What's your very first Mopar memory?

[Glenwood]

Another post got me thinking about the first time I saw a Mopar that stuck in my memory. Here's mine...
In the early 70's when I was about 8 or so, I was sitting in the back of my dad's 69 chevelle when a car pulled up beside us at the light. I remember staring at it and listening to the rumble while it idled. It had an odd shaped hood with the words 'Cuda 440+6' as far as I can remember. I thought it was the coolest car I had ever seen.

Looked something like this.

So what's yours?

 

[moparnation74]

Crawling around in the backseat area in my pops 1970 Challenger RT Vert, lime green.......Hanging upside down from the rear seat to the floor listening to wonderful muffler tunes!

 

[not so famous bob]

Crawling around in the backseat area in my pops 1970 Challenger RT Vert, lime green.......Hanging upside down from the rear seat to the floor listening to wonderful muffler tunes!

first trip to a dragstrip, seeing a 426 max wedge the same color of the 63 sport fury my dad had just bought. a couple of max wedges duking it out in stock eliminator.

 

[miller]

Bearly made it through high school...old man did me a favor, helping to get my first car. I was 'forced' to get the Plymouth! Heh...never looked back. Didn't need that stinkin' goat, anyway.

 

[mmissile]

Obvious, there were lots of Chrysler products that I saw as a kid...but I think the first cool memory, was walking around the Lynch-Road Executive-Pool....with my parents looking for a new car[1964]. There were cars of every division and options, colors, drive-lines. They bought a 1964 Dodge 330 wagon. 383/4-speed, white over red. It had no options. My dad added a radio and power steering. He eventually got the 3rd seat, also.

Scratch that....
I just remembered, that we saw the original Little Red Wagon[injected, steel wheels, etc] at a Dodge dealer on Grand River Ave, in Detroit. As usual, my dad was late for everything, and we got there after they closed. We were peering in thru the sectional-glass bay doors at it, as it was sitting in the service dept. Anyways, we walked around to the back to get another view, and the janitor saw us. My mom and I were so sad about not actually seeing the newest/coolest Chrysler racecar.[mom was the hot-rod in the family] The janitor actually let us in, and we got to have a private viewing, along with my brother and I able to sit in the drivers seat. Unlike most kids now-days....we knew better than to touch anything except the steering wheel. That was a great moment. This happened before my dad bought the wagon at Lynch Road.

The year before, we watched them unload new Thunderbolts at Village Ford, in Dearborn. Living around Detroit as a kid....was unbeatable for gearheads. [even really young ones]

We had a Chrysler exec[musta been high on the food-chain], who's kid was in Boy-Scouts with me. Every week at the meeting, we'd come out and Mr. Hendricks was there to pick up his son. He ALWAYS had a new mopar Musclecar with him. It ranged from 340 A-bodies, to hemi-`cudas. That was the best part about going to meetings. LOL. He took us for a couple sissy-rides, but hey...NEW mopar muscle.

My first "real" ride in a real musclecar, was around 1969-70. My buddy and I were hitch-hiking home from school.[we never took the bus] Anyways, his older brother comes wheeling up in his 69 roadrunner. It was a R4, 383/4-speed car. He had just put headers, a Holley, and a 4:10 in it, and was obviously proud of it and gonna show us how well it ran. He beat the snot outta that car for about 5 miles, home. I remember him opening up the air-grabber and saying "listen to this". I think that's the car that made me love roadrunners so much.

My first "real" ride in an E-body was[1972-ish], was a 70 Challenger R/T, 340/4-speed/3:91's. It was a bare bones car. Black, red interior[no console], stripe delete. We were working at Burger-King, and screwing around....and I ended up with a big gash over my right eye. Facial cuts bleed like hell, and my boss thought I was dying. LOL The guy with the Challenger said he'd run me to the 24-hour clinic. That was a great ride, 7 miles down Van Dyke, at night. He ran the snot outta the car, figuring a bleeding guy would get him out of a ticket. I was impressed, listening to the 340 wind-up.

We also went to the Sox and Martin "clinic" at Birmingham Chrysler-Plymouth in 1968-1969? Got to check out 3 S&M cars, view a movie, get the hand-outs, and meet the Legends.

The more I think about this stuff...the more I realize what a "magical" time I grew up in, and also a "magical" area.

 

[YY1]

Neighbor worked at AirTemp plant.

Circa 1974/75, When I was about 6-7 years old-

they had a 1965 Imperial out front (possibly bought new or shortly there after).

Me and the neighbor kid played around in that car every now and then.

I was amazed at all the neat luxury features, and things that moved.

I never saw them actually drive that car.

Shortly after that my mom bought a 67 Newport 4D. Yellow with black top and int, 383-2.

I LOVED that car. I loved the body lines, and the thick doors, Loved the dash and steering wheel, the power window switches, and just about everything about it.

When I bought my first '66 Coronet, it reminded me very much of that car- similar thick doors, and even had the same P/W switches.

 

[Canyon707]

My first Mopar was a 1957 Plymouth. then came 68 Roadrunner (new 2500.00) I told my wife I would never spend that much on a car again. I had no vision of the future love of Mopars.

 

[Ugk]

Grew up looking at a brown and silver 69 super bees out the bedroom window in the garage. And a dad that owned a bodyshop.

 

[PRND21]

My first Mopar memory was when dad traded off a 51 Nash on a red and white 56 Coronet with the little Red Ram. I was probably about 2 at the time. That was the first in a long line of Chrysler products that dad had. He wasn't into "performance", he liked the engineering and price, had many slant 6s. He worked for GM, took a lot of **** from his union brethren.
The first hot car I ever rode in was a freind's brother's 65 Belvedere, 383 4-spd, I still remember the feeling of being pushed back in the seat as he was going through the gears. He always had fast cars, a 66 Hemi Coronet, a 65 425 horse Corvette among others.
The first time over 100 mph, my oldest brother in dads 64 Belvedere 318, going to town one evening and looking over at the speedometer and the needle was just past 100. Probably would have been grounded for a month if anybody would've found out.
My first car was a 63 Fury, 318, that I got as a junior in high school. Aaahhhhhh, the good old days!

 

[Ghostrider 67]

My Uncle Gary's 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, 440 6 pack yellow with black stripes. He raced me the 18 miles to Erie to the emergency room after I wrecked my bike. He said I would get there faster than calling an ambulance. He was right..What a wild ride.

 

[MrJLR]

My dad's 69 Plymouth Sport Satellite station wagon.
So many memories in that car!

Jeff

 

[polywideblock]

the "hey charger" add on TV. we had "vals" nothing like you guys

 

[YY1]

oops, forgot one..

When I was about 3 or 4, there was a 67-69 Barracuda down the street.

I distinctly remember the back glass and fastback styling, and commenting to my mom about the styling differences between that and the other "out of the ordinary" car on the street- a 54-ish buick.

 

[Steve009]

When I was 6 or 7 years old my dad picked me up from school in his 71 Demon 340 six pack 4 speed. he burns out of the parking lot while my mother slaps him to slow down because I was in the back! haha awesome!

 

[super-bee_ski]

My first:
1982, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton Ohio, a 1972 Dodge Charger Brougham, 400 CI auto trans, console car
Truly a very "elegant" and well built automobile
When that door shut, it was quiet and you felt like you were in a Bank Vault
A very nice riding car
Wish I had it today
PS: I paid $400 for it!
Ha Ha!

 

[Thunderlugs]

I remember passing by University Dodge on my 10 speed Schwinn Varsity, in Milwaukee back in 69 and seeing a line of A12 Super Bee's, maybe 5 or 6, all different colors. I wheeled in to have a look to satisfy my curiosity. All the cars had no Hoods on them , which begged the question, why? It was explained to me by a salesman , Theft being the concern of coarse. The Butterscotch happened to be my favorite. Sonny Black wanted to buy one of these, But his Old Man would not allow it ! He Had a problem with the fact it did not come with Hub Caps!! Bet you wish you had that one back .........Hey Sonny!!! LOL

 

[MOPOWER871]

I was 18, Had a Pontiac 70 Le Mans sport I was tinkering with and my buddy Keith called me up and said Jim come over I got a new ride.What is it? "just come over " So I drove across town to his house, knocked on the door, rang the bell... and no answer.
As I'm walking down the driveway I hear what sounds like a freight train in the distance. As I look up the block I see nothing and then rounding the corner is my buddy in a Kelly green 68 roadrunner, 383, 4 speed. as he makes the turn onto his block he see's me and stops,Beep!! Beeps !! the horn, revs it up and dumps the clutch ! the beast lunged forward towards me billowing smoke from the rear wheel wells.
As he drove past me the smell, the sound,the lines on that car.It was this moment I will always remember.It was the day I became a Mopar man for Life.
a few months later he could not get it to run right and had a met down from the alternator to the bulkhead connection and on to the notorious amp gauge.
so I purchased it from him for $600 bucks and two 4x12" Marshall guitar speaker cabinets.
The bird has come along way since that day. I wanted to go fast. so I tubed the old girl .whats the point of making tons of horsepower if you can't get it to the ground. and the rest is history. "AND THE BEAT GO'S ON"

 

[Budnicks]

My 1st was probably my Moms 57 Suburban Wagon
that hideous light blue & white...
I was org. brought home in it from the hospital
It was a Shell Executive fleet car, my Granddad helped my Dad get
I always rode in the 3rd seat way in the back...
I remember going to ever function in that car, until I was like 9...

I love ol' wagons still to this day, need to get one again someday latter maybe...

My best early memory was at Ontario MS,
Dave Hough "Nanook" Fame, picked me up & sat me in his fuel altered,
maybe 7-8 years old, I was there with my step dad Bob, they knew each other...

I was destine to be a gear-head & own an altered after that

One of my best memories was my Uncle John {RIP}
was home from Viet Nam, he was the cool uncle, I was maybe 9-10,
he had a newish 68 Barracuda 383 Formula S 4 speed,
Beautiful bronze & white color, he came over to my Grandparents
me & my cousins were there, he took me & my cousin Stan
for a little beat run, he went up the way by E-14th st.
& lit the tires up thru at least 3 gears, looked over at me & Stan,
said; "don't tell Grammie & don't tell your mothers either"
I don't know how we kept the secret, we both had the
biggest **** eaten' grin, when he came back to drop us off,
we both of us kept laughing every time we looked at each other...

My step dad had taken me for beat runs in his 35 Ford PU Hot rod
& his 64 GTO 389 4sp. 4.11 prior to that but not as wild as my Uncle Johns ride...

It was kismet, I was in love with Mopars & especially drag racing
or doing burn outs, both me & Stan became serious gear-heads...

He had a racecar 69 Cuda' latter just before he died,
I loved that car, never got to ride in it thou...

Another of my found memories was, going to South SF Chrysler Plymouth
to pick up my Moms "new" 68 Sport Satellite 383 4bbl 4 speed,
her 1st new car ever, GG1 & white...
I loved that car, latter owned it 1978-79-ish...
Sort of "Traded" my step dad Bob my
71 Demon slant 6, 3 on the tree, Go Green, my mom gave me the SS
I gave him the Demon so he could have an economical commute car...
He drove that car for years as a Union pipefitter
to power plants all over the Bay area....

I made a RR clone out of the SS, I 1st put a 440-6bbl & A12 hood on it
kind of typical for me back in the day...
Albeit I grew up around all kinds of Mopars,
My 1st Mopar was a 68 Charger R/T 440 4bbl 727 GG1 & Black
1974 15 y/o, $350 I got from a neighbor lady down the street...

 

[super-bee_ski]

My "first" Mopar memory:
1956, little tot, neighbor with a Desoto, Combo color: Gray and Pink

My first fascination with a Mopar car:
A 18 year old kid by the name of Johnny Winwood, Hope Rhode Island,
A gorgeous brand new 1967 RED on RED 383 Charger
(We had never seen such a "Fastback: style before"
Yeah, it was fast!

 

[Budnicks]

My step dad had a 61 Phoenix Dart 500
it was a gross pink & cream color, gold interior {?} he got it cheap

I thought it was fugly as hell, but it hauled a$$

had a 361 {?} Long ram Engine,
I remember him going up on a hillside in Fiddletown
after a road trip with the family, complaining the engine
was all carbon-ed/loaded up, needed to blown out...
He was pouring something down the carbs, I don't know what,
it was blowing/billowing white smoke to all beat hell,
he was revving it up & when he was done, wallah "no smoke"
& it ran like a raped ape...

Funny how a subject brings back such memories...