How much of a car dork were you as a kid?

[eddyramrod]

Even pushing a pram you can pass a car if it's parked.....

Of course the phrase includes the cars that would have passed us, as not only were they moving faster than we were, many would be going in the opposite direction.

[warren t claim]

Long before I went to primary school I can remember Mutha_Claim telling me to say "Capri, Not Gapri".

[RayMK]

3 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

Even pushing a pram you can pass a car if it's parked.....

Of course the phrase includes the cars that would have passed us, as not only were they moving faster than we were, many would be going in the opposite direction.

Of course 😀.  It's late and my sense of humour preferred the most unlikely interpretation despite not having drunk anything but water.

When my son was very young, I enjoyed pushing his pram because, me being a suspension fanatic, I loved the way its coach sprung body absorbed the disjointed pavement slabs.  I also took the opportunity to teach him how to identify the passing cars and was amazed how good he had become by the age of 3.  A few years later I tried the same with my daughter who is 4 years younger but it did not work.  Cars were just "pretty" if red or blue.  She ignored the more common grey, black or white cars. 

[Metal Guru]

12 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

My younger days echo much of what has been written above.

 

 

I think it must come from my dad and his father in turn. The latter was somewhat penniless by the time I was born, but I believe he had reasonably exotic stuff in his younger days. Still had an E-Type but I recall it being used to take hay down to the horses! It got sold in the late '70s, probably for buttons. I do remember them having a pair of old Renault 4s, one of which was for spares, and this concept was something of an inspiration.

My dad mostly had brand new cars throughout my younger days (even if it didn't leave much money for anything else) before he moved onto company cars, so I don't remember too much weekend tinkering.

I started off with Matchbox Superfast etc, I cut out photos of real and toy cars from old magazines and catalogues and stuck them into scrapbooks, then got into Scalextric, model kits, collecting brochures and buying magazines from about the age of 12. Also used to draw them, but lack of artistic talent meant they were mostly 2D side profile views.

I still have loads of this stuff, and have accumulated rather more since....

I consider myself lucky that my formative years coincided with the really significant change from wheezy old 1950s/60s cars to the fuel injected, ABS braked stuff of the 1980s and '90s. Even in the '70s and early '80s I don't remember that many pre-1970 cars in everyday use. Some for sure, but most were rough and didn't remain on the road for too much longer. The odd pre- or postwar car could sometimes be seen languishing in a farmyard or garden - our neighbours had the remnants of something like an Austin 7 in their chicken run.

I used to identify cars from their rear lights when we were driving home on the A12 from family visits (so easy with Cortina Mk3s). I also recall asking whether the front spoiler on a Cortina Mk4 was standard, as that wasn't something I hadn't seen too much before.

I found most everyday Japanese cars a little confusing, but it seems like I've got my head around them now.

I had a metal pedal car in the 60s. Loads of sharp edges that would never be allowed today. Well it was mid winter so being confined to indoor play, I thought it a good idea to put the said car onto the settee and bounce around a bit. 
Anyway the inevitable happened and the car with me in it, toppled off the settee onto the floor. I cut my head on one of the sharp edges abd needed stitches.

To date ( touch wood), the only car crash I’ve had that needed hospital treatment.

[Sham]

Much more so than I am now. I knew most cars by the shape of the lights, by the sound of the engine or by the grill.

I knew what the special editions would get you

I could tell you what was special about the engines or other spec of the car. Chain or belt driven cam? OHV? OHC? Carb, single or twin choke? All that stuff.

I drew cars whenever I picked up a pen or pencil.

Collected posters, books and models.

I remember vividly the first 'Y' plate car that I saw - a Sierra. I'd never seen one before, and it was almost as different to everything else at that time as the Focus was.

When I first started driving, I cared about the process of buying a car and would painstakingly research everything when making a choice...

But...

I find modern cars utterly dull - to the point where, if I were to need to choose one, I simply wouldn't care as long as it was comfortable. I'd do some research with known faults and such - but I just wouldn't care.

[Captain Mainwaring]

Lifelong lover of cars here. The first car I ever became enamoured with, as a kid, was the VW Beetle...I found them fascinating. Engine in the back, boot at the front...mind blown. People were always impressed by my ability to name every car, the number of times I got 'what's that then' tests... I thought I had some kind of gift, but I have since discovered I had merely harnessed the power of mild autism.

My parents and grandparents used to buy be wonderful Solido and other model cars, which I invariably ended up playing with and destroying. I remember having Beetle posters on my bedroom walls, along with the obligatory Lambo Countach, another car I was obsessed with.

The first car I ever 'drove' was my dad's Sierra at about 8 years old, I jumped in the drivers seat when he was stood talking to our neighbour, he'd left the key in so I turned it...it lurched backwards 'cause he'd left it in reverse. Good job it wasn't in 1st because they were stood right in front of the car. Nice parenting Dad.

I picked up my love of Volvo 300s because my grandad had one. He bought it brand new, kept it in immaculate condition for over 20 years, then gave it to silly 18 year old me as my first car. To my lifelong regret, I ruined it in two years. I've sorta forgiven myself now.

[MiniMinorMk3]

I know most of the colours that BMC and BL cars were dipped in.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Just remembered, this was the first record I was ever given. I used to spend hours listening to it a dreaming of owning all the cars on the cover to race around the carpet.

Side One

Side Two

 

[RobT]

A fair amount, yes.  I read and collected Auto Express avidly.  However, I didn't retain much of the information, unless it's buried deep in my subconscious ready to be unleashed and bore people to tears with.  Took me years to throw them away.  In fact there's probably loads still in my parents' loft.

My Dad had several company pool cars from 1987-90.  I was at my happiest when he'd bring one home and I'd spend ages cleaning it and trying out all the switchgear for tactility.  Plus the odd drive around the local hospital car park.  My favourite was a Mk2 Renault 18 GTL estate, BLM 414Y.  Which is why I still need to own one at some point.  Probably have to do a Bo11ox and import one from Spain.  I sent a few enquiries to French listings in 2019 but no one ever replied.  Then we all know what happened next.