Let's See Some Non-Fiction Car Stories

[68BabyBlue]

Back in the 1970s, when I was an aspiring writer, I was taught that truth was often stranger than fiction, and could be less believable. The art of creating great fiction requires a blending of historically and technically correct items, with an imaginative spin to create an attention getting, entertaining piece. If the package is artfully assembled, it can produce big financial pay offs. We have just seen this to an incredible degree with the "Gray Ghost" saga.

There have been some excellent insights expressed here regarding the substance of that car's basic worth and history, and how in a sense, embellishment has diminished the actual story, but produced financial gain for the seller. Such is the nature of well marketed fictional writing. I couldn't create fiction at a high enough level to make a living as a writer per se, but I could throw a spin well enough to climb the corporate ladder back in the day.

In the context of our cars, I have found that their actual history can be more intriguing than the mainstream nonsense that often floats around them. I'm sure that many of you have some good stories. I'm going to suggest for those who feel creative, you start with the real story, than throw out a spin, if you feel inclined.

 

[SteveSS]

Do you mean the BLACK Ghost?

 

[68BabyBlue]

Do you mean the BLACK Ghost?

Thanks for the correction. Guess I'm finally jaded on the story.

 

[YY1]

My 1966 olds 98 could pull the front wheels off the ground if you floored it and let off three times from a standing start.
HO 10.25:1 425 "Super Rocket", factory "anti-spin" differential, and stock, 78 series 14" wheels.

My first 66 Coronet 440 had poly 318, AC, and PW. I've never seen that combo since, and I've been looking.
That car was bone stock but carefully tuned with low and zero buck street racer "tricks".
...and was undefeated vs gm cars in the spring of '85 through fall '86.

My 70 Super Bee looked "just like" the cartoon Bee emblem. FY1 banana yellow with black top and tail stripe.
Factory AC and 3.55 SG. Somewhat odd options together. Bench seat and tuff wheel also.

Current 66 Coronet was found in North Texas. it's "YY1" bronze which is almost exactly the same color as the dirt and rocks in that area. camouflage?
95% unmolested except for some odd aftermarket radio equipment and a missing rear seat bottom. Shine runner?
...and 1974 plates that may be vanity plates as they contain the engine size.

 

[SteveSS]

I"m trying to figure out what you're asking. Do you want a back story on a car that maybe we owned that's interesting and partially true or not true at all, that makes an interesting tale? And then it's just posted for our readers here.

 

[68BabyBlue]

I"m trying to figure out what you're asking. Do you want a back story on a car that maybe we owned that's interesting and partially true or not true at all, that makes an interesting tale? And then it's just posted for our readers here.

Exactly. For example - My first red '69 GTX. It really was a "little old lady car." Husband put one over on his wife - ordered car with just about every factory option, including A/C, but also had a column auto, buddy seat, white line tires, and full wheel covers. He was a Richard Petty fan and drove the car only when he attended NASCAR races in Virginia and North Carolina. Wife used it as her grocery getter for 22 years. They sold it after she had a stroke and could no longer drive. Guy I bought it from was a neighbor who collected GM stuff, helped them sell it. I owned it for eight years, and the A/C held a charge the whole time.

 

[#41]

Here is one, much abbreviated for readability:

Circa Senior Year of High School, Day 1: I was a traffic ticket machine, and one afternoon I pulled up behind a cop at a stop light in my 69 Charger. I could see him craning to catch my front plate, so at the intersection I waited for the last moment and turned hard right to get away from him and boogied homeward. Despite my circuitous route, he somehow came up behind me and pulled me over (had to have gotten the plate and knew where I was going). As he approached the window he said "Your'e a hard man to keep up with". I thought, "Oh ****, this is going to be bad". After he walked around the car a couple times, he explained that they were actively looking for a hit and run Charger matching mine, but that I was free to go "because all my dents had rust in them". Whew!

Circa Senior Year of High School, The next day, Day 2: It's night and raining hard. There are three passengers in the car so all the windows are fogged to the point I can only see clearly forward. Suddenly, there are lots of blue lights in the fog behind me and I pull over to let them by, but to my surprise they also pull in behind me. I was behaving and just moving along with traffic, so it hits me: They must still be searching for the hit and run 69 Charger. As the cops, hands on guns in the holsters, come up on both sides of the car to the now open windows get there, I say to the cop on my side "Did you pull me over for hit an run?".

As I realize how bad that sounded, and then explained WHY I said it, the cop laughs and goes into a series of questions and an explanation that a 69 Charger matching my car had just pulled off an armed robbery. We did not fit the perps descriptions, so I was let go after assuring them that nobody else had been driving my car. Of course, word got out, and there were running jokes with me as the most wanted man in high school for the rest of the year.

And so, in 1980 while I thought I was a bad *** running around in my 69 Charger, there were some REAL bad asses in an identical car who were really tearing up the town. There is a green 69 Charger out there with a real bas *** history to it. Watch for the movie trailer next year.

 

[68BabyBlue]

When I first saw my former Hemi GTX for sale on FBBO, I wondered if it was originally a moonshine runner, being a well preserved southern Virginia car. The actual story was it was originally owned by a wealthy guy in his mid 60s, who resided in the DC metro area, and was married to a woman 27 years his junior. Also true, but somewhat hard to believe, after the original Hemi was removed from the car and sold, third owner Richard Katter found it at the Chrysler Nationals in 1997, and re-united it.