What was your Fun Car?

[Duce Lewis 3]

What Car from your past was the most fun?

Not necessarily the fastest or most powerful but the car that gave the most enjoyment

Maybe cause it was so cheap that it could be driven carefree

 

OK, I'll go 1st

 

I spotted an episode of Wreck Rescue last night and it featured a 72 Capri (Brit version)

It brought back memories of my Fun Car, a 77 Mercury Capri with a V6 Engine

I was 22, working as a Security Guard Nights as I was still going to school

I'd get off every night at 12:30 AM and had about a 10 mile trip home

It seemed that every single night there was someone who wanted to race on the deserted Highway

You'd think that Capri had 2 throttle positions, Idle and Floored

Well winter came along but that didn't seem to effect the situation any

Every corner was an adventure, fishtails, 4 wheel slides, whatever I could dream up

It almost all ended one night when I was making my way towards the highway

The roads were icy as could be, with broken chunks about and big snow drifts each side

No matter, I came zipping along as usual

Just before hitting the main road there was about a 45^o turn then a stop sign, bracketed by 10 ft snow drifts

I remember zipping along as if the pavement was dry and eyeing that corner

Turned the wheel and hit the brakes ...NOTHING, no turn, no slowin down

I hit that snow bank and launched right to the top, looked at the Naugatuck River down the embankment on the other side ... but luckily slid back down onto the road

My antenna is somewhere up there to this day I guess

 

My li'l Capri cost $2k, it wasn't my Hot Rod (70 Boss 302 Mustang), or my Sportscar (90 Miata), but it had some of each in it

It was a pure ball o' fun with a crazy post teenager in it

Interestingly, there is a side benefit of such a miss spent youth, I'm never nervous about wintertime driving to this day

Edited March 27, 2010 by Duce Lewis

[Slartibartfast 153]

Well I have never had a car so it will have to be one of my Motorbikes...

 

1997 Kawasaki ZX-6R F3

 

Took one out for a test ride and within 5 minutes I knew...

 

Purchased brand new... did 24000miles in less than 18 months went to the south of France for a long weekend 4 days 1 day to get there 2 days of fun 1 day to get back and in work the following day all I had was a rucksack with a change of clothes and a credit card... did track days on her every Sunday she went out even when the weather wasn't looking great. She started everytime I hit the ignition without fail slid down the road with her twice and got her rebuilt both times. I had a Ducati 748 in the garage as well but not as much fun... in fact I loved that ZX-6R so much I bought 2!!!

[OvS 8]

1987 Subaru GL.

 

It was beat to hell, falling apart, over 200K miles on it... but I got it for free... it drove great and I loved it!!

 

2nd choice...

 

My first car... a 73 Plymouth Fury Wagon. Banana yellow with wood paneling (same as picture). It was HUGE... and a lot of fun. I love wagons, and have owned 5 (including Vans and SUV's).

 

http://fuselage.de/index.html?http://www.fuselage.de/ply73/station.html

 

OvS

[Ras 0]

I had a 1979 (I think) Datsun as a second car. Like Ovs, this car was nothing short of being held together in any fashion possible. It was silver when I got it and painted it red with about 7 cans of spray paint for a total of about $30.00 at the time. It was rusting so bad on the floor, I took sheet metal to keep my feet off the pavement. Drove it thru the garage door one night when I was trying to park it. I had a little too much (beers or whatever) and didn't have the clutch all the way depressed as I was turning off the ignition. The family car was a boring Mercury Capris station wagon that had no class whatsoever.

[carrick58 23]

Actually there were 2. A 1955 Chev 4 Door that had leaks from everywhere Oil, water, fluid (except Brakes) but it always ran. and a 1954 Cad. It drove like a boat and inside it was like being in a livingroom. Every time that I remember going to the Drive -Ins on dates and the backseat of that car I cry a little thinking of the past.

[Bullethead 12]

1955 Chevy 4-door, 3 on the tree, straight 6, no power steering, no AC, no radio. Mostly because Dad (who bought it new) let me drive it in high school, where it was something of a babe magnet.

 

1972 Pontiac Bonneville, about the size of an armor car, automatic, 455 4-barrel. I inherited this from my grandma and also drove it in high school. It would go from 0-60 in 5 seconds and 60-120 in 7 seconds, with the torque cocking it over sharply to the side. However, it didn't turn. Or actually, the chassis would turn but there was so much slack in the touring car suspension that the body would continue straight ahead for about 10 yards before snapping back to the chassis .

 

Then I went to college, got married, and had to buy cheap, boring, used cars for many years.

 

However, for the past 11 years, I've been driving the cool red trucks in the attached pic. Now THESE are the REAL babe magnets . They're 1988 Ford 800s, 220hp, 5-speed, and a few of them will reach just above 70mph after about 2 miles of acceleration. They're getting a bit long in the tooth so we're slowly replacing the most worn-out ones, but they still put the wet stuff on the red stuff.

Edited March 27, 2010 by Bullethead

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

When my Dad turned 40 he had a bit of a mid-life crisis and bought a '68 Mustang hard top. The car was a piece of junk, but boy, 380 some horses was the schit! Unfortunately, he SOLD it not long after I got my driver's license. Coincidence? Not likely!

[DaSpungie 1]

1980 Comaro berlinetta v8 305 with a 4 barrel carb.

first car and many other firsts in it

[OvS 8]

For added fun... to laugh at... imagine me, 18 years old... long hair (well, a classic Mullet)... driving this.... listening to Judas Priest!

Edited March 27, 2010 by OvS

[tranquillo 10]

1969 Marcos GT 3 litre V6. Wooden chassis. A real head-turner and stuck to the road like glue.

[rabu 9]

Fun question..

 

After I got out of the service in '69 I briefly worked for "Lee's Auto Parts" a store in Santa Monica, California that was also one of the early dune buggy and dune buggy parts sellers. I built this one myself and it was a lot of fun to drive on the streets or on actual sand dunes up in Oregon. Basically a shortned VW bug frame with a bolted on fiberglass body, convertable top, sooped up engine, etc. Really fun to drive/slide around recklessely in.

 

 

 

[Toadvine 0]

Back in the 1980s I had a 1960 VW bug with a cloth sun roof. I loved driving it around. It had a slightly built motor so it was a little faster than stock. I bought it from a VW enthuisast who was selling it because he bought a earlier pre 1957 bug with the oval rear window. The 1960 was in great shape, without a speck of rust anywhere on it. When I got married my new wife made me sell it, claiming it was unsafe if you got in a wreck.

[+Paarma 0]

Absolutely my current car porsche 944 -86. It´s not as powerfull like turbo version but its fun to drive and more faster you drive more stable it feels. Also curves its handling like a beast. Very accurate job from western germans. Also quite cheap to own and it takes about 10l per 100km.

It also had tiny backseats for kids and lot of space in behind even it sport car. My eralier porsche 924 -78 was also fun to drive when it started. Always have to pray that it would start :)

Edited March 27, 2010 by Paarma

[trek 0]

1966 Triumph TR-4A. I was 19 and it was my first new car. Color was red with knock-off hubs on wire wheels. I'd ride around town even in cold weather with the top down with my dog Muggs who was a Boxer breed. I even cut holes in a wool watch cap for his ears. We both had matching watch caps and mufflers and goggles we wore. We got some hilarious reactions from people in town. The only problem was when my girlfriend wanted to ride along too, Muggs resented having to sit in the small rear area. He like riding shotgun. He had no choice though, cause my girlfriend's legs in her miniskirt looked too good to not have sitting in that seat beside me! Those were the days!

 

 

[Duce Lewis 3]

1966 Triumph TR-4A. I was 19 and it was my first new car. Color was red with knock-off hubs on wire wheels. I'd ride around town even in cold weather with the top down ...

I was fanatical about keeping the top down in my Miata too.

I used to take it "Bridge Racing"

If there were overcast skies, the top stayed down

It was always a gamble, but when the raindrops started, so did the race ...for a bridge

Proud to say I never got wet!

[+hgbn 91]

1957 Ford Taunus one of the most fun cars I have had. spun like a kitten and had some fun handling.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I'm sorry to say, that I have never had a car I have had fun with...they are, to me at least..a functional item, that fail to inspire any feelings of affection at all within me.

 

I have a Volvo.

 

Nuff said really

[rabu 9]

I'm sorry to say, that I have never had a car I have had fun with...they are, to me at least..a functional item, that fail to inspire any feelings of affection at all within me.

 

I have a Volvo.

 

Nuff said really

 

Hehe.. ya, a lot of the love affair with the car is gone. When I was younger I loved to go out and over haul an engine myself, or customize a car. Now they are so complicated they are just transportation.. I own a very practical 2002 Toyota RAVE 4 wheel drive which hauls stuff when we need to, has room for friends, handles relatively well, and gets good gas mileage, and is almost bullet proof mechanically and cheap to repair when something does go bad (rarely).

 

I would like to own a sports car again, but there is almost no where to drive one fast that you don't run into traffic any more.. at least, where I live, in crowded California.

 

 

Volvo's.. excellent cars, especially the older ones, but I've been disappointed in the quality of the newer ones, same with BMW and Mercedes, and the cost to own them and maintain them has also gotten absurd.

 

I've been impressed with the quality and finish of Ford cars over the last couple of years.. may even buy a slightly used one down the line, but looks like this Toy is going be be around for a long time.

[Typhoon 5]

The memories that this thread brings back. I had a 1949 Pontiac straight eight, would pass anything on the road except a gas station. It was rusted through in a number of places and we patched it up with sheets of aluminium and pop rivets. I was in the air force at the time and had access to scrap aluminium. We painted it chinese red and cream with a brush. It didn't look too bad from a distance. We cruised around in that thing for about a year and a half before it finally threw a rod and had to be put out of it's misery.

Here's a link that kind of goes with this thread:

http://cruzintheavenue.com/CarsWeDrove.htm

[stumpjumper 3]

TOUGH ONE FOR SURE I WOULD HAVE TO SAY MY ALL TIME FUN CAR WAS IN 1985 I INHERITED A VERY OLD TIRED OUT 1966 DODGE DART WITH NO ENGINE, BUT BEING THE GEARHEAD I WAS, I VERY SOON DID A COMPLETE REWORK, HAD A SLANT6 ORIGINALLY FOUND A WRECKED 66 GTS DART K MEMBER IN THE LOCAL BONEYARD WHAM BAM THANK YOU MAM IN IT WENT ALONG WITH A 440 WITH CROSS RAMMED CARTER AFB.S 727 TRANNY WIHT SLAPSTICK,,DAD BEING EVEN BIGGER GEAR HEAD THAN ME DECIDED THIS THING JUST WOULDNT HOOKUP RIGHT SO THIS WAS MY FIRST ALT WHEELBASE CAR, THIS THING WAS A BEAST IN A STRAIGHT LINE BUT DONT ASK TO TRY RAODCOURSE STUFF, HAD IT RIGHT BEFORE I GOT MARRIED IN 1991 AND PROUD TO SAY MY WIFE TUREND THE BEST 1/4 MILE TIME IN HER, @ 10.01 136MPH NOT BAD FOR THRU THE MUFFLERS AND SOME SEMI SLICK MICKEYT'S, (IF ANY BODY IS FAMILIAR WIHT THE OLD RAMCHARGRS TEAMS THEN YOU KNOW HOW WE PAINTED HER

 

WE SOON GOT RID OF IT AND BUILT OUR FIRST FAMILY CAR, WELL FAMILY INTHE ASPECT OF HAVEING FUN ON THE STRIP/STREET, 1971 FORD RANCHERO WITH A BOB GLIDDEN HEADED 351 CLEAVELAND, AND SUPER CHARGED WITHA MONNYHAM 871 ON TOP FIRST STREET LEGAL TUBBED CAR IN MY AREA AND IT WAS EVERY BIT OF A BEAST AS MY DART

 

2ND FAV WAS MY TRUCK MY WIFE BOUGHT ME TO PLAY WITH IN 1995, A FORD RANGER WITH AGAIN NO MOTOR, IT ENED UP WITH A 2.3 LTR TURBO FROM AN SVO MUSTANG, AND ITWAS SLIGHTLY MODIFIED LOL 9 INCH REAR LENCO 5 SPD, HAD OT GET RID OF IT WHEN WE MOVED BACK HOME, DARN EMMISONS LAWS AT THE TIME WOULDNT LET ME REGISTER IT SINCE FORD NEVER MADE A TURBO CHARGED RANGER.

 

THANK GOD THEY HAVE GONE THE WAY SIDE NOW,

 

CURRENTLY WORKING ON MY OLDEST DAUGHTERS FIRST PLAY CAR, 1985 OLDS CUTLASS WITH A W30 455 FORM A 1969 442 IN HER. THAT SHOUDL GIVE THE BOYS SOMEHTING TO LOOK AT BESDIES JSUT HER LOL

 

 

[sandbagger 1]

I remember my Triumph Spitfire Mk.3 (Reg JJM 3H -1971) - One of the last built.

 

I recall an occasion when I was tuning the twin carbs with the engine running and using a 'colour tune' at one of the spark plugs. It replaced the plug and gave you a combustion colour that you used to gauged the mixture strength. I was sat on the drivers side fgront wheel adjusting the two carbs whilst leaning over the engine block to peer down colour tune. The garage door was shut to block out the daylight so I could see the colour changes more easily.

 

Yup - you guessed it - the tip of my nose touched the HT lead!! I remember waking up and being sat in the corner of the garage, cross eyed and wondering what day of the week it was!!!

Edited March 29, 2010 by sandbagger

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

 

 

Volvo's.. excellent cars, especially the older ones, but I've been disappointed in the quality of the newer ones, same with BMW and Mercedes, and the cost to own them and maintain them has also gotten absurd.

 

 

 

hahaha...in that case Rabu..I am in the enviable position of having an older Volvo... actually, I really like it too...first car I have ever had, that starts first time, every time...and..a real bonus... The CD player works!..hahahahaha

[Mr_Dirt 1]

I like the other gentleman consider my 1981 Honda 900 SS bike my most fun driving machine I ever owned. If I had to choose my most fun car, like the other gentleman it would be my 50 something VW. It had the cloth sunroof and the blinkers came out of the door post on the side. The poor VW was driven hard I had 4 other guys and me in it one day so we decided to go on a slide ride. We went around one corner rolled the bug over. The bug rolled up a hill, then back down landing on the driver's side. Everybody was laughing except me, then somebody yelled it may catch on fire, so we climbed out the sunroof and looked at it for awhile. When we thought about it for a second we realized the gas tank was in the front so there was not much danger of fire. We pushed the bug back onto it's wheels it would not start because the battery was under the back seat and had shorted against the frame of the seat. We rolled it down the hill and it started. Back to town we went. That VW's named became the tumblebug from then on. I then moved on to a 1967 GTO 400 4spd it was fun too. OVS I think I like the NNova wagon better!

[jwrich 0]

I love to restore old cars. My last project is a 1964 MGB, I bought in '86 from a young Captain whose parents bought it new in England in '64. When he went off the college they gave it to him. The car had less than 70,000 miles on it and had not been tagged or driven for 6 years. The restoration only required placing the interior and a paint job. It is still original accept I replaced the 2 six volt batteries with 1 12 volt battery. I still use the top that came with the car in '64. Being in the military for 26 years, when I finished a car I would get an assignment and have to sell it. Over the years I restored a 36 Ford, 39 Chevy, and a 55 Ford. I got the MG 2 years before I retired, so I got to keep this one. My wife & I love to drive it on warm evening and short road trips. I hopeI did the picture attachment correctly. If not, you can see pictures of the MG on my club web site http://okbarnstormers.com page "My other Hobby 64 MGB"

 

Rich

Edited March 29, 2010 by jwrich

[rabu 9]

hahaha...in that case Rabu..I am in the enviable position of having an older Volvo... actually, I really like it too...first car I have ever had, that starts first time, every time...and..a real bonus... The CD player works!..hahahahaha

 

 

I've seen old Volvos around here from the 70's and they are running fine, they were one of the best European cars made. They were sold to Ford several years ago and it was all down hill, and Ford just sold Volvo to a Chinese company.. Gads, a Chinese Sweedish car, that should be interesting!