My dad loved to tell this true story. Late one night in 1958, a condo residents came home after a night of drinking at the Black Angus Restaurant and Bar to park his car in the garage. The next morning, hung over, he walked down the stairs to his garage to find his car was not there. In 1958 having a car stolen from you was rare, but an easy thing for thieves to do since, most people left their keys in the car’s ignition. Twenty years later, the man had gotten married and had moved on to a larger 4 bedroom home in the Richwoods area of town. However during that time, the man’s next door neighbor, a widow woman, had never moved. The neighbor had lived in her condo for 30 years. She had moved there, downsizing, after her husband had p***ed away. As many women did of her generation, she never learned how to drive. As these things go, after her p***ing, the woman’s children came to her condo to disperse of her things. As an afterthought, they decided to go look in the garage that the lady had never used. After having trouble opening the door to the garage to their amazement they found a 1956 Chevy in the garage. They were totally baffled as to why a car with 1958 license plates was in their mother’s garage. The police came and after an investigation they discovered that 20 years before the ladies neighbor had gotten mixed up and parked in the wrong garage, where the car sat for 2 decades undisturbed.
dad drove my 65 gs 401 4 speed car said he will never drive it again everybody wanted to race him he p***ed in 78 he was true boston sports fan he had a contract with the boston braves but never signed it i think it was 1947-48
My dad was not a real car guy, but every year on Labor Day he and I would ride around to every car dealer in town to see the new cars. We even went to the Studebaker-Checker dealer. I miss him, I miss those days, and I all ways feel a little sad every Labor Day. He p***ed when I was 16. Now I'm in my 60's and still wish we had spent more time together.
My dad told me of a time when he was stationed at Alememda Air Station. He and a buddy were on leave and were going to be AWOL if they did not get back to base on time. Well dad was driving a hot rod Terriplane coupe that had been hopped-up by his younger brother. He told me they had the speedo peged coming across the bay bridge, and got to the gate with just minutes to spare.
When I was 17 I had a chance to buy a 55 Bel Airf that had belonged to a neighborf that had drowned in a boating accident, I did not have the money to buy the car and asked Dad for a loan and was denied. 2 Days laterf as I was moping around, He tosses my the keys for the 55. I brought it home and gave it a wash and wax and was ready to take it out for my first ride when Dad came out and took the keys and told me that I could drive it AFTER I paid it off, I was making $2.00 an hour after school but managed to get it paid off in 3 months by working every weekend AND painting the barn! I guess Dad was teaching me a work ethic by making me earn that car, 30 years later I,m still a car guy. My dad also worked the same deal for one of my buddy's who's Dad had p***ed so he could buy a Hampton 8-71 blower!
The Jalopy Journal
