All of us tend to have an affinity for a specific brand whether Pontiac, Mopar, AMC, Olds, Ford, etc..

Curious to see, if you're able to pin it to a specific car from your town, you rode in, raced, etc., that set you on your path of allegiance.

For me, I grew up with my parents slant 6 Dart wagon that even as a kid, recognized how indestructible the thing was... But, it was when I was a sophomore in High school and a senior w/ a 69 383 4spd road runner gave me a ride home several times that I got "welded" to Mopars. The dash would jar as he violently shifted gears and fishtailed down many of streets in our town...And the roar that thing made was nothing like I heard in my Dad's wagon!! left a lasting impression on me!

Years later, after college, I purchased that exact road runner and have had it for over 2 1/2 decades.

What's your story??

I walked to grade school every day in the mid to late 70's and an old orange car always cought my eye in a garage walking by. All I ever saw was the rear end. At first I did not know what brand or model it was until I started reading some car books. Eventually I figured it out..... I just bought that car this past summer from my buddy who restored it and owned it since the early 80's. It is a 68 Charger, factory special order orange, 383 4 speed and one of only 257 made.

OK this is complicated It started in the 80's when my brother- in-law bought a 1969 Corvette 427 4BBL 4 Spd Roadster. That car was and still is awesome . Maybe one day I will own it if he ever sells it . Even though he owned a Vette, my brother-in-law was a diehard Ford man, so he drew me towards Fords. He always said the Vette was a Sportscar, not a muscle car you know my stand on that . I am a closet Ford man, my love for Fords will never die. I purchased a new Merkur XR4Ti that I still own. Going to E-Town and watching the drag races was a yearly thing for us. Being crazy for Fords, I loved seeing Bob Glidden and Ricky Smith eat up the field. I even talked my now wife Sharleen into selling her Duster to buy a 5.0 Capri that she still owns.

OK, so why do I own mostly Mopars? It all started in 1987, my dream was to own a 1969 or 1970 Mustang Fastback- Mach1 428CJ, Boss 9 Boss 302. I was over at my now wife's parent's house looking through the Bargain news and Hemmings looking for the right Mustang. I found many, but in the 80's, 1969 and 1970 Mustangs were not cheap. And, being 18 years old and making just above minimum wage did not help My father inlaw said "Why don't you get a RoadRunner or a GTX"? I asked him why? He said they were faster and cheaper than a Mustang. I started researching them and fell in love with them. The best part was I could get a car I could enjoy for a fraction of the price of a Mustang. So, Dalton and I started our journey looking for a Road Runner or GTX. We went all over the east coast looking for the right car; and one day in the Baragin news, there it was, 1967 GTX! Sharleen and I went and took a look. That was the start to my Mopar addiction .

Well, My Dad was always a Chevy man. When I was really young, he had a really nice 1953 Belair (Hardtop I think) After that the deal was sealed when he bought his first new car, a 1957 Belair hardtop with a 283 power pack (4 barrel dual exhaust) Corinato yellow, white top, black and silver gut and spinner hubcaps. I really felt like hot shit when I got to ride shotgun. I remember he put glass packs on it which lasted one day till my mother heard em.

My Dad ran a body shop and rebuilt wrecks he bought at the auction. One day he bought a 1958 Impala that a crane had fallen on. It was a 348 with a turbo glide, black with a red and black gut. After he got it fixed, one day he got my uncle to drive the Impala while dad drove the 57 with me riding shotgun. They drag raced up the Merritt Parkway. The 57 blew off the Impala and I was ruined for life with a drag racing addiction. After that I remember a number of stop light races against 57-58 Pontiacs and 57 Fords. Dad never lost. He always told me "Don't tell your mother about this."

One memorable ride was when I was 14 a friend of my Dad stopped by the shop. He had just bought a 1962 409 Impala with a three on the tree. He took my Dad and me for a wild ride with me flying around in the back seat while the car went every way but straight, and he buried the speedo.

One day when I was 15 my Mom picked me up at school and some girl commented that the 57 was a nice looking old car. Mom didn't like the idea of driving and old car. So my Dad sold the 30k mile garage kept 57 for $600. I was devistated for one day because I always planned on driving the 57 but, my Dad bought a 1963 Impala hardtop with a 300HP 327. yippy! That car I did get to drive. I ruined the tires, the powerglide and eventually rapped that car around a telephone pole when I was 17. The story goes on but thats enough for today.

ralph, thats such a sad story ......but not the first time a guy switched teams for a girl

i didnt know you were a bowtie fan at heart

i have always been a fan of old fords ( model t and a)
and 30's fords...... and newer chevys say 55' and up
and preferably old fords with newer chevy motors
growing up there was always talk around town from elders about cars with alot of power.....not refered to as muscle cars or supercars....but just this one or that one with this big engine or that fast car...
there seemed to be an affection by most for chevelle super sports and how great they were...

always wanted one...at first 66-67 were my favorites , but i was a teen and couldnt afford!

then for $300 my first.....a 307 malibu
but to me it was an SS
ANYWAY
after working awhile i found a beautiful 70 SS454
and it was as they say the CATS A$$.
this is the one i now pilot down the ol 1320
But it was my cruising, chick magnet, burn out machine for awhile
the chick magnet part worked and we got married.... had kids.....sold it.... 6 years later bought it back on EBAY....and cruised....got bit by drag bug....the rest you know

one last thought...
a teacher once told me that the hardest part about teaching is the students always stay the same age, but he keeps getting older........the same can be said about our cars........ i looked at a pix of me at 19 next to my car and the car looks exactly the same today.... i guess this is what 40 feels like
i have owned this car for 15 of the last 21 years

maybe i should stop racing it

YEAH RIGHT

BRING IT TO THE LINE BABY
I'M HAVING A MIDLIFE CRISIS

more power

Ralph said he was (and still is) A Ford connoisseur. He makes it sound like he has only had a passion for performance cars.

But, his first car was a 1978 banana yellow Ford Fiesta. Good for getting to and from work, but performance? He used to pick me up for our dates in this tin can.

Boy, I must have really liked him, because I sure wasn't impressed with his wheels. And he wanted me to get rid of my Duster because he thought it was a lame car!

!! !! !! !!

Long before I was around my father raced a Hemi GTX. When I was younger I remember seeing pictures of it and then one day he decided to restore a numbers Hemi car, found one locally and started the restoration (about 1988 or so). On a trip to carlisle he found a redone B5 blue 440 4 speed GTX that was bought "for reference" and that when the cruise nights started etc. Eventually it was sold shortly before I obtained my license.

So the number of car shows, mopar only events drove the mopar stake deep. I tinkered with some Jeeps and a few second generation Camaro's because I liked them and they fit the budget, but then sold off the chevies and got a Challenger which led to a Cuda and now to my Duster. I like the Mopar stuff primarily but really like any musclecars.

Pops old car.


As an aside, the car he bought to restore way back when is the one he raced at the Mopar Nats this summer. Not only did Ralphs Father-in-law remember this particular car back in the day but Ed Kusinski, the guy who did all the supercar artwork previously owned it back in the 80's.

I met Chris and his family in 1987 at a car cruise when they coasted in with that Blue GTX. Great story and since that day we have been friends . I remember driving to Mopars @ E-Town and Bob Screaming Chris "Only the cars with girls in them!" And when Chris got his liscense the drive in the Cuda'. Also the call I made to Chris- come and get your new Challenger it's in my garage. After he tweaked the Challenger, Chris then decided to drive it out to the Mopar Nat's with his now wife . That year was one hot Nat's Oh yes he raced it also. Lots of good memories .

I knew this would be interesting...So Ralph started with Fords...

Well, Ralph, if you ever decide to unload some of those "old mopars" to buy a Fastback Mustang, 428CJ or another Fiesta , let me know....


P.S. If you like early 60's 427 variety, you'll enjoy my most recent entries on my site www.ThePCR.com

I like them the 1964 Ford Custom - Police Interceptor and 1965 Ford Custom 500 R Code 427 are my favorite of the three. Very Cool. My all time fords are- 1969 Talledega, 1970 Torino 429, 1969 Mustang 428 Boss 9 either year, 1970 Boss 302 Mustang, Couger Eliminator 302 and 429. I am wild about the Cyclones I would own one of every year starting in 1964 with a factory 427 race car they look fast just standing still. And Shelby's I love them as well. We use to have one that raced with us a couple of years ago that car was awesome. It would have to be a vert on the Shelby.

If I do find a mint 1978 Ford Fiesta Yellow I may pick it up just take Sharleen out in on the town

Sorry Sharleen..........

http://home.san.rr.com/gilligan/ford/paul1.html

D...........