For me, it was my Pop's '76 Vette. Nothing special, but something very cool to a 12 year old at the time.
Before my parents bought their 71 GS 350 4-speed, this was the first muscle car I drove in....only when I first rode in it, it was Sherwood Green with a black vinyl top... The owner was a mechanic at Bugle Buick here in Taunton, which is how my parents became friendly with him. He moved to Florida last June and took this beast and an 86 GN along with him... :Brow:
In 63 a freind that I went to high school with bought a ''factory lightweight'' car at the local Ford dealership that I was working at. It was a full size 300 with fiberglass hood, front fenders, trunk lid, no sound deadner, no window cranks, [you put the windows up and down with a snap strap] plexiglass windows and rear glass. The engine was a 405hp 406 thunderbird interseptor with 3-2s coupled up to a bw t10 4speed and a 4.11 equalock. After I got thru tuning it up we took it for a road test and you could just step down on the gas and it did not matter what gear, it would break the back tires loose. Later, I drove a genuine AC cobra with the 2x4 set up on it and the shop foreman told me that if I spun a tire I was fired.
My neighbor bought a new Max Wedge Plymouth Savoy in 1963. It had the funky dual quads on the intake that went over the valve covers. It was a white plain jane model with a push button automatic on the dash. That car looked like a granny-mobile, until you started it up up. It was scary fast, probably a 12 second car, which was really fast in the early sixties. Other memorable moments: 1966 Chevy II SS 327-350HP with a 4 speed. Fast little car! 1971 Challenger R/T with a 440 6 Pack/Automatic. Pulled like a jet plane. 1970 Hemi Road Runner automatic. The gas pedal had a "hard spot" in its travel, which was the second four barrel..Yee Ha! 1967 Firebird 400 Ram Air/4 Speed - Broke the passenger seat mount on a powershift....:TU: But the car I still drool over was a brand new 1970 Buick GSX in yellow with a 4 speed parked at Bertonazzi Buick in Milford Mass in early spring of 1970. The sticker was over $5K, and that car to this day sticks in my head.:beer BTW - Sunoco 260 (104 octane) was .37 at the pump....full serve.....:eek2:
Mine would have been in a 70 302 Boss Mach 1 4 speed Mustang. My dad worked at Len Pollak Buick and his best buddy owned a Grabber Green 4 speed car with dual exhausts and Thrush mufflers. I remember he asked me to come over and cut the wiring out of an old Caddy so he could sell the copper and came to our house to get me. He drove like we were in the movie Bullit. I was totally hooked then. That car really ripped! His wife even took me out on a not so busy road near Lake Michigan and let me drive the car by myself. I was only about 14 and I learned to drive standard shift at the gas station when I pulled U haul truck around the back. I remember only getting to 3rd gear as it was way more than I could handle..I wish I could have had that car. If someday I ever come into money,a Grabber Green Boss 302 will be in my stable..I also remember washing and waxing a 71 Lime mist with white top and interior as well as a 72 Flame Orange GS 350'S on the car lot on saturdays getting 5 bucks a car to detail them...When dad worked at the Buick dealer,I always hung out there. I wish I would have remembered to take the posters and such that they offered back then.
Probably a '71 Maverick. Not usually considered a race car, I know, but this one was a typical seventies rod - called "The Warlock" with a tunnel rammed 302 and a four speed, fat meats, slapper bars, custom paint. It belonged to our scoutmaster, of all people. I remember that it would easily peg the speedometer hauling down the freeway, and you could watch the gas gauge slowly roll over toward "E". As for Buicks, my dad had one of the aluminum 215 powered Specials and a 63 Wildcat, both of which I remember well. Then there was the '70 Stage 1 that my high school buddy took for a test drive. Saddle brown interior, kind of root beer brown paint, he was scared to get into it in spite of the used car salesman's encouragement. He didn't buy the car for $800 'cause his dad thought it was a bad idea. I 'spose his dad was right......
I can't remember what car my first muscle car ride was in, but the first muscle car I ever drove was a 70 442 W25 4-speed fastback. The car was a beautiful original, and it was quick. On the way out of town at top end the car was moving forward and back a little, like it wanted to go faster but something was holding it back. So we pulled over, opened the hood and found a dried up bird stuck in one of the scoops. After we fished it out the car ran even better. Duane
Keep it going guys. I feel like i am sitting in all of your garages having a beer with you - Best thread I've fully read in a while!!:beers2:
Cheers! How can I ever forget my first ride at 13 years old was in my friends mom's 1968 GTO 4 speed. Her oldest son ( from her previouis life) was in his mid twenties at the time and for some reaon he had a good job and some good money. He took her car one summer she said and built the snot out of it. She pulled up in it with my firend and took us on a ride as she had just gotten it back from he son. She could really drive it but was telling us she was taking it back to him to de tune it because it was too much for her. I remember even then thinking why do that, this thing is bad ass! I wish I stil knew them, I remeber the car well as white on black mint condition!
My first ride was in a red 66 GTO 4 speed. It was 1969 and I was 14 years old. My buddy's older brother had bought it new and he was shipped out on a Navy ship, so the car was sitting in their driveway next door. My buddy came over and asked if I wanted to take the car out for a little ride. I was riding shotgun and neither of us had ever driven a stick, much less any car at that time. Anyway he fired it up and got it out of the driveway and down the street out of sight from any of our neighbors. I remember him nailing the throttle and trying to keep it out of either ditch on the sides of the road. Never got past second gear that I remember. He was flailing around with that wheel with all kinds of screechin' tire noise and most likely a bit of screamin' from the two bozo's inside. We somehow got it back to the driveway with no battle scars and vowed to never tell his older brother who would most likely have beat the stuffin' out of us. The first one I drove was another friends 69 428 Cobra Jet Mach 1. Shaker scoop and automatic. It was 1971, I was a sophmore in HS and I had just gotten my license. That car was a beast. It got to the point I didn't want to drive it since I had absolutely no inhibition to drive like I was invincible. One extremely fast car! The first Buick I drove was in 1972 and it was a 70 Stage 1 4 speed. On a dealer lot in Seattle. I remember while driving it the salesman asked why I wanted a car like that and I told him because it was fast. At the next light I nailed it and went through the gears. I remember watching the tach swing up through the redline and I'd grab another gear. The other things I remember is seeing the salesman grab at the sides of the bucket seat and my buddy in the backseat (guy with the Mach 1) was all eyeballs and grins. It had 22,000 miles on it and they wanted $1,700 for it. I put $20 down on it and when I got home my dad put the big kybosh on that purchase.
I need a little lead in before I get to it: I've always driven big vehicles. My Dad owned an 86 F 150 Club Cab Long Box. That's what I learned to drive in. I can handle large vehicles. My first time in a muscle car was also my first time driving one. It was my 1971 Riviera. When I wen't looking for my Riv, most people thought it was my Dad looking to buy it, and didn't think I could handle something of that size and power (Not that the Riv is overly powerful, but work with me.) But when I put that pedal down, it'll jerk your head back good. I was the tender age of 20. For the Future: When my first born arrives in May his/her first experience will be coming home in the Riviera. Looking forward to that day!
Good point, Tom.... We went through a string of musclecars in the early 60's, so my first ride would have been in one of these: '64 GTO: or this '64 Lemans (with a 421): ...but the one I remember is in the black '65, which I still have. I think it was at Tri City dragway, and they would let passengers take a trip down the quarter (provided you wore a helmet). Dad launched the car and I didn't feel my stomach catch up until third gear. I still remember that sensation.... :TU:
my first ride in a muscle car was in a new maroon coloured 1967 firebird 400 ram air, th400, posi that my buddy purchased as an ordered car. he smoked off the original redline tire over the 1st weekend and decided to purchase a set of cheater slicks. a got to drive that car a little later & put is thru the paces. man it was quick!
With apologies to my buddy Scott Williams, I have to tell his story: There is a guy here in the Detroit area (Don Farmer) that does work out of his garage; back halves, motor work, etc. When Scott was a little guy he used to ride his bike over there and watch Don work. One night, quite late, Don was finishing up a car for a customer. It was a big block Camaro, lift off front end, parachute, pretty stout piece. Don says "let's get this thing washed up" so Scott went and got the bucket and the hose. Don says "nope - were takin' 'er to the car wash..." So Scott piles into the passenger side - no seat, just hanging onto the roll bar - and off they go to the quarter wash. After they get it rinsed off and halfway dried, Don pulls out onto one of the side streets and looks over at Scott. "You ready?" he says. Scott says "yes" but he didn't really know ready for what.... Don pulls it down into gear and does a full length, funny car style burnout right there on the street:shock: , then BACKS IT UP into the same tracks (just like at the strip):shock: :shock: . Then, he launches the thing, full tilt, off the trans brake and runs it through ALL THREE GEARS! :shock: :shock: :shock: Then - at the conclusion of the "run" - he pulls the chute and coasts to a stop!:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: Scott hops out, throws the chute into the car and off they go, back to the ranch. They get the car in the garage, lift the front end back off, and check everything over to make sure it's ok. About then there is a knock on the garage door (the local "constable" making his rounds). "You boys been runnin' this thing tonight"? the officer asks. "Nope" they both say, in unison. :laugh: Of course, the car is sitting there popping and pinging, as it cools down....:spank:
Summer of 65. I was 13. Went to Chicago to visit my aunt. Her boyfriend had a red 64 GTO 4-speed. He was not paying much attention to me until I asked him if it had tri-power and 4.10's. It did. What a car ride!!!!!!!!!!
Another great story in my life...We took my buddies 68 GTO to Ocean Shores, WA for an anual summer party back in '85 on road trip. On the way a big old PINK '69 Caddy pulled up along side us on the highway. After several romps back and forth, and a lot of encouragemnt from the car full of us meatheads, the goat started making a little bottom end noise...the caddy got a:bla: way. We made it to our Ocean Shores destination and parked it. We ended up hitching a ride the next day to the "town" for parts, snacks and supplies and more beer, and no BS, a beautiful copper 70 GS Stage 1 car picked us up. Youger guy driving. He showed the bunch what the BUICK was all about. We had to hitch back to the camp, and low and behold, the Sherrif picked us up. Well, we teased him a bit about the muscle cars we all had, and the hurt Goat that has us hitch hiking, and he thought he better let us kids know what the Police Interceptor was all about. Yup, that was a ride:beer
Welp... My first ride in a muscle car was the day we went and test drove my Buick... never got ride in anything that will really stick ya to the seat... but one day!
