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This is
a new series of impair couples of vintage cars in your corral Your garage tells a lot about yourself, everybody has a reason to collect this or that special car. Mostly it's a relation to your parents car or some memory of holidays or a special love affair to something or somebody. We are interested in the more mismatching or misfitting sort of collections. We'd like to hear about your odd couples. My wife always wanted a Fiat 500 and we finally bought one, and it became also my favourite, especially in summer and for driving downtown. The special oily odeur of this car was very different from these plastic fumes of newer cars. I still can smell it in some of my old sweaters and I'd like to have it back. Pulling the motor with 2 hands and reparing a piston with a hole in an afternoon was quite an experience that turned me away from modern cars into the good old iron and finally into another dimension from 500 to 5000ccm or 30,2cui to 302 cui with a Mustang. For some period I had both cars in the garage. Unfortunately we sold the little fun car and regret it a lot. Recently I heard that there are more carnuts around and this lead me to a new series of stories. If you'd like to be on this site then send us a pic of your odd twins, couple or whatever it might be, it should be just strange enough to be featured (sorry, no bike/car combination). |
 This 1958 Fiat 600 is Rinaldos favourite car for the narrow rural roads and as a nice change from his more powerful counterpart. |
Rinaldo
from Great Britain shares my interest in Ford and Fiat, so he's first,
but we are not limited to italian brands.
"I
have a varied interest in vehicles reflecting my interest in design. I am
not particularly mad about performance but style only, and perhaps quirky
style at that, but also solid engineering. As a result I have ended up with
an odd couple! A non-exotic Italian and a no-nonsense American.
My 1958
Fiat 600 epitomises the need for post war Italy to get mobilised, has an
interesting shape - a bit like a woodlouse - and had some fairly
innovative (for the times technology) eg independent rear suspension.
I like
it because I can go shopping locally and have enough space for what I buy (rear
seat folds down), park in the smallest off spaces and raise a smile from
passers by. I have wanted one since a child on holiday in Italy in the late
60s and early 70's and managed to find a very good one indeed with original
papers: the first owner was born in 1898!!
As I
think it is in such good condition, I am concentrating on embellishing it
with period accessories - so if you have any please let me know, care of
this website.
It can
be a little difficult to start but when its going uses hardly any petrol: I
have had it one year now and only filled up twice........Then again, it has
no performance to speak of, but as I say that does not matter to me. Now,
I am looking for a Fiat 500 to keep it company.
Turning
to my 1968 Ford Mustang 302ci Fastback (like the Bullit one), for me
this reflects the American hedonism of the late 60's and has a real strength
of design: it is purposeful, somewhat aggressive and in motion even at rest.
People look at this one also, but with more suspicion and heart-racing:
perhaps some well intentioned envy - not like the Fiat which evokes a kind
of friendly pity..........
I looked
all over the UK for a Mustang and missed two good ones and very many bad
ones. Finally I found one that had been misadvertised about 5 miles form
home and being sold by an Italian man who comes form the same part of Italy
as my mother - what a co-incidence! He was not interested in Fiats though....
The
pervious owner of the Mustang has spent a lot of money in the engineering:
there are uprated roll bars front and rear, it has had a "Shelby
drop" (control arms are relocated lower), lowered/cut down performance
springs all round, a wild cam, performance headers, special carburettor,
hi-po pistons, unleaded head, B&M megashifter, etc etc. I said I am not
into performance, well I am not but it would be a shame to take all that
lovely stuff off, wouldn't it??
The car
was set up for fast road racing, but I do not do so - even when challenged
by people who should know better in modern cars.
For me
the journey is more enjoyable than the destination."
Have a nice day. Rinaldo |
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