Tell us about the Car you wish you never SOLD

[kpeterson]

Dan Ruth and I have something in common, we both regretted selling our respective ’67 Coupes. There is a link between the two cars even though they were 2500 miles apart.

In the early seventies Dan Ruth built a custom 1967 Corvette. It was first covered in print in the summer of ’76 about three months after I had sold my mild custom ’67 Vette. One look at Dan’s and I realized that I had not gone radical enough and needed to do another fastback. Within four months I purchased a ’66 coupe and flamed it the second day I had it. The flames were just to set it off a bit as a Chicago winter was already near. Prices on mid-year Vettes were going up and I decided to re-do the ’66 stock, sell it and run with the money. It was a matching number 427, leather seat, power antenna and telescopic wheel car and a car lot specializing in Corvettes bought it from me.

Between 1976 and 1980 Dan’s car was covered in numerous magazine articles. This is somewhat rare because magazines hate to feature cars that have been previously published but Dan’s car was nice enough to break the rules.

You might think Dan would be pleased but there’s a twist, Dan sold the car to a high performance used car lot after he had arranged to have it covered in Popular Hot Rodding but before that actual shoot took place. The car was covered twice in one issue of a different magazine before the coverage Dan had arranged with PHR. There was a two page color spread featuring the car and the magazine showed it prominently in an article about buying a used performance car. It was featured on two covers but Sadly no mention of the builder was included.

Popular Hot Rodding did its article after the car lot had sold the car. The new owner is mentioned but the only background information is the fact that it was purchased in its current state from a car lot.

By 1978 I could not stand it anymore. Every year or so I’d see Dan’s Vette in print and I had to give it another shot at having something similar. The ’67 that I had sold was listed for sale in a Chicago paper and I bought my old car back and in a few months I did it in a similar way to Dan’s. It was not as fast or as radical though as Dan’s car ran 10’s in the early seventies.



Here’s some real INJUSTICE. The last time I saw Dan’s car in print was another color article in 1980. It still belonged to the person who purchased the car in 1976 but now he claimed that he started with a stock Corvette and did the work himself.

Dan lost track of the car after the original POP HOT ROD article and last week on a different forum he posted photos in a thread about radical cars that were in So CAL in the early seventies. He asked if anyone remembered his car. I contacted him and we’ve been sharing info about the car ever since. Dan was not aware that 31 years ago someone stole the credit for his early masterpiece. If you like customs enjoy the photos if you’re like most Vette people, go ahead and cry. It won’t bother Dan or me.

If Dan’s Vette was Jill St. John then mine would be Benny Hill in a red wig.

Kerry

[Ray]

My 1957 Ford Ranch-wagon, 2-door with a 312-'Y' block.

It was my parents first new car and my first car.

Ray

[PhyrraM]

Mine is nothing like the collector cars already posted.

Mine was a 1990 Thunderbird SuperCoupe. It was a typical "American" car from a bad time for American cars. It was too heavy. It was only a V-6. It leaked oil and was strapped with an under-performing automatic transmission. It had too many 'luxury features' that caused too many wiring nightmares. It's brakes faded after one hard stop. It was the epitomy of the 1990s American car makers plight.

However, somehow, it was more than the sum of it's parts. Somehow, it handled way better than it's 3700 pounds on 16" - 60 series tires would indicate. It was RWD! That one stop before the brakes went away could pop your eyes out, if you so chose. It had TORQUE, with a capital TORQUE! It looked absolutely stunning in black on black leather, when it was clean. It wasconfortable and by far the best cruiser I had ever driven at the time.

I traded it for a 4WD because it had a failing transmission I couldn't afford to fix at the time.

[michael everson]

1991 Ferrari 348 TS
Beautiful car

[mrmustang]

I have two, the first was my Sunlit Gold 1968 Mustang GT convertible from High School, the second was my 1969 GT350 ****** convertible. Sweet memories were made in both :D


Bill S.

[DougR]

I was just talking to Chuck Robertson yesterday about how I could retire if I still had my old rods:
Starting with my 1 car:

1953 Ford w/ Flathead Purchase Price: $12.50 - Sold: $500.00
1959 Chevy 2 door - Purchased for $425.00 - Sold: $900.00
1965 Pontiac Lemans - Purchased for $1,200.00 - Traded for '74 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ w 455
At the time I had the '65 Lemans I also aquired:

1965 Pontiac GTO
1955 Chevy
1956 Chevy
1957 Chevy
1966 Chevy Nova
(My neighbor accused me of having a used car lot in our yard)

I don't remember where they all went to but somehow they all disappeared, I grew up and I ended up with a Toyota Corolla SR5 in '78

Then in 2005 I got young (in my mind) and foolish again and built my FFR. I'm not selling this one.

[CapeCoralCobra]

Yellow '69 Mach 1 428 CJ, my driver, 1/4 mile racer in the early '80s.
Lime Gold '68 GT 350 (Hertz), owned it 10 years, doubled my money, but a year later they were fetching 50% more.

[WAYNES WORLD]

77 TransAm TA6.6 4sp Black on Black. and my 65 Coronet Sport. Wish I never parted with them. The jerk that got the transAm never finised paying me and totaled the car. He ended up in jail.
Wayne

[KERMIT1]

1973 Pontiac Brewster Green 455SD Trans Am.
KAY & I ordered it from BOB RUTHEMANN PONTIAC in STUDIO CITY right after we got married. Supposely the 4 speed option was not avialable for cars sold in CALIF. The dealer put it thorugh with the 4 speed anyway & damn if they didn't build it & deilver it that way. DMW never said a word or such about it being a 4 speed. When we started having a family KAY decided it wasn't a family car & talked me into selling it. She ended up getting a SAAB [Which, at least on ours was SOB] worst car I have ever owned.
A few years back she thought it would be great to have car like that again. $35,000.00 for one like what we had. We both "Don't think so." I think we paid something like $3,300 for it originally. When my movie stuff pay starts coming through getting one is on the top of the list.

[TXBLU]

'71 Chevelle SS, 270-horse 350 (stock), Turbo 350 auto, PB/PS, A/C, bucket seats, console, full guages, '67 Classic Copper, tan vinyl interior, brown vinyl roof, Edelbrock Streetmaster aluminum intake, Holley 600, Hooker headers, full dual exhaust. My first car. Dad bought it brand new and did all the mods before giving to me when I turned 16.

Eric

[Don DePontee]

For me it would be the '65 Pontiac GTO, 389 3x2
My '66 Chevelle SS 396
My '69 Camaro SS/RS 396
And as odd as it may sound, my 65 Corvair Corsa convertible.
Don

[JoeT]

It wasn't mine, it was my brothers....

'71 Chevelle SS Convert.......I would have given him my kidney for that car, he sold it because his fat pig girlfriend didn't like it.

At the time I had a '67 mustang that looked good, ran great, but I sold it because of some frame rot. Something that in the '80s was a death sentence for a car. I sold it for a Merc Capri RS 5.0 that I turboed. I do miss that car, but not enough that I wish I never sold it.

[JUST RICK]

1956 silver Chevy 2 door with post and 427 with 4 speed and 4.11 gear, still think about that car.

[Wayne Presley]

1984 Yamaha RZ350, ported, milled head, 34mm Mikuni carbs, Toomey pipes, clip ons, full faring and was a simply amazing motorcycle. Light weight, 2 stroke and looked and handled awesome.

[mekeys]

In 1970 I built a Meyers Manx SR.In 1997 I retired and moved from Burbank Ca to Lake Charles Louisiana.For some unknow reason I decided to sell it.I wish I still had it.When I sold it still looked like new,but had been sitting in my garage for several years without being used,so the usual things needed fixing.I should have bought a trailer and hauled it to my new home.Oh Well.So I have been without a kit car for 14 years.Bummer

Mel Keys

[mikiec]

The only one I wish I still had...

1969 Hemi Road Runner

[Bob Cowan]

In HS I drove a '70 Torino Cobra - 429/4spd/drag pack. I loved that car. l dream of buying another one. About 8 years ago I was trying to decide if I wanted to build another kit, or buy this beautifull '70 Torino GT convertable I found in AZ. Tough choice, but I think I made the right decision.

In the mid 80's, I bought and rebuilt a '69 Mustang FB GT, 351W/4spd. Essentially a Mach 1 without the visuals. Hard to decide which one I miss the most. I'm considering doing that again, but the prices of even an incomplete rusted out POS are pretty high.

[Bob Barnett]

1965 Malibu SS, Red, 4-speed, Black Interior!

[RobBaker]

Joe T what ever happened to that "fat pig girl friend"
That cracked me up :)

I had a 64 Lemas 326 4 speed convertible, stolen and stipped on the streets of Paterson NJ
And two MGA's 58 and 62

[Gumball]

Only two that I regret selling - 1) my first car, which was a '69 Charger - golden rod paint, white vinyl top, 383 magnum - not a bad ride for a 17 yr. old; and 2) this '65 Mustang that I spent 3 years building:
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/IMG_2449.jpg
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/IMG_2461.jpg
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/IMG_2457.jpg

[NHolds]

I've heard stories of cars people wished they hadn't gotten rid of all my life..... so I decided a long time ago I wouldn't get rid of them. Still have my first car in my garage... 1972 Olds.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f297/NHolds/P1015503.jpg

[doughboy]

My favorite was my 1972 Cutlass Supreme, I dropped a 455 and turbo 400 in it and had it painted Artic Blue Metallic. It was originally grey withe black stipes. I wish I had kept the original color. The next favorite was 1957 Stude Golden Hawk 289 4spd diamond tuck in black, gunmetal grey outside with American mags and red line tires. It had the engine turned dash. Sharp car.

[Dave Smith]

1965 K-code Mustang from Farra Snook
$20,000 FFR silver roadster mk1 daily driver sold it cheap and regretted it ever since cause I drove it all the time
FFR Champ Car pace car Coupe signed by Jack Roush (not sold but crashed beyond repair)
1987 GSXR1100
1972 Chrysler Town and Country NAPA model (more part from NAPA than original) college car, fit 8 half barrels beer with seats down

[CoryB]

There are two of mine that I really, really regret selling.

The first was my 1967 Dodge Dart GTS Convertible. It had a factory 383, 4-speed and posi rear. I sold it when I ruptured a disc in my back and didn't think I'd ever be able to operate the clutch in it again.

The other was my 1987 Buick Grand National. It was the right car but the wrong time in my life to have it.

But I still have my same wife :D and I'm happy about that.

[vnmsss]

1984 Yamaha RZ350, ported, milled head, 34mm Mikuni carbs, Toomey pipes, clip ons, full faring and was a simply amazing motorcycle. Light weight, 2 stroke and looked and handled awesome.

Ditto on the RZ 350, although mine was stock....I worked at a motorcycle shop as a service manager for a couple years after getting out of the Air Force and a guy brought this yellow RZ350 in which had been dropped in a low speed turn in a parking lot....The tank was dented (typical handle bar damage), fairing was scratched/cracked, peg broken, side cover missing and some other stuff that made it look like cra**.....He just wanted to get rid of it, and wanted to know if anyone would take it off his hands for a few hundred bucks....The dealership didn't want it (liability, and Kenny Roberts dealership in Modesto, CA was a direct competitor just a few miles away), so I asked if they cared if I bought it....I fixed the tank and fairing myself, bought a new peg and side cover, and thoroughly enjoyed riding it in the canyons....Loved that bike, and dang, I shoulda kept it. K
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_Rz350

[BULLITT428]

I knew when I sold it that I would regret the day I did and to this day I kick my butt for selling her. 1968 GT500KR ****** Mustang and she was Bullitt Green. Owned her for 19 years.