Here’s a good one! What is the coolest car you have ever ridden in? I’ll go first. For me, the coolest car I’ve driven was a 1923 Ford Model T. But when it comes to riding, I have to go with this car. A 1941 Lincoln Continental coupe, owned by a friend and member of my church, this hunter green ’41 Connie is an absolutely wonderful car, and at the top of those I’ve personally experienced.
Back in 1997, when I was still in high school, Wayne told my dad that we should come out to his place sometime and see his old cars. So we did one bright September day, and while the highlight was driving his 1923 Model T tourer in the “back 40” of his farm, the best ride occurred when he took me and my dad for a spin in his 1941 Continental.
Out on the two-lane, Wayne accelerated to 55-60, and that car rode just like a cloud. I rode up front, and my dad sat in the commodious back seat. What a wonderful ride! What a wonderful car!
Adding icing to the cake was this car’s stunning originality. Only 45K original miles on the clock, and a totally original car–paint, Bedford Cord-and-leather interior, 24K gold interior fittings, etc. It is, to this day, a highlight of my gearhead life. Last year, it was entered in a local car show, adjacent to the Great Race meetup in LeClaire Park in downtown Davenport. Naturally, I had to get some pictures.
And now, back to you, our readers. What was the coolest car YOU ever had the pleasure of riding in?
I rode in a 1911 Baker Electric once at Old Rhinebeck Airdrome… Cole Palen (who started the Airdrome and passed some years ago) saw my very “with child” wife and I and offered to drive us back to the parking lot.
Very cool! Monte Shelton took me for a ride in his 1917 Detroit Electric Brougham, a real honest-to-goodness brougham, which I wrote up in a CC here.
Coolest car I’ve been lucky enough to have ridden in and driven: Tesla S. I wrote that up for CC too. I’ve driven a Ferrari, E-type and XJ-S Jaguars, ridden in Maserati and Porsche, none of them match the Starship Tesla.
Lifelong car guy here, and this question makes me realize I need to get out more…Never even sat in a Ferrari, Lambo, etc.
There was the BMW M5, M6 and M3 at the BMW Performance Driving Center, but I got to drive those as well. Also drove a CTS-V at the dealership last year, with the salesman encouraging me to “get on it”.
As only a passenger, it would probably be my brother’s old 2003 Mustang Cobra with 700+ hp. Also the fastest I’ve ever been in a car. The speedo only goes to 160, and it took A WHILE to come off 160 after he slowed down.
Hell, the oldest car I think I’ve ever even ridden in was my dad’s ’74 Bronco, or a friend’s Super Beetle in HS (unsure of the year).
Edit: Forgot I briefly dated a girl in college who drove a 69 Camaro, never let me drive it, but I got some rides…
Mine is quite unexciting–2011 Corvette. It’s odd, considering how long I’ve been a car nut, that I’ve never scored a ride, much less a drive, in anything truly interesting or vintage.
Thought about it some more and still haven’t come up with one better than the ‘Vette, which was only a year old at the time. 2nd place would probably be a friend’s Audi Coupe Quattro (1991, so it was one of the 90-based models, not the ur-quattro). Not that old or that high performance, but a rare, distinctive car that I was a big fan of.
Much like the commenter above, I’ve never ridden in anything older than mid to late 70’s. “Oldest” prize for me would probably be a mid 70’s K5 Blazer or a mid 70’s MG Midget.
1930 Duesenberg J tourer. I got to ride in it on the leg out. I got to drive it on the leg back.
1938 Packard. There’s a museum near LAX that lets you go for rides in the collection’s cars on Sundays. It’s insanely cool. Back when I did it, they took three cars out on a given day and you’d be driven around a couple blocks (maybe a 5-minute loop). I highly recommend it to anyone who’s in the area.
http://www.automobiledrivingmuseum.org/
This page shows which cars are on schedule for ride-alongs each day:
http://www.automobiledrivingmuseum.org/about/take-a-ride/
If I’m reading it correctly, it looks like one of Stalin’s Packards was on chauffeur duty a couple weeks ago.
My coolest ride is not a “classic” per say but it was the coolest ride to me, and I still love them. It was my cousins 1984 Honda Prelude, with Navy blue metallic and brand new interior navy blue cloth. I loved her car so much, I have always wanted one, the way it drove and handled was amazing, I thought that car was more of a car of that time, it was beyond its years HAHA, still it was and is still one of the coolest rides I have ever had the privilege to ride in 🙂 Call me crazy! but right
This was suppose to upload with my comment, for some reason it didnt HAHA
Literally or figuratively?
If literal, it was a ’72 or ’73 VW convertible. It was quite cool outside and the top leaked a lot of air. That was a really cold, if short, trip.
Figuratively? Likely the 1929 Model A I once piloted. You have me searching my mind and this is all I can recollect at the moment.
I’ve related the story before, but I got to drive my friend’s ’31 Model A all day taking folks out to the flight line at our local airport for rides in a Stearman some years ago. I gave more rides to older folks who wanted to relive their youth than I did to actual Stearman riders, and heard some great stories, too! “I used to go a-courtin’ in one of these!”
There is a place somewhere in the southern part of the state that is an old filling station and picnic ground. For a fee, they will take you to a remote section of the property for your picnic in your choice of Model A sedan or rumble seat coupe.
I must also admit to being rather jealous of your being able to spend the day ferrying passengers in the A. Sounds like a blast.
Objectively, probably my uncle’s 1970 RH drive Silver Shadow. Not thrilling, but cool. Kind of.
As far as subjective cool, well that would be a 1973 Mach I Mustang. I was 12, I had fallen in with a rather bad crowd and one of them had this car. The first time I rode in it he did a burnout. Engine screaming, burnt rubber smell and smoke enveloping the car; I thought it was the coolest thing EVER.
It looked like this:
Probably a Ford GT that belonged to a former neighbor. He showed up unexpectedly at my house one Sunday afternoon and wanted to know if I wanted to for a ride; duh!!! I ended up getting to drive it for a short while and had it up close to 160, by a good bit the fastest I’ve ever driven a car.
The oldest car was a 1936 Oldsmobile that belonged to a friend’s older brother. It was cool in its way but needed some serious work to be really driveable. It basically sat in their parents’ back yard for several years while he tried to collect parts to restore it. Eventually one day it was gone, I assume he ran out of patience and/or money.
1934 Buick….a huge 4 door town car, maroon, twin side mount spares and wide white wall tires. It was purchased new in Prince George, British Columbia so it also had an auxiliary heater in the rear seating area. My wife and I used it on our wedding day in 1991…the use of it was a gift from her Godfather who has a life long passion for cars, especially old Buicks. Absolutely beautiful car.
Took a spin in a Ferrari 250 GTO back in 1970… Don’t imagine I’ll forget the sound of that 12 cylinder rumble …ever !
Probably my Uncle’s Austin Healey 3000
Coolest vehicle I’ve ridden in was a Stearman Kaydett, I even got to fly it for a few minutes!!
Well I have ridden in a few late 1980s Saab 900 Turbos with a stick shift and those sure were sweet. Someday I will get to drive one.
1957 Porsche Carrara that belonged to my Great Aunt (new). I was 5 going 6, she was 75 going on 76.
This image is as close as I could find…. her’s was red.
Now that is one cool aunt. My 84 year old aunt just bought a new car, but, alas, it is a Malibu.
1946 Plymouth.
Coolest was a rusted clapped out ’40 Ford 1/2 ton pickup that a friend of a friend took me for a ride it. Flathead, 6v, no seatbelts, it got me hooked on old cars. It has so much character, it was amazing.
Fastest was a CTS-V that a friend rented, that thing was fast, took off like a rocket.
A 1955 Packard Carribean convertible. Emerald green with emerald green and white leather interior. With the top down,of course. 2nd coolest was a `56 MK.ll Continental, black with a black and white interior, with the air conditioning on.
Has to be the Chaika I was driven in when on vacation in Havana.
Cooool…it must be an incredible ride…if it was powered with the original ГАЗ V8 engine…
It wasn’t. The driver told us the engine had been replaced. This was one of 5 1987 Chaikas from Fidel’s stable, that with their armour removed and their engines changed to Mercedes diesel units, were transfered to Cubataxi.
Very nice. I got to ride around Moscow in one of these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAZ-12_ZIM
But I wanted a Chaika. We didn’t rate. 🙂
As a passenger: My great uncle’s 1958 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special 4-door hardtop. First car I’ve ridden in with a/c, power windows, locks, and front seat. He purchased it from an estate sale in about 1960, low miles and in great condition.
Next up: 1961 Ford Sunliner with the top down, owned by the son of the same great uncle. Rode in the back seat with my brother from Wheeling, WV to Pittsburgh to see a Pirates baseball game in 1964. Part of the ride was on the newly opened I-70 at 65 mph!
Driven: 1959 Chevy Bel Air with the Blue Flame 6 and 3-on-the-tree.
Maybe not the coolest, but the most expensive was going for a short drive in a Porsche Cayenne when the dealership received the first one. It came in new with a non-functional sunroof, the motor was bad and on backorder so we got the VW part number off it and bought one for a VW Touareg. I guess the coolest I ever was a passenger in would be a 61-63 T-bird or a brand new Corrado VR6.
73 Citroen DS in the mid 70s that my brother-in-law was test driving. To this day I recall the increadibly smooth ride. I still love it’s retro sci-fi style.
I’d love to drive one of those some time, if I got the chance. I was keen to get one for my first car, but economic sanity reared its ugly head.
I concur.
My father’s best friend had a 1971 Citroën DS, and I rode it when I was a boy in 1972. I remembered vividly the sight of inboard headlights moving in accord to the direction of front wheels. Not to mention the car rising up like camel during the start-up process.
Third generation (“Bullet Bird”) Thunderbird. Not the best of situations-as a young pallbearer at the funeral of my five-year-old cousin-but memorable, nonetheless. The car was white over white leather, owned by one of our local veterinarians, who drove us from the funeral home in one town to the town in which the funeral and burial were held. It seemed to accelerate and ride effortlessly, which with the stunning dash, console and wraparound rear seats gave a young boy the impression that he was indeed being transported in some sort of space vehicle, maybe even out of that “Tom Swift and His Rocket Ship” series he was reading at the time.
Recently I would say my friend’s Daimler DS420 limousine. Not too many of them about.
One neighbor in our small midwest town was a Mercedes-Benz family. They had a 58 190SL and a 61 or 62 190D (the W110 with fins), both rare sights in that time and place. As a kid, getting a chance to ride in the 190SL – white, red leather, black top – was a blast. Not the fastest car around but great exhaust note and build quality, and very cool presence. I really lusted for the 300SL coupe and still have a toy example purchased at the local dime store back in the day.
1) ’57 Chevy I owned from 1979-85.
2) Friend’s 2006 ZO6 ‘Vette. He let me drive it too. Sex on wheels.
3) ’69 Camaro convertible. Rust bucket but it was a ’69 Camaro convertible.
Coolest car I drove was a 68 Cougar,302 4 barrel auto,black cherry paint belongingn to my ex.
Coolest car I’ve been in,a blue 71 Jensen Interceptor,Can;t remember what it had either a 383 or 440 but it was seriously fast.The same ex with the Cougar also worked on American V8 engined exotics mainly Jensens and Panteras
My brothers battle-scarred 1958 Peugeot 403 wagon. I helped him rebuild the engine in it when it was about 10 years old. Well, really, I just passed him the tools. It looked like a survivor of the East Africa Safari rally, and the refreshed engine gave it some grunt. Driving it around was a delight because traffic parted like the Red Sea. Nobody wanted to get near it!
The coolest car I’ve ever been in, as both driver and passenger, is this 1956 S&S Cadillac Hearse that I test drove some years ago… It was a local car that was being auctioned on EBay, and I had to go and check it out. It was being sold to “finance” the purchase and restoration of a Rolls Royce – which was going to be daily driven by the new owner! The Rolls never made it to actual functionality, and I didn’t win the ’56, which I couldn’t afford anyway . I have no idea what happened to it or where it is today.
At least you weren’t the cargo!
My Grandpa’s 1961 Imperial LeBaron 4 door hardtop, complete with squarish steering wheel, Pushbutton TorqueFlite, high-back driver’s seat, Red leather, power windows, including the ventipanes, robe band on seat back, limousine rear window, and huge fins with dangling microphone taillamps! And don’t forget those free-standing headlamps!
In the early ’70s my dad owned a Maserati Mistral 3700 for a year or so, must have been his mid-life crisis peak. It wasn’t a classic yet, then, but as a boy I remember being thrilled and excited and scared to death all at the same time each time I was driven to school or taken for a trip. Motorway rides, with very flexible speed limits at the time, were expecially memorable. The whole nation was pray of the “toll-booth to toll-booth” syndrome, so I remember some crazy runs during which I couldn’t watch the needle in the big dials, so scared I was. If I close my eyes, I can still smell the leather and hear the hiss of the fuel pump and the roar of the four exhausts. I recently saw one of those old Mistrals, possibly one underrated model of the brand, and it still looks stunning to me.
When I grew up, I worked for some time for a chap who unofficially imported any kind of car to Italy (there was a business then, in importing from EC countries at lower prices than those offered by official dealers), and I got to drive all brand-new Mercs, sometimes all the way from Stuttgart ! I remember losing my licence once, on the flight to Germany and later being stopped at the Swiss border and jailed ! Some lovely quarter of an hour.
But my most outstanding driving experience must be a short spell in the Shelby Mustang 400 of a friend’s boss: I was so scared of damaging that beauty, that I hardly shifted into fourth…
I guess it depends on your definition of cool. I did have a memorable night time ride in a 69 Camaro with a 396 as my sole muscle car experience and I’ve ridden in a MG midget once.
I personally consider my weekend in England with a Landrover Defender 90 the coolest driving experience I’ve had so far.
Also, it depends on where you live and what cars are more common / rare there.
I have driven an MG Midget mk I as my only car for a few years (it’s stilll sitting in my garage undergoing a ten-years-plus restoration…): I loved it so much, although I must say it was nothing exceptional. Cool, maybe, yes. Same with a Landy, which I then satisfactorily changed for an old Hi-Lux truck.
American Muscle cars, of which I have driven only two, the aforementioned Shelby 400 and a Z28 I briefly co-owned at 20, are so rare here (Italy) that driving one really is an event: paradoxically it would be easier to drive or be driven in some exotic supersport.
there is quite a few that I can think of but sadly I forget details of the cars 1 would be about a 1978 Ford or Mercury wagon in green with wood siding another is I think a 65 Valiantin a red/orange colour another Datsun 710 wagon in cream another one Fiesta in silver 1989 in maroon and 1994 Mazda 323 in black and a green Maverick with a white top 4 door. I hope to one day ride in a Pacer a neighbor owns one
Guess I was in cool car heaven in ’78…my car was a Datsun 710 (not a wagon, alas) and I used it in the summers to drive to my job as a porter at Hertz, I was one of the people who returned one-way rentals to their home location (or otherwise moved cars from one site to another). Great job for a car oriented person, but it probably paid less than minimum wage at the time…I drove ’78 Ford and Mercurys almost routinely (LTDII, Granada, Fairmont) as Hertz was primarily Ford back then.
I did get a chance to drive a Buick turbo Regal, and a Pacer (like the AMC cars, but I’m more of a Hornet/Concord type myself)….I think the neatest car I remember driving was a Dodge Magnum (green of course!), maybe in retrospect than at the time, but I think of it as the end of an era kind of car which made it stand out to me.
My father owned a ’68 Renault R10, ’65 Olds F85, two early ’60’s Ramblers, and a ’56 Plymouth Plaza which I rode in of course but never got to drive..kind of wish I was a bit older just so I could have driven one of them.
For me, the coolest car I’ve ridden in was a 1959 Studebaker Lark VIII. It belonged to a co-worker of mine. There was nothing fancy about it. It didn’t have an AM radio or even an AM/FM radio. There wasn’t much chrome on the body, except for the bumpers or under the trunk lid, where it said “Studebaker Lark VIII”. But I enjoyed riding in it. There wasn’t any noticeable rust, which, as I’m told is common with Studebakers. I found it more comfortable to ride in than my current car, an 06 Toyota Corolla. It also handled better.
A 1973 or ’74 Maserati Bora. Coolest because I was very excited at the prospect of owning it and this was a test drive. Then I drove it……. All I can remember is the huge effort required to depress the clutch and actually drive it! This was hard work by every measure. After 15 minutes I drove it back to the sellers house, politely explained that the car was not for me and the really enjoyed the drive home in my Mercedes 250 CE which was no where near as dramatic, but so smooth and comfortable……
One other – the BMW 335i Convertable I had for three years recently. Traded it on my current E 350. The 335i engine is one of the best power plants ever made by any manufacturer IMHO. Fantastic – I would drop the roof on that car on summer evenings and just listen to that engine……one of life’s genuine pleasures!
My 427 Cobra for sure
Not exactly a car, but. . .
Hard to choose , being very subjective .
Driven maybe the 1934 DeSoto Air Flow Sedan , in 1971 I used to maintain it for a guy who then let me borrow it , take it out on dates and so on .
Ridden in I guess the 1929 Stutz Blackhawk Roadster down in Long Beach ~ I guess I wasn’t scared enough as my goofball buddy wicked it up until we blew some stop signs past a Cop (L.B.P.D. then skidded into a dirt lot and *barely* between a wooden telephone post and the guy wire ~ I don’t think he saw the wire as it flashed 2′ near my face .
That was exciting yes but less fun than I wanted .
FWIW , ‘A’ Model Fords are _really_ fun ! not overly fast , even after you put in a ‘B’ model head and ‘C’ model crank .
Yes , yes I know : ” there ain’t no such thing as a ‘C’ Model Ford ! ” .
If ever you get the chance , drive one .
-Nate
No such thing as a C-model – but you sure find plenty of engine parts around!
I’ll have to go with a c. 1966 Trabant 601 “Limousine” (that’s what they’re called), rented this summer in Nowa Huta, Poland. Two cylinders of two-stroke power (which would make a total of four strokes), four-in-the-tree, and Schwinn-strength brakes! Loved it; a Duroplast blast. Too bad this one was painted a non-authentic black.
See you all in Auburn!
My freshman year of high school, one of the senior girls I knew from track had a red ’89 BMW 3-Series coupe, and she gave me a ride home once. I remember she proudly proclaimed that the car would be an official antique within a few years. I think it was the first Bimmer I ever rode in. It was a car I’d always dreamed about owning and it lived up to all my expectations. Its rev-happy engine made one of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard. Riding in an incredible car with a beautiful girl, that was a very good day. If only I had been able to drive at that point 🙂
My first Bimmer ride was when the Principle of the engineering firm I worked at to pay for college had me ride with him to pick up the new car (mid-1980s, it was a 5xx but don’t remember the exact model). We drove out in his old car (GM product, IIRC), and after he finished the paperwork, he handed me the keys to the BMW and let me follow him back to the office. I was on cloud 9 the rest of the day!
My first ride in a BMW was a new 72 2002 owned by a friend. It had air conditioning and an automatic. With its tall greenhouse, sizable trunk, and efficiently designed, spartan interior, the 2002 was quite a contrast to the 72 Maverick LDO I was driving at the time.
I got to drive an 83 733 (?) with a 5 speed in about 1985. A friend worked for the owner and was allowed to drive it for a week while the owner was out of town. It was quite nice!
V12 powered Jaguar XKE 2+2 coupe owned by a mechanical engineering friend who relies on that experience to keep it running right. I don’t care what speed you were going, hit the gas and there was always more there.
A 1968 Olds 442 convertible owned by my boss at the time. When he let me drive it he asked how it was. I jokingly told him it started breaking down at 100 mph. He said he noticed that too! I’m not sure I ever convinced him I was joking.
Interestingly when he bought the 442 he was torn between the 442 and a last year Austin Healey 3000. Since he had three small kids he went with the Olds. That was a step up from the Sunbeam roadster they were cramming into!
Coolest I’ve ever driven: ’63 Fuelie Vette Split Window.
Coolest I’ve ever ridden in: 1911 American LaFrance Fire Engine.
Ridden: 78 Porsche 928 (the ride that first got me interested in cars)
85 Ferrari Testarossa (sheer excitement)
Driven: 96 Porsche 911 (most exciting)
71 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible (most attention-getting)
In 1964 a college friend had 1963 Ford Galaxie 500XL convertible, 406 TriPower, 405HP, 4-speed. Got to drive it, too. My god! That was 50 years ago!
I’d have to say it was the ’66 Impala convertible I owned when I was young and single. I swore I’d never sell it, but economic necessity reared its ugly head. Here it is at Red Rocks in Colorado, in 1978.
I know someone who has an identical ’66 Impala convertible. The only difference is the wheels.
Coolest I’ve ridden in was a survivor ’19 Dodge touring car at a ‘historical village’ tourist centre somewhere in Victoria, Australia. Might have been Swan Hill, or somewhere down the Latrobe Valley. For a few dollars a guy in period costume would take you for a drive around the place on the old, rutted, period-surfaced roads – and no-roads. Plenty of dust, bumps, noise and smells, but talk about fun! Really exciting and memorable.
Coolest I’ve driven was a ’70 Renault 16TS I almost bought from a work colleague. Such a smooth ride, and the four-on-the-tree was surprisingly easy to use. Lovely car! But about half the instruments didn’t work, and French electrics? Sadly, no sale.
I was lucky enough to grow up with a “car guy” father and his like-minded pals. Some pre-driving age (1970’s) favourite rides include:
Yellow Ferrari Dino Spyder
Metallic blue Ferrari Daytona
Metallic red MB 300SEL 6.3
Silver Porsche 930 (first one in Canada)
My most cherished driving experience was a Citroen SM through the Rocky Mountains west of Banff.
Here is a favourites of dad’s cars, a 1963 SAAB Sport:
M-1 Abrams tank. Oh, wait, you said CAR. OK, 1965 4.2 liter Jaguar E type coupe.
Hey, the Abrams is pretty cool too!
Ridden: One of my high-school buddies had a father who was a serious car collector. I thus got a chance to ride in a ’36 Packard One Sixty (which was effectively brand-new, with only 50 miles on the odometer … the owner had died immediately after buying it, and his widow had stored it carefully), a ’40 Plymouth limousine, and a ’34 Chevy. The Packard was the most impressive by far.
Driven (and owned): ’52 Morris Minor convertible. It didn’t drive very far, because I was too stupid to see that it was totally rusted out. Holes in pistons, rear shackles connected to nothing. But it was wonderful for a few miles.
My own ’53 Buick is probably the coolest, but the ’41 Continental in Tom’s pic is my personal favorite car (Cabriolet, please).
1966 Morgan +4, hands down. A distant second, 1988 Alfa 75 / Milano 3.0 V6. Some other notable ones but the Mog is definitely the coolest.
1932 Maxim Firetruck….my Grandfather’s. Kinda ruined me….
Coincidentally, my first choices would also be a Model T and a prewar Lincoln, in this case a ’39 Zephyr.
The Zephyr didn’t really feel that different from modern cars except as a question of degree. It had the two-speed axle, so there were essentially six speeds, allowing it to cope with modern freeway traffic without sounding like the engine was going to thrash itself to bits. It seemed like the kind of thing to which you could adjust would any great difficulty. You’d have to remember the choke in the morning, allow more room to stop, and have a bit more patience getting up to speed, but it’s not a matter of reinventing the wheel.
The Model T seemed about three steps removed from modern cars. Just getting it started would be a project and I could see why some states used to have a separate class of license for Model T drivers. The one I rode in, which was also from the early ’20s, felt robust enough, but there was something primordial about it, like something an ambitious village blacksmith might concoct. For ambling along a relatively empty country lane or small town back roads, it would be fine, but the idea of driving or riding in it in traffic is pretty terrifying.
Wayne’s Model T was a ’23, and I didn’t have to start it. He took me and my dad for a ride, then turned to me and said, “Okay, you drive!”
That has to be about my best automotive memory.
Both ridden in and driven 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. Number 2 was owned by the same person and was a 57 Chevy Nomad. Both times I was very nervous since both are irreplaceable.
Oops wrong picture!
I liked the dogs!
Well over the years there have been plenty of Dogs in the automotive world. I do not think the 58 Eldorado is one of them. Sorry about the mistake.
1936 Packard Eight Touring Sedan, 1956 Packard 400, 1956 Continental Mark II, 1930 Franklin Transcontinent sedan, 1954 Lincoln Capri, 1956 & 1957 Lincoln Premieres, Kaisers: 1953 Deluxe and 1954 Manhattan,1963 Lincoln Continental convertible, 1970 Continental sedan and Mark III……thinking. Oh yes, and a 1949 Flxible bus!
Well I didn’t ride in it or drive it, but the coolest car I’ve sat in was a brand new 1986 Lamborghini Countach at one of NZ’s motor shows. I’ve driven many cars, but most of them couldn’t be described as ‘cool’. Maybe the coolest was my Uncle’s 1975 XB Ford Falcon GS 302 panelvan that had been customised when new. White carpet, brown shag pile on the doors, white sheepskin seat covers padded blue velvet ceiling and rear walls. I drove it once in about 1990, loved the 302’s burble, hated the 83 turns lock-to-lock of the steering wheel… Coolest car I rode in was my late Uncle’s Jag XJS-HE around 1984. But yeah, nothing since could be described as cool (although I think my soon to be unveiled here recently purchased CC is cool!)
You got a CC? Interesting. Hope to hear about it soon!
When I was about 15 a friend of my dad’s ask me to run an errand for him and tossed me the keys to his almost new BMW 2002. It sure drove different than my parents Olds 98!
Ok. Let’s start with the ’63 Imperial Crown sedan. We had just finished the restoration less than a week prior, and now I had been chosen to drive it to a show at Woodley Park in Van Nuys. Medium blue metallic with a blue leather and cloth interior. Quite a few people took notice when that bad boy rolled up. It gave me some sense of what an Imperial owner felt when new.
Next up, same shop, a ’59 Ford Skyliner. Triple black. That car was loaded, too- A/C, power windows, power seat, you name the option and it was present. Took me a year and a half to put that one together, but OMG, what a ride.
As far as I know, both cars are now languishing in Saudi Arabia, neglected and deteriorating.
The coolest car I ever rode in was my Dad’s 1952 Hudson Hornet 308 cu in flathead with Twin H Power and Hydra-Matic, the only four door car that I think looked better that the two door model. But then, I have my stock ’26 Ford Roadster…
Hey, Ed Stembridge, I also met Cole Palen at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome a few years before he passed and I think he was one of the “coolest guys” I ever got to talk to.
+1
My wife and I were driven off in a ’54 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe 4-door sedan after our wedding in 2000. It was owned by a friend of my wife’s sister, and was absolutely mint with 38,000 miles on the clock. When I was about 10 I got to ride in a 1924 Model T, with my dad following in his new ’73 Impala. The Impala is long gone…the Model T is likely still kicking around. Finally, this summer I got to fly in a 1951 deHavilland Beaver. A true Canadian machine if there ever was one, with lots of dials and levers and a big nine-cylinder Pratt and Whitney radial up front. Rough, noisy and slow, but tough as nails and you know you’ll get there in one piece.
Coolest vehicle I’ve driven? Renault 5 Turbo 2 that my boss had in ’87 or so. Coolest vehicle I’ve ridden in? Hmmm… I’d say my brothers ’69 L-78 375hp ’69 Camaro he had back in ’74-’75, or the Boeing 707 I got to ride in the cockpit of from Miami to San Juan back in ’82
My coolest “vehicle” would also have to be a Boeing product…. B-17 Flying Fortress, left seat for .3 hours “multi engine” time, signed off by a CFI who flew 22 missions before getting shot down to spend the next year in prison camp. We had both our homeschooled sons interview him for school report papers before he passed.
Let’s not start “the coolest aicraft you piloted” contest.
I drove an antonov 124 cargo over the Andes for a few minutes – the Russian crew would let me do that even if I only had a glider licence.
That would be “the *biggest* vehicle you’ve ever piloted!”
Curved Dash Olds – Although your ride is more “on” than “in” with one of those. 🙂
Years ago I was hired to record the sound of a prototype Plymouth Prowler at a secret test track which, if I remember correctly, was in Arizona. It was just an engineer and myself. After I had gathered the sound needed, I asked him if I could drive. He said yes! It was a banked oval about 1/2 mile around. It was a blast. He told me the car was worth over $1M.
Coolest ride, probably when I was 9-10 yo with my uncle in his hot-rodded 74 Camaro. The combination of brutal accelerations, deafening engine roar and tail-skids… I really thought I was going to die. But every ride with my dad in his 76 GMC were cool. I miss that truck.
Coolest to drive would be a friend’s 84 Fiero, how I was sitting on the floor with my legs stretched and the engine behind me was a unique experience in a world of front-engined FWD sedans.
Too many! Coolest perhaps, ridden in was a 1930 Buick Limited Six. I wanted to run out and get a black silk shirt and white tie….
Hmmm…Probably pretty much any Mopar product, old and new. From the (classic) 300, the to the cab-forward minivans and LH cars, the many iterations of Ram trucks, and so on.
My grandpa’s ’76 Gran Fury sedan, which he restored, is pretty cool. It’s huge and blocky, but not in a bad way. He kept the straight-6 though (nothing wrong with that!) but I could only imagine what it would be like if he decided to put a Hemi in it. He still has it and takes it out for a spin when he doesn’t drive his Ram 3500 or my grandmother’s Grand Cherokee. He used a similar car when he first joined the force of the Missouri State Police. He never did understand why his peers preferred the Chevy and Ford patrol cars, but then again, he’s a Mopar diehard, through and through. He’s working on a ’73 Newport right now, that should be cool too.
I guess the coolest newer car I’ve traveled in wouldn’t be a fast supercar or classic muscle but a Mercedes GL350 SUV. My significant other and I borrowed it from her parents for a week of canoeing and camping a few times. Very classy and refined but not afraid to get its tires dirty, so to speak, even though it was a suburbia-oriented Mercedes and not a built-for-the-sticks Jeep. Admittedly, it did feel out of place in a remote, unpaved area (and when we finally arrived, it wasn’t exactly a shining example with all of the dust), but the trip was literally smooth. I’m not really an SUV person (save for the Grand Cherokee) but it’s comfortable, and what’s more, it’s a diesel. Travelled 700 miles and averaged about 26 mpg. Not bad.
Adding the coolest car I’ve driven. High on the list would be a friend’s 1965 Buick Wildcat convertible (red, red bucket seat interior, white top) with the 465 and four speed manual (rare option). This was in 1967 and that car was wicked fast for such a big, luxo-barge. GM truly was at the top of its game in 65 and this car was a great example of their best work.
The two most memorable rides were in a ’74 Ferrari 246 GTS and a ’74 Corvette 454. The Dino belonged to my dad’s dentist friend. I felt like I was sitting in a beautifully made baseball mitt with a full orchestra playing behind me. The Vette belonged to my friend’s dad and was the last year for the big block. It was white with a red interior and went like hell. I learned at an early age the difference between peaky and high torque engines.
The coolest car was maybe a ’64 Lincoln Continental convertible. The car rattled like crazy and felt very loose from the passenger’s seat. Later, on sites like this one, I read about how stout that uni-body construction was but it sucked on that 4-door convertible.
Mine was a taxi cab. It was in Berlin a few weeks after 9/11 and when I left Tom’s Bar near Nollendorf Platz, there was the last fin tail Mercedes taxi left in operation parked on the rain slicked cobblestones. We took it to Keuzberg for a wonderful post Cold War experience. My outfit matched the seats.
1927 Bentley 3/4.5 L on the way to a race meeting in the UK. The expression on the faces of the assorted boy racers who could not believe how quick this old thing was were priceless.
This is an easy one, a RHD GT40. Unfortunately not a Ford but a SAFIR so close enough. It is quite a strange thing sitting on the “driver’s side” but not having a steering wheel.
Carter’s Messerschmidt this past summer at Gould’s microcar event. It’s so basic and mechanical, and it really handles. The granddaddy of all those 3 wheelers of today shows why they are all so much fun. And it proves that speed can be an illusion… A tight 30 mph turn, 5 inches off the ground feels like 60 when you have 200cc 2-stroke buzzing behind you! It’s like a personal carny ride.
Citroen DS for sale in 1990(only $2500) It was cool alright!
ridden and driven a couple of Jensen Interceptors very cool apart from the heat wash coming off the engine.
The coolest ride -among lots of others- was from my aspect a DMC De Lorean. The second was with a formerly discharged armored special Secab Ford Econoline diesel 7.3 Litre V8…
A Lola T-492 Sports 2000. I had been racing Showroom Stock and Sedan class cars, but on one track testing day my crew chief asked if I wanted to take the Lola for a few laps. Um, yeah. I did 4 laps around Blackhawk Farms; the only time I have driven a purpose-built race car.
I am not sure where to begin, I am in awe as I reflect and begin listing the incredible collection of cars I have rode in and driven as well, not too many I only rode in .
My Uncle (Kurt Grayson) was an actor in Hollywood from the 1960’s to the 90’s, at one time he had 75 cars and trucks etc.
Some of the more memorable are,
1967 AC Cobra 427(not a kit car)
1969 Rolls Royce Corniche convertible
2003 Bentley Azure convertible turbo
1946 Mercury woody 4wd Marmon Herrington conversion originally built for Donald Bleitz.
Several 1946 Chrysler Town & Country woody convertibles
A 1937 Lincoln Zephyr 3 window V 12 Coupe
Daytona and Dino Ferrari’s
1970 Boss 429 worked on by Earl Wade took it to 486 ci
1956 Ford F 100 with a 413 Chrysler/Torque flite and rear end chrysler front clip
1970 Nova SS 350 4 spd
1967 Chevelle SS 396 turbo 400
1929 Chrysler roadster, from Framingham Mass to Los Angeles Ca
( a story in itself)
1930 Chrysler Airflow
1920? Cadillac V 12
1963 Corvair turbo Monza spyder convertible
Mercedes 3.5 convertible
A 39 Plymouth of his
I think that Plymouth is actually a ’41. Very nice car.
inside the 39
39
67 Cobra in background with Maude Adams
It’s hard to pick a winner. The Citroen SM and the CX were otherworldly. Biggest thrill was a circa 1981 Porsche 911 Turbo. But the most exclusive, hand-built machine I parked my derriere in was probably this 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 coupe. If I find the time, I’ll write sthg up about it.
Alas, I’ve never ridden in a Tatra, nor in a real 40s/50s American car, such as a Packard, a Nash or a Studebaker… Someday, someday…
Why not include air planes ? .
I am *so* digging reading all these comments .
Keep ’em coming .
-Nate
Oh my, so many choices. The red 63 split window Vette I rode in last summer was certainly cool. Also a 64 R2 Avanti from my youth. I think I have to follow Tom K with a 1947 Lincoln sedan that was owned by my best friend’s dad in the early 70s. He drove us to school in it one morning, and boy did that make for a scene. A gorgeous black low mile original. I will never forget the silence of the V12.
of those I owned, both the 29 Model A and the 59 Plymouth Fury were probably tied for coolest, though the 63 Fleetwood and the 64 Imperial Crown Coupe were right up there too.
Not sure if it’s the coolest or dorkiest: a Bricklin.
Citroën 2CV.
Comfortable (for the ride smothness, not for the noise !), surpringsingly easy to drive for an old car. And so many people love it 🙂
Coolest I’ve ridden in: Chrysler Turbine Car. My Dad worked for Chrysler and brought one home for the weekend in 1964. It sounded like a jet engine (well, it basically was). I was the coolest kid in the neighborhood that weekend!
Coolest I’ve driven: The rear end of an old articulated hood-and-ladder firetruck owned by a friend of a friend, about 15 years ago. It took some getting used to steering in the opposite direction of a turn!
“Chrysler Turbine Car”
I think you just won the thread…
+1
yes, but tied with the Amphicar below, I reckon. Unless someone sat in a Bugatti Royale or the Lunar buggy?…
Don’t forget Syke’s Dusenberg – he even got to drive that one!
Hook-and-ladder: hands on the bottom of the wheel, instead of the top. Then the back end curves around the corner, rather than into it. Just like backing a two-wheeled trailer into the shed, just another direction (and a bigger oops if you make a mistake!)
I guess mine would be a friend’s ’69 Boss 429 Mustang. Another would be another friend’s ’72 Vega wagon with a blown small block. That one was a real attention getter.
I carpooled in a 48 Continental convertible back int he mid-50s. Same family had a number if other interesting cars that I rode in — a couple of Panhards, a Traction Avant, a 2CV, an early Dauphine. In later years — tgeh 70s — I had the opportunity to ride in a Messerschmidt. Also ridden in a Model T, a Model A, and a 51 Studebaker convertible. Also, a 48 Pontiac station wagon that we used to sneak into a drive-in. That same family also had a pink 56 Nash Statesman (huge inside!) and a 55 Rambler Sedan. Memories!
An Amphicar. It belonged to my Mother’s boss. It was in about 1968. We took it to a lake, drove down the boat ramp and out into the lake a while. I guess it also qualifies as the coolest boat I have ridden in.
I have been thinking awhile about this one. I come to the conclusion it was an early 60’s Jaguar S-Type. When you ride rather than drive the luxurious interior appointments and smooth ride make it special. It even had fold down tables for your snacks in the back.
“Would you have some Grey Poupon?”–“But of course!” However, they used RR’s in that commercial.
When you drive the responsiveness of the steering the road holding and so on are more important. I drove this S-type too, but it was not the coolest ride ever. That goes to a much more modern BMW 330 Coupe.
A brand new and very shiny Scania L85 that had just arrived from the dealership. I think it must have been in 1974.
I wasn’t interested in cars back then, but I could recognize any Euro-truck from a country mile. Cars came later. I remember the rides in an Opel Admiral B with a straight six and several Mercedes W115 and W123 diesels. No Beverly Hills nor Saint Tropez “les automobiles extraordinaires” around here.
The most interesting car I have ridden in was a Maserati 450s that belonged to a friend. This was in 1962 on an abandoned Air Force base where SCCA races were held, but not on a race day. My friend was practicing his driving to prepare for future races. A wild ride, to be sure! On the straights we reached speeds of over 150 mph. There was no seat belt for a passenger in this open car, and the race course was less than freeway smooth. The 4.5 litre quad cam V8 with four Weber carbs could really move this car that was strictly for racing. I think Maserati built less than ten of them.
’66 Lincoln Continental Convertible…baby blue with a 462.
My uncle eventually listed it with Hemmings and sold it to none other than Carol Shelby.
Shelby GT 500 without a doubt. 340 six pack Cuda is in second place.
When I was about 6 (1968), my uncle’s best friend showed up with his new Porsche. He took my dad and me for a ride – presumably I was on the package shelf?. I was a car nut so you’d think I would have loved it as he went really fast down Route 123 in Lincoln RI. But instead it scared the heck out of me.
Fast forward to last spring. A dad in my son’s Scout troop has a late 60’s 442. He took me for a ride one day an was pretty amused by the expression on my face when he gunned it over a speed hump. Some things never change I guess…
Boy, this is a mind bender, been thinking about it for two days. Being a child of the 50’s and a teenager in the 60’s, there is a world of cars from those decades that I experienced, all pretty cool in my young eyes, the images of which have remained with me to this day. Having always been drawn to big American luxury cars, probably one of the most cool, when I was in high school, was riding in a classmate’s family ’56 Lincoln Premiere 2-dr. hardtop, turquoise with a white top, and a matching leather interior. We were class reps together in student government in 1963, so I rode with her often to school functions. Felt like a million bucks in that penultimate mid-50’s Lincoln. My grandmother’s ’56 DeSoto Firedome, of which I have often spoken, was also at the top of my list. Riding home with another high school classmate’s mother in her ’55 Ford Crown Victoria, two-tone magenta and white (how 50’s could you get!). In later years, a friend had his mother’s fully restored ’56 Continental Mark II, baby blue with contrasting blue leather, which was a totally cool vehicle, drawing stares wherever you went, what a trip to ride in that. Also in later years, a friend’s fully restored ’57 E-code Thunderbird, equipped to the hilt, even down to the Dial-a-Matic power seat. And not to forget my own parents’ ’65 Lincoln Continental, all black, which was about as cool as could be for a teenager back then. I was a pretty fortunate guy to come of age in those “cool” automotive eras.
Tie between a friend’s early ’50s Bentley Continental R, and his ’24 3 Liter roadster. Hard to choose, but the motorway ride from the train station out to his house in the Continental sure was nice!
My uncle’s 1929 Ford Model A Coupe when I was 9 years old in 1976. I have been interested in cars ever since.
–That car remains parked in my Uncle’s garage, where it has been hibernating since the early 1980’s. I have asked to buy it from him, but he has not responded yet….only been a few years……:(
I’ve driven my brother in laws Superbird many times but I rode with him as we got to drive it for a lap of Talladega. One year when the Mopar Nats was still in Indy we were staying at the Speedway motel and a silver Viper coupe came into the parking lot. The driver had the room beside us, was a member of Team Viper and told us the car came off the line the previous day-he give both of rides after he settleled in. Got to ride a few laps at LasVegas in one of those 2 seater cup cars–my driver as allowed to go faster than the guys driving on their own and it was so cool passing them.
Some other guys have posted aircraft so B25 Mitchell, Boeing Stearman, Avro Lancaster.
There have been so many,so I will name the oldest car,a 1912 BSA tourer.The BSA was a slow and very noisy and rattly machine.
A 1967 Shelby GT 350
I need to get out more, but…
2001 Audi A6 Avant. We grew up with junk cars, and it was my dream car. Your dream car and your first car are always the best.