What spiked your passion for cars?

[BoxsterSteve]

I was with my parents downtown ~1970, and a Plymouth Superbird went wailing past us... the one with the pointed nose & roof-tall spoier on the trunk in Plum Crazy Purple. Instantly bitten.
That did it for me.

[husker boxster]

My Dad was a car guy - he loved to restore old cars and rebuild late model cars. We went to Detroit in 1969 (I was 10) and toured the Mustang factory. At every stoplight that turned green, someone was peeling rubber. What a great trip.

My Dad and I also built soap box racers and I was fortunate enough to win on my 2nd try. We reused my 1st yr car, but Dad said we were going to chop 6 inches off the back and add them to the front. When I asked why, he said that would move the axles 6 inches back and they'd stay on the ramp that much longer and build up more speed. He had no formal training but could look at something and figure it out. My sister finished 2nd that year. No one could touch us. Our cars were painted Plymouth lime green. The crowd knew who was coming down the hill.

When I got into my teens, we rebuilt late model wrecks exclusively. It was great because during college, I could work on cars when my schedule allowed. It was a nice money making hobby so I didn't need a part time job. Plus it allowed me to drive some very nice cars. My first car was a 70 Mustang Mach 1. Wish I had that car today.

My Dad was going to restore old cars when he retired. He'd been collecting lots of cars - some to rebuild and some to sell to help finance the restorations. Sadly, he only got to enjoy 2 mo of retirement - he had a heart attack and passed at 65. Way too soon. I learned an awful lot from him and if I could be half the man he was, I'd be a great person.

Sorry for the long post, but way too simple to say I got my passion from my Dad.