My first ever "new" car was a brand new 1970 Boss 302 in candy apple red. Ran it each weekend at the local dragstrip and drove it to work on Monday. Tweaked it out with MT headers, Detroit Locker 4:11 rear and a bunch of other stuff. But that Ford 302 was the heart of the beast. Never won, but was competitive - routinely hit 105+ in 1/4 mile (forget the sec, but I think 12-13's). Had me in Pro-Stock IIRC.
If I bought it back today, I'm looking at $40K+. Paid 1/10th of that (new) back then.
Any bastard children of that car gets respect from me, just because it has the same name. Not right maybe, but that's the way it is sometimes.
Wed, Mar 9, 2005, 4:58pm (EST-3) snipped-for-privacy@easystreet.com (Fly-by-Night=A0CC) exclaims: Ohmygawd! I can't believe you said that in a public forum... I had a Vega GT wagon years and years and years ago, but least it twernt no Mustang II...
Guy at the parts store down the road owns one of those wagons. He's worked the engine over so now it's a 454 V8. Nice economy car.
JOAT Intellectual brilliance is no guarantee against being dead wrong.
Now wait a minute! I had a '74 Mustang II and it was an absolute kick in the pants. It had a crank open sunroof and my best buddy and I would go down by the beach and sit on the roof with our legs inside and enjoy the tunes and a cool beverage while scoping the "scenery". It was easy on gas and handled nicely. Overall it was one of the most enjoyable cars I've ever owned. Sold it to go to college.
They sure were promoted properly, in contrast to the Edsel. Pa worked at Ford Division when, and the next-door neighbor worked for a Ford dealer. My sister's green convertible 289 stick was in the low 60's of cars off the line at Dearborn, went to the nearby dealer, who had someone else call us because he was physically inside the car to prevent it being "stolen." IIRC, the bidding was fierce. When the Cougar came out, dad went down and drove his off the line to avoid the hassle
I had the 4 cyl. with a little bit of hotting up. The 302 was too heavy for the car and made it handle like a pig - but it was *much* faster in a straight line. I was more into curves in those days (on the road - now I look for curves elsewhere[1]) and the MII was a good match with my motorcycle. I tuned the suspension and put good tires on it and just drove it to death.
[1] on furniture, of course. What did you think? ;-)
Sorta like Chevy did with the Corvettes. They took the 265 cid in the '56 'Vette like I once owned (Damn I wish I had that car back) and turned it into the 427 cid LS7 in the new Z06. Hey, it's still a "small block."
And they haven't even raised the price. A new Z06 is ~$75K and a nicely restored '56 just went for $75K at auction.
Charlie... stick your money in almost any mutual fund...hell of a lot better ROI
In my garage right now (and they will not come out to play until April fools day...my traditional start of my driving season) are :
68 SS 396 Chevelle
62 , 64, and 72 Corvette Ragtops
76 79 & 95 Corvette Coupes... all equipped ...most the right way and all were "shown" last summer...
YES they are worth some good money... BUT if I had to raise some money quickly I would be in a world of hurt.. I would most likely make a few bucks...BUT over the years I had to "invest" in Insurance, had to invest in licence fees, had to fix and repair them and on more then a few occasions had a hell of a time finding "correct"....(very important word)... parts ...Friend of mine just forked over $2,000 bucks to replace the radiator in his 58 Vette of course everything including numbers build date etc were "correct" Hell Pep boys sold a radiator that would fit for under a 100 bucks..and the car WAS an original fulie.. to buy an original fuel injection unit NOW would mean spending between $5,000 to $7000 bucks..depending if everything "had" to be correct. He plans on keeping the Carburetor on it for a few more years...
You DO NOT invest in a car.... You ENJOY the damn things.. You DRIVE them. AND you measure your return on investment in smiles per mile..
Getting 6-7 miles per gallon on hightest gasoline at todays prices can make "tooling" around town a little expensive... Sure you can pussy foot the things and get 9-10 miles per gallon...BUT what THE HELL.. Plant right foot...smile... !
I can relate however to wishing to still own a car...when I married my wife in 1965 she drove a 55 Chevy Be lair hardtop, V8... while I was driving a VW beetle .... Shortly after we were married "we" sold the Chevy (no place to park it & it burned oil) and kept the VW....
I'da loved to have had a Chevette or a Super Beetle
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The absence of accidents does not mean the presence of safety Army General Richard Cody
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When I first arrived at college, I thought it laughable that the South Bend police had Larks. Then one of them showed me the engine compartment. It wouldn't be for fast that you'd need a 'Vette with one of those available.
Mine was a Lark VI -- 6 cylinder. It certainly had more pick-up and go than a Chevette, but it wasn't going to win any races either. I think they also offered a V-8?
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The absence of accidents does not mean the presence of safety Army General Richard Cody
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Sounds like late 40 - early 50's, local constable liked to hang out on the local straight stretch where all the boys liked to "race". He had a beat up ol' Chevy P/U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . with a Caddy V8 stuffed into it. He always got whoever he went after!
wife in 1965 she drove a 55 Chevy Be lair hardtop, V8... while I was driving a VW beetle .... Shortly after we were married "we" sold the Chevy (no place to park it & it burned oil) and kept the VW....
Tell you what Charlie, I'll sell you my 59 Lark; it's still parked on Dad's farm. ;-)
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The absence of accidents does not mean the presence of safety Army General Richard Cody
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