Like cars and trucks?

[chazmo]

Maybe a matter of "semantic interpretation", but that engine was designed and originally produced by Mazda, with Ford building and massaging it extensively for different applications:

Mazda L engine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Mazda also designed and built the 1.18 liter 16v DOHC engine used in the early '90's Escort GT and '94-'97 Miatas when the Ford/Mazda collusion was at its height.

Yeah, Al, a long history there. It was quite a surprise to me to find FoMoCo stamped all over the Miata's engine! But, anyway, Mazda knows what they're doing re: enthusiasts. As does Subaru.

 

[matsickma]

A good friend of mine had a '68 MGB and I had my Scout II. We both worked 2nd shift. He at Mack Truck and I at Air Products. We would swap vehicles occasionally and then meet up back home around midnight. We would either cruze around in his MGB or my Scout listening to music till the early morning hours. Loved driving his MGB. Speedometer in the MGB didn't work. I would be hitting a curve at pretty high speed and then easily make the turn and conclude that I must not have going too fast!!

We typically would use my Scout to cruze the mountain roads as we wouldn't have to worry about getting pulled over for smokin & drinkin!
We also perferred my ride cause my 8-track Super Tuner was ran into a custom stereo speaker cabinet housing a pair of JBL D130's from a Bandmaster cabinet!

It was pretty outrageous what 30 Watts sounded like through the JBL's!

"Hendrix in the West" doin "Hear my train a 'comin" and Mountain doin "Roll over Beethoven" was wild!

An SUV and killer car stereo decades before it was common. However my Scout didn't shine much as it was usually covered in mud and waiting for a rain washing.

Always wanted a MGB but when I finally had time for one I didn't want to deal with the reliability issue especially when it rained.

So I stuck with all wheel drive for my Christmas present fun car...

 

[Steelman]

Good to hear some of those Hudson tales! I had 4 of them . . . I lived in the San Fernando Valley so I am very familiar with Topanga Canyon. Dreadnut: love that year Caddy! Well, the years went by, so I decided to try the next best thing to a Hudson. I like 4 door sedans and wanted something to hold my musical equipment. Here is what I ended up with--but with a white vinyl top:

 

[Guildedagain]

Real soft spot for MGB's here, in particular the GT hatchback, I gotta have a hatchback.

More realistically though, I've lusted after a Miata for a long time.

I love that little Honda mid engine car, good move Honda!

This was my 1st great hatchback, a SAAB 900. Try stuffing 2 4x12 cabs in any other vintage 2 door passenger car, ain't gonna happen.

 

[dreadnut]

We love our '67 Bug, only needs some interior restoration now. I inherited this from my brother who lived in Hollywood, CA. and had it shipped here to Michigan. No rust. New paint job, original color, and complete engine rebuild. She motors right on down the road now.

 

[matsickma]

Hey Guildedagain,

My drummer friend had a '73 MGBGT and the guy with the '68 was bass and occasional keys and singer.

I also had fondness for the hatchback until I blew the motor! Took the back seats out and had ample room! Never tried a 4-12 cab but it would have likely fit. My rational behind having an automobile was always Utility or Fun. Normal cars never fit those criteria so a SUV or little sports car matched the criteria. Never had much need for pickups. I tried to carry 12ft long lumber in a friends pickup and it stuck out to far. My SUV allowed the boards to reach up into the windshield and stick out the rear window flip up.

Now the hatchback is used for parts to keep the Roadster on the road!

Time will tell which one will be on the road years from now!
But one with survive unless it crashes and burns!
M

 

[steve488]

Owned a whole battery of Fords over the years, and a couple of Jeeps. All of the Ford trucks and SUV's developed problems that plagued them for years of their lives (AC, transmission, steering, brakes, etc). The first gen baby Cherokee ate fuel gauges like candy (and eventually the transmission in under 2 years) while the 66 CJ5 was just brutal (Buick V6 was great off road but with headers & chopped side exhaust was deafening to drive anyplace). The best and most memorable - 1969 Mach 1 351W 4bl (but an auto trans) I purchased from a Highway Patrol officer, and a first generation 280Z (125 on I-10 between LA & PHX with more to go before redline but steering was getting squirrelly with no air dam or spoiler / splitter on the front besides the stock stuff).
Just for fun - the Mustang was part of a family of them: 65 convertible (aunt), 66 Fastback (uncle), 67 hardtop (little brother), 68 hardtop (sister), 70 hardtop (father), 69 Mach 1 (mine), 70 Fastback (Lonesome Picker's - he is like a brother to me and he also has a Shelby!), 69 Couger (uncle) and a 70 Cougar Eliminator (cousin). Oddly enough all of these ran well with just their normal maintenance while the other Fords in the families took extra work.
Much like guitars it all depends on what you like.
Best road car I ever owned was a late 90's BMW 328i. Stuck to the road like the Z and with room for four, but the suspension, AC and radiator ate many maintenance dollars. Happy driving!!!

 

[dreadnut]

My buddy owned two of these at the same time about 1970, MGBGT Hatchback Wagon:

 

[Guildedagain]

Boy I wanted an Audi TT when they 1st came out...

Silly money though, I motored some pretty good good years away in an '88 BMW 325i Lachsilber 4dr 5sp, what a car that was. At one point I had a '77 320i + '88 325i + '75 R60 + '88 R100GS all at the same time.

Kinda like GAS, but it was BMW acquisition syndrome ;]]]

Here's is the 325i visible next to some insane Ampeg V-6 cabs I had to haul down the stairs from some 2nd floor apartment building, good thing I had that SAAB, but no wonder my back's a mess....


Also visible in the pic, an ATK406 street legal 2 stroke, that was a handful of bike ;]]

 

[fronobulax]

I read this thread because that is what Moderators do. I have owned five cars since the mid 1970's and just roll my eyes at the realization that people who are obsessed with Guild guitars can have more than one obsession. Of course, I understand more than I really want to admit.

 

[matsickma]

This subject has gotten more attention and feedback than any subject raised!
Car's...fun at any age!

I'm always on a lookout for a reasonable deal on a little sports car or 4x4. I paid less than $6k each for the TT's and usually find good pricing on used sporty cars in the late fall early winter season.

I often lament my hesitation and can get a little annoyed with my wifes lack of interest in a house for sale Dec 2019 for $265k "must sell" with over 2 acres and nice garage(s)! Will haunt me till the day I die!
M

 

[adorshki]

Yeah, Al, a long history there. It was quite a surprise to me to find FoMoCo stamped all over the Miata's engine! But, anyway, Mazda knows what they're doing re: enthusiasts. As does Subaru.

'Nother "underdog" brand. Sold those too for a few months (an import dealership that also sold Hyundai and Mitsubishi). Flat 4s are another inherently torque-y design. The Impreza had just been introduced, made all the US-front wheel drive offerings feel downright crude in comparison, and none of 'em even offered an AWD version.

Lemme tell you it took some pretty inventive engineering to make the Cavalier's front end have that "held together by cotter pins" feel.
Accommodated the excessive suspension travel, lotta play needed to adapt to the constant road input as springs sagged and wobbled.

All this afforded complete isolation from pesky steering feel feedback, though.

The original Legacy put at least Chevrolet and Pontiac to shame for interior quality. Even liked the styling better than any of the GM product at the time, except for the Olds 88.

Hey, it was the malaise era for styling, too.

And Subaru owners were the most loyal to their brand I've ever seen. Rare to find even a 2nd owner car for sale or trade-in, let alone original owners. Married for life, not that that's a bad thing.

I like the BRZ collaboration with Toyota, too. Glad to see 'em alive and well.

When my sister's boyfriend came back from VietNam he bought a brand new '70 Torino, 429 Cobra Jet Ram Air. He and his buddies put a 6 pack and headers on it. Hands-down fastest car I ever rode in. Unlike a little car with an oversized motor, this baby was well-balanced.

'Nother gorgeous car. Never appreciated the lines on those until recently.

Thank you Larry Shinoda, who also gave us the Boss 302
After he gave us the '63 Corvette stingray.

My Dad had two '55 Cadillac Sedan DeVilles, Baby Blue. He drove one and used the other for parts. He used to enjoy watching the gas station attendant look around for the gas cap, then he would finally tell them - it was under the driver's side taillight, you had to pull up on it to expose the gas cap.


His next Cadillac was a '66 Calais; there wasn't a smooth line anywhere on that car.

Are those the cars? If so, they're Coupe DeVilles, the 2-door model. Much more popular.

Think my all-time favorite Cadillac is the '71 El Dorado

Note that rear glass's bent at an angle....

One night at the Dodge store one of those appeared at the back of the office parking area where trade-ins are appraised.
Finally got Cadillac styling for the first time. Probably eyeballed that sucker for a good 1/2 hour, looked just like that gold one, even got to sit in the passenger seat and check out the interior.
Freakin' paisley brocade, man, except in gold on black:

GM's answer for the hep and stylish modern businessman.
Only front wheel drive car I ever wanted buy.

 

[Opsimath]

I've had four cars since the late 70's. The first was a starter car that fit the budget, 1970 Torino, which I drove four years before moving up to something nicer, 1977 Mercury Monarch. Then the Bronco's caught my eye and I searched for two and a half years before I found what I wanted. Got a 1987 Eddie Bauer in 1988. The first owner traded it in a year to the day after he bought it. I just happened to be at the lot and told the salesman I'd take it before the guy even completed his trade in deal. Absolutely loved the Bronco. I drove it until stuff started falling off, then got a Navigator in 2006 which I'm still driving. Never stopped missing driving the Bronco.

 

[fronobulax]

I just happened to be at the lot and told the salesman I'd take it before the guy even completed his trade in deal.

My least favorite vehicle ever (that I owned) was a Plymouth Valiant (late 70's) that was still warm from having been driven and traded in when I agreed to buy it. I bought it because I needed a car but it is the car that made me realize I did not like automatic transmissions. Had it for about two years and gladly traded it in with no regrets.

 

[Opsimath]

My least favorite vehicle ever (that I owned) was a Plymouth Valiant (late 70's) that was still warm from having been driven and traded in when I agreed to buy it. I bought it because I needed a car but it is the car that made me realize I did not like automatic transmissions. Had it for about two years and gladly traded it in with no regrets.

You don't like automatic transmissions? That does not compute!

I remember having to drive an old Ford pickup, 3 on the tree, emergency brake wouldn't hold the truck on a hill, and there was a stop sign at the top of a hill. Luckily there was no one behind me because I rolled all the way back to the bottom where I got it going again, went up the hill and ran the stop sign. Luckily no one was on the other road either. I still remember the fear when I would be stopped on an incline and someone would pull up and leave a gaping 3/4 of an inch distance between my back bumper and their front one.

I could manage small car standard transmissions in a VW bug and a Vega but that truck was highly stressful to drive anywhere that was not flat.

I'll take the automatic transmission!

 

[JohnW63]

" I must shamefacedly admit to not recalling if we ever saw the completion of the Triumph GT6? "

I would love to show it to you, but it hasn't happened. I got teased with the car in the paint booth and a stripe on it. I haven't heard a word since. It's a big point of contention between me and my Dad. He thinks the guys is ignoring it. I tell him that makes no sense. The guy wants to get paid, he needs to finish it. Why would he ignore a paycheck? I do need to send a text and ask how it's going and if he has any ETA at all.

 

[Guildedagain]

In all my years around cars, I learned a few things about body and fender guys.

"If a bodyman says it'll take a week, it means a month"

"If he says a month, don't even bother" ;]

I had a BMW riding buddy who dropped off a street rod at one of the premier body shops in town, give the guy like $5k over a couple years, not sure the guy ever did anything to it. I remember some story about he towed it out of there unfinished, the guy wanted another $5k to keep going on it.

Maybe this is why the whole "patina" craze took off.

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I don't like automatics either. When I bought my 5sp wagon from some elderly gent who had just bought a new Ford Focus (impressive) with a stick, he said "driving a stick makes you feel more engaged" and I agree wholeheartedly.

The wagon actually has a "hillholder" clutch, which is cool.

 

[jp]

This was my 1st great hatchback, a SAAB 900. Try stuffing 2 4x12 cabs in any other vintage 2 door passenger car, ain't gonna happen.

I tend to love cars that are fun to drive if they're well-balanced and have matched power and handling.

My all-time favorite has to be my 1989 Saab 900i which looked just like this one.



The next most fun to drive was this little zippy 1999 AWD Subie Impreza. In another life, I would have loved to be a rally racer.

 

[matsickma]

My sister was / is an independent minded person. She dated a guy a few years older...maybe 5 years right after HS. He was a motorhead and always got great deals on cool cars. Her boyfriend came up with a deal on a white '63 Coupe DeVille. I think it was '71 when she got it.
It was damn cool! AC, power everything, red leather seats... Loved when she would let me drive it! The AC went after she broke up with her motorhead boyfriend and the local garage wanted $1000 to replace it in '72 so she junked it!
A similar car is shown below.

 

[jp]

That's awesome!

My dad got one of these from my uncle and let me borrow it for my senior prom -- a gold 1975 Lincoln Continental. It had a boss 8-track player, so I stocked it with Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones 8-tracks for my date. It was surprisingly quick too with big ole 460 V8 despite it's ponderous body -- or maybe that was just an illusion that we were going fast with my adolescent heart racing on prom night.