#'max is different. he can move anything with four wheels incredibly fast.' | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

christian0799-blog · 5 years

Text

What is your Dream Car?

We all have a dream car some wish for a classy one where as others dream of having a simple old school one. If is often that you may see someone in a car and say that the car doesn’t match with them. Take up the quiz below and get to find out, which your dream car is based on your personality.

Many of us think of that one special car, the one we dreamed about owning as a kid, or the one that made our jaw drop even as an adult. We imagine one day being able to walk into a dealership, slap down the cash and drive off into the sunset.

Life is short. Why drive a car you don’t really like, when the car of your dreams might be within your reach? We talked to several people about what it’s like to drive your dream car, and they shared their best advice.

When someone asks, “What is your dream car?” there’s no wrong answer.

Your dream car might be a Ford Ranger pickup like the one your uncle used to drive. It might be an adorable Fiat in mocha brown. Or it might be an orange Trans Am with a Screaming Chicken painted on the hood. Trends and taste have nothing to do with true car love.

When you drive your dream car, it’s all about the behind-the-wheel feel.

You might like the look of a particular car, but if you don’t love driving it, it’s not going to work for you. Dream cars deserve to be driven, not kept in a garage gathering dust. Darryl H.’s dream car for 11 years was a black 1990 560SEL Mercedes-Benz. The 560SEL was a great-looking car, but for Darryl, it was all about the power and comfort behind the wheel. “Even with age, she always had a majestic smooth ride,” he says.

And that’s OK. “My dream car for a long time was a VW Beetle, pearl white with the number 53 on its hood. Yep, I wanted Herbie the Love Bug,” says Charles G. But by the time he was old enough to buy one, VW had changed the design — and the New Beetle just wasn’t the same. “When I test drove it, the dream was dead,” he says.

Dream cars can change.

Then Charles saw the IFA F9 convertible roadster and fell in love. This Russian made beauty was truly the car of his dreams.

A ‘dream car’ isn’t necessarily the most expensive, the fastest, the most powerful or the most beautiful — it can also be all four. Or a combination, of course. Dream cars come in all shapes and sizes; they can be old or new; practical or frivolous. 2018 was filled to the brim with prime candidates deserving of the title.

Dream cars are often expensive to maintain.

People are often forced to get rid of their dream cars because they simply can’t afford repairs. Ailsa L. inherited a seabreeze-green 1969 Plymouth Valiant from her aunt. The aunt had lovingly kept the car in perfect shape, with only 21,000 miles on the odometer. “Not a lick of rust,” Ailsa says, “but slowly, over time, things began to go wrong mechanically and it became too much to keep her maintained. Eventually I could only get Rush Limbaugh on the radio, the air conditioning stopped working and her engine brackets broke.” If your dream car is a classic or luxury car, put aside cash for repairs in a special fund.

Aside from upping the number of vehicles in their lineups, the next biggest trend for automotive manufacturers seems to be buying, restoring and selling their own classic cars.

Once you buy your dream car, don’t let go.

When you talk to people about their dream cars, you hear over and over how much they regret giving them up. “I still cry when I realized the mistake of trading her,” Darryl says of his Mercedes. “I had so many great times with her and spent just about all I made to keep her on the road.”

Karen C., on the other hand, is still driving her dream car: a Volkswagen Cabrio convertible. “17 years and we are still together. Wind. Hair. All good,” she says. The lesson: Save up for repairs (see above), take good care of your car and keep it as long as you possibly can.

To hell with number-matching parts, this Discovery is as close to perfect as you can get.You could easily spend thousands on flights, rooms and accommodations, or you can just get this pop-up camper.Making a name for yourself in the modern automotive world is nearly impossible. Breaking into the supercar arena is even harder.

Insure your dream car to the max.

In 1995 a truck sideswiped Ailsa’s Seabreeze Plymouth Valiant. “The insurance company claimed it was totaled,” she says, “but I fought hard and managed to get $2,000 to get her repaired.” She was lucky — but you might not be. If you’re fortunate enough to drive your dream car, don’t skimp on insurance coverage. Get free auto insurance quotes on compare.com to find out which company will give you the best coverage for the lowest rates.

Better judgment, financial responsibility and myriad other reasons keep many of us from making that purchase, so to find out what it’s like actually drive a dream car off the lot we looked to took to Quora.com — the online question and answer community — to get some first-hand accounts. And while some of the answers fit the bill for traditional dream cars, it quickly became apparent that not everyone’s four-wheeled fantasy is the same.

Achieving a dream, with unexpected results

Quora user Todd Wascom decided a few years back that after forgoing any fun cars for nearly 10 years it was high time to find one. After mulling over his options, he finally decided on a Nissan GT-R. “For the money (at the time) there was literally nothing on the market that could compete with that car in terms of power and handling,” he wrote.

When Wascom and his 10-year-old son arrived at the dealership he said they were treated like royalty and, after proving he could afford the car, took a test drive tearing down Georgia back roads. He drove back to the dealer, bought the car and said he got his first taste of what it’s like to be a D-list celebrity. Porsche owners followed him to gas station to talk about the car, people would stop eating their meal and point to the GT-R when he rolled up, and there was lots of picture-taking wherever he went.

“The sense of accomplishment when you sit in a car like this that you’ve earned is incredible. You’re in the stratosphere. Other men (and women) will slow to admire your car. People lust after it. And the whole time you’re in the drivers seat. This is your car. That you bought. With your money,” then adding, “But that fades to a degree.”

He admitted that when he first bought the car he was looking for a sense of validation. “An expensive car doesn’t validate anything. It’s simply a symbol of your ability to buy something most people can’t. I traded the GTR in that December and never looked back.”

He knows not everyone buys fast cars for validation, and even says he might buy another dream car in the future — but not without a new perspective. “And who doesn’t want to learn a bit about life and one’s self in a world-class supercar?,” he wrote.

Different strokes for different folks

The phrase “dream car” typically conjures up images of red hot, mid-engine, Italian sheet metal, but some drivers look for a bit more practicality in their dream cars. When Simon Holzmanmoved from Great Britain to the U.S. he drove around in a used $800 Ford Festiva for a while, before upgrading to a brand new, emerald green Mazda Miata.

After more than a 11 years of cruising around, the compact convertible still hasn’t gotten old for Holzman. “I have a 20 mile drive down one of the most scenic roads in America, which is the best commute ever. The top is down, my grin makes the Riddler look grumpy and I’m accelerating through corners with joy in my heart.” With a family to take care of, Holzman has no plans to replace his dream car once it dies, and added that if the Miata’s “engine explodes and she crashes 2,000 feet into the canyon below,” he’ll see if he can have the body shop buff it out.

For some of us, dream cars aren’t actually cars at all. “I’m reading all these answers and kinda chuckling, my dream car wasn’t much to speak of. I just wanted a Jeep, a really nice Jeep,” John Gannon wrote. He said growing up his mom wouldn’t let him buy one because she was afraid he’d roll it over — but now he’s older and on his second one.

He put 60,000 miles on the first Jeep be bought and he said he has big plans for the second. “If you’ve never had a chance to drive one, go do it. They’re fun as hell,” he wrote.

Quora user Eric Ruck knows what it’s like to buy an unlikely dream car as well. When he turned 40 he started looking for his must-have vehicle at Maserati, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz dealerships, and while he says he liked all the cars, he didn’t love any of them. “Remember, you’re not just buying a car for $80-150K. You’re buying the car’s maintenance schedule,” he said. “You better really, really love the car.”

So, after shopping around on the fancy car circuit, he ended up buying a Volvo S80. He admits it’s an unusual choice, but says he’s more than 100,000 miles into his dream car and has no regrets. “Midlife crisis car fail? Maybe. Still love it.”

0 notes

itsworn · 7 years

Text

The Hippy Drag Racer: One Life of a Drag Racer’s Collection of Cars

A few years ago, a friend mentioned a collection of cars he’d heard about sitting in a guy’s yard, south of where I reside. The pictures showed a 1970 Super Bird, 1969 ½ Super Bee, and other rare vehicles. Unfortunately, the distance made it unfeasible for me to see the cars, but fate knocked on my door a few years later, leading me to this very collection.

Searching Instagram for cool “Barn Find” pictures, we ran across a picture of the same 1970 Super Bird my friend showed me years ago. After inquiring about it with the young lady named Faith, she confirmed it was indeed the same gentleman’s collection. The unfortunate thing was that he’d been battling cancer. I asked her if it would be possible to ask the gentlemen if I could document his collection and hear his story. She did, and, ecstatic that I was interested, he invited me down.

En route to the collection, I found out that the owner’s condition was worse than I was originally told. Nonetheless, he was so excited for me to be there to document his cars that he rearranged his chemotherapy so we could meet in person. When we arrived at the property, he called to let us know his treatment had run longer than expected, but he allowed Faith to show us around outside the property.

From the road, you couldn’t tell there was anything other than some car parts scattered around. The only classic we could see was a 1969 Dodge Dart. But the view opened up around the fence; there were cars everywhere. On the other side of the fence sat a 1969 ½ Dodge Super Bee 440 Six-Pack, and next to it was a 1972-ish Dodge Challenger drag car. The collection of cars included a 1973 Road Runner, and a few Dodge Darts of different years. Behind the storage building, precariously perched on the edge of a hill, was the most unique among them—a 1969 Dodge Coronet R/T. Now that in itself isn’t a rare vehicle, but under the hood was the original Six-Pack setup from the Super Bee and extremely rare 1963 Mopar Max Wedge exhaust manifolds.

By this time, the owner had arrived, and I finally got to meet Terry Sevener in person. We went inside his home with his girlfriend, Penny. It was a small home filled with die-cast cars and a lifetime of acquisitions. It wasn’t until we started talking and he pulled out photo albums that I began to realize Terry was a drag racer, constantly chasing speed.

During the week, he’d work from dawn to dusk, all with the goal of getting him down the race track faster. Trading, buying, selling—he would do it all to get the parts or cars he needed to keep going faster. He said, “I would get faster through the year, then the other guy would spend a bunch of money and go a bit faster than me. Then I would start it all over again.” It wasn’t about the rarity or quality of the Mopars—he would do whatever it took to make it go fast. That’s why the 1969 Coronet R/T was a hodgepodge of different speed parts.

Until recently, he had a long, scruffy beard and long hair down to his back. It made him look like a typical hippie from the 1960s. And he owned it. He was known as the “Hippie Drag Racer.” His home track was the famous George Ray’s Wildcat Drag Strip in Paragould, Arkansas. He and the owner were such good friends that the owner put up a “No Hippies Allowed” sign at the track as a joke.

He was well-loved by the drag-racing community. When people heard I was writing this article, they emailed me stories how Terry had helped them through the years, mostly without wanting anything in return, and how he guided the younger drag racers to be better. He let other people drive his cars, he would take kids to car shows to get them interested in the hobby.

Terry eventually mustered enough energy to take us out to the storage building. He guided us through the piles of car parts to the door, and opened it up slowly. It was like an Indiana Jones movie. You had a small path to walk down, and at any moment the stuff piled up well above your head on either side could come crashing down on you. Straight ahead was the cherry on the top of the sundae that was Terry’s collection. It was his 1970 Super Bird. He did everything and anything with that car, regardless of how rare it was. He even had Richard Petty sign the nose cone.

In addition to the Super Bird, there were three other cars in the building. It was hard to detect them, as they were covered in car parts and boxes. Some of the boxes were empty, others full of Hot Wheels cars. Terry’s other passion in the last years of his life was collecting Hot Wheels, and this is where he stored many of them.

Also inside the building I found a 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T tucked up against the far wall and a 1963 Dodge Polara Max Wedge car. It was in “as-raced” condition from the 1960s, with original painted signage on the car, including a donkey kicking the Chevy name on the trunk! Terry also had a 1969 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S and Max Wedge heads piled in old oil barrels, and a 426 Hemi intake with carburetors. The place was a treasure trove of Mopar engine parts. One of the most unique pieces Terry pointed out was an original Penney’s Cheater Slick that he used to run—something I’d never seen before.

As the sun set, time had run out for our visit. We parted ways with Terry and Penny. I wished him well and hoped to see him again soon. It wasn’t to be though, as Terry passed away a short while later. His collection was dispersed to the winds, thankfully to good homes. Those who knew Terry said that my visit and the fact that I had an interest in documenting his life and collection was a highlight near the end. This was one of the hardest—emotionally speaking—adventures I had ever gone on. It was just fortunate that everything came together for me to meet such an incredible individual—the Hippie Drag Racer.

Real 1969 ½ Dodge Super Bee 440 Six-Pack car was sitting in Terry’s front yard so long that there was mold and moss growing on the exterior.

You can clearly see the Bumble Bee stripe under multiple generations of leaves and dirt that cover the Bee now.

The Challenger has been sitting here for quite a while. From all the evidence, it was originally a 1970 or 1971 Challenger converted into a 1972.

This 1969 Dodge Dart was the last old Mopar that Terry was taking around to car shows and as such, even as his illness progressed, he enjoyed taking the Slant Six Dart out.

A 1973 Road Runner was tucked in the back of the property, a real 400ci V8 car that Terry had raced and taken to car shows. Notice the 1971 Mopar Rallye wheel on the front.

Not far from the Road Runner was a fairly clean (apart from the mold and moss growing on it) 1967 Dart GT. It looked in a lot worse shape than it actually was.

Behind the storage building was a 1969 Dodge Coronet R/T, perched precarious atop a hill, with the slope directly out the driver-side door.

And there was the Coronet around the back of the building! Couldn’t mistake that one-year-only tail-light setup.

The interior on the 1969 Coronet R/T was straight out of the 1970s, with the shag carpeting!

Popping the hood on the Coronet revealed a huge surprise: the Six Pack setup from the 69 ½ Super Bee was on the Coronet, as well as some extremely rare 1963 Mopar Max Wedge exhaust manifolds. Terry did what he had to do to go faster, even if it meant taking parts from other cars he owned.

Sitting in the storage building, the 1970 Super Bird that Terry owned was the easiest car to reach. The Richard Petty signature was still very prominent on the nose.

Terry with his prized-possession 1970 Super Bird that he did everything with—drag racing, car shows, and general cruising.

Right by the door and not as buried as they others, the Super Bird was the cleanest of the cars in the building.

The exhaust manifolds on the 1969 Coronet R/T came from this 1963 Dodge Polara 330 Max Wedge car!

It [what?] was campaigned before Terry got it, by a gentleman by the name of Ken Permenter, who is still alive and remembered the car.

On the trunk lid of the 1963 car, someone had painted a donkey kicking a Chevy. It was one of the details Terry was adamant to point out.

Still clearly legible is the ad from Langley Dodge from Blytheville, Arkansas, painted on the quarter panel.

Sitting against the wall was a 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T, 440 with a four-speed and low mileage Unfortunately it was too buried to get a clear view.

The Coronet was really buried in the corner of the storage building; the only way to get to it was to move everything in front of it.

The 68 Coronet wasn’t alone; a 1969 Barracuda Formula S was stuck on the other side, wedged up against the main storage area.

From a ladder going up to a mezzanine, this view gives you an idea of what kind of situation the cars were in. That’s the Super Bird in the corner.

Terry was at George Ray’s Wildcat Raceway in Paragould, Arkansas, as often as he could, and he was not bashful in the least. They had a sign saying “No Hippies.”

Here, Terry, along with some friends, was picking up his 1969 ½ Super Bee (for the second time) from an owner he’d sold it to who didn’t treat it very well.

Terry specifically pointed out this tire, a Penney’s (as in JC Penney) Scat-Trac F/X Cheater Slick. Terry pointed out that he hadn’t seen another one of those at any swap meets.

The 1963 Polara finally gets out of the barn for the first time in years, heading to its new home.

The post The Hippy Drag Racer: One Life of a Drag Racer’s Collection of Cars appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hippy-drag-racer-one-life-drag-racers-collection-cars/ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Hot Rod Network

0 notes