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Another Carlson Car – 1974 Corvette

Moving on up

Earlier I posted about my wife’s first car and her initiation on the freeways of Los Angeles when they were at their prime. She caught on fast and soon the trusty Vega no longer fit her image. We had just bought our first house, three blocks from the beach in swinging Manhattan Beach and she was ready for a new car- still a Chevrolet but a far cry from the Vega. She was on the hunt for a Corvette and before long she found it. It cost her the princely sum of $6,000 in 1974 and it was her pride and joy. She loved that car and it did have a raffish charm. She drove it to her design jobs around LA and to her teaching gig at Cal Arts.

A Stylish Number

The 1974 Corvette was nearly chrome-less. The bumpers were gone and instead there were molded plastic panels. This was pretty revolutionary in 1974 and gave the Corvette a very clean silhouette.

A Keeper

When our son was born and our house seemed too small, we moved to idyllic Palos Verdes, again 3 blocks from the cliffs. This time we could often hear the surf and fog horns. The Corvette came too. My wife didn’t tire of the Corvette. She was happy driving it until she began to feel that it was costing too much to maintain even with the help of our number one son, AKA gas boy, but that didn’t happen until 1986. One of our son’s  service ideas was to fill the Corvette up for us to save driving to the gas station. Unfortunately he thought that gas and water were exchangeable. I spent an anxious Sunday afternoon siphoning out the water but no damage resulted and we have a great story.

All good things must pass

It wasn’t until 1986 until we were ready to replace the Corvette but that is not the end of the story. When we sold the car, it was bought by someone who ships classic cars to Europe. We learned that our Corvette eventually made it’s way to Denmark where it received loving care. So what did my wife buy next? Maybe you think she went for a conservative sedan for her suburban life with kids? You will just have to wait. And what happened to the Vega? It became my commuter car.

{ 7 comments… add one }
  • Sire February 25, 2010, 1:43 pm

    My brother and I looked at getting a getting a corvette many years ago but that’s as far as it went as the condition of it wasn’t all that crash hot and they wanted too much for it.

    Can’t wait to see what the wife ended up with 😉
    .-= Sire´s last blog ..My First Squidoo Lens & About Bloody Time Too =-.

    • Ralph February 25, 2010, 2:59 pm

      Sire,
      You aren’t supposed to crash. You know that your unconscious mind steers you toward your thoughts and doesn’t understand negatives. If you can’t wait to learn about my wife’s next car, I had better milk that and put it off as long as possible.

  • winnie February 25, 2010, 2:46 pm

    My son is a big fan of corvettes. Not me I love Trucks…good post though I love seeing different ideas for blogging, sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we do on a daily basis and then read something totally out of context, or just really way off topic. I love it. thanks ps. lets us know we are still alive?
    .-= winnie´s last blog ..The last love =-.

    • Ralph February 25, 2010, 2:56 pm

      I wasn’t crazy about the Corvette. It was like riding in a hole in the ground with no springs but it was my wife’s pride and joy. Glad you enjoyed the diversion. I am trying to decide what should go into the mix here on my blog so any comments or suggestions are appreciated.

  • Rose February 25, 2010, 7:35 pm

    Nice car. Love the yellow.
    .-= Rose´s last blog ..Contest remindser- Web Hosting package =-.

  • Ralph February 26, 2010, 10:26 am

    Rose,
    My wife worried that it was a cop magnet because of the color.

  • Ralph February 27, 2010, 8:09 am

    I don’t know if it is bias but in my opinion Toyota has never created a beautiful car however good they may be technically.

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