked my Eclipse because it accelerated REALLY fast, cornered great and had all wheel drive. It got to the point where it cost around $500-$700 every time I had it in the shop, and it was in the shop 2 or 3 times a year. It also ate PREMIUM gasoline at about 23 MPG. I have a Saturn now, which is an OK hoopdie, but I guess all I need is transportation.

My all time favorite car was a 1976 Honda Civic CVCC. It was a 5-speed with wood grain shift knob, steering wheel and dashboard bits. It got over 50 MPG. The car went from California to Texas, and Texas to New York, and to Illinois. I sold it before I went to England, and about a week later got a call from someone who said they'd passed it on the side of the road, burning fiercely. I felt bad for the people I sold it to, but I felt worse for that poor car I'd loved, that had been part of many wonderful memories, from tooling around Austin streets at night to watching the dry summer miles wind away serenaded by the road rocking away under my wheels... and 'Sultans of Swing' on the radio. Poor dead car...

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,Edthefolkie
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 11:32 AM

Ferrari 250GTO - Nick Mason of Pink Floyd has one. With the registration plate 250 GTO.          Oh.......My.......Gawd.

And what about the Pontiac GTO? 7 litres in a compact wasn't it? I will never forget at the age of 18 reading an early edition of Car magazine where (I think) Doug Blain did a comparison test between Henry Manney III's Ferrari 250GTO and a Pontiac GTO.

Doug was Australian and possibly certifiable. He could not understand what all the fuss was about the Pontiac....until he put the throttle pedal down more than half way. A banshee howl emitted from the hood, smoke from the rear tyres and it took him about a mile to get the thing pointing in the right direction again.

From such wonders did Ralph Nader and Volvo deliver us.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 11:35 AM

It is not a fair question.
Gull wing cars are usually fist on my list.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Greengal
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 02:26 PM

I agree with robomatic about Toyotas. If you love driving, you gotta love a Toyota. I drove my last one - a little blue 4-speed- for over 200,000 miles.

If I won the lottery- I'd quit my job, move to another state, buy a new wardrobe, etc. etc.


but I'd still buy a Toyota.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,number 6
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 02:39 PM

If I won the lottery I'd buy a big 1978 Caddy Eldorado, a big white stetson and a few packs of Cuban cigars and go off on a long slow roadtrip to nowhere in particular.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 02:46 PM

My favorite car ever is a red 1999 Honda Civic EX two-door with a moon roof. It was the only time I bought exactly the car I wanted, and it served me well for 120,000 miles. I got a very good deal on a 2006 four-door Civic two weeks ago and I like it very much, but it isn't RED and the four doors make it look just a bit doughty. It's a very nice car, but it isn't my red car.
I gave the red car to my 18-yr-old stepson. My previous two cars were in perfect condition when they ended up in the hands of teenages, and neither one lasted very long.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Jeanie
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 02:58 PM

Thanks, Spaw ! I am taking your comments as the greatest of compliments. You have made my day.

I once owned a Moskovitch - after which, believe me, *any* vehicle is a "jolly little car" :)

- jeanie

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 05:17 PM

405 peugeot diesel best seats ever got 406 now 55 mpg diesel great car

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 05:27 PM

My fifth car that I ever bought was my first NEW car. It was in 1962 (possibly early '63), I fell in love with and bought a spanking new Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk. To this day I think that was the prettiest car ever put on the highway.

A few months after I bought it I had to go "on the road" to southern Indiana, and I knew of just the stretch of highway I wanted, way out in the boondocks. It was fairly long, flat, and straight, and very little traffic, with an excellent surface. "Aha," sez I to meself, sez I, "Now I'll find out how fast it will go!"

When I came to that stretch, I worked up the speed...95.. faster...100.. faster...105.. faster...

I never found out how fast the car would go. However, I did find out just how fast _I_ would go. At about 107 mph, still accelerating, I lost my nerve and gradually took my foot off, because I was getting a feeling of "float", "motorboating", that I wasn't really quite in contact with the pavement. That was enough. I don't think I ever drove that car over 75 or 80 again. I'd been given an answer to a question I hadn't thought of asking.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 07:13 PM

Hmm, since this is back again - of the cars I owned, maybe the C series Fiat 124 sport coupe. A lovely crisp twin-cam crackle and good for over 120. On an "N" plate so that made her 1975 I think. A much less twitchy drive than the 124 Special T that I transplanted a 1608 coupe engine into.

Or maybe one of my current 3 7 series Volvos. I have a twin-cam (1990), a turbo (1988) and a V6 (1986). All estates. Huge by UK standards. All good for over 120 and the twin-cam is the one I have had closest to flat out and she was doing 130 and still gaining slowly on a dark wet night, I could see the bend coming up and I know that that bend is not good at over 100 in the wet, so my nerve gave out.

Some cold dry morning we will see...

No cameras on that stretch of road.

Yet.

Later this year I will take her to the redblock guru to have a turbo added and then she will be a bit special. Maybe as much as 300 rwhp. To get some idea search for volvo turbo on youtube. She might be nearly that fast.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Mooh
Date: 14 Mar 08 - 08:22 PM

Finally (in December) ditched the old ('93) Plymouth Voyager mini-van and got a brand-spanking-new Toyota Rav4. So far so good. Safe, nimble, snow-worthy, packs a lot of gear, and best of all it has relieved the fear-of-going-places syndrome brought on by the old horse and buggy.

At the moment, it's my favourite. Sorry dear old Volvo, wherever you are!

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: bassen
Date: 15 Mar 08 - 04:40 AM

A 1965 VW microbus with a rebuilt 1600 engine, my all time favorite. Drove it all over Europe from Gibraltar to North Cape. It always started no matter how cold it was, would go anywhere, used almost no gas and never complained. Of course the windshield defroster gave up at about minus 0.5 Celsius, trying keep the windshield clear in muddy spring weather would turn your left thumb into a quivering swollen mass from the manual pumping and if I flashed the high beams with the windshield wipers going and the radio on it would blow a fuse (never did figure that one out, might have been some kind of subtle sabotage at the factory to commemorate 20 years since VE Day). Tried to see how fast it would go on a long downhill slope on the Autobahn. At about 110 kph with a heavy side wind I suddenly changed lanes without turning the wheel. Never did find out how fast it really would go!

In the world of my dreams it would have to be a Bentley Speed Six. But being a modest man, I'd settle for an MG-TC.

Bassen

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: frogprince
Date: 15 Mar 08 - 09:45 AM

re: those Bentleys; what was actually inside the bright metal soup-pot centered under the horns?

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,Chicken Charlie
Date: 15 Mar 08 - 10:55 AM

1949 Ford Custom. My first, when my dad got too sick to drive any more. It had a flat-head V-8 engine and things were so simple then that you could do major overhaul stuff yourself. What little functional knowledge I have of automobile engines, I got from that.
Of course it put on a certain side of the American Civil War--which is NOT Union/Confederacy, but Ford/Chevrolet. I still have a Ford and my auto mechanic is a Chevy guy, so I know FORD = Fix or Repair Daily or Found on Road Dead. Backwards, DROF = Driver Returned On Foot. But I can live with it. (And we thought Hornets were the pits. :) )

CC

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: skarpi
Date: 15 Mar 08 - 11:29 AM

I have had a lot of cars but only one car , who top them all
and that is my new Peogeot 2008 407 diesel st 2,0 sport turbo .

what a car .

All the best Skarpi Iceland

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: jonm
Date: 15 Mar 08 - 12:44 PM

Re. Bentley Speed Six "soup pot" - that is the supercharger. Basically, an engine-driven pump to force more fuel and air into the carburettors and increase power. Power increase is basically linear with engine revs, which can be interesting when you change gear.

A similar system to the turbocharger, which uses exhaust gas pressure to drive the pump. Robs less power from the drivetrain (insignificant anyway) but power increase is dependent on exhaust gas pressure, hence the "turbo lag" while the pressure builds up before all hell breaks loose. Modern turbos are better than my dad's old Saab 99 black one.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: EBarnacle
Date: 16 Mar 08 - 01:05 AM

I have had several favorite cars over the years.

My first was a 61 Impala 3 speed overdrive coupe, the first car I ever owned. It was great until I didn't stop when the guy in front of me did.

The next was my '65 Saab Monte Carlo which I rebuilt to a 1.5 litre tweaked to rallye specs after the 2 stroker died for the third time.
The speed topped out at more than 150 the one time I opened it up all the way. I ran out of speedometer before I ran out of the power curve.

Favorite of all time was the Citroen D type. It was a wonderful GT car, capable of cruising all day at 90 MPH and giving 25 mpg on regular with 5 bods on board. How many full sized vehicles can do that now?

My current favorites are my 96 Villager and Lady Hillary's 91 MR 2. My only problem with the MR2 is the noise level. Even the custom exhaust on the Saab, it was quieter than the 2. The van is ultrareliable, handles very well and is a real prime hauler. I use it to carry boats on top and tow as needed. It does it all without a complaint and asks for more.

Right now, we are contemplating renovating [not restoring] Lady Hillary's 71 Celica 5 speed fastback and putting it back on the road. It was her first car and was taken off the road a couple of years ago after failing inspection. The body needs a lot of work but the engine is ready now. Since she cannot seem to get up the nerve to get rid of it, it might as well go back on the road.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Janie
Date: 16 Mar 08 - 11:07 AM

I don't much like cars - but I gotta have one, so my favs would have to be the dependable - which would be a toss up between my very first car, a '69 VW beetle and a '73 plymouth Duster that I drove until 1986.

I liked my sister's first car awfully well - a '62 Volvo - And Dad got us girls a '63 Valiant station wagon (with a push button automatic transmission) that we ran the wheels off of and was just as dependable as a car gets.

One could say I lack a sense of style, I suppose....

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Mar 08 - 01:30 PM

Like I said...my Subaru Legacy. Definitely the best car I've ever had.

Japanese cars rule, Bobert. Oldsmobiles are good if you want some scrap iron. ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: number 6
Date: 16 Mar 08 - 01:50 PM

Ann and I went over to our son's house for a visit this morning .... There was a friend of there's who happened to be visiting as well ... Anyway, when introduced to their friend I asked "is that you piece of junk in the driveway, referring to a 1991 Taurus, in the most pathetic state of being, a complete junker. He replied yes, and admitted to being in the market for a replacement. I then advised him he should seriously think about getting a Subaru. At that point, my son, his wife and friend broke out in a roar of laughter. Apparently they had warned their friend that upon meeting me, somewhere along the line in conversation I would bring up the subject of Subarus.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 17 Mar 08 - 09:32 AM

The Standard Flying 9 coupe that my dad bought in 1957. A great car with proper running boards. We went down from Newcastle to Cornwall in it and the top hose split going over Bodmin moor but we fixed it by tying all our socks round the hose and refilling the radiator from roadside streams till we reached a garage where it could be fixed. He sold it for £4 in 1960. what a car!

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: frogprince
Date: 30 May 08 - 11:56 PM

BMW, apparently inspired by Chryslers move of styling the Chrysler Atlante after a classic Bugatti, has introduced The BMW 58e, their tribute to an American icon of the late '50's...

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Cats
Date: 31 May 08 - 07:15 AM

Still my 2CV

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 31 May 08 - 04:42 PM

An Austin Princess, bench seat in the front so great for shagging!

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Ed T
Date: 31 May 08 - 04:47 PM

1969 Plymouth Barricuda

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,number 6
Date: 31 May 08 - 04:48 PM

An update on my earlier post in regards to 'that junker of a 1991 Ford Taurus' ....my son bought it off of his friend. He loves it ... it's his favourite care ever.

Geeesh ... where did I go wrong ???? :)

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Rasener
Date: 31 May 08 - 05:10 PM

Torn between my 1971 MG Midget and my Ford Scorpio 2.9 Estate.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: GUEST,Chief Chaos
Date: 01 Jun 08 - 05:36 PM

1968 Ford Mustang with a 289, center console was the only real upgrade on the thing. I bought it used and was just earning enough to get some real work done on it when a little old lady ran double stop signs and put an '82 buick skylark station wagon 8" into the passenger side of it. She did so much damage that a friend of mine wouldn't let me out of the car after the accident for fear I'd kill her. By the way, it was Poppy Red (faded to a bright hunter/pumpkin orange) and she claimed to have not seen me coming. I showed the judge the color (from a paint chip) and he found her guilty.

Warning: The following is a car guy rant!

I must protest! Toyota does not love cars or driving (as far as the Camry goes). You can't hear the road, feel the road, stay awake while "driving" the Camry! No performance, little in the way of handling and this last year a total lack of external styling. Don't get me wrong, it's economical, it's well built, it's probably a lot safer than a lot of others, but a car it is not! Put it in the "transportation" category

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Ed T
Date: 01 Jun 08 - 06:43 PM

As for Toyotas, the 90 to 93's were stylish, fun to drive and lasted far longer than most, even through many salty winters,if you undercoated them frequently.

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: Ed T
Date: 01 Jun 08 - 06:43 PM

The 90 to 93 Toyota Celicas, that is

Subject: RE: BS: Your favorite car ever....
From: pdq
Date: 01 Jun 08 - 07:00 PM

"...has introduced The BMW 58e, their tribute to an American icon of the late '50's..."

I went to that picture and can't believe it. Looks like BMW has re-invented the '58 Edsel with two toilet seats in front instead of one. That is heapin' hunks of ugly!