Topic: Your Cars

[Bill Murray]

OH Canada:

Next stop was Canada.

My contract was ending in Peru and we started to negotiate a new one.  Sadly circumstances did not allow this to happen.
The rate of inflation in Peru was at around 1,000% per year, one thousand, not one hundred.
My salary was fixed in Sweden  although it was sort of indexed to the rate of inflation but never kept up.  It was also registered with the Peruvian tax authorities.  As the banking system was in a state of collapse, I got paid once a month in cash that was delivered to me in large paper bags.  At the end, I was making over 1 million Soles per month and even though the banking authorities kept printing larger and larger denomination bills, it was still a mess and we had to hide the bags in our bedroom closet.

I was outside the Swedish system, being a Yank on a Swedish company payroll in Peru and pretty much on my own.
I did get a small stipend paid into a Swedish bank account as sort of a Social Security/Retirement fund thing but it wasn't all that much.  The solution for the Swedes was interesting but very dicey for me as a non-Swede.  The Swedish expats were told to take out large loans in Soles with the company and those loans were forgiven when their contract was up.

They used those loans to keep up their standard of living, to purchase Peruvian goods to take home and sell when they left or they could buy dollars on the black market and take it home.  None of those alternatives were usable for me as I was still an American citizen and had to follow IRS rules.

So, I bid for Australia again, the guy still was not ready to retire.  I applied for and was accepted as Parts Manager USA for Volvo Penta in the State of Virginia but before that was finalized Volvo Corporate asked me to take the position of Director of Parts and Accessories in Canada as the Director there had fallen ill and had to return to Sweden.  That is what eventually happened.

Canada was marvelous and if certain things I will explain later had not happened, I would probably still be there.

The business practices were very similar to the US but some of the perks were a bit different.  I was allowed one company car a year and it was box stock, no modifications allowed.  But, I had an underground garage private parking place and someone washed my car every day.  Interesting trade off.

So, the car situation was flat dull.  Two identical Volvo 265 wagons over the time I was there and one AMC Matador that I bought for my daughter when she became of driving age.  As my Volvo was stock and as I took no photos, I am posting a photo of the exact type of car in the same colour that mine was.

Then on to the next adventure.

Bill

[Avalanche]

Entertaining stories for sure. Love the Volvo connections. I've owned Volvos since 1980. The ATS wheels on that 144 are rare pieces!

[Bill Murray]

Hi Dale:

Thanks for the comments.  You often wonder if anyone looks at these threads/postings.

The wheels on the Peruvian Volvo were on it when I arrived so I don't know where they came from.

If you like special wheels on Swedish products, keep tuned for the next chapter.  Not Volvo's, but still Swedish.
I have a few more photos to scan in and then I will carry on with the saga.

Bill

[Bill Murray]

"Back in the USA"  Acknowledgement to Chuck Berry.............

As stated earlier, I could have easily spent the rest of my career in Canada, perhaps the rest of my life.  Great country.

Sadly, even though Volvo Canada was quite profitable, Volvo had sent a new President to the US to head up Volvo of America and he had the bright idea to combine the US and Canadian operations as 'Volvo North America".  The Swedes accepted the idea and as Volvo of America also had a National Parts Manager, my job became redundant.

So I was once again transferred, to Rockleigh, NJ, and given the title of National Parts and Accessories Sales Manager.
Having already been the International Parts and Accessories sales manager for the whole world in Sweden, having been the National Parts Manager and Area Parts manager for Peru and Grupo Andino and National Parts Manager in Canada, this was not a very happy solution.

As it turned out, the former President of Volvo Western, my first Volvo employer, was also transferred to Rockleigh NJ as National Marketing Manager and he was not happy either.  He was recruited by SAAB management in Sweden to run SAAB-Scania North America (he had worked for SAAB in the 1950's and was fondly remembered) and a few months later offered me the job of National Parts Manager for that company which I gladly accepted.

So started yet another career and yet another group of "my cars".

My new/old boss, Bob Sinclair, was a marketing and merchandising whirlwind, being responsible for the launch of the SAAB Turbo in the US and later personally responsible for the development of the SAAB convertible, a true marketing success.
He also had, as did I (I still do)  gasoline in his veins and was very supportive of showing off our products.

So, some fun SAAB company cars as I shall show here plus Bob, our National Service Manager and I imported a few other interesting vehicles over the next 12 years.

To some of the cars.

SAAB Turbo Demo 1



 

[Bill Murray]

Demo cars 2, 3 and 4.

[Bill Murray]

To continue with the earlier mentioned mutual collection of Bob Sinclair, the National Service Manager and myself, here are most of the cars, all of which were eventually resold.  All came from a used vehicle/salvage lot in Holland.

Citroen 2CV




Citroen TA



Nekaf m38A1

[Bill Murray]

The last photo, by the way, shows the result of a sort of rebellion on the part of my warehouse staff in Connecticut after I fired 5 or 6 employees for stealing radios in the warehouse.  They slit the tyres on about 50 vehicles in the warehouse parking lot and this resulted in a huge problem.

For my own personal collection of odd cars/trucks, we can go on from here.

My second Matador, which I had set up with exhaust headers and two four barrel carburetors and a modified transmission.



Two motorcycles I owned at the time when in my mid forties crisis I thought I had to show I was still young.

Honda Sabre V4


Harley Sportster.  One of my favorites until I had to lay it down twice when little old ladies turned in front of me on narrow city streets in Connecticut.

[Bill Murray]

Next is a series of vehicles I purchased in the late 1980's from a dealer in New England.

First, an International bus, if I remember a 1937 D30 which I left up there when I moved to Atlanta.


Then, a 1956 Ford F100 short box small back window truck which I still have.

This was the original induction system I had, 2 four barrel carburetors as well as exhaust headers on a "built and balanced" 300 cubic inch straight six Ford motor with an all synchro 3 speed transmission.


Later, I had the induction system changed to a triple sidedraft Weber system. 
This was my "Saturday Night Sleeper" race car on the local Interstates when I would do acceleration contests with guys in their Camaros and Mustangs from say, 50 to 100 mph on a straight, open stretch of the highway.  The truck is "barn find" rusty and does not look fast at all.

[Bill Murray]

Another car purchased from the same New England dealer, a 1969 Chevrolet Bel Air Police car.
This was a State of Maine State Trooper Supervisor car with a 390 horsepower 427 Cu. In. motor.
It was sold about 4 years ago.  Sorry for the poor photo.

[Bill Murray]

Then, another Ford 1956 F100 purchased from California.
Quite a rare version, a long wheelbase big window with original Fordomatic 3 speed transmission.

I put an original equipment Thunderbird 4 barrel manifold and carb on this one as well as exhaust headers and a modified transmission.

I sold this one about 4 years ago and now regret it.

[Carnut]

Just updated my own list of cars!

[Otto Puzzell]

I've never actually sat down and listed all the cars I've had before, but looking at Djetset's list made me think I perhaps should before I forget.

So here they all are in chronologial order, starting with my first car when I was 17:

Austin Mini
VW Beetle (oval window)
Morris Mini-Cooper
Austin 1100 Mk 1
Austin 1100 Mk 2
Morris 1300
Triumph Toledo (worst car by a long way..)
TVR Vixen
Austin Allegro (yes, really!)
Alfasud Sprint
Alfasud Sprint Veloce
VW Scirocco GTI
Ferrari Dino 246GT
Trident Venturer
Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT
Ford Escort Mexico
TVR Trident prototype No. 3 (I still have this one)
Audi 80 quattro
Audi 90
BMW 320i
Alfa Romeo 164
Alfa Romeo 166
Alfa Romeo 156
VW Eos 2.0 Turbo
Audi A5 2.0 Turbo (new November 2010)

There are plenty of others I wish I'd had, and one or two I wish I hadn't had there...

It also struck me that there are several cars I owned or still own that are not on the list because I have them for others to drive, although some of them I've driven many miles in myself - mainly because I like them!:

Fiat 128 3P
Fiat Panda (original style)
Fiat Panda (another original style one)
VW Polo Coupé
VW Polo
Fiat Panda (2nd style)
Latest style Fiat Panda (I still have this one)

Another thing struck me just scanning the list to see if I'd forgotten any:

All the cars without exception are either  British, German or Italian!  Nothing French, Swedish, Japanese or anything else!

Which one did you recently add?

[Carnut]

Which one did you recently add?

Very unexciting: just a new Fiat Panda (latest model) at the very bottom..

[nicanary]

You went from a Scirocco to a Dino?? Waddya win the lottery? 

[Carnut]

You went from a Scirocco to a Dino?? Waddya win the lottery? 

Actually I see the Dino is slightly out of position.
I got it when I had the Alfasud Sprint Veloce and sold it when I had the Scirocco..
I'll have to move it.
Dinos were not so expensive in those days... I sold it for £9500 and I see they are now hitting £250000...  C'est la vie!

[Carnut]

I've never actually sat down and listed all the cars I've had before, but looking at Djetset's list made me think I perhaps should before I forget.

So here they all are in chronologial order, starting with my first car when I was 17:

Austin Mini
VW Beetle (oval window)
Morris Mini-Cooper
Austin 1100 Mk 1
Austin 1100 Mk 2
Morris 1300
Triumph Toledo (worst car by a long way..)
TVR Vixen
Austin Allegro (yes, really!)
Alfasud Sprint
Alfasud Sprint Veloce
Ferrari Dino 246GT
VW Scirocco GTI
Trident Venturer
Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT
Ford Escort Mexico
TVR Trident prototype No. 3 (I still have this one)
Audi 80 quattro
Audi 90
BMW 320i
Alfa Romeo 164
Alfa Romeo 166
Alfa Romeo 156
VW Eos 2.0 Turbo
Audi A5 2.0 Turbo
Audi S3 Saloon 2.0 TFSI Quattro DSG (new September 2014)

There are plenty of others I wish I'd had, and one or two I wish I hadn't had there...

It also struck me that there are several cars I owned or still own that are not on the list because I have them for others to drive, although some of them I've driven many miles in myself - mainly because I like them!:

Fiat 128 3P
Fiat Panda (original style)
Fiat Panda (another original style one)
VW Polo Coupé
VW Polo
Fiat Panda (2nd style)
Latest style Fiat Panda (I still have this one)
VW Lupo (I still have this one too)

Another thing struck me just scanning the list to see if I'd forgotten any:

All the cars without exception are either  British, German or Italian!  Nothing French, Swedish, Japanese or anything else!

List up-dated 23/09/2014!

[jimjarron]

My list of cars is rather short compared to the others.  My first car was a 1976 Holden Gemini, then a 1990 Mitsubishi Magna, followed by a 2015 Skoda Octavia station wagon.  I also purchased a 1962 Wolseley 15/60 12 years ago and still have it, although I haven't taken it out much lately (and before someone comes along to say that 15/60s were discontinued in 1961, this is an Australian built car, and they weren't discontinued here until around March of 1962).

My father had had quite a few cars.  His first was a pre-war Rover 10.  When we arrived in Australia in 1958 he bought a 1955 Hillman Minx, followed by a 1959 Hillman Minx, 1960 (I think) Citroen DS19, 1962 Austin Freeway station wagon, 1949 Jowett Javelin, 1967 Austin 1800, 1970 Holden Premier, 1975 Audi Fox, 1979 (I think) Ford Escort Ghia and his last car was a 1985 Mitsubishi Sigma.  I drove all of them from the Jowett onwards and learnt to drive in the Austin 1800.

[Ultra]

Between Bill Murray and Carnut, my list suddenly feels a wee pedestrian.

[Carnut]

You went from a Scirocco to a Dino?? Waddya win the lottery? 

Actually I see the Dino is slightly out of position.
I got it when I had the Alfasud Sprint Veloce and sold it when I had the Scirocco..
I'll have to move it.
Dinos were not so expensive in those days... I sold it for £9500 and I see they are now hitting £250000...  C'est la vie!

And now Dinos are advertised at anywhere between £329,000 and £369,000.  That's a £100,000 gain in less than 2 years...  Oh, boy, I wish I had it now!

[Arthur Dent]

Its been a while so I thought I'd re-post with all the cars I've owned since the last update. Its a long list.



My first "car" - a hand me down from my parents. Its orange colour named it the nickname "cheesewagon". Lots of fun in its own way and useful for camping trips and such. It had a 360cid V8 and 3spd automatic. The interior had velour captain's chairs, a rear seat that folded to a bed, wood paneling and shag carpet. Very groovy!



My first car I bought with own cash. A mint condition 1978 Z28 with a 350cid V8, 4bbl carb, 4spd close ratio manual, posi 3.73 rear and some headers with true dual exhaust. The previous owner had ported the heads and put some sort of aftermarket cam in it too. Lots of fun. Sold to buy first house. Went to a guy in Alabama. He drove it home from Alberta!





1988 Ford Bronco II - My was white with a red interior (not my photo). Oh and rusty. Oh and a nasty engine knock near the end. The interior was ok I guess. I wanted to buy a Taurus SHO but the wife wanted this. Didn't trust it enough to take off road



My old Honda Civic - old picture taken at our wedding shower. This was a horrible, horrible car - very unreliable (and almost new at the time - bought it at 2 years old). Had 5spd gearbox replaced, got terrible fun mileage, rattled at shock. Was fun to drive when working right.



1996 Ford Mustang GT that my wife and I used to own. First year for the 4.6L V8. Traded the above Civic straight across for it.



1988 Taurus wagon - wife refused to drive it AFTER I fixed it up. Mine was similar. Traded in for Jeep below.



1998 Jeep Cherokee - 4.0L inline six, auto, 4x4. I thought it was crap but the wife liked it.



1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500. Great fun little car! Cheap, easy to work (except for behind the dash) and handled well. Bought it for $1500 and loved every minute of it. Engine was getting tired at the end.



2000 Chrysler Neon (Canadian market) - 2.0L I4 and 5spd. It was amazingly reliable - owned for four years almost a record for me.



1986 Toyota Camry I very, very briefly owned. Sister in-law wrote it off three times in one month.



A very early 1969 Reliant Scimitar GTE. 3.0L V6 / 4spd w/overdrive. Rare hand built British GT car. Project car that I never finished.



2004 Nissan Quest - family vehicle for several years. Drove it to Texas back twice. Suffered from a lot of electrical faults at the end of ownership.



1981 Mazda Rx-7 - A real beauty in great shape - bought from original owner. 12A rotary engine and 5spd manual transmission. A lot of fun to drive. Sad to see this one go.



A 1986 Hyundai Stellar that I chopped up for parts to build a Lotus Seven replica (below)



My Seven project  - A Leugo Locost body, Toyota 4AGE DOHC motor with twin Webers, T50 5spd, Hyundai Pony rear axle. Got so close to finishing this one but family finances dictated sale.



1997 Ford Escort wagon - commuter car for a while - 2.0L / 5spd with black Miata alloy wheels.



1986 Mazda B2000 - 2.0L / 5spd. Bought it for $400 - drove it all over the place for two months, sold for $400.



Bought another Rx-7. This one was a '85 GSL. Better spec'd but I preferred the 81.



1988 Ford Tempo L - Bought for $50. 5spd with higher miles on it.



1998 Ford Taurus wagon - I bought this off of my brother as a beater car. 3.0L DOHC V6. Sold off for same as purchase price. Lovely motor wrapped in a so-so car.



1962 Volkswagen Beetle - Canadian Standard model. Got it running after sitting for 20+ years. Had gearbox issues and sold on.

Some differences: Small standard headliner, No chrome trim on dash or door panels, No chrome on running boards, No chrome in the window rubbers (body coloured painted vent windows trim), No interior chrome, Deluxe bumpers, Deluxe body side and hood chrome, No door panel pockets, No fuel gauge but reserve tank and lever, No arm rests, 1963 style rear deck lid with "T" handle, Pre-1958 steering column and wheel, Small signal lever, black interior knobs, Dimmer switch on floor, Silverbeige knobs and window cranks, Current engine offerings, No door panel pockets or arm rest, T handle deck lid, Dealer installed gas heater



1989 Toyota Hilux SURF - JDM market truck so right hand drive. Was diesel but had a 22RE gas motor swapped in. 5spd



MG kit car - unknown brand



1986 Chrysler LeBaron. I painted it with rattle cans - outside ... in the winter. A real POS but I loved it. Had to get rid of when we changed insurance companies. Traded for a Lada Niva.



1995 Lada Niva Cossack 1.7i



1991 Lada Niva 1600



1985 Lada Niva 1600 - parts truck



1981 Datsun 210 - Thought it needed a clutch but gearbox was broken. Sold to a guy who made it into a race car.



1973 Mazda 808 coupe - 1.6L four / 5spd. Like an Rx-3 but with a piston engine. Loved this one. Time warp condition. Was actually my daily drive for a while. Engine needed a rebuilt - smoked a lot.



1968 Ford Falcon - bought as a cheap summer cruiser. Sold on after a brief stay.



1987 Toyota Corolla - auto. Bought as a beater for $80. Fixed up a bit but hated driving it so sold on quickly.



My Canadian market K10 1989 Nissan Micra. Bought as beater replacing hateful Corolla. I loved it. Great fun to drive. Mechanic doing mandatory safety inspection wreaked the ignition system. Was able to partially repair but was never the same.



2012 Mazda 2 - wife got tired of all my beaters and was strong armed into buying something respectable. 1.5L / 5spd. Have auto-x'd and ice raced it. Still my daily driver.



1965-ish Honda S600 - ex drag racer. Shouldn't have bought as it was way too hacked up. Sold as a parts car to a guy with a rotary powered S600.



Owned a couple of these older but mint condition Dodge Caravans.



1982 Toyota SR5 truck - rusty and high miles. Ended up getting parted out. Still have the grill in garage.



1970 Mercedes-Benz 220D - bought with a 1971 parts car. Fixed up and was my daily driver for about a year. Auto-x'd it. 



1965 Envoy Epic - It is a Canadian only variant on the Vauxhall Viva HA sold at Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealers.



1984 Volvo 244 GLE (Canadian model) - 4spd manual with O/D



2005 Ford Expedition for the wife who enjoys gas guzzlers.



1978 Triumph Spitfire 1500 - mostly restored this one. Only $200 investment separates the before and after photos.



1988 Chevrolet S10 - bought with a bad first gear. Fixed the gearbox but now need to re-install. Currently in my driveway bringing down property values.



1950-ish Austin A40 Devon - currently hopeless project - in pieces in the garage right now.


The wife has got herself a 2012 Ford F150 now too.

[Otto Puzzell]

Wow!

[Arthur Dent]

47 vehicles at last count 

[Allan L]

A few years ago I posted a few cars I'd had. After the recent seriously long lists I'll try to list what I have or have had with photos where I can.
1930 MG M type
1950 Lea-Francis 2½ Sports

1958 Wolseley 1500
Simca Aronde Montlhery

1960 Daimler SP250 (plus three more!)

1962+ Ogle Mini
AlfaSud ti
1938 Lea-Francis Sports

Reliant Scimitar GTE
Ford Escort Mk 3
AlfaSud Gold Cloverleaf
Phoenix 11.9 h.p.

MG Maestro
1993 Rover 214
1995 Rover 214
1912 12-15 Mors

1999 Subaru Impreza
1910 15 h.p. Star

2006 Subaru Impreza
2016 BMW 320d Touring (since yesterday!)

More photos later

[Carnut]

47 vehicles at last count 

A few nice left-field ones there!

[Carnut]

Subaru Imprezas Allan; so you do like some modern cars then?!