What was your finest wingcar moment?

[Ghoste]

I ask because as a longtime wingcar fan but never an owner, mine finest moment changed in 2011.  One year ago it would have been the first time I laid eyes on a real Daytona.  That was a white one and it was the first Mopar Nationals when it was the Chrysler Car Club Conference in 1980 or whenever it was.  It was in Chelsea and when I pulled into the lot at the host motel to register with my club (an E-body group) there it was in all of it's racy glory!
But this year, my boss lent me a 69 Daytona to take home for the weekend and I think from here the only thing that is going to top the thrill of driving one around or looking out in my driveway and seeing it sitting there or picking my kids up at school with it, would be ownership.

[nascarxx29]

 Growing up my next door neighbor had a orange superbird

[Ghoste]

But you've owned one.  Wouldn't you call that finer than your neighbors?

[nascarxx29]

Club page on Troy Aero car development
http://wwnboa.org/troyhawkes.htm

[r4daytona]

I used to walk ome from elementary school past Delaware Motors in Buffalo.  There was a white superbird in the showroom, love at frist sight. lol  I still remember it havng a scratch on the passengers headlight door.  The only thing that made it better was that my 1st grade friends dad owned the ice cream truck.  Walking home with ice cream and seeing that bird everday .... at 7 years old it was heaven!  Found out a few years ago that the car was a hemi car.

[69_500]

Once I finally get a wing car of my own I will let you know what the finest moment is. Until then it would be one of the hundreds of memories I have of riding in them with my Dad.

[nvrbdn]

my finest wingcar moment was at monster mopar in st. louis when my friends father in law had his motorhome there and we were havin lunch. he asks me to see my video camera. i hand it to him and he throws me and my friend the keys to the super bird and says he will film us while we take it in the parade laps. that was awesome. always wanted to run the track and finally got to. plus the video to remember the moment.

[rustafarian]

May of 1970,  I'm on my bike at the corner of North Ave. & 76th Court in Elmwood Park,  IL right down the block from Johnnies Beef.  Up to the light pulls a green SuperBird,  I'd never seen or imagined such a thing. I just started hollering my brains out.  He pulled by and gave me a thumbs up.  Been hooked on cars since right then and right there.  SUre would like to thank that guy.

[nascarxx29]

I used to walk ome from elementary school past Delaware Motors in Buffalo.  There was a white superbird in the showroom, love at frist sight. lol  I still remember it havng a scratch on the passengers headlight door.  The only thing that made it better was that my 1st grade friends dad owned the ice cream truck.  Walking home with ice cream and seeing that bird everday .... at 7 years old it was heaven!  Found out a few years ago that the car was a hemi car.


I have Steve Battalgia #s he was from that area and owned 5-7 superbirds

[440mop]

Becoming a wingcar owner was pretty special; but participating in the '09 reunion is the highlight, meeting up with a fantastic bunch of guys and driving across the 'States in my own car was something very special, and then to do the parade lap! Unforgettable !!!
John

[pettybird]

You can call my mother and verify this as true. 


We were on our way to the WW meet in Indiana on the turnpike.  It was around midnight and I was hustling along in the B5 car.  We were tired and wanted to get across the state to be at Nichol's Garage the next morning.  I'm in the left lane, about to pass a truck, and I glance in the rear view mirror.  It's a big Ford, and I don't know if it's a cop or not...I decided to pass the semi (was doing 75+, now doing 85+ to get around the truck.)  I get into the right lane and sure enough it's a state trooper.  I'm nervous as hell, and he's RIGHT off of my bumper JUST like when they're running plates.  What seems like an eternity later he pulls level with us and glares over.  He picks up his radio mike and says, "nice car."  With relief and a little bewilderment I beep and wave.  He keys the mike again and says, "you can run it if you want to."  I look over at mom and neither of us knows what to say.  I beep and wave again.  He picks up the mike, and louder, slower and more forcefully, says, "you..can..run..it..if..you..want..to."  I beep, drop into second (we're doing 50 and holding up traffic) and take off.  He gives chase, but a Crown Vic won't take a 'bird.  I shift into drive and keep going until mom starts hitting me as we're passing 120.  The cop finally catches back up, smiles like a madman, hits the lights and sirens and takes off. 

Having the cars for 35 years, and being around them my whole life, I have a lot of unreal memories.  A sampling:

-dad driving John Pointer and family at Chelsea on the five mile oval
-me driving the same oval in '96, listening to a sedated-calm Jerry Service recall meeting dad, scaring Kyle Peters until his knuckles were white, and maxing out the Petty car in the top lane
-driving to Talladega...thrice.
-driving on Darlington, Michigan, Indy and all of the other little tracks that we've been around
-Pulling down onto Bristol's infield, figuring that we wouldn't get yelled at (you can get away with murder in these cars)
-getting away with said murder several dozen more times
-fixing Jerry Narramore's tailpipe on Rt 66 with a hammer and my wallet
-hell..it was cool when I got dropped of at school in it!
-running the entire length of the Power Tour with zero issues
-being a hooligan at Martinsville
-letting other people drive--that's another thread altogether there.
-letting other people's kids sit in the car, beep the horn, or have their pictures taken on the wing
-hosting the 2011 national meet
-all of the meets mom and dad hosted
-getting the car signed by both Pettys

Most importantly, they did more for me than I could ever pay back.  They helped create continuity in our lives after my dad was fired in '81 and we had to move and change everything.  They're still helping us cope with the loss of my father.  The also introduced me to most of my friends as well as my best friend.  They allowed me to have the job I have now.  How many other inanimate objects can do that? 

[nascarxx29]

Best moment would be buying this 1st superbird in mid 70-s and driving it the 1500 miles from Houston to N.J.And the road trip home state by state following leads I got car like yours over at this guys place etc all the way home

[Lighthorseman]

Mine will be when I get my "Birdible" finished...  

[tan top]

awesome storys / memorys    , thanks for sharing ,
love reading this  kind of stuff 

[Mr. 4-Speed]

I went to the Talladega Winged Warriors meet 2 years ago, with my buddy Troy Hawkes ( Hemi68Charger ) and i was in the passengerseat when we drove on the Talladega-track.
He also let me drive the car in Houston ( with sweaty hands, because i didn't wanna plant his original sheetmetal nose in one of those japanese importcars )

[FJ5WING]

My "first" wing experience was taking my car out for a ride when I was looking to buy.....That drive had nearly no impact on me compared to driving the car home after buying it, It was my car now and it seemed like every single person I looked at was already looking at me and pointing or smiling and waving. I'll never forget how that felt.

[69 DAYTONA]

...taking my first ride in a  Daytona, I bought the low mile F6 4-spd car from the original owner on the spot

...driving around the Indy Speedway several different times

...driving the Daytona to the MOPAR Nats in Ohio

...driving it as daily transportation for several years and the looks/comments I got

...buying a low mile B5 Superbird from the original 93 year old owner

...driving the Bird to the MOPAR Nationals and taking my 10 year old son...I remember heading home that Sunday, fueling up and hitting the on-ramp to I-70 at speed and never missed a beat all the way back home

...buying the next low mile R4 Daytona with my Dad (now deceased) as a partner, he loved driving the Winged Wonder to the local restaurants on Sunday...someone would ALWAYS rush up on him to buy it

... my buddy (now deceased) driving it to the MOPAR Nats in the fog at 100mph

...buying another Superbird I chased for 20 years

...but the best is probably getting a chance to purchase the R4 Daytona back from the guy I sold it to, it will never leave the nest again...too many memories with that Daytona...it still has just 9400 miles

...and everytime I stop to look at the Daytona, sitting tall and proud in my garage, I just get flooded with memories of past times and adventures with the car

pix...my Dad driving the Daytona about 20 years ago at the local Chrysler Plant Open House...

[nascarxx29]

Though not the owner .Seeing a good friends wingcar build we worked on get magazine exposure
The FM3 superbird conv was the MCG car debuted in 94. We had it a Carlisle and the mopar nats.Started off as a original 70 FM3 factory color satelitte conv.And we stayed with its original color as we built the car.We had a real superbird parts car .That only lives now in a envelope we saved.We joked with people and said we cut the roof off a real superbird.But to make it a real as possible we used all original wing car parts down to the jacks.My friend Mike has other wingcars and always wanted a conv one.After sitting in storage a suspicious fire by vandals occured for what reason ??By a miracle the car came out in good shape after the garage and nos parts 1/4s etc etc were toast.The SPR BRD NJ plates were mine I had ordered them for a car I was bringing in from TX to NJ.And when that car was totalled I gave the plates and whatever wingcar parts I had on this build

[6PakBee]

My best time was driving my Superbird for the first time.  She isn't pretty but my names on the title!

[nascarxx29]

Another would be driving to NY to Steve Juliano I sold some nos parts and see the supercharger upclose

[PocketThunder]

If owning a C500 counts, my finest moment was when i put a hillside hemi in it so i could drive it to Milwaukee for the Aero Car meet that summer and seeing everyone do a triple take as they walked by it and saw the leaning tower of power under the hood.
Paul

[hemi68charger]

Club page on Troy Aero car development
http://wwnboa.org/troyhawkes.htm

Cool... Thanks Dave... Didn't even know it was online. I remember the newsletter though....... 

[tyly]

  My best moment is, when I saw for the first time live on the wing car, and it was mine.

  I had already bought it via  internet, and I was in hotels lobby in Wisconsin, Stewens Point, that I would see my car, and I made ​​the long trip towards the Finland.

  I heard a great voice, and I went out and I saw first time my car and the first time wing car also, there was a lot of people look at my car too.

  Dealer, who find the car,  gave the keys to me and said, you drive, your car.
  I drove the car first time in America, very excited, yes.

  The next day,I drove to  Shawano County, where is the Doc's Harley museum, and there was a blue superbird, Hemicuda and other interesting cars.

  On the way I tried what it feels like to drive 145 miles / hour 

I never forget that feeling.

[Charger-Bodie]

If owning a C500 counts, my finest moment was when i put a hillside hemi in it so i could drive it to Milwaukee for the Aero Car meet that summer and seeing everyone do a triple take as they walked by it and saw the leaning tower of power under the hood.
Paul

[SBBob]

Feel in love at the first up and close sighting.  On the showroom floor, but could not afford it, ended up with a 70 RR.  12 years latter I found my dream car and pinched myself to sleep for 3 straight nights.  The most fun was my trip to the reunion in 1999.  6 aero cars left Seattle and headed East.  It was a car show every time we stopped for gas.  Will always cherish that 2 week trip!!!!!!