A&Q about Lotus
Q:
My dad usually had a convertible for our second car, from 56 Ford Crown Vic with a T-bird V8 (very important!) to a '63 SS Chevy convert (wish I had that car back) and then he got a Porsche 914 (a few months after I got my first car- he liked it), then a Porsche 944... he also said my grandfather had noisy loud cars growing up in rural Wisconsin so it's in the genes, and yes it's been passed on to my two boys...
A:
My love of sports cars undoubtedly comes from my dad. His first car was a worn out TR-2, and he's since owned a number of TR-3's, placed one of the first US orders for an X1/9, had a 280Z when new, had a Lotus Europa Special that he used to take me out for drives in to put me to sleep when I was a baby (apparently the super-reciled seats held me in nicely...), Porsche 914, etc. Even when things were really tight he always managed to have an old X1/9 or TR-3.
He's also a master of getting the car a little light over the crests of hills - I can remember him doing that to make me laugh as some of my earliest memories. Riding along with him in his current fun car is still one of my favorite things to do.
A:
Mom had a 2nd gen. RX-7 (but always wanted an E-type). Dad had a hopped up Chevy (think it was a Nova), but he worked in parts for GM dealers back then, so it was probably a relatively cheap toy for him.
A:
Nope. Dad is way too practical. He just turned 60 and had a BLAST tooling around in the Elise a few weeks ago (scared the hell out of me, though). I'm trying to talk him into an M Roadster, but years of practicality have sapped all the fun out of him.
A:
My dad had a Ford Fairlane Cobra and a Datsun 260z
A:
He had all Buicks until the first Z car came out. Then he surprised us all by rolling a new 1978 Citroen Maserati into the driveway. Weber carbs, a round brake pedal you could massage with your toes and full hydraulic suspension. What a gas.
A:
Now I'm the Dad....with a 2005 Lotus Elise.
Can you dig it?
A:
my dad bought a 2 year old 91 Miata when I was 12. it burned to death when the Mazda dealership in our town burned while it was in for some warranty work. He bought a 88 RX-7 Convertible and a Firebird Formula Convertible following that. He now has a 2001 Corvette Convertible.
A:
+1 Dad was too practical. Family sedans and station wagons for him. He figured cars were strictly about the destination. Somehow he understood I was interested in the journey. He drove me down to the car lot and led me to my first car, a 2 seat roadster. One of the coolest things he ever did!
A:
Unless a Ford Pinto counts, no.
A:
Yes, my dad bought a Triumph TR2 new in 1955 and still owns it today. We also had a '67 Mustang, but it was a 6 cylinder automatic slug.
A:
This is my dad in a pic taken in 1962 along with his 1960 Porsche. He had three others along the way. The last one was stolen not long before I got my driver's license. That's when he stopped buying sports cars. (I just posted this in another thread also, sorry to those who saw it there.)
A:
Does a spiffy '69 ford baby blue station wagon count??
A:
My parents had a few over the years, but none of them were as badly afflicted as me.
Dad:
1968 Datsun 1600 roadster
1970 Fiat 850 Spyder
1968 Corvette 350
1972 Corvette convertible
1977 Corvette
Step dad:
1970 Boss 302 Mustang (not really a sports car, but still cool). He bought it in '72 and still has it.
Mom:
1987 Mazda RX-7 Turbo II
A:
Dad had a '64 Pontiac Bonneville convertible...not really a sports car, but every bit as impractical. It was the size of a Mississippi River barge; got 9 miles to the gallon and ate brake linings. It finally flamed out on a trip across country in '74-the brakes caught fire and it burned to the ground in Iowa. He didn't really care. He was a very practical naval officer. I'd say "Dad, you should get a really cool car." He'd say "Why? I have a nuclear submarine."
Tom
A:
dad always liked cars, but never allowed himself to indulge. Then I got back from summer in italy with my parents (i'm italian) and he said to call him "the second you get to the house, no matter what happens, you must call the second you get to the house." Well, my girlfriend in high school picked me up from the airport, she went inside to open the garage and there were 2 bulges covered in cloth. I ripped both sheets off together and there were 2 356 porsches: a 1961 356b roadster in mint/show condition, and a 1964 356c with a racing engine in it. Just about had a heart attack... long story after that, but got to take the red 356 roadster to prom, matched my buddy's dads 1996 red convertible, pulled up to prom in the same car only 60 years apart... still have that picture... priceless
A:
1973 Vette. Funny how often my Nova wouldn't start in the morning so I had to take the Vette to school!
A:
My dad bought a 1965 Morgan +4 when I was about 13. He taught me to drive a stick on it and later let me take it to college.
A:
My dad had a couple of big healeys, 58 100-6 and a 67 3000. He had also owned a fiat 850 spyder and vw bug. The healeys were great as my brother and I drove them thru high school. He got us hooked on several mg's, triumphs and healeys. Thanks Dad!
A:
67 Camaro Convertible with a 327 engine. My Mom's first car and it is still her daily driver. Shw also owned a 68 Vette with a 427 for a little while, but didn't drive it enough to justify owning it so she sold it to someone that could give the car what it needed.