Don't forget also that many of us come from the era (50's) when the car
companies (basically Detroit) made a BIG deal of the change to the new model
year. Searchlights, high school marching bands, etc etc etc dragging crowds
to the showroom to ooh and aah. When I was a freshman at Berkeley, I can
still remember the excitement of the drastically restyled GM products and
the crowds of students like me down at the local Buick dealership (I believe
on Shattuck Avenue) to see the Electra, Invicta and other new models. I can
remember that the dealers in my home town had only one or two demo models.
You had to sit with the salesman and pick out the options that you wanted
and the color scheme. Then, the order was sent to Detroit or the nearest
assembly plant and you WAITED sometimes several weeks for YOUR car to be
manufactured and delivered. Dealers did not have lots with literally
hundreds of cars on them as they do now. My first company provided car
(1968) came with no radio or heater - those were options and were added by
the factory, not the dealer in most cases so you just had to wait. And,
there was always the option of taking a train to Detroit to drive the car
back home to save on the transportation charges.
That process made cars a BIG deal. The anticipation of the new models, the
wait for your parents to get delivery of their new car only added to the
enthusiasm of being in that wonderous age. Now, who knows when a model year
ends and the new one begins. Cars have over the years denigrated from a real
excitable product changing every year with a lot of hoopla to a commodity
product and that is all that many of the younger generation knows.
John Sims, BN6
Aberdeen, NJ
www.healey6.com
-----Original Message-----
From: healeys-bounces@autox.team.net [mailto:healeys-bounces@autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of glemon@neb.rr.com
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 5:01 PM
To: Randy Dickson; 'Healey Mail List'
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Attracting Younger Healey Enthusiast
Randy's story of his youth is not too much different than mine, and I am
sure many other listers as well. Big Healeys, Jags, Triumphs and MGs made
an imprint on my young brain that will not go away.
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