Tell me about the FIRST car you wanted when you were a kid, the one you KNEW you'd own one day

[Amerigo Vespucci]

I went with my dad to a car lot owned by a friend of his. I was ten years old. I saw an Alfa Romeo, gold, with a black leather interior. I fell in love. I asked the man if he'd hold on to the car until I could come back and buy it. In one of the classiest moves I've seen in my entire life, he said he would.

You never, never, NEVER want to step on a kid's dreams. NEVER. This man understood that.

The car looked like this one...a 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce...in gold instead of red:



Now tell me about YOUR first dream car.

[LynzM]

1. Ooh, pretty!

That's a slick looking car... glad the guy had the good sense not to squash your dreams :)

I never had a "dream car" per se, but there was a VW bus for sale, dark lavender, nearby when I first got my license. I wanted it, BAD. My dad said no - no four-wheel-drive, no airbags. I understand his reasoning, now, but man was I pissed, then!

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. One more shot of the interior...is that a sweet ride or WHAT?

[LynzM]

3. Nice...

I really love the old steering wheels! :)

[flvegan]

4. My first dream car: 1981 Lamborghini Countach or the 1981 Ferrari 308

Lambo:



308:



Saw them both in my dad's Car and Driver mags around the same time. I was 10.

[Kutjara]

37. I loved the Countach too! It was my dreamcar for years.

I finally had a chance to drive one in the late 80s. The car was shit! The steering was out of a tractor (unsurprising, given Lambo's origins), the clutch needed thighs like Schwarzenegger to even budge, the gearbox sounded like a Magimix with some of the parts missing, there was zero forward visibility and even less out the mail-slot rear window, you had to be a contortionist to open the doors, and the engine felt as if it was trying to twist the whole chassis like a piece of taffy.

It was wonderful.

[flvegan]

41. Ha, the clutch!

I had a friend that worked at a used exotic car dealership. I got to drive a ton of the crazy big dollar cars (they had to run them once every couple days).

The Countach had the clutch from hell. Imagine that in stop-n-go traffic.

[Kutjara]

43. I drove the thing for an hour, and when I got out...

...my left leg was quivering like jelly from working the clutch. After I'd recovered a bit, I got back into my own car and nearly rammed the clutch pedal through the floor. :rofl:

Presumably, you could identify Countach drivers by their speed-skater left thighs.

[quip]

73. Yes! My dad subscribed to C & D as well and I remember drooling over those 2 cars

in particular. My favorite part of the mag were the spyshot illustrations (or were those from Road & Track?)

Car and Driver had the snarkier writing, which made it my fav of the two. :hi:

[Inchworm]

5. 1968 Pontiac Firebird

I got one in senior year. Had it barely road legal. Joined Navy. I may still own it. No idea where it is now :D

:hi:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

14. I owned a couple of Chevy Malibus as a teenager...

...here's a shot of one I took for a client's Web Site when he hosted a "Hot August Nights" classic car event this past summer:



:hi:

[Inchworm]

17. *drools*

:hi:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

22. It was even sweeter when I was two feet away from it taking that photo.

:hi:

[lost-in-nj]

15. ME ME

I wanted a GOAT!!!!




lost

but this car saved my life when I was 14





I would pay a million dollars for one....
if I was in the accident today that I was in with this car ...

I believe I would be dead.....



lost

[Inchworm]

21. I think I've nearly died in a couple GTOs

Seems they were squirrly in the rear end :shrug:

Well.. 2 wrecks in em. Always as passenger screamin "you can catch em!" lol

:D

I'm so glad you ain't dead. They definatly had good metal! :hug:

:loveya:

[lost-in-nj]

35. This thread reminded me

I spent most of my Jr. and Sr. year in a Ford Falcon!!!!!




OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!1




lost

[Inchworm]

44. No wai!

gawd..

My first car


It was a boat. I bought it for $50 off of a lady who only drove it to church and back. This was in like 1984-85. She was the original owner. I will never forget the sound system. I was working as a mason's helper and the car jammed AC/DC, Black Sabbath, etc. all day. I didnt bother mounting the speakers because I wanted to set em on the roof :D

:P

[lost-in-nj]

53. 8 track heaven!!!!

WE played

John Denver
Led Zep
and various others
the owner of the car could sing JD
and give him a run for the money.....

His was yellow

and we would ride around yelling

FALCOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


omg

memories....


lost

[qwertyMike]

6. 1959 Morris Minor

http://images.google.com/images?q=1959+morris+minor&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

[Kutjara]

39. I always had a soft spot for the wood-clad Traveler variant.

Or, as Billy Connolly called it, "a wee Tudor estate car."

[PeaceNikki]

7. This one.

<<sigh>>

[flvegan]

10. I had an 87 GN, but not a GNx.

Bad ass cars.

[HuskerDU]

11. yeah my friend had one of those. (GN)

ate corvettes for lunch!

[PeaceNikki]

26. envy.

someday... someday.

[supernova]

8. International Scout

yes, I was an SUV loving kid, thank you very much.

"Because, anything less is just a car!" ;-)

[Initech]

9. I always wanted a Cadillac

Hell, if I had 50 g's to drop on a luxury car, you can certainly bet that I'd snatch up an '08 CTS!

[EOTE]

64. It might be closer than you think.

The '08 CTS starts in the low 30s and stops I believe in the mid 40s completely loaded. They're quite a good value, much better than the 3 Series or Infiniti G IMHO. For a $1200 upgrade, you can opt for the direct injection V6 which makes more power than the Northstar V8 did a few years ago. Heck, for under 30K, you can get a previous generation CTS-V with the Vette's 400hp V8 and a 6 speed. If you're patient, the current generation CTS-V will be out in a year or so, and that will be one outrageous Caddy. I haven't heard anything concrete yet for the engine, but I've heard it will either be the 7 liter small block from the current Z06 Caddy, or a supercharged 6.2 liter from the upcoming ZR1 Corvette. Horsepower will be in the 500 to 600 range. BMW and Mercedes won't stand a chance with their M and AMG cars.

[femmocrat]

12. A 1957 Thunderbird. In turquoise.

I never did get one, though. I did have a 1958 T-bird for a few years. I loved it.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

20. I knew someone who owned a 57 T-Bird...

...kept it in warehouse with a car cover on it. Never drove it. It was a shame. He just liked the status that went with owning it.

[HuskerDU]

13. I knew I'd have some Chevy V8.

And sure enough my first car was a '71 Monte Carlo with the sweet Cadillac type taillights!! swooooooooon

[Amerigo Vespucci]

16. Nothing in the world like a late-60s, early 70s Chevy V8. Nothing.

:toast:

[HuskerDU]

18. Wish they still made 'em like that.

I could actually work on that car!

:toast:

[EOTE]

63. Speaking of which...

1970 Chevelle SS LS6 454
Not the best in terms of handling, but my god, what a beautiful car. 454 well fed cubes and a massive four barrel didn't hurt much either. I will own one someday.

[poisonivy]

76. those things

were designed to do two things
go fast and straight LOL

My best friend in HS had a 70 SS, he ended up blowing the engine racing it, he got rid of it and bought a ford escort LMAO

[Droopy]

19. I've always been a utilitarian when it comes to cars

So I never really had too many fantasies about them. But I did end up with a really cool vehicle for my first ride.

It was a 1976 Chevy Scottsdale pickup truck. It had been my step-fathers and he had blown the engine in it. My mom and him gave me the truck for my 16th birthday and he helped me put a new engine in it. It had a step side bed with a wooden floor and chrome rims that I spent many a Saturday polishing. It was a cool looking truck. We put a 305 out of a Malibu in it and little did I know that the thing burned oil and I didn't know anything about cars in general when I had it. I ended up blowing the engine because I ran it too low on oil. Everything else was in good shape and I didn't have any money so I traded it for a running Chevy Impala station wagon which holds the record for world's biggest car.

I wish I still had that old truck. It would be a weekend driver now days. Gas was less than a buck a gallon back when I drove it.

[Oeditpus Rex]

23. Tod and Buz's '60 Corvette

I still want it.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

24. I've seen every episode of that show...

...along with 77 Sunset Strip, Honey West, Man From U.N.C.L.E...ALL of the shows that mattered.

:toast:

[Rabrrrrrr]

25. There's only one vehicle for me

or, in a pinch, the '65 Mustang convertible:

[DarkTirade]

29. Finding parking for that thing must be a pain.

[Rabrrrrrr]

42. The good thing is that it comes with its own parking space making device.

It's pretty cool!

[Amerigo Vespucci]

38. Here's another photo I took at my client's "Hot August Nights" event this past summer...

A former boss had a '65 Mustang. I had to go on an errand for work once and he let me drive it. That was one solid American-built automobile.

:toast:

[Xipe Totec]

27. Lincoln Continental Mark IV

Always loved that car...

[DarkTirade]

28. Unfortunately they don't sell cars with built-in rocket launchers anymore.

C'est la guerre.

[dropkickpa]

30. This one of course

What can I say, I loved Dukes of Hazzard!

But now I want it in this paint

[HuskerDU]

32. Shoot- gotta change my pick to the General!

Every male my age loved that car and Daisy Duke!

[Amerigo Vespucci]

51. Man, that is one SWEET shade of blue.

I'd put THAT car to all kinds of good use.

:toast:

[datasuspect]

31. an old mack truck

my dad used to drive one and he'd take me to work with him.

i got to sit in a wood packing box (only one seat in the cab) and eat cheeseburgers.

[Droopy]

34. How did you end up not being a trucker? Or did you?

About 90% of the truckers out there seem to have daddies who were truckers.

[datasuspect]

70. never ended up being a trucker

thought about, never got around to it. probably would be the right job for me . . .

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

33. I absolutely love, Love, LOVE your taste in cars

That Alfa is most definitely one of the all-time dream cars. I salute you for recognizing automotive greatness when you see it. I could never afford such a car, however. My dream car as a kid was a Jaguar XK 150 like this one:



My parents bought me a little silver model of this car when I was about 6 years old. Later, I had to settle for an MGA as my first car. I also bought a used Jaguar Mark II which was an exceptional car. I was never able to afford that beautiful Jag XK 150, though.

I now own a 1973 Saab 96, a 1969 Citroen DS21, and a 1957 DKW F93. These have become my dream cars. They look something like these:







They're the only cars I own or want to drive at the moment, well except I wouldn't mind having one of the greatest sports cars ever built, like this incredible Renault A310 (if only I could come close to affording one):



I was never able to afford the dream car that I dreamed of as a kid, alas. But it started in me an appreciation for great old cars that continues to this day, like my admiration of your Alfa Romeo, which is a true thing of beauty.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

40. I've seen a few classic Jags close-up, too...

...the Massachusetts town I grew up in was primarily middle class, but there was a small "old money" element too. My dad knew one guy who owned a silver Rolls Royce, similar to this one (a 1964 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II):



...except instead of white it was silver and had a hand-carved walnut dashboard. It was also more "boxy" and less "sloped" or "steamlined" than the one in the photo, and it was HUGE.

I've heard that when Rolls makes one of these cars they keep the original piece of wood the dashboard was carved from so that if it ever needs to be replaced it will continue to match the rest of the wood (inside door trim, etc).

Cars are a mode of transportation, yes, but they can also be art.

:hi:

[Fenris]

52. I love the "display case" front end of the A310.

[SPKrazy]

36. not this color

1971 Pontiac Le Mans


I dunno if I dreamt about it, but I was sooooooo excited when I got it!!!!

Also, had a great back seat as I recall :evilgrin:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

47. Oh yeah...the "Back Seat" stories could probably fill another thread

We also had "drive-in movies" when I was driving around in those Chevys. Most of the drive-ins here (Silicon Valley, CA) are long gone.

:toast:

[SPKrazy]

54. Drive Ins, Back in the woods by the lake

out by the dam

:toast:

:rofl:

[Drum]

45. When I was a teenager, these were the cars I coveted:

[DainBramaged]

46. Sunbeam Tiger

But I was 14 and didn't realize till 2 years later when I started to apprentice for the brand I truly loved (Chevy) that Ford's suck and Chevy's Rules.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

48. My dad's boss had a red one of those...

...and he drove it home one day on his lunch hour. It was the first time in my life I'd ever seen a car that small. My dad drove a red Jeep (the large, truck-sized one, not the smaller recreational model) and also Chevy Impala wagons. I grew up surrounded by big vehicles.

[Kutjara]

49. Ferry's finest:

Porsche 356 Speedster. I'd prefer it in silver, but I wouldn't be too distraught if someone gave me a black one like in the photo.

I've loved that car since before I could walk.

[RushIsRot]

50. I had more modest desires that have never been realized.

A 1949 Ford

[Fenris]

55. A few...

1935 Chrysler Airflow, a car too beautiful for this world:



1966 Plymouth Barracuda



1960 Lincoln Continental Mark V



1965 Plymouth Sport Fury

[Amerigo Vespucci]

56. That Chrysler is pretty amazing...

...I'd most want to sit behind the wheel of the Lincoln, but there's no denying the fact that the Lincoln is a work of art.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

57. I love the style of American cars from the mid 30s to early 40s - that Chrysler is stunning

I've always wanted a 1938 Plymouth Business Coupe, the car that Humphrey Bogart supposedly drove in The Big Sleep. Unfortunately, a lot of these old cars are being converted into hot rods (I like them original).

[Oeditpus Rex]

58. Y'mean like this?

BTW, the one in your photo's a '39. The '38 had a much different nose:

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

59. You're right

That is a 1939 and not a 1938. Very observant of you. Here's a 1939 in color, from the auto collection of the Smithsonian Institution.



Sorry, but I don't like hot rodded cars, especially the oldies. I hate those modern wheels and the paint is plastic polyurethane and too glossy for me. To each his own, I guess.

[fortyfeetunder]

60. 196? Road Runner

I was a Warner Bros cartoon fan, especially watching endless episodes of Wil E. Coyote's futile efforts to get the Roadrunner. And when that car premiered, I guess it was 66-67? I was hooked. I was too young to drive but old enough to dream. I also dreamed of owning a 4 series Mercedes....

My actual car selections have been mundane.

[formerrepuke]

68. My uncle had a '68 Road Runner that looked just like this:

He would let me sit on his lap and honk the horn with its trademark 'beep-beep' (unsafe, but commonly done back then). He had to give it up for something more practical when he started a family. To this day, he is unable to speak of it -like a lost love.

[fortyfeetunder]

82. Thanks for sharing!

I saw one at the Chrysler museum earlier this year. Guess I'll settle for a Mattel Hot-Wheels variety....

[seemunkee]

61. A friend of mine owns one of those

It was in pretty good shape when he bought it and has taken great care of it. Beautiful car.

Mine dream car was a Lotus Super 7. I love the bare bones aggressive look on those things ever since seeing it in the opening sequence of The Prisoner.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

62. A Ford Escort--don't ask why

I was 5 years old, and for whatever reason, I wanted a Ford Escort. It just seemed practical. (Wow, even as a kid, I was practical and boring.)

And you know what the funny thing is? My first car was a 1986 Ford Escort. I took it after my sister left for college and didn't need a car anymore. Of course, at that point, it was 10 years old and had over 120,000 miles, and it couldn't go 20 miles without the engine flooding and the thing shutting down. When my dad went to take me to buy my next car (the 1994 Dodge Shadow that I loved to death), we traded in the Escort, got $500 for it. The dealer went and test drove it and luckily it checked out. After we had signed the contract for the Shadow, the Escort just wouldn't start. But it was their problem by that time.

[momophile]

65. 1966 Mustang metallic blue

not a fastback, just a regular notchback with the chrome fingers on the side...

maybe I will own one yet... of course, I'd have to convert the engine to ethanol or biodiesel or something...

[Frosty1]

72. My dream car too.

Except I wanted it in red. I got it too in 1970.

:bounce:

[hippywife]

66. Maybe I'm just weird but

I never had any desires on any cars when I was growing up. I really didn't even want to learn to drive but took driver's ed. in school anyway. When they showed those scary crash movies, that did it for me for a long time. I didn't get my license until I was 20.

I don't mind driving but not something that ever rang my bells that way, I guess. :shrug:

[Sock Puppet]

67. It's an odd car to covet, I think, but I always wanted this:

[Fenris]

75. Not odd at all.

The 39 Olds is a sexy car.

[Throd]

69. 1967 Oldsmobile 442

When I was 8 years old (1974)I remember seeing one on a used car lot in Southern Ohio. I fell in love with the design immediately. I bought a very beat up one in Pomona in 1992. Right now it is sitting under a tarp in the forest near Placerville patiently waiting for restoration.

[CreekDog]

71. A Rabbit.

Weird kid.

Had a Golf for a while. Some girls asked me what kind of car it was, I told them, "A Golf". They said, "A golf cart?". Stupids.

:wtf:

[quip]

74. My first love: the 1976 Triumph Spitfire

http://boblockehandyman.com.nyud.net:8090/db5/00442/boblockehandyman.com/_uimages/1979_Triumph_Spitfire.JPG

I never ended up owning one, but it cemented my love of convertibles. Now I drive a Jeep Wrangler. :thumbsup:

[Arugula Latte]

77. I got nothin'

As long as a car is safe, semi-decent and gets me from A to B, I don't care much about it. :shrug:

[Steely_Dan]

78. Porsche 914

Finally got one...

[KitchenWitch]

79. This one!

[momophile]

85. what a fabulous picture!

the lady's gloves make it.
:hi:

[Faygo Kid]

80. 1968 Chevelle SS Big Block 396

I still want one.

[WinkyDink]

81. One and only, but not yet:

[TheMightyFavog]

83. I wanted to do this when I was a Teenager in the 90s...

Take a 50s or 60s-era hearse like this one...



Drop in the biggest, baddest, racing tuned Chevy Big Block or Hemi that I could get my hands on.

Paint the car a gloss mettalic black...

Replace the stock side view mirrors with custom-made chrome side view mirror assemblies sculpted into the shape of skulls (with red lights hooked into the turn signals wired into the eye sockets...)

Skull knob for the gear shift, of course.



Maybe a custom made Grim Reaper Hood Ornament...

Custom skull hubcaps...

And the finishing touch, a graphic on the back door that features the Grim Reaper and the words "Your ass is mine."

If I had one of these I probably would not be single. This thing would attract goth women like a light bulb does moths.

Hell, I could make money with one of these, for hot rodder funerals and renting it out for music videos and movies.

[MilesColtrane]

84. 1968 Mustang GT 390 Fastback

As driven by Steve Fucking McQueen...