This is an article written by our own Erin Sakowski about driving a Classic Car in Los Angeles, California, USA and across America. It is not about a classic car tour, but the life of driving a classic car. Ride Free Classic Car and Motorcycle Tours USA https://ridefree.com www.sakowskimotors.com Classic Car and Motorcycle Repairs and Sales
Going Modern
New Cars Have Lots to Offer, but What’s Missing?
Posted November 7 2007 12:26 PM by RC_Staff
Filed under: Miscellaneous, General Custom Rod Talk
“Hey, lady! Nice classic!” a guy called out in the parking lot. “What year is that?”
“Thanks,” I answered, kind of confused. “It’s an ’89.”
I’m used to this kind of attention-just not when I’m in my “new” car. My “mom” car. My inconspicuous four-door Land Cruiser FJ60.
I’d driven a ’50 Ford for seven years. Prior to that, a ’64 Buick Skylark convertible. The newest car I’d ever owned was a ’74 Karmann Ghia. Before my hot rodder husband, Wil, came along, I hadn’t driven a car with heat since high school. Heat in the winter, I mean. The Skylark put out plenty of heat in the summer, especially when driving through Vegas. On that trip, I’m sure the 220-degree air from the engine would’ve scorched the skin off my legs but for the Big Gulp full of ice in my lap.
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Back in Virginia, driving the Buick was a challenge in endurance. It never warmed up inside. I needed a driving blanket and a pony coat. It felt like pioneer days. There were times when my cup of tea froze solid. I was the only one I knew who had to scrape ice off the inside of the windshield. Occasionally I’d see a kindred spirit in another vintage jalopy. We’d nod at each other through our scarves and ski hats, and raise a gloved hand in salute.
The ’50 Ford was a serious upgrade. It was a grown-up car, solid inside and out. It looked stock, but had a modern engine, disc brakes, and power steering. I drove it from Virginia to California, turning heads all the way. It was like being in a parade wherever I went. I loved the Ford, but it didn’t offer much in the way of privacy. People were inclined to discuss it with me, often from across four lanes of roadway. To be fair, many of their stories were interesting, my favorite being: “My brother fell out of a car just like that.”
Despite the constant attention, I probably would have driven the Ford forever. But Baby came along, and putting an infant seat in and out of the backseat of a two-door is no fun. One day I bruised both shins on the door frame, got smacked in the face by the front seat falling backwards, then stepped out and ran into the surf rack with my forehead. The search for a four-door began.
What I wanted was a street-rodded wagon, preferably a Pontiac, or a ’55 Chevy. The problem was, most of the cars I found that were as nice as the Ford were two-doors too. I knew I’d find the dream wagon eventually, but I needed something now. Thus the Land Cruiser.
It has power windows. The horn works. It has an FM radio. Defrost. Wiper fluid. To me, this is the height of modernity. Iit was a step down from the Shoebox, but I’ve heard that FJ60s are very fashionable in the Hamptons. And my mother, who has patiently waited for me to get a nice Honda or Toyota, was thrilled.
My driving history had always been fun and adventurous, but tempered by the fear that something important would fly off the car-like a wheel, as happened once in the Buick. Now I can relax. I take deep breaths behind my tinted glass, certain that when I set out for a destination, I will arrive.
Ultimately, though, I miss the parade. With reliability I’ve gained anonymity. Strangers in their hot rods or customs no longer give me the nod. My neighbor, Harry, drives right by in his Comet and doesn’t even wave. Sometimes even I don’t know who I am. Nor is my five-foot-tall mom satisfied. With the lift kit on the Land Cruiser, she can barely climb in. And I must admit, it’s harder to load the baby now than it ever was in the Ford. The search for the wagon continues.
-Erin Sakowski https://ridefree.com/about_us
Ride Free Classic Car and Motorcycle Tours USA https://ridefree.com www.sakowskimotors.com Classic Car and Motorcycle Repairs and Sales
Read more: http://blogs.rodandcustommagazine.com/6220110/miscellaneous/new-cars-have-lots-to-offer-but-whats-missing/#ixzz2C7hNka67