The post a while back about the daily drivers, then Bibster’s “I wish I hadn’t sold it for that…†post got me to thinking about all of the 1:1 vehicles I’ve had (and miss). I know some of you have had many more “memorable†cars.
Here’s mine (in order as much as my feeble brain will allow):
62 Corvair Spyder Coupe (first car, intermittent turbo)
63 T-Bird convertible (wrong car for a 17 year old; painted the hood scoop flat black, installed hood pins and a Thrush muffler)
68 Mustang Notchback (302, 3 spd, put it on Keystone Classics: G70 14s in the front, H60 15s in the rear, it was “arrest me†red)
65 Triumph Spitfire (Pontiac Verdoro Green with a white “Group 44†stripe across the nose, prior owner had fabricated E-Type exhaust using 2 Triumph motorcycle mufflers)
72 Comet GT (Mercury’s Maverick, my first new car, 302, auto, had a tendency to ride this one hard and put it away wet)
59 Triumph TR3 (project car, sold it when I went in the Air Force)
73 Mercury Montego 2dr (boring “family mobileâ€, 302, “Starsky & Hutch†body style)
59 Renault Dauphine (1973 “gas crisis†mobile, bought for $90, sold for $125)
64 Spitfire (unfinished SCCA car, bought it, played with it, sold it)
59 TR3 (project car, couldn’t afford to redo it, drove it awhile and sold it)
74 Capri (2000 4cyl, 4 spd, really loved this car..only traded it to upgrade to…)
76 Capri II Ghia (2800 V6, 4 spd, really exceptional car, my only complaint about either Capri was only 4 gears)
76 Fiat 131 2dr (1800 twin cam, 5spd, bought as a “left over†in 77 so the wife would have a warranty)
64 Ford Galaxie (390, 3spd/od, I owned this for about 4 months in Iceland, it only moved in overdrive, painted it gloss olive out of government rattle cans)
69 Rover 2000SC (auto, bought this in the UK to drive until my Fiat got there, good tank to learn “the other side of the road†in)
78 Pontiac Bonneville 4dr (301, auto, bought this on return from UK…did some time in Saudi while overseas and was impressed with how the full size GMs held up under the extreme abuse there)
75 Fiat X1/9 (project car/toy, just tinkered and played with it)
71 (Lincoln) Continental MkIII (project replacement for the Fiat, loved this car…if it looked like wood it was, if it looked like leather it was, I think it weighed 5000lbs empty, 11mpg in town 15 on the road)
78 Econoline E150 “Leisure Van†(early conversion van I got from my Dad, rebuilt the motor and trans, repainted and took it to Germany; had a sink and a fridge so the German insurance called it a camper and insurance was cheap! Camped out in it at the 1988 LeMans)
78 Ford Fiesta 1300S (German spec, “wife’s carâ€, tons of fun, would blow the doors off the US spec 1600S)
78 Ford Fiesta 1100 (replacement for above when it was totaled)
Everything after this point were just mundane daily drivers/utilitarian vehicles. Hopefully, I’ll eventually find another “toy†before I’m too old to enjoy it!