Back in the Day

[MiniDave]

 ;D

[94touring]

How far back in the day?

Ferrari 250?

[MiniDave]

1975, can't you tell by how thin I am?  ;D

1970 Ferrari Dino

[94touring]

I figured it was at least 35 tree rings ago.

[MiniDave]

The 70's hair and porn star mustache were a clue too!   77.gif

[BruceK]

I think I have posted this before here, but this is me and my first car - a 1962 Austin Seven Super De Luxe. (with a 1275 and Cooper S discs)   

This was also circa 1975.   Doesn't really compare to Dave's Ferrari, does it?

[MiniDave]

Maybe not, but we were both young, good looking studs with lots of hair!   77.gif

In 1975 most of the posters here weren't even born yet!

[MPlayle]

In 1975, I was in junior high on Clark AFB in the Philippines.

[MiniDave]

The front bumpers reminded me of a kid with braces on his teeth.....or wearing a retainer maybe.

Cromodora wheels, a little bigger than those on the Innocenti!  ;D

[MiniDave]

My first Mini, titled as a '62 Austin Cooper S

I couldn't find anything but 145's for those 6" wide Cosmic wheels, so I bought boat trailer tires, the sidewalls were so stiff I ran about 10 lbs of air in them.

First pics are when I was rebuilding it, I decided to strip the paint all the way down to the bare metal and a friend painted it in exchange for me doing some work on his BMW. The orange left side was from anther car. Mine had been hit in the left quarter and a guy gave me a bare shell that had been hit hard on the right front. A friend with a body shop cut out the good left side and put it in my car!

Next pics are a few months later, after I moved to Colorado when it was done....still had the Kansas plates on it and yes, I drove it from KC to Colorado Springs! In fact, I had just started the engine for the first time after the rebuild the night before I left. Talk about faith in your work! It ran great tho, my then girlfriend was following along behind in her new Fiat 124 Spyder and said I was doing 80 mph a lot of the way across Kansas. It ran great the whole time I had it, even at altitude. You can see the shiny new muffler under the car, on the drive out all it had was a megaphone (they were popular on VW's at the time) and my ears were bleeding time I got to Colorado.

[MiniDave]

Look how well the doors on my old Mini fit too!   ;D

These pics are from 1971 at the Lake Garnett Grand prix, the last year they held it due to one of the driver's getting killed. I was there in support of a guy's Lancar - a sport racer with a fuel injected, cross flow head Mini engine mounted in the back making well over 100hp. I was walking thru the paddock early in the morning, it was cool and foggy/misty and I saw this car parked on the hillside near the track so I took a couple of pics of it. 3 or 4 years later it was my car. I didn't recognize that it was the same car I'd taken pics of till many years later when I stumbled upon these photos in an old album. Two things tipped me off, the white turn signal lenses and the slightly droopy left rear bumper.....

The next pics are of the Lancar - never got to drive it but I bet it was fun! Especially with those intakes screaming right behind your ear!

[Vikram]

That Dino is absolutely stunning. Great story!

[gr8kornholio]

Here's back in the day for me. 1996 in Kansas. Prepping the hoopti for the trip to Colo Springs.
82 s10 rolling on polished 15's.   4.gif

Girlfriends chevell in the foreground. Was her moms but she never drove it. So my dad and I cleaned it up and got it running for her.  She had a lead foot, all 90 lbs of her. Lol.

[94touring]

My back in the day is only 15 years ago.  The one to the left of me off the ship was mine too.

[MiniDave]

You know, in all the years I lived in California, and all the times I was in LA, I don't remember seeing the Hollywood sign, let alone driving up to it! Guess that's gonna hafta go on the bucket list.....I like the color on that blue/green one!

[94touring]

It was a curvey road, but many blind corners, narrow, and two way traffic.

[tmsmini]

My first Mini, purchased for $1000 in 1973. It had been well used and repainted grey. I had Miracle Auto paint it back to red.

[Jims5543]

Nothing to add here except a cool license plate.

[MiniDave]

I figured it was at least 35 tree rings ago.

44, now that I think about it.......whew, that's a bunch of whiles ago......

[MiniDave]

On another note, another part of my life left tonight for warmer a climate........California!

I've had this car for about 30 years, spent 4 years restoring it.

[Willie_B]

Loading that in the snow must have been a frighting job. Or at least getting it to the trailer.

[gr8kornholio]

Hanging off the back under the Karate Kid car. Nice.

[MiniDave]

Loading that in the snow must have been a frighting job. Or at least getting it to the trailer.

Rolled it down the driveway, turned the wheel and rolled right to line up with the back of the truck. He set the ramps and I gave him a push and it was about 2/3 on. He then winched it the rest of the way and tied it down. Best looking car on the truckload....

[MiniDave]

Hanging off the back under the Karate Kid car. Nice.

49 Ford convertible, on its way to England....

[MiniManiac]

Loading that in the snow must have been a frighting job. Or at least getting it to the trailer.

Rolled it down the driveway, turned the wheel and rolled right to line up with the back of the truck. He set the ramps and I gave him a push and it was about 2/3 on. He then winched it the rest of the way and tied it down. Best looking car on the truckload....

Wow Dave!  I always admired that Jag!