By Debbie Wagner
Classic cars are so popular because they’re like taking a sweet ride into the past with vintage wheels. The many fabulous car shows in our local communities allow us to indulge in remembrances of former eras when we cruised in true style. Let’s step back in time with these classic beauties and enjoy reading some fun memories from our readers.
What are your memories of cruising around in your car as a young person? What make/model of car was it? Where did you go? What songs did you play while cruising?
“I bought my first car in 1977, a red Dodge Colt with a 5-speed manual transmission. Not a muscle car by any means, but I loved to beat guys at a light when they thought I was ‘just a girl.’ Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was constantly blasting from the speakers.”
-Holly Mathias, Beaver County
“I grew up on what seemed like endless miles of backroads. I took a Chrysler Cirrus down most of them, blasting Skid Row or the first three Metallica cassettes most of the time.”
-Tell Vickers, Beaver County
“A 1973 Plymouth Fury 3, 318 with glass packs, baby-blue convertible. Oh, it was clean. Wish I had it back.”
-Al Mazuch, Butler County
“My favorite was the white 1971 standard Corvette convertible that we bought when I first got my driver’s license. It had a hard ragtop with blue seats.”
– Sabina Simpkins, Florida (formerly from Beaver County)
“A year after graduating from high school (1971) and saving as much as I could, I bought an AMC Javelin, sky blue with white racing stripes and white interior. I loved that car.”
-Kathy Royer, Ohio
“I dated a guy whose father owned a 1969 Camaro. He gutted it, built his own custom chassis/roll cage and installed a blower that ran on ethanol. I got to help him build parts of it and learn how to properly pack his parachute. We went to drag strip loads of times and it was so much fun!”
-Jessie Faust, Butler County
“I learned how to drive in my parent’s 1993 Cadillac and my aunt’s Buick Century. I listened to local radio stations that played a variety of rock from the ’50s through the ’90s.”
-Alice Shaffer Bloom, Pittsburgh
“A powder-blue mustang convertible to Ault Park with WEBN blaring.”
-Marie Fritz, Cincinnati
“Cruising around south Florida in a 1960 Chevy Impala.”
-Ross Jennings, Pittsburgh
“I owned a 196os Camaro in the 1980s. When I was a teenager, I used to cruise in my mother’s station wagon or my boyfriend’s El Dorado. I listened to a lot of disco, and in the 1980s, I loved all the songs that were popular of that time. Great memories!”
-Debbie Wagner, Beaver County
“Never drove but never had trouble getting a ride. My mate went from a ‘57 Chevy to a Harley Davidson XLCH Sportster to riding double in motocross until deemed too dangerous.”
-Judith Bridge, Ohio
“I drove our family’s station wagon, cruising up and down main street with my girlfriends packed in the car. That was the early ‘80s, so we were listening to Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi, for sure!”
-Lynn Mandel, Pittsburgh