Art & Inspiration What was THE car that everyone was envious of when you were in high school?

I was just out in the garage working on one of my projects and had flashbacks to high school and the cool cars that you would see in the parking lot.
I remember numerous tri five Chevys. I always liked a guys 29 DeSoto coupe with a 410 Edsel engine in it. He would get on it leaving the parking lot and it would really haul. Another had a 34 Ford pickup with a SBC with a cross ram intake sticking out the sides. A friend of mine had a bright orange 37 Ford pickup with a 283 in it. Another had a 55 Chevy with 2X4s, and a 4 speed. In junior year a classmate came to school with a new 65 GTO. That thing was awesome. SS396 Chevelles, 427 Impalas, ah, the good ole days..One of my friends uncle gave him a 32 Ford coupe but I never got to see it, he kept it stashed away. Seemed like half the guys in school were working on some hot car or truck. You just don't see that in schools anymore. Kids just seem to want transportation and nothing more.
What were some of the popular cars your school parking lot was filled with?

 

1978 Buick Lesabre.

 

All of them.

I was a poor boy, only jobs around were paper routes, of which I had two in high school years.
Paper route money did not buy cars in 1953 through 1957. I bummed rides, rode the school bus and walked.

 

One I really remember was a 55-56 Ford 2 door hardtop that had the door handles shaved along with the hood and deck lid. Painted maroon with lakes pipes,skirts,chrome wheels and white interior. This was about 1960..........

 

A red or black 1957 Chevy Belair 2 door hardtop

 

Two I can think of were a 1969 Roadrunner & 1969 Elcamino

 

Mine,
everyone wanted it.

 

I'm not sure how to pick ONE, but I'll tell you what we did.
When the muscle car era really got rolling, many of our fellow high school kids thought they were sooo cool when daddy bought them a new Mustang or Camaro.
We were the less-fancy ones who went to the junkyard to buy a $25 or $50 rusty 55 or 57 Chev, or Henry, or lightweight Stude.
After buying a larger junkyard engine from a late model crashed 327 1969 Impala, Bonneville, or late 50s Chrysler (Hemis 300$$!!!), for a couple hundred $, a well used 4spd for another 100, cut a shifter hole in the floor, and then spray-can primer over the puttied rust patches, then go hunting for easy victims who thought they were the coolest things on wheels because daddy bought them a new car.
There were two trains of thought - cool fancy new muscle, or the real gearheads who were not to be out done.
I've owned real muscle cars later, but nothing was more fun than the home brewed rattle traps with shifters sticking up thru holes in the floors that could run rings around them

One of the slowest cars I ever had was a 50,000 mile 63 Impala Super Sport (SS) with a 283 and floor shift powerglide, but the girls thought it was the coolest car they had ever seen.
A couple of the fastest cars I have had were a Stude Avanti Powered Lark, and a Chrysler Hemi. The girls and many others considered them to be Ho-Hum boring, but the slow SS Impala was sooo cool. ??
Go figure. People....

WHY BE ORDINARY ?

 

All of the young ladies wanted to ride in this.............NOT!

 

Anything that had a 4-bbl carb and dual exhaust with 4.11 gears that can really get lost.....

Well you guys know the rest of it....

 

probably $250,000 worth of Muscle Cars in the parking lot when I was in school. class of '78. Roadrunners, big block Chevelles, GTO's (one was mine) assorted Camaros and Firebirds. Big Block 4 speed 68 Nova... on and on. a kid at another school had a GT 500 Mustang. there was also a 32 Plymoth Coupe and a 37 Ford coupe, and another guy had a T bucket.

the nicest car by far at my school was a silver 55 Chevy with scallops that belonged to my buddy, his neighbor was a Corvette restorer and put a killer paint job on it.

 

Sounds like my high school, class of 78 as well, but it was a blue 56 with scallops his uncle painted.

 

I know mine was not the envy of anyone. Stock 56 Ford. I could barely afford gas for it, much less hop it up. Most I ever did to it was nose and deck it and install Falcon bucket seats, floor shift and home made console.

 

I know!
I miss the days when every parking lot in town had several muscles and possibly a rod or two parked there.
Gone are the days when they used to be "normal" used cars.

WHY BE ORDINARY ?

 

Class of '77. David Ganuck's dad owned a Gulf Srevice station and he worked for his dad after school. He had a red '70 Hemi 'cuda. On the last day of school, he smoked the tires in the parking lot of the school. For a VERY long time. I still get goose bumps thinking about it.

I'm gonna go touch myself, now.

 

My dad took delivery of a 64 1/2 Mustang convertible in May of 64.. One week before my Junior prom....

 

Class of 1992, my small town school had mostly old farm trucks and my 1966 Ford F-100 with a 390 in it. The real bad ass was my buddy Denny’s 1969 Chevelle with a 454. My nephew is 15 and the parking lot at the high school is pretty boring. The only thing that is different, is the oil burning, smoke spewing diesel pickups. Where do these kids today get their money?


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For me , I've always dream about the Buick Riviera 63-64-65...but money was the problem...

 

The only old cars, other then some 80s IROCs, was a 65 mustang 2+2, and a 60s Toyota land cruiser with a SBC remember I graduated in '02 so there weren't too many kids who could afford old cars

 

My high school era was 69-72 so it was a mix of mostly late 50's to late 60's cars.
My first car was a 61 Impala, 348/3speed, then a 57 BelAir, 283/4speed.
My pals first car was a 57 two-ten four door wagon, 283/4speed, then things got serious as his second car was a 68 Z/28 Camaro, I drove him to get it and followed him home, wow.
My other friends' older brother had a 70 AAR Cuda, 340/6 pack, auto, nasty Sig Erson cam, Cragars with GoodYear Blue Streaks on the back, man that thing was scary fast.
There were a couple different car cliques, some 66/67 big block Chevelles, and 65-67 Novas, one a 65 with a 327/300hp/4 speed and a few 65/66 Plymouth Sport Furys and Satellites, a Roadrunner, a Dodge Coronet, etc. Also a few tri-five Chevys.
One guy had a genuine 327/365 hp Corvette engine/B&M 4 speed hydro that was first in a 46 Ford pickup then he put this same engine/trans in a 51 Chevy business coupe with an Econoline beam axle, both were quite fast in a straight line but kinda scary in turns.
Others I'm sure but my memory is fading.

 

In 1965 Johnny T came back to school after the Christmas Holiday driving a Shelby 350 which really got attention.

But I remember a few 55 Chevys,a 57 T bird and a sweet 54 Chevy custom that the kids dad built.

No one gave my old 54 Ford a second look. HRP

 

I would have been class of 68 if I had stayed.The two coolest cars in our school were Joe Fidels 57 chevy sedan delivery-hot small block,4 speed and Jerry Harris 58 corvette.The rest of us made out with whatever we could find which for me was a 55 ford a whole lot like the one I have right now-warmed up Y block, three on the tree.

 

Went to high school in the late 50’s, I’ll never forget, a well to do, senior girl drove a Deuce Vicky and her brother had a ‘56 corvette. As a nerdy freshman I could only dream of having something that cool.

 

57 Chevy 2-door. Gary

 

55-57 chevys and 69 ford mustang mach one were the popular ones and I had a 58 ford mordoor but I don't regret it- had fun times with it.

 

I’d guess mine were on somebody’s list . Class of ‘75 , the OT GTX as an everyday driver and then my hell raiser orange one for special occasions. I sure had a great Dad!

IMG_0142 by bowie posted May 22, 2017 at 9:00 PM

439924.jpg by bowie posted Jan 13, 2013 at 8:28 PM

 

injected 57 Chev with 3-speed

 

I graduated in 2000, Why would I be envious be front wheel drive Japanese car with a wing?

At that point I really wanted a chopped and channeled A coupe with light gray primer red wheels, white walls, and a Fullhouse Flathead!

 

My 1931 Dodge three window coupe is one of the cars a lot of guys wanted to purchase from me, but the two cars I noticed the most were owned and built by two brothers. They were 1964 GTOs and one was bright red and one was gold. Both raised up and built to run like raped apes. Can't remember the guys' names, but it was in 1969-70 at Royal Oak, Dondero High School in Michigan. MAN, those cars were beasts and could give the Silver Bullet 1967 Plymouth a run for it's money.

 

I remember a few from high school. Trans am 455 HO. Some fast mustangs, one a 65 with a hot 289, a 69 Boss 302. My 69 Nova was well liked, did not have the nicest paint, but a 327 with a old 671 blower. It was the only car that could yank the front wheels.