three hundred fifty

MY FIRST CAR 

1963  CORVAIR MONZA

Mine didn't look like this one, this one has been nicely restored. The asking price sixty years later is 30 times what I paid for mine. Mine was used with 60,000 hard miles which was a lot in those days. It had a little rust, several putty filled dents and a half hearted coat of gray and rust brown primer paint.

I fell in love with it because it was rear engine, had a four speed floor shift manual transmission and four tires that held air. I can't remember which used car lot I bought it from but I think I paid $400 cash, my cash. 

In 1965 Ralph Nadar came out with is book "Unsafe at any speed" targeting the Chevy Corvair. Screw Ralph Nader!

In 1967 I was 16. I had a driver's license, a job bagging groceries and enough money to pay cash. My parents weren't thrilled but what could they say? I had to work Saturday, the day they delivered it with the temporary cardboard license plate. This was the longest work day of my life.

I got home and saw it in the driveway. I washed it inside and out, started it, checked the oil, looked through the manual and almost slept in it. No I didn't drive it because I had no idea how to drive a stick.

Sunday morning my best friend Rolf came over so we both sat in the car dreaming. Finally my dad came out to teach me how to drive stick. He leaned in the window, pointed at the clutch peddle, the numbers on the shifter knob and said push the clutch in to change gears. He said be careful then walked back into the house.

I guess I was expecting more. I looked at Rolf, started the engine, put it in gear, let out the clutch, stalled it, restarted the engine then hopped and jerked out of the driveway. Lucky for everyone the morning traffic is almost nonexistent on Sunday mornings in Ohio. I ground gears, stalled, screeched tires but finally I figured it out. I finally tasted the freedom of having my very own car.

The first couple weeks I was struggling to perfect my shifting but soon I got cocky. I finally over revved the engine and the fan belt popped off. The engine was air cooled so the cooling fan stopped. I was far away from home with no tools.

The engine was so hot I had to wait a half hour before I could touch anything. Finally I stretched the belt back over the fan fully and drove slowly back home.

From that point on I was aware if I over revved the engine the belt would come off. I carried tools, gloves. a new belt and belt dressing but this was always a problem.

My first winter of driving was a real learning experience. I had no collisions but I did spin it dozens of times. 

These were rear engine so the trunk was in the front. We went to the drive in, drag strip, the lake and any place that charged admission. I was the driver so Rolf was in the trunk. One time we actually got two guys in there.

This was my world, we smoked cigarettes, went on adventures, drove like a dare devil. I cheated death every night after work. My foot would shake on the peddles as adrenaline pumped through my body. I was young indestructible, irresponsible and foolish enough to take on every dare. 

My skills grew through trial and error and eventually mastered the full abilities of this car, I wanted something faster and better handling. My friends had muscle cars and were dying one by one. For one brief moment I realized my need for speed was going to kill me. 

I had been in a dozen wrecks as a passenger with my friends, most were minor collisions but three were pretty severe. I escaped with bumps and bruises and fled the scene of all three. This was to hide whatever was illegal to have in a car. We were always willing to help the police cut down on paper work.

The cars were all totaled and the cause of all three was defying the rules of physics. Driving too fast and missing a curve and hitting something. One was a telephone poll and the other was a house. The worse one was a roll over into a plowed field. Ironically no one was wearing seat belts.

My Corvair finally gave out after a down hill run where I hit 110 mph. I had three passengers and the highway was straight and steep, I could let it all hang out. This car was not designed for these speeds. The front end floated, the fan belt popped off and the engine sounded different after that. I has squeezed the life out of this old car, I knew something catastrophic was about to happen to the engine. I only drove it to work until I bought something more reliable.

1969 TRIUMPH SPITFIRE MARK 3

Looking back this was my first exposure to new car smell. This without a doubt was the coolest car I ever owned. If I had the money I would enjoy having one again.

Again I made a $500 down payment and borrowed $1500, my first car loan. I was a senior in high school. I worked full time as an apprentice meat cutter and had side jobs in the summer, so I made double and triple payments to pay it off quickly. I was responsible with my money but a complete idiot behind the wheel.

I eventually rolled it and actually got road scratches on the steering wheel. Another time I spun it into a high cement curb trashing two wire wheels and some major suspension damage. I road raced a few muscle cars. I got blown away on the straight aways but had the advantage on the tight country curves. 

Somehow I survived my first sports car. It took my next car to slow me down. I almost died like most of my friends. I am 71, much older then I ever imagined I would be. I survived for some reason I just hope I haven't wasted my life.