Cars are just cars to pilots

[mscard88]

Here, poor picture but close enough: '71 SS 454 w/auto tranny.

Sweet!

 

[Hank S]

Well, it depends on what it is about the "driving experience" you enjoy. If it's sheer performance, minimal noise, and limited range, sure, the Tesla will do it. If you enjoy the sound of a high-revving 6/8, the loping-idle of a high-cu.in. V8, or the smell of burning hydrocarbons . . . the enjoyment of the driving experience in a Tesla may be lackluster.

Yep, that's why I bought this. The V-12 has a unique sound from turning the key in all the way to turning it off! She scoots along quite respectably, but is too heavy for off-the-line performance. Wind her up, though, and she'll reach 62 mph in first; had her above 120 in 2nd once, because I wasn't paying attention . . . But getting the Mooney really cooled my jets on the highway, don't want to have to explain that lapse of judgement to the FAA, it'll be bad enough talking to the judge!

 

[Dav8or]

Ain't no airplane prettier than a '67 GTO.

[Long story alert!]

I know this sounds like an internet story, but I swear on my holy whatever that it is true.

In 1977 my older brother bought his first car. A 1967 GTO. He got it out of the classified penny saver type newspaper. He paid $700 for it. This car was in excellent condition except for the paint job. It had been repainted by somebody like Earl Schibe and it was oxidized and looked terrible, but originally blue. Interior was near perfect and it had well below 100,000 miles but I really don't know how many.

It was bone stock and had the 400 engine and a 4 speed manual. He bought it from the original owner, who actually was a little old lady. Probably couldn't work the clutch anymore. Still had the stock goofy hubcaps.

Anyhow we repainted it and my brother picked metallic brown. I have no idea why. I hated it then and I hate the thought of it now. Stripped it to the metal, block sanded, lacquered in those days, many clear coats and lots of sanding and polishing. Looked great when we were done except the lame color.

He mildly modded it with new headers, all new dual exhaust, different air filter, wheels and tires and a slight drop in the front to give it that iconic '70s look of lower in the front and raised in the back with bigger tires in the rear. It was tasteful though and not over the top.

Well, along comes me. I turned 16 and got my first car in 1979. We were working on my car, so I borrowed my brother's car for some run into town. I was having fun that day because it had just rained and the streets were wet. The car had a LSD and so "burn outs" on the slick pavement was fun. I was using every stop light like an Xmas tree at a drag strip.

Well, I was at a stop light in town waiting for the green. To my left in the opposing traffic, was a big motorhome waiting to take a right turn. Green light, stomp the gas, control the loose wheels... but I never saw the guy running a red light on the other side of the motorhome until it was too late.

I can remember seeing him as I was backing off the throttle and deciding to just punch it again to get in front of him. It may have saved me. He hit in the left quarter panel and spun me in a nice 270 degree turn. All said and done, I drove home and he was towed. He had a late model for then, Honda Accord. He was totally found in the wrong legally even though I was hot rodding.

The GTO suffered a huge dent in the rear quarter panel and a cracked rear rim. Amazingly, it didn't leak and I was able to drive home. My brother got a nice insurance check, but it was not totaled like they would do today and he opted to not fix it. He instead fixed the wheel and put it up for sale as is.

A guy local idiot from a muffler shop bought it and never registered it. He took it drag racing at a local illegal drag race run and blew the head gasket/s. It sat in the muffler shop as we sold it, but inop for ages. Eventually my brother got a letter in the mail from the DMV that if he want the car back, it was going to cost him $400 in storage fees.

The guy who bought it was no longer working at the muffler shop and abandoned it. The shop owner wanted the junk out of his shop. He had it towed.

To this day my brother regrets this decision, but he declined and blew it off.

He considered the huge ass dent and the blown head gaskets, God knows what else and said no. Sadly we can not see into the future. However I personally am way more sentimental than my brother and would have done it back then. One has to remember that this was about 1982 and classic muscle cars like this just weren't in that big of a demand other than high school wannabes, but I have always loved, to this very day... vintage cars.

I have no idea what happened to this car after that, but I like to think it was saved by some savvy impound lot guy and it's restored and out there tearing it up.

I'll see it I can find pictures, but it's before digital, so I'll have to ask my brother to dig in shoeboxes.

 

[35 AoA]

I'm much more of a car guy than a plane guy. My wife continuously complains about the garage and driveway overfilling with my cars. I could very well change in the future, but at the moment, I don't really ever see myself seriously considering buying an airplane. I'd probably sing a different tune if something like an F-4, F-100F, T-38 or F-5F were in my price range, but currently they are not.

 

[gkainz]

to make a long story short ...

[Long story alert!]

I know this sounds like an internet story, but I swear on my holy whatever that it is true.

In 1977 my older brother bought his first car. A 1967 GTO.
...

my brother got a letter in the mail from the DMV that if he want the car back, it was going to cost him $400 in storage fees.
...

To this day my brother regrets this decision, but he declined and blew it off.
...

yep, I would say so

http://classiccars.com/listings/find/1967/pontiac/gto?country=us