Avus posted about his cars, and HH pointed this out to me, so I'm posting about mine. HH says he never saw a Morris Minor convertible, but I remember the gorgeous one I saw while on a family visit with my parents and brothers in Oakland, California in the 60s. It was on the downtown streets hauling men in suits around the Kaiser Building--with top down. I saw it briefly, but pegged it as high among my favorites. Here are photos of one of my Dad's Morris Minors that my brainy brother Bill drove to university. My brothers and I used to all three ride in the back seat with Mom and Dad in the front, and it was a tight fit for sure. Now the brainy brother has a Morris Woody or two, but they're in some storage barn waiting for the mythical Someday. 
My second car was a beauty, as seen in the photo at right. Like the first only spiffier. The first one Dad bought for me. It was three colors, a Volkswagon-burnt orange red with a white top and a blue right hand door, which opened on it's own schedule, usually when making a left hand turn, but not when the passenger wanted to exit. Another exciting feature was the rain it collected on the floorboards which sloshed back and forth with the use of brakes and gas pedals, and always made me laugh, especially when maneuvering out of a parking place. Everything on this second car worked, except the defrost, so when it was icy out, the window had to be down with the scraper in hand working like a window wiper. It just wasn't made for ice.
One more car, a 1960 Jaguar MKll. Dad bought it in the early 60s while I was away at camp and drove it to visit (and show off). I saw it parked and ran to get my little brother Stan to show him the beautiful car parked in the alley. He was very pleased to tell me it was Dad's. When I went to the tech school in town Dad let me drive it. Years later, HH said I could have it and we made Dad an offer, which he accepted. This photo was taken while it was still Dad's car. That's his Porsche on the other side of the Jaguar. Brother Bill bought the Porsche and has it still. We sold the Jaguar to pay medical bills when DD was born. It went back to England, but was fun while it lasted.
2 comments:
Just shows what memories return by the postings on other blogs, Vita. Interesting that "Moggies" (Morris Minors)were on the scene in the USA in the '60s. It never occured to me that you Yanks would like them as I thought at that time you would have been linked to the large "gas guzzlers", like the '57 Chevrolet of Dolly Parton's song!Although the styling of Moggies was "USA post war, compressed".
I wonder if the Jag is still on the road in the UK?
I think we were the only people in town to ride around in Morris Minors. Mom, Dad, and my big brother were the only ones who regularly drove them. Maybe they came from the local Air Force Base. There were gas guzzlers in the driveway, too. Gas was cheap.
I wonder, too. That was 26 years ago, so it's probably rusted out now.
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