Hello, Since I was the 2nd youngest teenager in our family, I got the hand me downs. I did not complain as a lot of the items were pretty good. But, my brother had moved on and then I got the left overs. For example, when I was helping with the 51 Oldsmobile sedan, it was fun to think I was going to get that as my first car. We had already thought about a Model A Coupe with a plan of a 283 install for our Gas Coupe competition car and of course, my brother would drive it to school… leaving me with the 51 Oldsmobile sedan. Yowza! That did not happen… so, a few years later after our 671 SBC Willys Coupe we built for the drags and possible high school transportation, I was again, thinking I would get the 58 Impala. But, in the mean time, during my brother’s burn recovery, he started getting interested in photography, guitars, and motorcycles. One, photography, he could get into with his skills, the guitar was hard due to the warping of his hand + bones, but he played anyway. The motorcycles played a good portion of his recovery and with the ability to still do some wrenching, he got started in desert racing. Jnaki But, as patient as I am/was, when he got really interested in photography, his new Asahi Pentax 35 mm film camera arrived from our dad’s brother. It was an Asahi Pentax and not the normal Honeywell Pentax camera. The Honeywell Corportation had the USA market set and copyrighted the name Honeywell Pentax. Any Asahi Pentax camera shipped to the USA got re-badged as Honeywell, not Asahi. Trademark laws and such. But, since our uncle was visiting from overseas, he put the Asahi Pentax around his neck and took several photos as a tourist. Then he gave the camera + accessories to my brother. The customs check up passed as a tourist camera. My brother used the camera for several years until he got better and took the next step, a Nikon Camera and accessories. I was now the recipient of a silver top, black bottom, Asahi Pentax 35mm film camera. Through thick and thin over the years following our trials and tribulations, it lasted from 65 until 75 of heavy use and travel. During that time, I got good enough to get us an all black Asahi Pentax 35mm Camera which is still in excellent working condition. Along with a long telephoto lens and a ton of accessories which were the workhorse camera of our business and pleasure photography. My old 50+ year old friend is Still waiting to see some action during these digital camera days…
A friend of mine returned from Viet Nam in 72 with this exact model camera and I traded my 67 Austin Healy Sprite for the camera and some cash. Car and friend are long gone but the camera and all the extra lenses and related equipment are still with me. Still working but now just a display piece on my bookshelf.
The Jalopy Journal
