After posting “Talking Car Talk,” I decided I should just go straight to the source. That’s right, I wrote my father, who is an exceptional man, truly. And, in addition to being one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, my dad is a first-generation dude, the original, yes. Which makes me the favorite daughter of an original dude, indeed.
Now, I still haven’t mentioned this project to my parents. But I will. Soon. It’s fine, really. The point is, that comment about his seventeen-year-old self, the man threw that in on his own, not knowing anything about this book or these characters. Which makes me very, very happy. Oh, and fair warning: Dad gets so excited sometimes, he gets a little trigger-happy with his apostrophes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So. I’ve got some research to do now. In the meantime, here’s the transcript of our exchange, minus a few personal notes that don’t need shared:
—– Original Message —–
From: Courtney
To: Mitch
Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 9:32 AM
Subject: Dude!
Hey, Dad.
Quick question: I’m trying to imagine a car–not quite vintage muscle, but something along those lines. I want something rare. Maybe ‘67 to ‘72 or thereabouts?
I was thinking of the Barracuda, because I used to have a gearhead roommate who restore the ‘67 Barracuds, that was his thing. This was years ago, but I still remember a bit, having listened to him spend countless hours on the phone, calling all over the country, looking for parts. Even so, I’d like to get some other opinions.
So what comes to mind when you think of a rare muscle car? Like just off the top of your head, give me three American muscle car suggestions, will you? The help would be much appreciated. Muchos gracias.
Love you,
C.
From: Mitch
To: Courtney
Subject: Dudette!
Date: Nov 2, 2009 11:01 PM
Hey!
So the three cars that came to mind immediately were the Road Runner, GTO and Charger. Barracuda was a good one too. The American Motors made AMX was kind of cool and obscure as was the Nova ( the death car in Argentina?). Both had big engines. the Mustang 2+2, the Challenger the Corvette. There were many actually and that is why I put in a couple of web sites for you to look at. The Chevelle Super Sport with a 427 Hemi engine, four on the floor and a Hurst transmission was a classic icon. Hard to choose just one. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else.
By the way, when I was 17ish, I had the privilege of riding in both the Road Runner and the GTO. AWESOME!!! The is a reason they were dubbed “muscle cars”…….and I lived to tell a tale!
love you, D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_car
http://www.musclecarcalendar.com/PicturePerfect/picture_perfect.htm
2 Comments
Chevelle
What year are you thinking? All Chevelles were not created equal, you know. Gracias, C.E.