Ferrari Mailing List: Best car I've driven (A.K.A. Old man rambling on Tuesday)

[red5hilser (red5hilser]

OK, I'll have to admit that the most fun and best car that I've ever owned and 
driven was my '53 Jaguar XK120MC that I bought in late 1957, just?two years out 
of high school for $1995.00. In American racing colours, white with blue racing 
stripes, with grey blue leather bucket seats. Oh, yea, it had the Rudge 
knock-off wheels too. Sharp!

I'd seen Kirk Douglas in 'The Racers' a few months earlier, and that film gave 
me the bug. I was working at a paper in Newport Beach, making $2.25 an hour and 
saving for college. I'm not saying that things were cheap back then, But I had 
a 1 bedroom apt. on 45th St, a block from the ocean that cost me $70 a month.

Things were way different back then and I used to do my weekly grocery shopping 
at Richards Lido Market for less than $20 a week. Another thing that was 
different was that occasionally I'd be in the checkout line with John Wayne, 
just like some ordinary Joe Blow! He lived a few blocks away on Lido Isle. 
Hell, the ocean was so close that I'd go surf fishing before work!

The Duke (Marion Morrison from Glendale in real life) played football with my 
uncle, Jesse T. Hill at USC back in the late 1920's before he became a star in 
Hollywood, along with Ward Bond. Interesting story about the Duke at USC, seems 
like one year the Trojans were National Champions, but the coach, Gloomy Gus 
Henderson, I think, wouldn't let the team play in the Rose Bowl. Seems like the 
Duke and some of the rest of the team were arrested at?Clara Bow's estate 
during some orgy one night. As they say in 2008, MY BAD!

Uncle Jesse later played MLB for both the old NY Yankees and Washington 
Senators before becoming the head Football Coach and AD at USC. He hired John 
McKay as head football coach in one of his wiser moves..

Anyway, in 1958, any foreign car, even in L.A.?was as scarce as pork chops at a 
Jewish wedding. I counted 14 foreign cars on a Sunday trip from Newport Beach 
to Pasedena, where my grandmother lived. And that included VWs, All Japanese, 
French, English and Italian too.

The L.A.-Hollywood, Orange County Sports Car racing community was so small at 
that time, that there was a little Racing Bar called The Checkered Flag, out in 
the Valley that showed amateur racing films every Tuesday night. All the local 
racers showed up and it wouldn't be unusual to see Dennis Hooper, Lance 
Reventlow, Ronnie Burns (George & Gracie's son), George Follmer, Bruce Kessler, 
Richie Ginther?and the rest of them at a nearby table. drinking beer and 
enjoying the 16mm films.

Ach, the memories, yer pal Bubba


-----Original Message-----
From: pokiebaron
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] [Mgs] Best car I've driven (A.K.A. Old man rambling on 
Tuesday



Most fun car I ever drove was an English spec '79 911 Targa.  No car I've
drive has rewarded me so quickly for doing something right, or punished me
equally as fast for doing something wrong. lol.  Having the wheel on the
other side and the pedals more offset than in a left hand drive car just
added to the fun, and challenge.  I liked it so much, I'm buying it.

Worst, was a tie between a friends Range Rover, or Honda Civic.  Range Rover
always felt like the body was going in one direction, and everything under
it, in another.  The Civic, is the only car I've ever scared myself in!

Current cars,

'88 300E
'80 911SC
'94 Sunbird... I have to store my tools somewhere. hee hee

Ed

2008/12/2 Rick Lindsay <rolindsay [at] yahoo.com>

> Great list Murry.  Instead of kicking Miatas (which only happened on the MG
> list, BTW ;-) this whole thread started with the most-fun-to-drive car
> comment.  For me, it was an '89 BMW 325iS.  The worst of them all was a
> Phymouth Arrow.  Bought it new, broke a timing belt 3-weeks after taking
> delivery.  The car sat at the dealer for 3 months waiting for parts.  Never
> ran worth a flip after the dealer's repair.  Kept it only a year.  Sadly, I
> was a green kid and didn't know my rights with regard to defective products.
>  I ate the loss.
>
> So there you have it.  From a guy with two Ferraris in the garage, the best
> car I've driven was a BMW and the worst a Plymouth (Mitsubishi).
>
> rick
> PS: I really loved my Series II XJ6 too.
>
>
> --- On Tue, 12/2/08, Murray Arundell <arundell [at] ghs.com.au> wrote:
>
> > From: Murray Arundell <arundell [at] ghs.com.au>
> > Subject: Re: [Mgs] Best car I've driven (A.K.A. Old man rambling on
> Tuesday
> > To: "Steve" <temporarilyoffline [at] gmail.com>
> > Cc: "Rick Lindsay" <rolindsay [at] yahoo.com>, "MGS" <mgs [at] 
> > autox.team.net>,
> "IPOG" <ponton [at] yahoogroups.com>, "ferrari" <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
> > Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2008, 4:03 PM
> > Some standout non MG cars in my past, in no particular
> > order:-
> >
> > Fiat 125s c/w close ratio 5-speed, twin 
cam motor, Abrath
> > Wheels.  My
> > first real car.  Loved it, thrashed it and eventually
> > wrecked it.
> > Should really buy another while I still can.
> > VW Gold GLi.  Lovely sweet cat, brilliant dynamics but I
> > had warranty
> > issues with dealer which soured the owning experience.
> > Alfa 33Ti.  Brilliant but flawed car.  When it all worked
> > properly and
> > you were blasting through that mountain pass life was
> > bliss.  However
> > these periods were interspersed with reliability and build
> > quality
> > problems.  The day it was sold was a bitter sweet day.
> > Glad it was
> > out of my life, but there was that lingering feeling that I
> > would miss
> > it and I did.
> > Jaguar Sovereign Double Six Saloon.  Bought new and at the
> > time "the
> > best Saloon in the World".
> > Holden Commodore SLE 5.0. (A GM product) Another one bought
> > new.
> > Fitted with a 308ci V8 and four speed gearbox.  In 78 these
> > were the
> > bees knees in Australia.  Went like the clappers, actually
> > went around
> > corners too.  Had air-con and all the power bits and
> > pieces.  Flogged
> > it unmercifully and nothing ever broke.  It was a very
> > satisfying
> > drive.  Sadly subsequent Commodores never quite cut it like
> > this one
> > did.
> > 1963 Holden Premier.  179 ci six cylinder.  My first car, I
> > loved it
> > then, would love one now.
> > 1977 VW Kombi Camper.  Slow, evil handling and you could
> > not kill it a
> > stick.  Cant pass one on the road today without wishing I
> > still had
> > it.....
> >
> > Murray Arundell
> > Brisbane Australia
> >
> > 49 MG-TC
> > 65 MGB-V8 (Historic Racer)
> > 98 MG-F v.v.c
> > 04 BMW RT1200 (only 2 wheels)
> > 06 Peugeot 407 sv (Whife's Wheels)
> > 08 Mercedes ML480
> >
> > On 03/12/2008, at 12:07 AM, Steve wrote:
> >
> > > I've got a '91 E30 AWD model... I'll trade
> > ya.
> > >
> > > - Steve
> > >
> > > On Tue, Dec 2, 2008 at 8:20 AM, Rick Lindsay
> > <rolindsay [at] yahoo.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > >> Hello Friends,
> > >>
> > >>  As I drove in to work t
oday in my '08
> > Mercedes C300, I finished a
> > >> test.
> > >> Over the past couple of days I have driven every
> > car that I
> > >> presently own.
> > >> There are six of them in the scuderia.  Okay,
> > okay, the ponton isn't
> > >> "drivable" but I did start it and warm
> > it up last Sunday.  Anyway,
> > >> this test
> > >> was the continuation of the 308GTB vs Mondial QV
> > comparison that I
> > >> did over
> > >> the weekend.
> > >>
> > >>  As STYX's "Too Much Time on my
> > Hands" ended on the C300's sounds
> > >> system I
> > >> realized that I have now owned over sixty cars in
> > my tender 57 years,
> > >> ranging from a 1930 Chevrolet Deluxe to a 2008
> > Mercedes C300!  That
> > >> thought
> > >> led be to consider which of the lot is my all-time
> > favorite to drive.
> > >> Here's the story and what I concluded.
> > >>
> > >>  The most exciting car-related moment I recall was
> > the day I picked
> > >> up my
> > >> 308GTB.  As I left Phil Tegtmeyer's quiet,
> > supportive company I
> > >> thought to
> > >> myself, "I'm driving Ferrari.  Oh my God,
> > I'm driving MY
> > >> Ferrari!!!"  I
> > >> guess the second most exciting moment was when I
> > got my first
> > >> sports car at
> > >> the age of eighteen.  It was a Fiat 850 Spyder.
> > Most beautiful car
> > >> I had
> > >> ever seen!
> > >>
> > >>  Flash forward to today and I ask; Of all the cars
> > I have owned,
> > >> which one
> > >> was the overall most enjoyable to drive?  The
> > answer surprised even
> > >> me. It
> > >> was my little bright red '89 BMW 325iS
> > coupe'.  The E30 cars feel
> > >> like
> > >> go-karts, light as a feather and the 2.5 litre
> > "little six" is a
> > >> great
> > >> engine.  Hook that to a 5-speed manual gearbox and
> > you get my all-
> > >> time
> > >> favorite.  Yea, I was surprised too.  Wish I still
> > owned it.
> > >>
> > >> Happy Tuesday,
> > >>
> > >> rick
> > >> 2 x Ferrari
> > >> 2 x Mercedes
> > >> 1 x BMW
> > >> 1 x Land Rover
> > >> _______________________________________________
> > >>
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> > >>
> > >>
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> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Mgs [at] autox.team.net
> > >> http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/mgs
> > >>
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> > >
> > >
> > > You are subscribed as arundell [at] ghs.com.au
> > >
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