What got you into cars?

Steve E · Post by **Steve E** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:05 pm

For me it was a 56 F100 with a 429 under the hood, roof chop, dropped over the chassis etc. He took me run and i almost pissed my pants.

jwebb2876 · Post by **jwebb2876** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 2:08 am

Grandad used to take me and my sisters for drives in his VG Pacer replica when I was a kid, that car was what started it all for me. There is still, to this day, only one six cylinder engine I've heard that sounds as menacing at idle as a worked hemi six with a lumpy cam and triple Webers (that would be a worked Nissan L28 with a similarly large cam and triples), and none that sound as good with some revs on board :drool:

dirtygalant · Post by **dirtygalant** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 6:19 am

My old man basically built up a Mitsubishi/Todd motors dealership in the early 80s in the small town where I grew up, so as a child in the 80s/90s I was constantly exposed to that era Mitsubishis and other Japanese makes. Dad would always bring home a different new demonstrator model every week just about - it would be Cordias, Sigmas, Galants, Tredias, Chariots (Numbus) and even things like Datsuns, Toyotas etc which he would have traded to get them into a Mitsubishi. I think my old man was responsible for over half the township driving around in Mitsubishis - I'm sure there was probably a haze of blue smoke sitting above the township as the Mitsis got older!

redzone · Post by **redzone** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:59 pm

i'm trying to avoid posting in this thread

fugazi · Post by **fugazi** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:16 am

redzone wrote:i'm trying to avoid posting in this thread

Why?
Where you made, or maby born, in a car? :D

enthuzed · Post by **enthuzed** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 8:01 am

redzone wrote:i'm trying to avoid posting in this thread

Can you please try again Dave?

thrash · Post by **thrash** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 8:02 pm

cox family history lesson.. hmmmm..

paradox · Post by **paradox** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 1:57 am

I was always into the little rc models tho never had one until when i could buy it myself, and my dad was into the old cars but that never really kicked my interest in getting a car other than being transport at the time.
when i think about it actually there was one person I knew that had rc cars and used them a bit when i was around and I didn't care about getting a sporty car until I saw starions on my trip up to qld and remembered seeing them about when i was a kid being the only car that got my attention.

greenstaz82 · Post by **greenstaz82** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:53 am

I guess my father got me into cars . My father has always been involved in hotrods and customs and has had many cars over the years , he is a panel beater by trade and i guess i followed in his foot steps and became one myself . My first car at 17 was a CL Valiant sedan which had 2 inch blocks in the back and the front wound down on the bump stops .

redzone · Post by **redzone** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:10 am

My grandad was modifying and racing cars from the 30's to the 50's, then got into restoring veteran cars in the 60's, both my dad and uncle raced bikes in the 50's then dad got into cars, and was pretty successful down in tassie at longford, baskerville and simmons plains..

then he retired for a while, but the bug bit hard again in the mid 70's after they moved up here and dad bought an ex HDT XU1 from Dick Johnson and raced in the qld touring car series in 77 and 78, won in 77 and runner up in 78. so i was born while dad wa in the middle of that, while mum was pregnant she was attending the races too! they reckon that has an influence on you, what you're exposed to while in the womb.. dad built a couple of XU1 powered gemini sport sedans next, and retired from racing in 1983.

In my youngest years i was at lakeside and surfers paradise racetracks, the smell of avgas and racing rubber reminds me of my childhood LOL

Here's some pics :)

Paramount Ford:

Paramount Jag:

first body

second body

XU1 and dad's Monaro, with my trailer behind it!

I've got dad's race suit at home, safety standards are a bit higher these days!!!

OLD FART · Post by **OLD FART** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:34 am

Yep that's definately your dad. Almost like looking in a mirror but he is just a little chubby in the face :)

redzone · Post by **redzone** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 12:05 pm

yeah it's funny, i've never had as much hair as dad had though! a few of his old mates from tassie came up last year and were spinning out about how much i look like dad when he was young.

ps yes that's Mr Ralliart in dad's arms with the paramount jag..

WANTSOM · Post by **WANTSOM** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:43 pm

I had a camel t-shirt just like that guy is wearing. They were out from Jim Smiths Rover V8 Sport sedan that carried Camel Filters sponsorship. The "smoking camel" was the character I recall.

Great story Dave, lot of history there. :beer

I think you're right, it all starts in the womb.

thrash · Post by **thrash** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 8:05 pm

redzone wrote:yeah it's funny, i've never had as much hair as dad had though!

your hair genes come from the parent of the opposite sex.. so guys look at your mum's dad for an early indication, and girls, your kids will have your dad's hair :)

redzone · Post by **redzone** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:30 pm

yeah my hair is definitely like my grandad frank's was, i have a hell of a widower's peak.

Dad holds a couple of speed records in the Jag, it was timed at an average of 148.3MPH over the flying mile at longford, during a race.. that's faster than ALL the other XK jags raced in australia, including a couple of D types, C types, and Bob Jane's lightweight e type.. pretty good for a home built car!

as u can see though the thing was the size of a austin healey sprite, it was an engine on wheels! the body was molded from a friend of dad's Lotus 11, the body was widened to suit the Jag frame..

Austarion

What got you into cars?

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