What was your first car and what was your favorite car.

[grannywils]

Don't really remember my first car (I'm old, sorry). But have had two favorite cars: 1957 T'bird and an Avanti, one of the original ones made by Studebaker, way before their time, not the ones made later on. Loved both of those cars.

[HeyYou]

Don't really remember my first car (I'm old, sorry). But have had two favorite cars: 1957 T'bird and an Avanti, one of the original ones made by Studebaker, way before their time, not the ones made later on. Loved both of those cars.

 

Both awesome cars. I like your taste in automobiles. :D

[Aurielius]

A Triumph Herald -1962 Mine was Hunter Green but the year and model was the same, the gear box got so hot that if you wore shorts you would burn your leg but the little sucker was fun to drive.

 

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9077/1962triumphherald120022.jpg

[ub3rman123]

That's weird. Cars from the 70's and down just have something the ones after it don't, but I can't quite tell exactly what it is.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe it's all the plastic on modern cars...

[grannywils]

That's weird. Cars from the 70's and down just have something the ones after it don't, but I can't quite tell exactly what it is.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe it's all the plastic on modern cars...

 

 

Partly that, and partly the qualtiy of the workmanship. Can still find that today, but more in the extremely expensive automobiles that many of us cannot afford. Also there seems to be something about the design factor that has changed in newer automobiles. Although I do appreciate some of the highly stylized newer models, something about older cars (and even trucks) just speaks to me somehow. That is my opinion, anyway,,,,

[Vindekarr]

Aye. I don't really have much of a prefference when it comes to car types-I have favorite cars, but they're scattered across history and demographics, from the 1959 Austin Mini, the first true compact, to the Caparo, a street legal Indy car.

 

Probably my favorite cars, stylisticaly would be the Duesenberg-Don't know much about these guys, my knowledge falls off at 1960, but for me to Duesenberg is the absolute epitome of class and style, an open topped superluxury with a garganuan engine, flowing body work, and an aura of Art Deco polish and 1930s upperclass refinement.

 

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee454/Vindekarr/800px-Duesenberg_Convertible_SJ_LA_Grand_Dual-Cowl_Phaeton_1935.jpg

1935 Duesenberg Grand Phaeton, what more needs to be said? In original condition one of these beauties easily cracks a million USD, the brand was revived in 2000, building tiny numbers of these equisite machines, fitting with a modern engine and an even more ostentatious interior.

 

For modern times however I've got a few favorites. For me, the Pagani Zonda Cinque, and it's decendant, the Pagani Huarya, are the most beautiful blend of form with function we have on this earth right now. The Huarya, with it's almost organic, flowing lines, looks more like a design study than a race car, but each curve has a function: slam on the brakes and the Huarya reveals that the gill-like louvres on it's top surfaces are airbrakes much like on a modern fighter jet, swinging outwards to give the car a sudden jolt of drag, slowing it like a parachute, before folding away again.

 

The Ford-Shelby SuperSnake GT500 comes amazingly close to reviving a tiny fraction of the magic of the 1970s Muscle Car. With it's stupendously agressive form, unsubtle, brutal design, and the shear fact that it sit's on the road like a wrestler, gives it a little tiny spark of that misterious something recent muscle have lacked. The GT-750 laughs at emmisions laws or concepts of noise reduction, it's immense V-8 pushing out 744 break horsepower at top RPM, and howling like a maddened wolf.

 

The Lamborghini Aventador, for me, however, is the true revival, and probably my favorite car in production today, and here's the story of why: Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, ending in the late 1980s, Italian corporation Lamborghini was famous and infamous alike for it's cars. True supercars, but very hard to drive, and stupidly impractial(some lacked any rear vision, or lowerable windows) they made some of the most brash and beautiful cars of their time. Not the car's you'd ever want to race, but the ones every car fan had on their wall. Lamborghini "died" more times than can be counted-never a financial success but like the equaly troubled Lancia, too beloved for anyone to let it go. And Lamborghini never showed financial mindedness, they wanted to build fast cars; who gave a stuff about cheques? The glory days of the company came just before the end however, in 1979, with the inception of the truly deranged Countagh. Impossible to prenounce and impossible to live with as a daily driver, but with more fans than a champion football team, the bizaar, batmobile like, 190 MPH Countagh was the absolute epitome of Lamborghini.

 

It started out as a planeshape wedge with a windshield cut in it and a screaming V-12 engine mounted just behind the driver, a truly mad car, and a true Lamborghini, but as is the Lamborghini way the Countagh was "upgraded" repeatedly during the 1980s, adding a gargantuan rear spoiler, immense flaired mudguards, and eventualy rear tyres that measured nearly a metre wide. It was a massive hit too, it's wacky, angular, styling and cartoonish misproportioning combining with the fact you could hear the engine from half a continent away, to create one of the most classical cars of the 1980s. Sadly it was the last truly great Lambo for a long time, too. After the Countagh came the Diablo, which despite the name was simply too sedate to get nearly as many fans, and the company was bought out in 1998 by Audi.

 

Well, that's that then, most people though, but in 2009 we got a little ray of hope that under Audi, the mad legacy of Lamborghini could be ressurected, with the crazy, stealth bomber inspired Reventon. Then, finaly, in early 2011 the company released the Aventador, the true follow-on to the Countagh, and very nearly an even crazier concoction than it's ancestor. The Aventador, though the Murcielago and Diablo had seperated the two, is very much a follow on to the Countagh, painted screaming metallic orange by default, and with bodywork that wouldn't look out of place in Area-51 or the Bat Cave, the 700 horsepower Aventador for me is the defining supercar: high tech, and the absolute epitome of the company that made it.

 

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee454/Vindekarr/800px-2011-03-04_Autosalon_Genf_1226.jpg

 

Unsubtle, brutal, and a little bit insane-but if it wasn't insane it wouldn't be a Lambo.

 

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee454/Vindekarr/800px-Countachgold.jpg

 

The Lamborghini Countach-what more needs to be said? Brass-Plated discoball rims, terrible forward visibility , no rearwould visibility, doors that can slice your head off and probably want to, no boot(at all) and by jove it's cool!

[Illiad86]

I never had a first car...I don't know how to drive :( But the earliest car I remember my dad having when we were growing up was this:

 

http://americandreamcars.com/1969bonneville2drht060905.jpg

same colour too, hated it. Car was quite the beast though ;)

 

My favourite car is the Dodge Viper:

http://jeffwylereastgatechrysler.com/dealerimages/Dealer%203310%20Images/2011-dodge-viper.jpg

just too cool looking IMO :D

[BarefootWarrior]

Wow, talk about bringing back memories.

 

My first car was a 1959 Impala 4 door hardtop, all black, red interior. 283, powerglide. This was in 1971 and I was (gasp) 17 yo.

 

My favorite car was a 1959 Cheverolet Impala convertible. This one was silver, red interior, 348, powerglide trans and a 'Wonderbar radio' that worked and twin antennas on the rear deck. I had two of these, the other was very plain. It was a 59 Cheverolet Byscane convertible ( a very plain version of the Impala for those who may not know.), white, silver interior, rubber floor mats, 235 six with 3-speed over drive and no radio, but had great fun with this one. This turned into my 'go to the lake' or 'go to work' car, didn't have to worry about getting sand and such in the car...lol.

 

To top that off, while I had these two, I got my hands on a 1960 Chev Impala convertible, and it was rare at the time, I just didn't know it then. It was Turquoise Blue, matching interior, white top, 283 with Powerglide, very nice. Oddly, I didn't get attached to this one, there was such a radical change between the 1959 and 1960 models.

 

But, at that time, being young...(1978)...I finally sold them off. I'd give just about anything to have just one of them now. :wallbash: All three were in very nice condition. They all went to good homes though and I felt good about that. To add to this, I bought the Impala convertible for $400 ( in 1973 ), the white one (Byscane) in 1974 for $300, and bought the 1960 for $450 that same year. Try and buy one now, if you can find one. :rolleyes:

 

My most memorable car is a 1970 Plymouth GTX. Neon yellow, 440 / 4 barrel and a slap stick four on the floor. Nice but not great condition, had this for almost two years. It had a few miles on it when I bought it, but had not been abused as so many of these had been back then. Sure had no problems getting on the freeway, that's for sure. Don't even ask about gas mileage... :tongue:

 

Now I drive a.... *sigh never mind.

[Vindekarr]

The Viper's a classic that's for sure.

 

Helluva race car to, since it's debut back in the '90s they've been one of very very few American cars that can even survive in European GT Endurance racing let alone WIN in GT Endurance. The big snake's also been a bit of a marketing coup for Dodge-with Dodge not only planning a next-gen Viper for next year, but also the introduction of a Viper-Based, pure electric supercar called the Dodge Circuit, which, thankfully, is as good looking as it's petrol cousin.

 

One car I only saw this morning but now hugely like is the Audi E-Tron. Laughably bad name, but it's a great idea. It's loosly based on a Lamborghini Gallardo chassis, has a very very pretty supercar body reminiscent of-yes-Tron-, but the real showstopper is that under the hood is a quartet of hugely powerful electric motors. The E-Tron has all the power of a petrol sports car-it outpaces a Porche 9-11 to 100 KM/H, but it does that on zero emmisions, and in absolute silence. 2020's sports car is here, in engine atleast.

 

The other showstopper I'd like to mention and a MAJOR favorite of mine is the Lexus LFA. For many years Lexus laboured under the stereotype of being great quality but uninspired, lacking the heart and soul of a truly great car. Because of that, Lexus, Toyota's partialy autonamous luxury division, decided enough was enough, Lexus would make a sports car. The first attempt was the IS-F, an ordinary Lexus salloon with a 400 cubic inch bigblock V-8, released in 2008, it was moderately successful but Lexus wanted to do more.

 

With the Japanese supercar renaisance in full swing, Lexus leapt onto the bandwagon with the LFA, a slightly awkwardly syled car that nonetheless has become something of a favorite of mine. It's a bit awkward yes, but the technology in this car is incredible. I won't bore you with the details, but the engine, a howling V-10, weighs less than the V-6 in a Camry, the car is 65% carbon fibre, and the weight is distributed almost 50-50 bewteen front and rear. It's also got the biggest fattest back tyres I've seen since the Countach.

 

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee454/Vindekarr/800px-Lexus_LFA_001-1.jpg

 

Quite possibly Japan's fastest car, the LFA is a white blur on the track, though somewhat overpried at 700,000 each, it's been a marketing success, so much so that in Australia, every LFA they brought to sell sold so quickly that a second load was deployed, this too sold, ensuring that every single LFA allocated for sale here of the original 500 built, solf, and in less than half a year. Not bad for a seven hundred grand car eh?

[Vindekarr]

Well here's one for anyone who likes fast cars. revealed by Ford very recently, we have no indication it's ever going to be built, but bloody it's a thing of beauty.

 

2050 Ford-Shelby SnakeHead(Mustang)

 

And no, no pics but a link instead, it's safe.

 

http://news.drive.com.au/photogallery/drive/snakes-head-revisited-20110630-1grs2.html