Posted on 11/26/2021 1:17:17 PM PST by Fester Chugabrew
Read Zola’s La Bete Humaine (The Beast Within) . It’s also a film.
Psychopaths, jealousy, train crashes in 19th century France.
A serious reporter or historian might be able to nail that down. My hunch is he was not a candidate for “X” inasmuch as I’ve seen where he lived at the time.
You had a usable 1937 in 1970? Wow, didn’t see too many outdated cars then, never mind now.
A 1937 was 33 years old in 1970, like driving a 1988 car today. Old, but not antique. One of my coworkers in 1972 had a 1937 Chevrolet pickup that was still running fine.
It was awesome. IIRC, he paid $300 to a neighbor who had it parked for about 20 years as he was getting too old to drive it. I almost bought it off him, after learning a bit about replacement parts and such decided I didn’t want to buy an antique, not at 17. Had my first date in that car, too.
But what do I know, I bought a 1992 FMV M1038 HMWVV 6 years ago, I take it out and play with it about a dozen times a year, fix another leaking seal, take it out, change a thermostat, take it out, change window seals, rebuilt/replaces canvas doors for X-doors (SO much quieter), have a complete red dot AC unit in my shed ready to install when I get it moved to TN where I have space to work on it.
Drive it? On the highway? It’s like entering the earth’s atmosphere in a space shuttle.
I replaced the transfer case 5 years ago, dropped it onto my lap/chest and rolled it off onto a creeper, reversed the operation to replace. Has amazing ground clearance.
Lots of fun. Both my kids have driven it. Wife won’t even ride in it. Just me and my dog (GSD Hudson Shepherd on fakebook).
As someone who loves cars and who pays a great deal of attention to every-day societal history, it just strikes me that very few over the decades regularly used cars older than 20. Try to find some in any given vintage photo.
In fact now, you won’t find a whole lot of ‘80s cars on the road.
Then there is Cuba, where they keep the last American cars they had when Fidel took over running as well as they can…
Interesting. Usually the only cars that “old” being used regularly were hot rodders. Stock is pretty rare actually!
If his car was hardly used most of its life it’s easy to imagine just picking it up as a driver. Very nice.
Closest I got to “old” for myself was a ‘60s Dart, in the late ‘80s. Also looked at a ‘57 Dodge more for fun than regular but it could’ve been.
As it is I just sold my Monte Carlowhich will be 20 this next year. Sad but had to be.
True, most people want newer cars. At the moment, our vehicles are 20, 16, and 14 years old, with no plans to get rid of any of them soon. I have only owned two new vehicles, both work trucks (the 14-year-old is one of them). The oldest car I owned was a 1969 VW van that I bought in 1987 and sold in 2004 (wish I had kept it).
I don’t count the 1957 Ford Skyliner that I inherited from my father, because it never ran while I had it. I finally sold it when we moved last year.
It was ‘72-’73.
Even more miraculous was driving me home one night from his place in Seminole, FL in a thunderstorm, as we were turning off park street onto 1st AVE North, a bit east of there a BRIGHT lightning flash had my brother yell HOLY SH!th (John Belushi style) and come to a splashing halt by the curb, then he backed up until another flash of light confirmed what he had seen:
Twin fishtails from a Harley Davidson parked under a tarp next to a garage.
As he worked in that neck of the woods anyway, he stopped by the next business day to find the owner, whose son had died in a crash on the thing in 1957, having fixed the frame (with a length of plumbing pipe) after having bought it off someone who likewise had died in an accident years earlier.
She was hesitant to sell, said it was cursed.
He got it for $200.
long story ensued, much work/detail (I rebuilt the carb and transmission) it ran great. a 1937 FL Knucklehead model, I ALMOST bought it off him for $600 in high school. Came THIS close.
Next owner died on it.
Go figure.
Newish car and didn’t seem to have to worry about the draft. (Well, newish when you factor in that the public didn’t have access to new cars after 1941. OK, February 22, 1942.)
“Read Zola’s La Bete Humaine (The Beast Within) . It’s also a film.
Psychopaths, jealousy, train crashes in 19th century France.”
*****
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll look for that!
I would’ve taken the ‘57 Ford! I love those!
Parents’ ‘79 Lincoln rotting away now for 20 years. I love them, grew up on them but also lots of sentimental family value. I don’t know what todo. 2 people have offered for it just working at my parents’ house which I refused. Dad was getting impatient with me to do something. He died 2 years ago this week RIP. Mom loves the cars more than dad so I don’t hear it from her.
I also wish I had thought more about my Grandpa’s Cadillac (c ‘56) when we sold their house (they were still alive). Wasn’t as into cars yet and certainly not old enough. But maybe could’ve begggggeeed them to keep it!
True with the only exception being CJ Jeeps. Made in the '50s through the '80s, I still see quite a number of those on the road in my parts. Still wish I had my '88 Ford F250 4X4 truck with a straight six that I bought brand new.
I regretted selling the Ford, as it was the first car my dad ever bought new. He always thought to restore it someday, but never did. I didn’t have the money, the facilities, or really the expertise to do a proper job on it, so I decided to let it go to someone who could.
I’m sure I set much too low a price on it. The phone started ringing as soon as I made a post on Craigslist, two guys came from 80 miles away with cash before noon, and the thing was on a flatbed that evening.
I hope to track the car down in a few years, just to see what’s been done with it. If I have won the lottery before then, I might try to buy it back.
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April 2, 1945: MAIN TRACKS STILL CLOSED SIXTY HOURS AFTER B&O WRECK
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Posted on 11/26/2021, 4:17:17 PM by Fester Chugabrew
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