As the year moves forward to its eventual end, so do some of our current Cars Of A Lifetime (COAL) series. That means we’re looking for one or two new COAL contributors to take their place soon. If you’ve owned an assortment of cars over the years and have stories to tell about your experiences, we’d like to hear about them.
Send us an email at [email protected], and let us know what you’ve in mind, and if possible, include a list of potential cars you plan on writing about. In case you don’t wish to commit to creating a series, one-offs and occasional contributions are also of our interest. Don’t have photos for your stories? We can usually find suitable ones online. And if you’re worried about your writing skills, don’t be. We all started somewhere, and we’d be glad to help you along the way.
Since age 19 when I was given a choice by my father to (a) find a car I could afford or (b) take over the payments on the 1964 Falcon he bought while I was at USMC boot camp at Parris Island. After finding a 19 year old in 1965, even a service member had issues as 21 was still the leagal age in most states, Virginia (where we lived) included to obtain financing.
Falcon was a 1964, 260 V8, 3 speed fully synchronised colum shift and factiory AC, it was a late 1964 and had a lot of Mustang part numbers and parts. I drove it, made some modifications until 1970 when I was tippred off by a friend at his machine shop regarding a 1966 Shelby GT350 for sale. I cashed in my savings bonds I had been accumulating since elementary school and bought the car. It was truly a “kit car” as it had been disassembled by the current owner who had been racing it at the local (Suffolk VA) drag strip. Until it closed, the NHRA East Coast Spring Nationals were held there. Transmission was “stolen” and I was told the Suffolk Police Dept. had it, wrong!, they knew nothing but were searching for the owner. He met me outside the city limits in Isle of Wight County to sign the title. I kept that car for 11 years, I got married, and we took it on our honeymoon to Williamsburg VA where a good friend was director of marketing for one of the premier hotels and he set us up in a colmplimentary suite for New Years week (we were married Dec 30th). I eneded up loaning the Falcon to a friend and never got it back, I had, in the mean time acquired a 1963 Oldsmobile Jetfire (turbocharged F85), so now I had two fairly rare cars, the Shelby and the Jetfire.
I had two step kids, and later a son, all of whom were extremely upset when I sold the Shelby, not because I wanted to, but needed the money for 3 kids. Later cars were somewhat more mundane, a 1970 1/2 Falcon wagon, 302 auto and stripped. I added a few things, AC, PS, dual action tailgate with power window, 4 barrel, dual exhuast with 1965 289 4 barrel heads, 351 windsor exhaust manifolds and finally after wife burned up 2nd gear a C6 transmission. Older son destroyed the right rear quarter just before Christmas and sine that was the spare tire well, it wasn’t safe to drive (exhaust gas inside the car).
I had replaced the Jetfire with a 1961 Mercedes-Benz 220Sb (2.2L 6 cyl 4 speed and the last year for 4 wheel drum brakes). I was the 4th owner and first non NASA Langley employee to own it. It was scrapped with roughly 800,000 miles on it as the unibody was rusting through at the corners. Falcon wagon was replaced by a 1971 Mercury Colony Park, which ultimately was sold for it’s 429 engine after I bought my 3rd pickup truck, a 1986 F350 crew cab dual rear wheel one to tow our 5th wheel trailer. I still have the truck sfter 32 years. I now have two Ford Flexes, a 2009 and a 2011, and a project car, a 1986 Chrysler Lebaron convertible, replacing the 1985 that I was hit in the right rear totaling it. I had replaced the Mitsubishi 2.6L due to 3 of the 4 combustion chambers having cracks in them, engine in it and now the 1986, is essentially an Omni GLHS engine, forged crank, etc. that I traded and anchiant Dell laptop for. New car will be ultimately a 30 psi boost Turbo II, for around 300HP, total sleeper, except for the license plate VA T2K-CAR (it’s warning label).
Picture is the one car I wish I still had, but I know where it is and who has it now.