A440 . . .
The Pantera rescue vehicle story took place around '95, I can't recall exactly what year. Panteras are actually very nice and underrated GT cars. They ride well, are exceptionally stable and quiet at speed, plus as mentioned have plenty of trunk space. They just don't like traffic jambs in summer, but this can be fixed with an upgraded radiator and alternator and a modern gear-drive starter. That particular car had none of the fixes, which is why I worried a bit but luckily there were no traffic jambs on the 5 that day.
Seeing the mention of the '76 New Yorker reminds me of another story. One of my best friends in university was an arch-Porschephile named Michael. In '81 he was a senior and talked his wealthy father into buying him a used Porsche in lieu of a new Camaro or Mustang. That Porsche was an exceptional '73 911S, and when someone else ran into it and caused moderate damage Michael insisted that it be repaired by a certain shop with a long waiting list. Luckily for Michael his dad had just bought a new car and so Michael was able to use his old ’76 New Yorker Broughm coupe, white with a white vinyl top. Michael pretty much deplored the New Yorker, but then again he deplored American cars in general, with only Japanese cars being ranked below them in his mind.
One Monday morning we sat in art history class and chatted about our respective weekends. Michael had gone down to the Gulf of Mexico with friends, a 120 mile trip. On the way down very early in the morning he had followed a friend of his who owned a Datsun 280Z, a car Michael really, really hated. Our conversation went like this:
Michael: I can’t believe how fast my friend drives that Japanese piece of crap!
Me: How fast did he go?
Micheal: I clocked him at 120, can you believe it? He takes his life into his own hands with a car like that!
(I should add I had forgotten the Porsche was still in the shop)
Me: Well Michael, the 911 is a 140 mile per hour car, so why didn’t you just pass him?
Michael: Oh, it’s not fixed yet. I'm still driving the New Yorker.
Me: You were doing 120 down I-45 in the New Yorker???
Michael: Sure, do you think I was gonna let that Japanese piece of crap outrun me?
Me: Um, Micheal, how are the tires on the New Yorker . . . you’ve always said your dad buys cheap tires.
Michael: The tires? Oh, they’re great (he flashes a little smile) . . . JC Penney in the front, Fisk in the rear . . . but the whitewalls match!
The Pantera rescue vehicle story took place around '95, I can't recall exactly what year. Panteras are actually very nice and underrated GT cars. They ride well, are exceptionally stable and quiet at speed, plus as mentioned have plenty of trunk space. They just don't like traffic jambs in summer, but this can be fixed with an upgraded radiator and alternator and a modern gear-drive starter. That particular car had none of the fixes, which is why I worried a bit but luckily there were no traffic jambs on the 5 that day.
Seeing the mention of the '76 New Yorker reminds me of another story. One of my best friends in university was an arch-Porschephile named Michael. In '81 he was a senior and talked his wealthy father into buying him a used Porsche in lieu of a new Camaro or Mustang. That Porsche was an exceptional '73 911S, and when someone else ran into it and caused moderate damage Michael insisted that it be repaired by a certain shop with a long waiting list. Luckily for Michael his dad had just bought a new car and so Michael was able to use his old ’76 New Yorker Broughm coupe, white with a white vinyl top. Michael pretty much deplored the New Yorker, but then again he deplored American cars in general, with only Japanese cars being ranked below them in his mind.
One Monday morning we sat in art history class and chatted about our respective weekends. Michael had gone down to the Gulf of Mexico with friends, a 120 mile trip. On the way down very early in the morning he had followed a friend of his who owned a Datsun 280Z, a car Michael really, really hated. Our conversation went like this:
Michael: I can’t believe how fast my friend drives that Japanese piece of crap!
Me: How fast did he go?
Micheal: I clocked him at 120, can you believe it? He takes his life into his own hands with a car like that!
(I should add I had forgotten the Porsche was still in the shop)
Me: Well Michael, the 911 is a 140 mile per hour car, so why didn’t you just pass him?
Michael: Oh, it’s not fixed yet. I'm still driving the New Yorker.
Me: You were doing 120 down I-45 in the New Yorker???
Michael: Sure, do you think I was gonna let that Japanese piece of crap outrun me?
Me: Um, Micheal, how are the tires on the New Yorker . . . you’ve always said your dad buys cheap tires.
Michael: The tires? Oh, they’re great (he flashes a little smile) . . . JC Penney in the front, Fisk in the rear . . . but the whitewalls match!