What cars first stirred your passion?

[Klaus]

What were your earliest auto memories that stirred your passion in cars? I will start. Setting the stage, as a kid in late 80s SoCal there was quite a variety of cool vehicles. CA is a car culture and this was the tail end of the Reagan boom, so there was a lot of money. There were not a lot of american cars, but american cars were pretty lame at this time.

Here are some of the cars that were on my block that I stared at with envy.

Friends brother had a lifted bronco and a fox body gt350. He rolled the bronco and was half retarded thereafter.

He traded the mustang in for first edition Acura Legend coup

A friends dad had a 911 turbo just like this. I remember him trying to sell it to my mom for $40k

My friends dad had a hook up for grey market mercedes and bought a shipping container full of them. I went to his house one day and he had 7 in his driveway. They kept a 560 sel for themselves that looked just like this:

 

[mc01svt]

So i was pretty much programmed as a kid to like cars between watching transformers, knight rider and dukes of hazard.

I also had a poster of a countach in my room growing up

 

[Black Gold 380R]

For me it's always been the Mustang. When I was a little boy (8-10) I played with Hot Wheels all day long. When I was a young kid (11-14) I rode my BMX bike and played basketball.

When I turned 15 (1982) my neighbor across the street (a senior in high school) had a 65 Mustang with a 289 and a three speed. We would hang out and he would take me to the arcade and just cruising around listening to Van Halen, AC/DC and Judas Priest.

Man, those were the days. Had a blast and after that I knew I wanted a 65 Mustang.

As mentioned, my desire started in 1982. I finally got my 65 in Dec 1989..... My obsession for Mustangs just kept growing LOL....

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

agreed with knight rider and then the SN95 coming out and the second gen lightning.

 

[Fastback]

All started with the car graveyard in the backyard.

We had 4 Fairlane 55'-57'
56' F100,
67' Fairlane great grandma's
And 56' Studebaker pickup

I used to crawl around in them and see all the gutted out insides, the neighbors kids would shoot out the side windows with BB guns.

Then the old man had the Nova, and a 76' 911 S.

Always went for the old cars! Still am to this day. Gramps and to old man still have the cars.

 

[JPKII]

I remember when my neighbor bought his open wheel modified sprint car. The first time he fired it up in the garage. My first experience with methanol. I was about 10 years old. I was full-on-ritard for cars ever since. Loud, smelly, nasty rides.

 

[MinGrey02Stg2]

I remember being around 4 years old and having a little battery powered car, then getting an RC buggy around 5 years old, a Traxxas Sledgehammer when I was 7, then other hobby grade cars I put together as a kid. I was soldering battery cells together in my room when I was 10, wiring speed controllers, and building static models of a Viper RT/10, Shelby Cobra, F-14 Tomcat, F-18 Hornet, B-29, B-17, AH-1 Cobra, and AH-64 Apache.

All of that led to a love of automotive and aviation plus my Dad would take me to car shows where I would always gravitate towards the Mustangs- my dream being an S351 from the SN95 era.

 

[Klaus]

So i was pretty much programmed as a kid to like cars between watching transformers, knight rider and dukes of hazard.

I also had a poster of a countach in my room growing up

those shows + miami vice.

had this poster on my wall.

 

[Weather Man]

Clapped out 69 Mustang with a 302 and side pipes. Had to pull out the battery and carry it up to my dorm room every night so it would start in the morning. Defroster didn't work and neither did the gas gauge, but she sure sounded great! I was a poor Airman Basic, but I had fun!

 

[Pribilof]

The exact 930 Slantnose in my sig.

ETA: for those that don't know the story, that's a 1 family, 2 owner car. I remember the day it came home in 1987.

 

[colin450]

The Diablo in Dumb & Dumber. I think I was like 5 or 6 when that came out.

 

[P49Y-CY]

68-70 b-body mopars.

 

[72MachOne99GT]

My parents had an ‘85 GT when I was born. Even before remembering that though, I was given all kinds of hot wheels and matchbox cars. Always had dozens and dozens. Late 80s GTs, Camaros, and the F40 are the cars I first remember loving.

I’d say the VHS footage of me barely sitting up while in a diaper watching my dads HO Tyco slot cars cemented my interest early.

 

[72MachOne99GT]

The Diablo in Dumb & Dumber. I think I was like 5 or 6 when that came out.

Those sire are IOUs. Go ahead and add it up, every cent's accounted for. Look. That’s a car. 275 thou. Might wanna hold on to that.

edit: butchered that quote, concept was right though

 

[2003RedfireVert]

My dad had a 1969 Mach 1 351W that he always talked about and regretted selling. In 1997, he bought a 1967 Mercury Comet 202 with a 289. He spent the next 4-5 years completely restoring it (I was 9 when he bought it). Needless to say that car is what made me love cars since I worked on it with him. Fast forward to 2003 (I was 16) and the Terminator came out. My dad *almost* bought a 10th anniversary convertible. I was at the dealership with him. I hated that he didnt buy...that moment made me want an 03 Cobra...it was the only car I ever really wanted. I remember watching Youtube videos of Cobras and the whine....here I am, I own one...I have nothing to complain about it.

 

[13COBRA]

My dad always had awesome cars growing up so naturally I wanted them all haha

 

[Lambeau]

These three owned by people I knew.

‘65 Mustang 2+2, Poppy Red

‘69 Torino GT, Royal Maroon with Gold “C” stripe.

and a ‘69 Shelby GT350, Wimbledon White.

 

[FourSixPony]

When I was like 5-6 my moms boyfriend had a dark green 68 camaro, that was the first time I actually thought cars were cool. His dad had a full blown corvette drag car in the garage that he raced, that only intensified my feelings towards cars... then I remember being around 10-11 years old and riding with my uncle in his Fox Body, that is when my love for Mustangs started... been downhill ever since.

 

[noco5.0]

Wasn't particularly close to my Dad but we did have sports and cars in common. He had subscriptions to Car Craft and Hot Rod while I was growing up. He was a Buick guy so bought a hot air GN in 1985 and upgraded to the intercooled version in 86. I took my DL test in his Grand National. He later had an 89 Fox Body. I've been hooked ever since and owned my own GN when I got my first real job. Enjoyed doing car stuff with my Dad before he passed.

 

[03cobra#694]

Interesting question, and I have no answer.