Did you get into cars because of family or...

[Ghoste]

How many of us got into cars because of a parent or sibling and how many were some other reason?  Whether it was from seeing DOH or seeing a cool looking old car in a local car lot or what.  Just curious how many had it spoon fed to us and how many sought it out after a brief exposure.
For me, it came through my father.  (although as a Ford guy I guess I was still a disappointment to him  )

[Rolling_Thunder]

my parents hate old cars - I got into it because I liked the simplicity of classic cars - plus they just look a lot better.   

[TruckDriver]

Cause of my uncle. He has a few old Oldsmobiles, and always had old Ford pickups.

[nvrbdn]

my mother was a mopar nut. she had a 60 dodge w/ push button trans,then a 65 newport all black, then a 72 new yorker dark grey with a black vinyl top and a 440/auto.the first time my eyes seen a 2nd gen charger i was sold. dad drove fords. ford falcon, ford truck, ford granada etc....

[69_500]

Through my father and his nice stash of wing cars he had when I was growing up.

[BrianShaughnessy]

Born in Detroit...  it was my destiny.   

[charge69]

Always loved cars. My Dad taught me to drive on an old 1950 Plymouth with a Six-cylinder and 3-on-the-tree tranny before he died (I was 10 almost 11 when he died of cancer). We had the one family car (as usual for the time) and he wanted me to be able to drive a stick shift car. Took to it real fast and drove the s%&t out of it.

I remember the first car race I really remember. The 1964 Daytona 500  with Richard Petty driving the new 1964 Plymouth with a 426 HEMI and how he dominated the field. I still remember the announcer marvelling at King Richard Smoking the tires when came off a turn at full throttle! Had to have one from then on !!!

[68 Bullitt Charger]

I have alway's loved car's, although my Brother is a huge Packard fan. Soooo he also contributed to my love for classic cars. I must say, MOPAR is the way to go.

[chargerboy69]

When I was a real little in the early 80's my moms summer daily driver was a burgundy 1969 Ford Torino 428 CJ, I am not kidding.  I still remember mom driving through downtown traffic, dropping down into second and punching it.  That was one fast car and mom still drives as fast as she used too. Of course the Torino is long gone, but a new Jeep Rubicon sits in its place.

Dad was into his Cadillacs, he seemed to buy a new Fleetwood every couple years or so.

The Dukes of Hazzard was my main inspiration for a muscle car.

[Ghoste]

So far then it appears that most of us had it handed down to us from another person.  Interesting.

[NHCharger]

Richard Petty driving his Bird did it for me.

[bill440rt]

Without a doubt, my dad. He was always a car nut, still is.
My favorite memories as a child was going to car shows, swap meets, etc, with my dad. I remember riding around in his '57 T-Bird, we also had a '66. Although early on he had Fords, he was really a Chrysler guy.
I was 9 when the DOH first aired, I had no idea what kind of car the GL was but I was awestruck by it's styling. Didn't know what it was, only that I wanted one bad. Took a few episodes as a kid to learn that it was a Charger, & I immediately began reading up everything I could about them. It was through reading all the literature that I developed an appreciation of them.
My dad has always owned Chryslers since then.  

[41husk]

No one in my family collected or restored cars.  My Grandpa and dad always had mopars.  I never had a car of my own until after I was graduated H.S and in the Navy.  My wife says thats why I have so many now! but then my wife says a lot of things!

[jb666]

My Dad definitely played a huge roll in my getting into cars.. From "helping" him in the driveway when I was a kid, to sitting on Friday nights watching The Dukes, to test driving an '81 T/A with him PRAYING he'd buy it (he didn't)..

But, he was always around and always doing stuff (car related) with us.. 

[Cooter]

Got into cars like most out there, from watching DOH. My Best friend in HS had a cousin that had a 1967 Satellite, 440, 4-speed and would race another local at the local Dairy isle on Friday and Sat. nights. Couldn't wait for my buddy to pick me up in his '66 Dodge Coronet 500, 2dr Hdtop, 361, and cruise down where all the "Cool" guys hung out. The "rebels" if you will. Wasn't much on sports, wasn't a jock, wasn't in the "Preppy" croud, so I hung out with people that didn't laugh at my hand-me-down clothes from the early 70's. I got almost all my cousin's old clothes and was so proud to wear them. Nobody even knew WTF Judas Preist was, but I did. So, The croud I hung with wore basically the same thing, and treated me way better than the so called "Cool"/"Popular" kids at the time(Mid 80's).


After my best friend asked me what kind of car I liked, and I told him "69' Dodge Charger", we were automatically "in" with his cousin...I guess i kinda got "Branded" a "Mopar guy" cause of the DOH....I wouldn't have changed a minute of it for the world though. I've hung around the "5.0" croud, The "Chevy" croud, etc. and the Mopar guys/gals seemed to be a "Closer" knit group.

[69bronzeT5]

I got into cars because of my dad. I grew up around muscle cars.....the '71 Camaro RS Z/28 and  '70 GSX my dad restored were the main two I was influenced by. However he also got me into watching the Dukes which influenced me big time and made me want a Charger badly. He bought me mine when I was 6 and since them I've been HOOKED.

[Old Moparz]

For me it wasn't family, that's for sure. We lived in New York City & almost nobody in my family had a car except for my Grandfather. A car to him was in the same class as owning a toaster or a hand tool, it was just another "appliance" you needed. It wasn't until people started moving from the city out to Long Island, New Jersey, & elsewhere that they had to have a car to get anywhere. Even then it was still basic transportation & nothing cool. Only a second cousin on Long Island owned something that was cool, a late 60's early 70's Corvette. I don't even remember which cousin, & only saw the car twice when I was about 10 or 11. Both times it was in his driveway being washed like a typical Vette owner.  

As a kid in the 60's I loved all the Hot Rod & other car magazines & Racing was a big deal, too. Anything Matchbox, Tonka, etc., I liked them all, & the Speed Racer cartoon was one of my favorite shows. It was all on my own that I was hooked on cars & drove my parents nuts with it. When I got a slot car set with a yellow & black, number 7 Daytona, with it, it instantly became my favorite car. I had thought it was strictly a race car & never knew it was available to the public because I had only seen it as a race car in magazines. When I found a magazine or a book in the late 70's that showed a stock, street Daytona, that was it, I had to have one.

Over the years I still don't know of any family member that ever bought, or ever really liked classics, hot rods or muscle cars. Maybe I started something that my daughter will carry on.  

[TXcharger70]

Non of my parents where into cars. It was in my blood since I was a baby I always had a fascination with cars. Hell at 6 yrs old I try to take my parents Ram charger out for a spin. Luckily I didn't kill myself or anyone else. My first real love was a 69 charger gl

[Fred]

So far then it appears that most of us had it handed down to us from another person.  Interesting.

Not me...............I was born with iron in my blood!!

[TheGhost]

Honestly, I have no idea.  I've always liked cars.  I used to spend daycare at a table drawing cars.  No idea what started it.  It was my dad who got me into Mopars, though.

[TK73]

First generation car nut 

Musta been the Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars I had as a kid...

[Mike DC]

       
TV/movie cars.  "Dukes" hooked me the strongest, but I was watching pretty much every car movie & TV show that I could get my hands on. 

There's no real history of gearheads in my family at all.

[404NOTFOUND]

Another first gen car nut here. I still remember standing in front of the local store in the mid '60s when I was about 4 years old and a new vette with factory side pipes rumbled up in front of me and the headlight doors rolled shut. Even at that age, I knew that was no ordinary car. By age ten, I was reading books that had drawings of different car models and it was obvious that the Chargers looked the best to me. Later came the Dukes of Hazzard and the one guy in the area who had a copper '69 R/T. I couldn't take my eyes off it. It would take another 35 years but, I finally realized my dream of owning a '69 Charger.

[tan top]

nope  , got my self into cars  when i was a kid , watching

DMCL  

Bullitt
DOH
two lane black top
original vanishing point
funny car summer
original gone in 60 seconds
last american hero
there was another grandnational film also , first  black  stock car  driver  , can't remember the name  , but was a real good film  , based on true story  
not seen it for years  

[Old Moparz]

nope  , got my self into cars  when i was a kid , watching

DMCL  

Bullitt
DOH
two lane black top
original vanishing point
funny car summer
original gone in 60 seconds
last american hero
there was another grandnational film also , first  black  stock car  driver  , can't remember the name  , but was a real good film  , based on true story  
not seen it for years  

No love for Speed Racer?   


Was the black stock car racer flick the one with Richard Pryor called Greased Lightning?