pony cars

[VCS2600]

 classic pony cars from the old days.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/f.bevil/My1970Swinger340.html

http://www.er3.com/firebird/

http://www.fast-autos.net/ford/fordboss302.html

When gas was cheap and style mattered!

[Darkstalker]

"When gas was cheap and style mattered!"

Gas is actually cheaper now when comparing price per gallon to average wage per gallon now than it was in the past.

Definately agree on style though, I'm more partial to the older Mustangs myself...

[Dartful Dodger]

The Dodge Dart Dart of course.

Even though it's newer than I like.

Anything built after 67, has been tainted by gas prices, the EPA, and or the science of aerodynamics.

[VCS2600]

 Even the late 60s AMX 2 seater with 390 & GO pak

 http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/amc-amx/images/amc-amx-1969a.jpg

 

[GameDork]

The Dodge Dart Dart of course.

Even though it's newer than I like.

Anything built after 67, has been tainted by gas prices, the EPA, and or the science of aerodynamics.

I believe '74 was the year the bad car design happened. Look at the Nova,Chevelle (shudder)  ETC. Only thing that didn't suck was the Corvette. But I'm partial to Chevrolet anyway.......

[DougHillman]

Ahhh, real performance cars.   Sorry kids, but your 4-door Honda will never be cool no matter how big your exhaust canister or how tall your wing.  

My first car in high school when I turned 16 was a 7 year old 1979 Trans-Am with the 403 motor.  Went through a coupla Firebirds/T-As over the next few years, culminating in a '76 with the 455, 4 speed and T-tops.  Had a nice '73 Formula for a bit as well.  

During this time, my buddy & I built a coupla drag cars as well.  First one was a '75 Firebird with a 400 Pontiac motor in it.  Ran low 11's.  We then built a caged '68 'Bird with a (blasphemy!) big block Chevy that ran low 10's.

After I blew the motor in my '76 T-A screwing around with my buddy who had a '74 454 Corvette, I moved onto a couple Mustangs.  Started with a '67 coupe that I brought in from Colorado.  Picked up a '66 and put the '67 in the garage (where it still sits actually.  Only needed a slight cleanup restoration, but it's been apart for a while now.)  Drove the '66 for a coupla years until I got a nice offer for it.  Driving a 1988 Mustang GT convertible right now.

[VCS2600]

 The 1970 shape Boss Mustang is my favorite Mustang of all time, even more than Shelby cars. The Boss 302 was born out of SCCA Trans Am racing and had the lightweight high output 302 for good handling. I think an advert from the day said something like "...stick it in third in a corner and pour on the power..."

1971 Boss 302 protoype  

http://bradbarnett.net/mustangs/concept/71boss302/

Lots of Trans Ams!

1973/74

http://www.geocities.com/wrenchplus/73xtra.html

http://www.angelfire.com/mi/jamos1/index.html


1977/78

http://www.sd455.com/moviesmokeybandit.htm

http://www.78ta.com/international.htm

1980/81

http://www.indypacecars.com/1980.html

http://my.execpc.com/~steveb/transam/rehorn/page1.html



Car with an eagle on the hood brings good luck!  

[ErikRuud]

The second car I owned was 1974 Plymouth Scamp!  More or less the same as body the Dodge Dart Swinger with a 318 ci V8 and no hood scoops.

It was a great car till I got hit in the  rear quater by a 77 year old man in his Lincoln Towncar.  The damage did not appear to be all that great, but the impact turned the car about 30 degrees and I hit a very large curb head on.  The impact with the curb broke the entire sterring colum loose. You could move it up, down, left and right about two inches and in and out about an inch.

The insurance totaled it.

[SpamMe]

My fiancee's mustang (wife in a month ). Such a fun car to drive.

[danny_galaga]

one from downtown vancouver when i used to sell hotdogs. used to see a lot from that corner  

[danny_galaga]

which is a tad nicer than the stang i owned at the time. but it got me from vancouver to the grand canyon and back again (just). and DREW, ALL THE WAY ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!!!

[VCS2600]

 Actually, Mustang II wasn't that bad a car. A good handler with the rach & Pinion steering if memory serves, thrifty too.

 1974 Mach I 2.8 V6

 http://bradbarnett.net/mustangs/timeline/74-78/74/Mach1.jpg

   

[danny_galaga]

i always thought mine was a '78 but im guessing the paperwork was wrong and it was a '73? anyway, it had a 302 with (corr) 2 barrel carb. once the power steering died, the mechanic in phoenix said itd cost about $600 US to fix. he could see that that was more than i paid for the whole car so he then offered 'or for $35 ill take the belt off the pump and stretch one onto the alternator and ill pump your tyres up real hard!' . the free air sold me since some places in the states you have to pay for air!! hehe. those were the days. damn hard to park after that though...

[TOK]

Danny, it probably was a 78. 71 to 73 were large bodied Mustangs.
79 was the first year for the 3rd generation, so you had a last-year Mustang II.

PS... Mustang II steering racks are popular to this day for kit cars.

Tim

[crashwg]

My mother's first car was a Duster and she had also owned a RoadRunner arround that time.

Man I wish she took good care of those cars as I would love to own either one esp. the RoadRunner...

[Jakobud]

My father is busy restoring a '66 GT convertable right now.

[danny_galaga]

Danny, it probably was a 78. 71 to 73 were large bodied Mustangs.
79 was the first year for the 3rd generation, so you had a last-year Mustang II.

PS... Mustang II steering racks are popular to this day for kit cars.

Tim

a little piece of history!! and to think i sold it to a fellow backpacker for $250 canadian...

[knuttz]

We own a 69 Camaro.  It has a 307 and automatic transmission but still very fun to drive.  It was my mom's first car and she takes very good care of it.

[VCS2600]

 Mustang II brakes, suspension parts are often raided to make Hot Rods.

 The AMX experience!

 http://www.amx-perience.com

   

[danny_galaga]

well id like to think bits of my old heap ended up not just in the big highway in the sky but instead in some cool hotrod. i kept the horse emblem off the front at least. got it around somewhere...

cool AMX site. not many of them made it to Australia but ive seen at least one javelin around town.

[VCS2600]

 Mustang IIs are picking up in interest, cars like the Mach I & Cobra II, King Cobra versions are getting collectible. I think the days of carving them up to make other stuff has passed now. Same goes for old Jaguars, that used to be an easy source to get an independent rear suspension for a Hot Rod, but, I don't think people would cut up an old Jag sedan for that purpose today.  
  Javelin was a nice car, often overlooked.

[Trenchbroom]

Ahh, hoped someone would mention the AMX.

My father was a HUGE AMC fan (snicker at will).  He always kicked himself for buying a 69 Javelin instead of the AMX.  I always wanted to kick him for selling the 69 Javelin for $400 shortly after he bought a brand new 1979 Concord woody wagon...    

[paigeoliver]

Are there any Mustang IIs left? I am quite the car watcher, and I have only seen one of them in the past 5 years, and it didn't have plates, and looked like it had been sitting for years.

Matter of fact, I have seen more Pintos in the last decade than I have Mustang IIs.

For that matter, classic 60s Mustangs have almost completely vanished from the road as well. 10 years ago I would see several of them every day. Now I go weeks, sometimes months without seeing one.

Another car that seems to have vanished from urban areas at least is the 80s Escort. I never see them in the city/suburb, but I see them in rural areas all the time.

The first car I ever owned was a 1984 Buick regal, TURBO. It was a pretty nice 16th birthday present. Of course I had learned to drive on the exact opposite end of the Spectrum in a Chevy Sprint (85 or 86 model). Learned to drive in the slowest "GM" car around, and then was handed the fastest one!

[danny_galaga]

 Mustang IIs are picking up in interest, cars like the Mach I & Cobra II, King Cobra versions are getting collectible. I think the days of carving them up to make other stuff has passed now. Same goes for old Jaguars, that used to be an easy source to get an independent rear suspension for a Hot Rod, but, I don't think people would cut up an old Jag sedan for that purpose today.  
 

if the jag is from the 70's to mid eighties then the best use for them is still as parts for hot rods  

[VCS2600]

  Trenchbroom, did the 1979 Concord come with the 304 V8? If it did that wasn't so bad.
  1984 Turbo Regal would have been one super sweet ride for a first car, still love the Buick GN.

   1974 SD 455 Trans Am

  http://www.sd455.com/transam.htm

[Trenchbroom]

  Trenchbroom, did the 1979 Concord come with the 304 V8? If it did that wasn't so bad.

Hardly, anemic 6 cylinder.  I'm not even sure if it was a V6.  Now that I think about it...probably had the same inline 6 as the 65 Rambler American 440 we also used to have.  Yeah, most likely the same engine, only with a catalytic converter and unleaded gas to make it LESS POWERFUL than the Rambler.  Sheesh!  

Took my driver's test in the Concord though so it will always be remembered fondly.

[VCS2600]

 It would have been the 258 ci (4.2) I6, the 3.8 & 4.2 I6s were good engines, but choked by emissions controls by that stage. The 4.0 High Output motor used in the Jeep Cherokee was actually an updated version of the 3.8/4.2 AMC six.