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Old car bad behavior!

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MadRiver

MadRiver

Jedi Knight
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Here's something strange that happened to me not once, but *twice* in the last couple of days.

Today, I was out cruising in one of the LBCs, and I spotted a 1930 Packard touring car going the other way, followed by a 1950-something Cadillac. So, I pulled a u-turn, and caught them at the next light. I pulled up next to the Packard, and complimented him on the car. He looked over, then looked back. Puzzled, I decided to try again -- and told him that my dad had a '32 Packard Victoria, and had been into pre-war Packards for years. This time, he turned, said "huh" and turned back, and didn't say anything again.

Earlier in the week, I was in the Tiger on the way into work, and ended up a light next to a guy in his mid-60s, driving in a beautiful '71 Pontiac Le Mans convertible. It was a beautiful day, we both had our tops down. I blipped my engine, and gave him a big simle and wave. He glanced sideways at me, looked over the Tiger, made no facial expression whatsoever, and then when the light turned green, he simply drove away.

I've usually found that old car people are overjoyed when they encounter other old car people, even if they're not into the same type of old car.

How strange was it to encounter two crumudgeons in the same week?

By contrast, I was in the 250 on Wednesday, and drove by a Super Beetle coming the other way, and we both honked and waved enthusiastically.
 
The world is full of weird people and you found both of them.
 
Some people are a drag, plain and simple. It's a numbers game.
 
Or to put it another way, not everyone you see driving an old car is an "old car person". There seems to be an increasing segment of people that simply buy restored cars, drive them a few months until something breaks, then buy something else.
 
Driving an old car (a bugeye) I've often noticed what you have noticed. Its my thoughts that the people who are comfortable with themselfs can share a warm smile and a thumbs up, just because. I try to be as warm and enjoyable with what I see.
 
I have owned a lot of "entertaining" cars over the years. The two cars that everyone loved were a 64 Catalina convertible, and a really nice 69 VW squareback. Both of those cars attracted everybody. They waved, told stories and so on. Some days it was almost embarrassing. LBCs however, are another story. The people that loved them, loved them, and the normal everyday lost souls just did not care.No matter how nice they were. The one exception is a customers TR3B. It is Porsche Guards red, and pretty much perfect. Over the years that car has stopped traffic pretty well. Everyone wants to look, and a few people will engage in a decent conversation. Maybe the "old car snobbery" is a DC thing? Too many people around here are just too important in their own minds for their own good.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] The world is full of weird people and you found both of them.[/QUOTE]

Correction:

The world is full of weird people and you are lucky to ONLY have found two of them.

That's a lot like holding the door of an elevator open for someone rushing to it, then having them ignore you and push in front of you to press their floor.

Actually, the last time that a snotty broad (that's what she was) did that to me, I pressed the buttons for 13 of the remaining 14 floors before hers and got off at the next stop. When she finally hung up her cell phone, I'll bet she wondered what happened.
 
But on the other hand you also run into those people driving everyday cars that beep and give you the thumbs up. You know they're saying, "Hey, I used to have one of those"
 
I often get strange looks from the driver's of LBCs when I'm cruising in the Ferrari and I honk and give the thumbs up. They're never unfriendly looks, just very confused. It does, however, not go over very well the other way. In one of the Triumphs and waving at a Ferrari usually gets an annoyed stare. <sigh> I don't know why car guys can't just be car guys.
 
I have encountered this many times. My experience, more often than not, these guys look down their nose at anything not "MERICAN". I remember back in the '60's, I would take my 4A to one of those "foreign car" repair shops. I bet he refers to that thing under the hood as a "motor" and not an "engine". Even if he had the courtesy to compliment your cars, he probably would have said, "nice MG".

AND, I can guess who he voted for in the last two presidential elections! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif
 
jdubois said:
I often get strange looks from the driver's of LBCs when I'm cruising in the Ferrari and I honk and give the thumbs up. They're never unfriendly looks, just very confused. It does, however, not go over very well the other way. In one of the Triumphs and waving at a Ferrari usually gets an annoyed stare. <sigh> I don't know why car guys can't just be car guys.
Click to expand...

Because you happen to own both, you feel connected. I would not beep and wave to a Ferrari owner and would not expect it in return. I think most LBC drivers don't feel in any way connected to a guy driving a Ferrari. Most LBC owners are do-it-yourselfers. I don't associate that with Ferrari owners. You are probably a rare Ferrari owner.
 
Stirkle said:
Most LBC owners are do-it-yourselfers. I don't associate that with Ferrari owners. You are probably a rare Ferrari owner.
Click to expand...

Don't sell us 'real' Ferrari owners short! Sure, the obnoxious guys with the flashy new expensive Ferrari and the $10,000 watch aren't really car guys. Or the really snobby old money guys with the $5M classic Ferraris. But there are actually lots of us who own the 70's & 80's cars and are very much car guys, work on our own cars, have DIY forums similar to this one, and enjoy the cars for what they are, not what status we think they will or won't bring.

Course, I don't begrudge LBC owners not waving. It is, unfortunately in my eyes, two very different worlds. Won't keep me from waving at them though /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
Stirkle said:
You are probably a rare Ferrari owner.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I couldn't have said it better myself.

Oh, that's exactly what I said. Sorry.
 
The Vette's seem to be the most arrogant of any of the old car owners. We went on a 400+ mile drive Saturday through South West Wisconsin and saw at least a half dozen Vettes sitting beside the road for sale. Some of them we have seen on previous trips. But in more than 2500 miles since mid-July we have not seen a single LBC for sale anywhere. I wonder if the Vette owners are secretly envious of the obvious fun we have in our TR6!
 
You really can not fault the Vette owners of the world. You see they have succumbed to a virus which, once affected, renders the victim oblivious but leaves everyone around them untouched. It is called Chevrolitis Fiberglasstis.....
 
jdubois said:
I often get strange looks from the driver's of LBCs when I'm cruising in the Ferrari and I honk and give the thumbs up.
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention that. I was driving the Lotus the other day and came across an MGB in traffic. I honked and waved, and he at first didn't know quite what to make of me. When I ended up next to him at a light, I complimented him on his car and said that I had a C, and he seemed to lighten up a bit. I don't think it registered with him that the Elise is an LBC.

On the flip side, when I was putting a new radiator in Abby last week (and decided to work on the street since it was about 120 in the garage), people in my neighborhood I hand't met yet kept stopping, introducing themselves and telling me about the LBCs lurking in their garages. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
angelfj said:
I have encountered this many times. My experience, more often than not, these guys look down their nose at anything not "MERICAN". I remember back in the '60's, I would take my 4A to one of those "foreign car" repair shops. I bet he refers to that thing under the hood as a "motor" and not an "engine". Even if he had the courtesy to compliment your cars, he probably would have said, "nice MG".

AND, I can guess who he voted for in the last two presidential elections! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif
Click to expand...
You're right...Gore and Kerry would have us all park our cars until we could convert them to solar power...hehehe
 
When I had my car at Das Awkscht Fescht in Macungie PA, there were very few LBC on display. Two more Triumphs, a couple of Jags, maybe 3 MGs, but mostly vintage American cars. But I had lots of people stop by to discuss there past experiences with LBCs either that they wish they still had, or time in friends cars. I really look forward to showing Fagin at this type of show again in the future. I just need to print out BCF cards before the next show.
 
jdubois said:
Stirkle said:
Most LBC owners are do-it-yourselfers. I don't associate that with Ferrari owners. You are probably a rare Ferrari owner.
Click to expand...

Don't sell us 'real' Ferrari owners short! Sure, the obnoxious guys with the flashy new expensive Ferrari and the $10,000 watch aren't really car guys. Or the really snobby old money guys with the $5M classic Ferraris. But there are actually lots of us who own the 70's & 80's cars and are very much car guys, work on our own cars, have DIY forums similar to this one, and enjoy the cars for what they are, not what status we think they will or won't bring.
Click to expand...

Yep, that may all be true, but you're simply driving the wrong car....... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif
 
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