Category: Rusty Ancestors

This is the AMC Hornet Sportabout my parents owned for a few years starting in about 1972–I think we kept it through the late 70’s. My mom is standing in front of her car in her tennis outfit (she was a champion doubles player at the local country club) in the driveway of our Gales Ferry, Connecticut home, I’d say in 1973. The other snapshot must have been taken shortly after they bought the car, it’s in the driveway of our previous house across town.

As a kid I was fascinated by the “Hornet” emblem, but I don’t have very many specific memories of this car, at least riding in it. I suspect it was forgettable enough, and I haven’t seen one in years. They replaced this eventually with a 1977 Dodge Omni, which I don’t think was a step up!

As much of a car fan as I am, I have absolutely no memory of this Bricklin SV-1, on display at the Ontario Science Centre in 1975. I’m standing, rather bored, to the left, aged eight, and my younger brother is taking the opportunity to sit on the display. It amuses me that no one bothered to finish the lower half of the pedestal–if this was a painting that detail would be considered cheeky commentary on the car itself. Maybe the Centre staff had a sense of humor.
Continue reading

This is my father standing next to his nearly new 1956 DeSoto Fireflite. He bought the car in 1958 (when this photo was taken) as a young man of 30 in Toronto, Canada. He’s now 80, still going strong, with hardly any rust–I wonder if as much can be said of the DeSoto?
Continue reading