Somehow you always remember the first car you ever bought. Ours was this classic 1970 Opel Kadet Station Wagon. It featured an 1100 CC in line 4 cylinder engine and had a four speed transmission. Just to give you an idea of its stunning lack of horsepower my current Harley Davidson motorcycle features a twin cyliner 1470 CC motor. We bought the Opel used in 1974 for less than $1500.00 and drove it until 1978. It hauled my ass back and forth between Galesburg and Macomb for 2 years while I finished my studies at Western Illinois University. If it had not been for the great gas mileage and the dependability of that car I would never have been able to finish college. It is not one of those cars that you ever see at a car show. No Barrett-Jackson auction has bidders in a frenzy to buy one. Oh, but dear God I would love to have another one in the condition shown in this picture.
I thought the young lady standing next to the car was pretty special too. Yes dear reader it is the current Mrs. Sutor about 6 months before we got married. When we picked up the car at the dealer she had to drive it back to her parents house. She had never driven a manual transmission car and her options that day were a 1966 Ford Falcon with a three speed on the tree or the Opel with a four on the floor. She took the four speed and did a great job until we got to the four way stop sign at Losey and Hawkinson. Of course there were cars at all 4 stop signs and a line at each one. She did her best to try to wait for everyone else to leave but the traffic would not cooperate. She did the most excellent bunny hops as she went through the intersection. I was in the car behind her laughing so hard that I couldn't drive. She was a good sport about it when we got to her parents house. A few driving lessons from me out in the country and she has been able to drive a manual transmission ever since. A skill that is sadly lacking in today's youth. Don't want your car stolen? Buy something with a clutch and I guarantee 99% of kids under 30 couldn't drive off with it if you left the keys in it.
Well, there were two of my loves in that picture. I am thrilled I still have one with me and have fond memories of the little red wagon.
Having been to many car shows I can attest that I have never seen an Opal at a show. Many Mustangs, GTO's and Novas. But the real workhorse for most college kids were the castoff cheapies like Chevettes, Pintos, and any number of economical wheels, or nothing at all. I saw a Gremlin at a show once and my heart almost stopped.
ReplyDeleteAnd unlike our wheels, Carol hasn't aged a bit.