Automotive Trivia
Q: What U.S. production car has the quickest 0-60 mph time?
A: The 1962 Chevrolet Impala SS 409. Did it in 4.0 seconds.
A friend sent me an email about automotive trivia including the above photo which reminded me of my second car. Recall an earlier blog entry about a ’59 Chevy, my first car that was a hand-me-down four door family car from my Dad. Because of a spin out event at the end of our driveway in a neighbor’s V8 just after I turned 16 and also since he was loaning me money to buy a car, Dad insisted I could not buy anything with a V8 engine. A friend’s older brother had a red ’62 Chevy 2 door hardtop with a 3 speed column shift and an inline six cylinder engine with only 35,000 miles that fit the bill, so I bought it at the beginning of my senior year in high school. After graduating and saving some money from a summer job before college, I was able to pay back the loan to Dad and make a few upgrades to the car. First were 409 cubic inch V8 engine emblems for each front fender, then a Hurst floor shifter (with a four speed knob), a Thrush muffler, spring clamps to lower the vehicle, an 8 track stereo with a reverberator and finally some used Crager wheels that really set the car apart. The ignition timing was reset to roughen up the idle, so with the Thrush muffler, it sounded just like a big block V8 engine. I’d rev the engine at a stoplight and the guy next to me always wanted to race. Off he sped when the light changed, typically burning rubber, while I would take off normally. The car’s illusionary speed and 409 reputation was all that was needed. But it got me in trouble once, pulling out of Eagle's Park in Minster after a dance, the wheels spun on some loose gravel and I got picked up by the sheriff for reckless operation, resulting in the loss of my license for a month that summer. Without the upgrades, there’s no doubt in my mind I wouldn’t have been pulled over. So with no license, I recall having a friend drive my car through town once while I ducked down in the front seat, so the local cops thought I was driving and pull us over just as i popped up to show myself! The cops nickname was Wuppy, for Wuppenhorst I think; he acted like Barney Fife and looked like Fred Flintstone!
Later that summer after getting my drivers license back, two friends and I drove the car to Virginia Beach and NYC the week before heading to college, sleeping in the car all the way there and back; one of us in the front, one in the back and me in the trunk. You might wonder how I could sleep in the trunk with the large storage cavity in the bottom shown in the photo below. Well, our suitcases fit perfectly in that space, leaving a relatively flat area for my sleeping bag. Plus with my 6’4” frame, it gave me extra leg room compared to the interior seats. Well, one night before arriving in NYC after leaving Virginia Beach while parked on a dirt road off an exit of the Garden State Parkway, a motorcycle gang sped past about 2:00 in the morning and the roar woke me up as I was sleeping in the trunk. Cracking the lid in time to see the bikers turning around, likely with the intent of ransacking the car (and us!), I began yelling and pounding on the back wall of the trunk until my friends finally woke up and took off toward the Parkway, trying to outrace the bikers. I kept peering out from under the trunk lid at their fast-approaching headlights, wishing the ‘62 had a real 409 at that point. Fortunately we did manage to safely get back on the Parkway, and finally ended up sleeping in a rest stop until about 5:00 in the morning when suddenly the grass sprinklers turned on and sprayed all over the back of the car soaking me trying to sleep in the trunk. After more pounding and yelling, the guys up front finally woke up again so we took off for NYC, arriving via the Holland Tunnel during rush hour. The portion of the trip in the Big Apple was a total blur! About all I remember is driving back, eating sliders for $1 a dozen, filling up with 35 cents a gallon gas and arriving home with only pocket change. Then the next day I headed off to college for my freshman year. What a fun trip and a great car!
Love your shared memories!
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