And if old Tipsy was that thin skinned to carry a grudge over this for the rest of his life, hey Bleep him if he can't take a joke.
Posted on 10/13/2013 3:28:51 PM PDT by Impala64ssa
We all remember Ron Paul. Who could forget the charming, libertarian, and, as any Reddit user will tell you, “robbed” presidential candidate? For two election cycles, everyone’s favorite septuagenarian gynecologist took on the mantle of ending the Federal Reserve and seeking an isolationist foreign policy.
Oh, Ron Paul. Remember when you said that all the Taliban ever wanted was America’s forces out of their Afghanistan? Photo: Northwestern Flipside
For better or worse, the majority of voting Americans were not moved by Paul’s libertarian rhetoric. However, maybe they’ll be moved by his 35-year-old Chevette.
As part of Paul’s push to get fundraising for his Institute of Peace and Prosperity, the man has pledged to give away his beloved subcompact to the highest donor. He even plans to include “a nice turnover ceremony at the…office in Clute, Texas, that we’ll photograph, and I’ll also present you with a Congressional license plate that was actually used on the car.”
Paul shares a story about a time when the Chevette’s skillful placement next to Tip O’Neill’s Lincoln created a funny controversy back in the day: given O’Neill’s hypocritical advocacy of gasoline rationing, Paul thought it would be funny to park his car next to the Irishman’s land yacht. A photo was published and made the rounds, shaming O’Neill for his extravagant, ivory-tower antics and effectively creating a lifelong grudge between the two congressmen.
All that aside however, the Chevette is still considered by most people to be a hunk of junk, better at conveying people from point A to point B than conveying any semblance of fashion or style. But maybe getting to shake the good doctor’s hand, take a photo, and drive off in this verdant Chevy is something you’d be willing to sacrifice some cash for.
And if old Tipsy was that thin skinned to carry a grudge over this for the rest of his life, hey Bleep him if he can't take a joke.
That must be the only Chevette still on the road.
Contrary to what the author of this article says they were not good at “conveying people from point A to B”
I had a Chevette. I ended up walking most of the time. The bad walks were the ones where I had to walk home because the thing broke down miles from home
The British Vauxhall Chevettes were more powerful and reliable. Their still fairly popular with the street rodders over there.
I had a 1980 Chevette as it was about the only thing I could afford as a young airman. We bought it new and drove it cross country several times, I found it fairly reliable, not high performance though.
I had a ‘vette once, too...a Shove’ette!
stored for 30 of those 35 years??? only time i ever drove one was a rental, i told the girl behind the counter ANYTHING but a Chevette, so her stooopid cow brain must of translated that into MUST BE a Chevette, i drove it for a week in the lowest possible gear till it wouldn't go any faster before i upshifted... i was surprised it actually lasted out the week, stronger than i thought it was
The only thing worse than the Chevette was the Vega.
Why did Yugos have back window defrosters?
Handwarmers. bada boom!
only thing worse was an amc gremlin.
Worked out fine for me. It might have been the cheapest 3 years of transportation in my life.
I thought that the Cash-for-Clunkers program was designed specifically to sweep up the remaining Chevettes.
I'm pretty sure they'd be just fine with a 350 transplant.
There’s not much around that wouldn’t do well with a 350.
They made the Chevy Monza, basically a Vega. I once saw a Vega wagon in a parking lot, nicely done...tubbed, traction bars, blower, license plates.
Chevy Monzas were a huge improvement over the Vegas, they came standard with the cast iron 4(basically the tried and true Chevy straight 6 with 2 cylinders lopped off)or the Buick V-6, which were quick little cars, but they were still rust buckets. Other than the Cosworths, I’ve never come across an all original Vega. The ones I’ve seen at the car shows and cruises have been modified with 350 small blocks.
They also came with a 305 Chevy V8.
Well, I saw a few 305s, in the midwest. I believe some were actually produced with a 350. Believe it or not.
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