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Show us your Cars
- Thread starter W2S
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My father owned somewhere between 300 and 400 cars in his life. Unfortunately he passed earlier this week. He had a number of interesting cars.
One I remember was a 1967 Corvette Stingray 427. Black and black with side pipes, 4 speed and no air. It was low mileage and he purchased it for $475 from a Buick dealer who believed muscle cars weren't fit for a family Buick dealer. So any such trades were wholesaled out the back lot immediately. He just happened by minutes after it was traded in.
He drove it to work for 6 months, street raced it a good bit, and finally sold it to a buddy for $1150 (I think). He sold it because even when gas was cheap the mileage was so bad it was a bother and expense. It was in fine condition and would fetch a pretty penny today. This one isn't his, but it looked exactly like this.
One I remember was a 1967 Corvette Stingray 427. Black and black with side pipes, 4 speed and no air. It was low mileage and he purchased it for $475 from a Buick dealer who believed muscle cars weren't fit for a family Buick dealer. So any such trades were wholesaled out the back lot immediately. He just happened by minutes after it was traded in.
He drove it to work for 6 months, street raced it a good bit, and finally sold it to a buddy for $1150 (I think). He sold it because even when gas was cheap the mileage was so bad it was a bother and expense. It was in fine condition and would fetch a pretty penny today. This one isn't his, but it looked exactly like this.
I passed my driving test in 1967. At that time fuel was 4/- a (Imperial) gallon which is £0.20 in the decimalised currency we have now. It is around £5.50 today, so 22 times more money.
Based on engineer's starting salary since 1971 (guess how I know) money has lost ~95% of its value since then so fuel is about the same price in real value here.
Back then, with a carburettor and inertial ignition advance control 35 mpg was pretty good on economy cars, even though they were light. Nowadays with microprocessor controlled fuel injection and ignition 50mpg is an equivalent even though weights and frontal areas (hence drag) have more or less doubled! This means the proportion of a typical person's salary spent on fuel may even be less here in the UK despite the price now, and there must be 4x as many cars, based on the parking congestion in residential streets built in the 1960s for 1960s car ownership numbers!
Edit, I got the price wrong, it was 4/- not 2/- I was confused by the decimalisation which rather changes th summary.
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Well a US gallon is 20% smaller than an Imperial gallon which accounts fo a lot of that, and I did specify economy car, it is about what we got from my Mum's Morris Minor with its 950cc engine with single SU carb.
Exactly, UK's definition of economy is/was different given the cost differentiation of fuel.
Count Arthur
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I had twin SUs on my Mini Clubman which probably gave me about 70 whole horsepower - maybe.
Mine was nowhere near as tidy as this one, but it was great fun to drive - when it worked. I'd love a sorted one that I could spend more time driving and less time fixing.
Mine was nowhere near as tidy as this one, but it was great fun to drive - when it worked. I'd love a sorted one that I could spend more time driving and less time fixing.
David Harper
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owned one of these when I was 18. Loved that car and used to race it at the dragstrip at union grove wi.
It had a 390 cu. in. V8 and turned 13's in the quarter mile. Mine was candy-apple red.
https://www.streetsideclassics.com/vehicles/3546-cha/1967-ford-fairlane-gta
It had a 390 cu. in. V8 and turned 13's in the quarter mile. Mine was candy-apple red.
https://www.streetsideclassics.com/vehicles/3546-cha/1967-ford-fairlane-gta
Sales:
Sales Numbers - Premium Sports Cars - Q1 2021 - USA
MODEL Q1 21 / Q1 20 Q1 21 Q1 20 Q1 21 SHARE Q1 20 SHARE CHEVROLET CORVETTE+73.06%6,6113,82051%43%PORSCHE 911+7.41%2,7822,59022%29%PORSCHE 718+276.51%1,50640012%4%MERCEDES-BENZ AMG GT+25.34%1,2129679%11%MERCEDES-BENZ SL-CLASS-22.44%3114012%4%MERCEDES-BENZ SLC-CLASS-52.75%1984192%5%AUDI R8+52.58%148971%1%NISSAN GT-R-13.76%50580%1%FORD GT-58.23%33790%1%ACURA NSX-50.00%17340%0%BMW I8-87.86%8660%1%TOTAL +44.17% 12,876 8,931
Sales Numbers - Premium Sports Cars - Q1 2021 - USA
MODEL Q1 21 / Q1 20 Q1 21 Q1 20 Q1 21 SHARE Q1 20 SHARE CHEVROLET CORVETTE+73.06%6,6113,82051%43%PORSCHE 911+7.41%2,7822,59022%29%PORSCHE 718+276.51%1,50640012%4%MERCEDES-BENZ AMG GT+25.34%1,2129679%11%MERCEDES-BENZ SL-CLASS-22.44%3114012%4%MERCEDES-BENZ SLC-CLASS-52.75%1984192%5%AUDI R8+52.58%148971%1%NISSAN GT-R-13.76%50580%1%FORD GT-58.23%33790%1%ACURA NSX-50.00%17340%0%BMW I8-87.86%8660%1%TOTAL +44.17% 12,876 8,931
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That big block Vette got around 9-11 mpg on leaded Ethyl. Local driving as there really weren't any interstates around then where we lived. Lot of USA cars didn't get much better. A noticeable difference in 9 mpg and 15 mpg however.
I do agree taking into account inflation etc. gasoline is effectively cheaper today than in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
I have a 30 year old Merc 500E, I get 20-22 mpg, if I press on more like 10-12. It has a 4-speed auto and short gearing for performance rather than economy!
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Sorry for your loss. Sympathies.
My dad had way fewer than 400 cars, but they were all straight-sixes. His army training was in electronics and mechanics, and he believed straight-sixes had the best balance and sweetest running.
He believed right!
The only downside is length which isn't always OK by the stylist!
the price of a gallon of gas in my area (SE Pa) is more than ten times what it was in 1969 (.24-.28 a gallon), the year I got my drivers license
premium for my '67 BB runs me $3.50-3.65 a gallon ! and yes I get maybe 10mpg !!
I'm in the same boat. But my 500+ HP / 520 lb-ft, 4 door that runs the 1/4 in 12/120 gets this...tank after tank on the highway. In town, 20. It is amazing the advance in technology.
It weighs close to 4,000 lbs. with wide sticky tires.
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I remember the pictures you have a beautiful car there.
Ken1951
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Congrats on your 500E! One of my favorite cars ever from MB. A serious Q-ship.
Were those the ones built by Porsche?
I bought it new and picked it up from the factory via the F1 VIP programme with a small discount. There arew not many in the UK since they are all left-hand drive, I think MB only imported 9 officially though a few probably came in the way mine did.
Its provenance includes having been driven by Michael Schumacher
