Most influential car as a kid?

Most influential car as a kid?

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Discussion

JMF894

Original Poster:

5,478 posts

154 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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As the title suggests what car or brand had the most influence on you as a child? I ask this because my father was in the motor trade and I can remember his cars from, ooh, maybe the age of 5. That would be 1974 by the way...............

So for me it is the SAAB.

I remember him doing handbrake turns in the original 95 wagon!. I also remember the 96's with the freewheel. I remember asking constantly " When are you going to get one of those 99's dad? "

And then probably at the age of 9 I remember him taking me for a blat in the new 99 Turbo. A black one (of course) 3 door with cheese grater alloys through Arkwright Town near Chesterfield (subsequently relocated I believe due to subsidence). There was an old boy on the pavement with a walking stick who just stopped and stared lol.

As I grew older the SAABs evolved of course. The 900 T16s. The 9000. Heuschmid tuned varients! Then the GM influence.....hmmm

Suffice to say as an adult I have owned 9 SAABs of various model/tune. Abbott have relieved me of a few quid....... wink

So guys, what's your poison?

Jimbo

Countdown

39,690 posts

195 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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BMW M3 (E30) and RS500 Cosworth were my 2 dream cars.

Still are .... frown

SidewaysSi

10,742 posts

233 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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Caterham 7, Lotus Elise, 964 and 205 GTI

Hell27

1,564 posts

190 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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I loved the Rover P6 3500S, as my dad had one, wonderful sound and I loved the dashboard, plus I thought the Viking badge was cool.
Dream car at the time was a Lotus Esprit, then most TVR's - it was the wedge era, so the 4500! I also remember seeing a BMW E28 5series in red thinking that it looked awesome. Still does, I'd love an E28 528, 535 or M5.

Mikeyjae

907 posts

105 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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Fords when I was a young lad. XR3I and Cosworth where what I lusted after. My friends father had an XR3I it was epic. The Escort Cosworth and the XR3I where also posters on my wall. I also had xj220 on the Wall

EskimoArapaho

5,135 posts

134 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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By far: The Saint's Volvo P1800.

I loved the Countach, the BB512 and the Pantera. But so did everyone else and his dog. For me, the coolness of that little white Volvo outshone them all.

bamberwell

1,266 posts

161 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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genuinely? The porsche 917 in 24 hrs of lemans... watched it in the '70s and i've been smitten ever since smile always lusted after a porsche despite the temptations of countachs , stratos's , lancia 037's etc etc

HD Adam

5,144 posts

183 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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One of these when I was 4


Insanity Magnet

616 posts

152 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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EskimoArapaho said:
By far: The Saint's Volvo P1800.

I loved the Countach, the BB512 and the Pantera. But so did everyone else and his dog. For me, the coolness of that little white Volvo outshone them all.
Countach, BB512 and various Maseratis - I sent of for very poor B&W photocopies of car mag reviews (Autocar?) of the Countach and the Boxer when I was about six. But yes, everyone loved those.

Otherwise - Citroen, sorry Citroën, from Traction Avant through to the BX. For years there was an SM parked up locally and I always made my father detour for a drive past. Also Alfas. Parents had a GS, 2CV and a Sud, all of which were wonderful for a young lad, compared to the grandparents' parade of escorts (mk1 & 2), a particularly hateful Princess and a Mk1 Cavalier (SRi?) that I never really liked.

SWMBO's family had a parade of french weirdness so it's no surprise where we tend to put our money (they've moved on to BMW & Merc now they no longer have to work as a trans-european taxi/removals/joinery service).

Heathwood

2,524 posts

201 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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Before I was old enough to know any better, the triumph TR7 getmecoat

TREMAiNE

3,904 posts

148 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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drivingaddict

1,092 posts

143 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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To me, it's my only dreamcar that I can't get over. I need it at some point or I'll go crazy. It's my crush.

LanceRS

2,171 posts

136 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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Growing up in the 70's and watching television fed my interest in cars. As such the mk2 RS2000 Escort and XJ-S, both in white. Mk3 Capri, preferably in Statos silver. Two very individual cars next, a certain green XJ 12c and a Bahama yellow DBS. All cars that would be in my lottery winners garage, much to the confusion of most of the people I know.

As far as real world nfluences go, it would be a metallic blue 350SE Mercedes of 1978 vintage. My father had one and although he had it no longer than any other car that he owned, I associate him with it more than any of them. I think that it was the first car that I was really old enough to be exited about him getting.

In any event, unless my numbers come up and SWMBO suddenly becomes more understanding of these things, I shall never own any of them.

Zedboy1200

814 posts

210 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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Citroen SM.

Multiple holidays in the 70's in Nice, Monaco and Italy and all I remember are countless brown and light green SMs. I still want one.

13m

26,271 posts

221 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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HD Adam said:
One of these when I was 4

Pretty car.

Lester H

2,672 posts

104 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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Definitely Jag Mk 10 auto. " In days like these " on cassette you cold hold it on brake , and then go for it.Nothing happened for about 3 seconds, then with a protest from tyres it snaked ahead, you could see tyre smoke in mirror, then it soared ahead! Single figures MPG , and all that scent of leather and damp Wilton carpets.








Dinoboy

2,494 posts

216 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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Farmer up the road had one of these when I was about 4 or 5. Took me 25 years to get mine.


Tickle

4,880 posts

203 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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Saphire cosworth

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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Influence for me would be specific cars when I was really young. Specifically these:





None of which we owned. Cars closer to home would be Land Rovers. Family, parents and friends all had them.

ya_bollox

212 posts

121 months

Friday 2nd October 2015
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father had a variety of mk1/2 escorts, usually bought from my now friends father who lived across the road and always had manta's and escorts, another neighbour had a imperial blue escort cosworth [new] still remember seeing it get trashed with bats and blocks, he owed money to bad people

I now kind of specialise in restoring old fords