 |
| My first time. I was about 10 years old, and on vacation with my parents. We were at Child's Meadows (resort) near Lassen Volcanic Park in Northern California. I was at the age where I tried to stay away from my parents as much as possible. I was wandering around the resort, and found myself in the back storage yard, one of the "off limits" areas looking at tractors and stuff. I found a guy working in the yard on this REALLY COOL car. |
|
| Red, naturally, it was the first exotic car I saw in person, not being a rich kid. I asked this guy all sorts of questions. He didn't seemed bothered, and that was cool to relate to an adult, and NOT be "shoed" away. (yes shoe, like kicked in the butt) It came time to fire it up, and boy was it loud! The rumble at idle surprised me. It looked like it was already being "modified", but hey, what did I know. (This being the summer of 1971, the car was an early "push button" style, I still remember that flat decklid, and button doors, and big tires. It was brand new. Flat and angular, not the typical car of the day.) |
| He said he needed to take it for a test drive, and asked if I wanted to go for a ride ! I felt guilty as my parents would NEVER allow me to go, but I said YES !!! Then I realized there was no passenger seat,(I didn't know then WHY he had removed it.) and part of the engine stuck into where one sits. He gave me a milk crate to sit on. And AWAY we went ! The road through this part of the Sierras has very long straights and banked turns, a typical two lane road. He went back towards town a couple of miles, it was loud with the "panel" just held in place by his seat, and it was LOW. I was really impressed. He then turned it around. He peeled out, and roared off ! He went through the gears; I didn't realize there were 5 speeds back then. He told me to look at the speedometer, Whoa HA! As it went passed 140 I got really scared, I had never been over 110 mph before, and that was once with dad on Highway 280 before it officially opened. I sat back down on the crate as the resort went by in a blur ! He was heading for the first turn, and NOT even slowing down ! I thought I was going to die, but I had to act like an adult and just sit there and try to look cool. I took my eyes off the road, and glanced at his face. I got the allusion his face was just a skull with devil horns. The skeleton had this scary grin, so I kept my eyes on the road and matched the expression. Just before the first turn he left off the gas, braked slightly and whoosh ! The milk crate tipped and I bumped my head on the window, then one turn after another, hard left, hard right (hard turns at that speed anyway !). After that he started to slow it down, I remember that 80 mph REALLY seemed slow. We turned around, and went back a little slower, or so it seemed. As we pulled into the yard where we started he said, "Don't tell anybody". I later thought that the guy looked "poor" to have such a COOL car, maybe he was just the mechanic. Well now I own a red Pantera. I am not rich either, maybe I'll take some kid for a drive someday, just to pay back (pay forward ?) that favor so long ago. That ride that got me hooked for life on the Pantera. |