Roger's Corvair

I was web surfing the other day looking at some automotive, but non 'first car' related content, when I happened onto The California Connection . It's a neat site, and just happened to have a great first car story about Roger's Corvair. I mean a GREAT story.  Well written and nicely illustrated, it is well worth the time to read . Adventure, accidents, roadtrips, racing and romance, it gives a fantastic glimpse into the times. Rather than trying to figure out how to slice up his flowing narrative, I asked Roger if it would be OK to include a link to the site and encourage you, dear reader, to peruse it on your own. He has graciously accepted my invitation to share his experiences, so consider yourself invited to click on the link and start reading. Begin with "Cars and Corvairs" and go from there. Be sure too, to look at his collection of vintage films/video and the "Photo of the Week". I'm sure you'll find it interesting, especially if you like rear mounted flat six engines...

George's Cutlass

George over at Coalescence shares this tale of Oldsmobile. Whilst not technically his first car, it is the one he first lusted after and one that holds especially dear and "bittersweet" memories.  Sold because of a girl, the affection for, and appreciation of, the car lives on.
Hopefully he will soon share the story of his 'other' first cars as promised - until then, feel free to check his other musings on his blog over at Wordpress.

My ’71 Olds

Back in 1973-75, when I was 16 to 18 years of age, I worked in the maintenance department of Ray County Memorial Hospital in Richmond, Missouri. I mopped, swept, and vacuumed floors, cut the grass and trimmed hedges, hauled trash (that you don’t want to know about) to the local dump, and sometimes cleaned out ambulances after particularly “messy” runs. I earned $1.65 an hour to perform these duties.

"The Beast" - Tom's Chevy Pickup

From the cozy confines of Daddybearsden comes this story of Tom's first car. Or, um, er, truck. These old Chevy pickups were, and are, great. They were fairly simple in execution, hence easy to work on, and robust enough to withstand even  teenage boys. Like a Timex, 'they just keep on ticking'. Plus, they look good . Thanks for sharing your story and some fond memories with us Tom.


My first car was a 1959 Chevrolet Apache pickup, with a HUGE straight 6 engine and a manual 3 speed transmission.  

 

Mark's Mazda

Mark over at Random Acts of Patriotism sent in this story of his first car. Sounds like he enjoyed it and learned a lot, even though he probably would have enjoyed that Mustang even more...   :)  Be sure and check his blog for thought provoking commentary plus practical and tactical discussions.


We lived in suburban Baltimore. Roads and traffic and new expressways. It was 1975. I had a job, made pretty good money, and wanted my own car. I was 17, coming into my senior year. I had several hundred dollars and I had been looking around.

Nancy's Valiant

Nancy over at " Excels at Nothing " shared this great story of her first car. Not only well written, but quite humourous, and a great peek into the times for those that weren't there.
Be sure and check her blog ; Very interesting... Cars. Guns. Knitting. 17th century surgical technique. And peppermint bark!

My First Car

Because all the other cool kids are doing it ...

UPDATED to add photo: Mr. Valiant was a 4-door sedan, not this uber-sporty version.

My first car was a 1968 Plymouth Valiant. My parents bought in the fall of 1967 when I was 4 years old. It was white with a dark blue interior, seated six fairly comfortably, and had seatbelts but no A/C.  It did have a fantastic vent system, though, including one under the steering column that literally made your skirt fly up. It had a slant six under the hood, “posi-traction” in the back, and was considered a compact car. Compared to the 1971 Plymouth Fury III wagon we had, it was.

Rex's Rambler

Just received this from my friend Rex. Rex is mostly responsible for you, dear reader, sitting and viewing this site right now. But don't hold it against him...

When I first met Rex many years ago, he had a 131 Fiat, a very nice Alfa Romeo GTV, and a good old reliable Ford pickup for when, well, you know what for. He was presiding over the Maduko Motori Empire of Fine Italian Automobile Parts and Accessories, flying RC planes and building a Lancia Scorpione race car, as well as doing a show on local radio weekend nights.

Rex is a little tardy in submitting his story, but it's OK. Rex is a VERY busy man. Aside from being the master of all things IT from 8 to 5, he publishes and / or maintains several sites himself, such as the Maduko World Headquarters site , Petroleum Equipment Institute , Oklahoma Modern , Tulsa Now , Places2ride , Places2drive , The Left Hand Thread blog  and Two Wheel Oklahoma  . And speaking of Two Wheel Oklahoma, he co-produces, writes and performs in the television series of the same name. Those in Oklahoma should check it out on Cox cable. Rex also contributes to the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture and PlanIt Tulsa. Add in his ongoing quest to uncover the history and disposition of the 'Lost Columns of LaFortune ' and you can see that Mr Brown has a full schedule. Oh, and  he HAS been frantically searching for a 'smoky burnout' picture of his first car to send...

A true renaissance man, he is not only a darn good mechanic, but published author, artist and photographer. Observed Trials class champion on a Beta. Bassist for The Insects and Radio Milan, Rex is also Historian and Archivist for my [patent pending] Earth and society changing 'Space Tube". But if you would have just guessed, given his first car, you'd have never guessed...   :)
These days Rex drives a Volvo S60 when encased in the environs of an automobile. Most of the time though, you can find him astride his yellow BMW GS when traveling the highways and byways of his home state.

The (Pistachio) Green Hornet


My first car was probably the most underwhelming vehicle I could have imagined. All those boyhood dreams of wheelie-popping Pontiacs or a chopped Ford Phaeton were dashed on the rocks of reality when my first car materialized. It was in fact, not a Sixties muscle car. It was not a customized, fire-breathing Model T with a chromed Jaguar rear suspension. It was not a barely legal dragster. It was...my Grandma’s car.

Mustang Sarah

My first car was a 1971 Mustang. My parents bought it from my Dad's sister, Aunt Linda. Aunt Linda bought the car new at Doenges Brothers Ford in Tulsa Oklahoma. I remember that because it had one of those little metal placards on the trunk with the name of the dealership and two little characters on each side that I never could figure out what they were.  I had to call my aunt and ask her how to pronounce it - my friends immediately called it the "dingies" or even worse, "dungs". It's "Dun -jezz" for the record. And it was screwed on leaving holes in the trunklid if I tried to remove it!