I was stupidly surfing away on Sunday afternoon, and I came across this CNN story about their picks for the greatest American cars of all time.
Which got me thinking about vehicles in general, and some of the ones that have big impacts on my life. For trucks, a 1970 to 1979 Ford F-100 can’t be beat. I drove one in New Mexico for about year, a special truck for me. No power steering, no power brakes, no AC, three on the tree, long bed, 300 CID inline six. Dependable, solid, could haul a ton of stuff. First gear was suitable for pulling stumps. Years later, I tried to match that truck, and I failed, but I did move up to an automatic transmission. Still, a venerable truck. Those old Ford six-bangers could really take a beating.
I used a Ford van, short wheelbase model, in between someplace. Had it for a few years. It was okay, too. Still, no AC, but it was that six-pack motor as well. Carburetor had a nasty problem of shaking off occasionally. Coming back from one race weekend, we got cheap pink champagne all over the inside of the windshield.
In between, I had several sports cars. Usually British, usually unreliable as could be. That was long ago enough that the Lucas Electrics were said to be the “prince of darkness.” Rain great in the rain, though. Go figure.
For a long time, just outside the good bookstore here in town, a Lincoln Mark IV used to sit in the sun, white on white, with a big “for sale” sign in the window. I bid on it once, but I never got around to really getting myself all together to actually buy the car. 460 CID V-8. One of my buddies in high school had one, and I remember that car fondly. If I’d been a little more flush with cash, I’d like to think I could’ve bought that behemoth. Would be a fun car, but it was from an era when gasoline was lot less than a dollar a gallon. From what I recall, it got about 4 miles to the gallon, maybe 6 or so, on the highway. Not exactly an economical vehicle to own. Mostly solid steel, and it would only comfortably carry two people. But think of the style.
Not far from here, just across the street from Jo’s, as matter of fact, there’s an old Rambler Station Wagon for sale. In need of some TLC and restoration work, but what looks like a good, sound vehicle to start with. Pretty cool. The best bit of marketing that they’d done? Taped inside one of the windows is some original-looking advertising material.
I’ll agree that the Mustang was a nexus point in the history and design of American cars. But I missed a station wagon. I thought it was honorable of the editors to include the Jeep Cherokee as the first real SUV. Still wouldn’t the proper SUV be something out of Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath?
