You might remember the 1967 Pontiac GTO as
the spy car from the action movie XXX. The 1967 Pontiac GTO is one of
the most imposing muscle cars ever built. What classic muscle car did
Joe Dirt refer to as a "Hemi"? Find out on the next page.
In the remake "Gone in Sixty Seconds",
Eleanor was a modified 1967 Shelby GT-500. The 1967 Shelby GT-500
boasted a 428 V-8 rated at a conservative 355-bhp. The next car has a
six pack. Find out what it is.(2007 Publications International, Ltd.)
The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 was one of
the hottest-looking rides of the classic muscle car era, and showed what
Chevy stylists could do to express performance and excitement. Why
would Pontiac name the next car "The Judge"? Find out.(2007 Publications International, Ltd.)
end quote from:
http://musclecars.howstuffworks.com/classic-muscle-cars/classic-muscle-car-pictures.htm#page=
I had a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro that I bought new in 1968 when I was 20. A lot of people were jealous that I could afford to buy a car like that. However, I couldn't have afforded it then even though I was making good money as a computer programmer and computer operator at that time unless I also was still living at home with my folks. But, it definitely impressed the ladies back then!
My Camaro wasn't a stick shift because my father didn't want me to race it and get killed even though he was always racing his cars when I was growing up. So, I had to get an automatic transmission to satisfy him. However, this was probably the second fastest car (from 20 to 70) I had ever driven. My cousin had an XKE Jaguar that was the fastest car from 20 to 70 that I ever drove. But muscle cars then often had special transmissions Hurst Shifters and Racing slicks on the back tires for traction off the line. So, back then when racing from a stoplight there would be a lot of black smoke coming off both rear tires of both cars. You sort of wanted a head rest or something or you really had to lean forward into it so it wouldn't snap your neck and give you whiplash as you took off while racing back then. Most cars were not designed for racing other than this type of vehicle. And even then you had to have a special rear end, special tires and special transmission and shifter set up or you were going to drop your transmission on the ground if you tried to do this with a normal car. My best friend set up his cars for street racing and so I experienced a lot of races too those days. However, I always liked my 1968 Camaro the best for cornering and anytime I wanted to pass another car in about 1 or 2 seconds flat. Now the focus is on economy but in the 1960s gas was only 17 cents a gallon or less for regular and the minimum wage was about $1 an hour with unemployment at around 2 to 4 or 5 percent. There were always jobs for kids over 15 then too. So, it was a very fat time for America then.
This is the closest picture I could find to my Camaro back then
My father reminded me a lot of a much more intelligent and resourceful and adventurous version of Red on "The 70s Show" who is Eric's father. This type of personality was common among men who had survived the Great Depression and World War II. They had seen it all including the suffering and death of the Great Depression and World War II so they were a little harsh from it all. But, underneath their harshness was often a heart of gold if you got to know them well. I didn't really get to understand who my Dad really was until I was about 12 years old. Back then, men were completely different when they weren't around women. The conversation was completely different in every way. So, there were always two completely different modes: One was polite for the women and one was how men talked to each other that women never saw. The ladies at that time would have been very offended and scared to listen to conversations of men in those days. But, this was a tradition that went back hundreds and thousands of years. So, when my father trained me to be an Electrician's helper starting when I was 12 I got to see the world of construction and how much in some ways it was like being in a war with war buddies. If you said you were going to do something you were held to it and would be beaten up by the others if you didn't follow through on your commitments. So, you never ever made promises to other men you could not fulfill if you didn't want to go to the hospital. This was the way it actually was in construction back then. And probably some places it is still like this.
My father was always respected and loved by the men he worked around. He was a man's man and joked with them as he worked and because he was more efficient and effective than almost any other person in construction he always either had a business or a job. One time near when he retired they laid off 300 workers at the Encina Power plant he was helping build then and kept only him. This is what an amazing efficient worker he was even just before he retired.
This is the closest picture I could find to my Camaro back thenMy father reminded me a lot of a much more intelligent and resourceful and adventurous version of Red on "The 70s Show" who is Eric's father. This type of personality was common among men who had survived the Great Depression and World War II. They had seen it all including the suffering and death of the Great Depression and World War II so they were a little harsh from it all. But, underneath their harshness was often a heart of gold if you got to know them well. I didn't really get to understand who my Dad really was until I was about 12 years old. Back then, men were completely different when they weren't around women. The conversation was completely different in every way. So, there were always two completely different modes: One was polite for the women and one was how men talked to each other that women never saw. The ladies at that time would have been very offended and scared to listen to conversations of men in those days. But, this was a tradition that went back hundreds and thousands of years. So, when my father trained me to be an Electrician's helper starting when I was 12 I got to see the world of construction and how much in some ways it was like being in a war with war buddies. If you said you were going to do something you were held to it and would be beaten up by the others if you didn't follow through on your commitments. So, you never ever made promises to other men you could not fulfill if you didn't want to go to the hospital. This was the way it actually was in construction back then. And probably some places it is still like this.
My father was always respected and loved by the men he worked around. He was a man's man and joked with them as he worked and because he was more efficient and effective than almost any other person in construction he always either had a business or a job. One time near when he retired they laid off 300 workers at the Encina Power plant he was helping build then and kept only him. This is what an amazing efficient worker he was even just before he retired.
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