My Story of The Last Flight of the New York

[FOXBAT008]

This is my first visit in a couple of weeks to this thread
The posts are too long for me to read.  

I am not a religion faith based person.  I do not believe in a sky daddy (god) or the related material that surrounds all religions

That's fine with me  - believe in what you want to believe
(Although I would keep my Helmet on - LoLo)

I was just stating what worked for me.

I tried placing the story in parts So it would not be so long a read

Thanks for your Comment

[FOXBAT008]

Good story. I think most of us had a "New Yorker" in our lives, a special car that set us on the path we are following. My Brother in law had a 57 300C.

Enjenjo  Thank you for your kind words - I'm glad you like the story.

Did you ever take a ride in your B.I.L 300C? -

If to did then my brother's 58 brought back some memories of what an Awesome Car it was!!!!!  
To me it was a Real Super Car - Large and Powerful.

Franky D  Changed the manifold and put on 2 "4's" on my Brother's Car  - Forget the Gas milage,
But it sure added to the Thurst..............

[FOXBAT008]

I've read your story and even tho it is a lot different than growing up in a Michigan farm town in the 50's and 60's, drag racing on marked off country road quarter miles, it is always interesting to see things from other people's perspective.  Thanks for your efforts. :D

I assume you're still a car guy.  Do you have a rod of some kind now that you'd like to tell us about?

Thanks Pumkin

Boy! I wish my brother Jacques raced in the country - alot safer then on crowed city streets.

No I don't have a Rod or Hot Car -- I wish I did.

I just enjoy looking at cars at car shows - I'm an amatur photographer
The sheet metal of the Fifties and sixties car are without equal in my book.

I love conversation with the owners -- I'm a people person

The best show that I go to every year in in upper New York State - The majestic Adirondack area - "The Grand National"  With Lake Geroge as a back drop - The Cars show up so nice in my photos

I try my best to make the owner of these wonderful cars feel very special by giving them sincere compliments.

My favorites Cars  --- 1963 Split Window Vett
                               1963 Rive
                               66 Tornado
                               55-56-57-58 Chrysler 300's
                               All early T-Birds up to 69
                               66-67 GTO
                               65 Grand Prix
                               63 Chevy 409
                               60 Chrysler 300
                               Hemi Cuda
                               Plymount GTX -- Any Year
                               1969 Dodge Daytona
                                Mustang Boss 302
                               R/S Camero
                               1970 Buick GS
                               1970 Mach I

As I first noted in my first posting on this site when this car generation goes to the Big Drive in the Sky America will Never be the same again

So let us rejoice that we can still enjoy them while there around and honor all the good people that own them.

One more thing I love about a good car show is all the Great Music for those era's

[C9]

Fun read, I enjoyed it.

Interesting technique with the color changes and bolding.

One question though, did I miss it or did you guys beat everyone you ran up against?

[FOXBAT008]

Fun read, I enjoyed it.

Interesting technique with the color changes and bolding.

One question though, did I miss it or did you guys beat everyone you ran up against?

Hi C9 - Thanks for reading my story - Glad that you enjoyed it.

To answer your question - Did Jacques ever lose a race - No
Could he have been beaten? Yes

He raced against cars mostly in Newark where the large big Detriot Cars were King

Again T-Bird - Big GM size sleds - Big Ford Etc

He Did race against some real Muscle car's - Like Freckles with that powerful 63 Chevy - probably it had a 409 under it's hood. The Kid overreacted and did a wild burnout, thus, Jack won. I think that car would have beaten US that day if launched the proper way!

Jack's Car truly became a car to recon with after Franky D did his magic
then it was a Real Super Car - but it did not live long to really see how many Real Muscle Cars it could have taken on.  It did beat an SS 396 Chevell  --- (It did cost Jacques a fourtune to accomplise this - He could have put a good down payment on a New GTO)

Of course Jack's Car would have been beaten by many Muscle cars of the day.

What most impressed me was that I had such doubts that Jacques car could have beaten any Car that was hopped up.

My favorite race was the first one on Central Ave - I thought for sure that Bonneville was going to Cream us - It was such a High when we blew him away...

Too bad the New Yorker did not live longer - But in the short time that it was around, it was a real Blast.

[FOXBAT008]

Behind the scene

I wrote the Story because I almost lost my brother Jacques twice to the big "C" cancer and since we are so far apart Seattle Wash - Flanders N.J, I thought it would be nice to remember and write the story about our youth and Jacques first car. I just did not know where to start - get a piece of paper and write it?  Na, that wasn't an incentive that I needed to get me to write it. One day me best friend Jim (the skinny Irishman) told me about a Web site where people that lived in Newark conversed and talk about a gamut of things pertaining to my old-lost neighborhood.

It was like a bridge to the past – WOW   I signed up and started slowly adding my memories of how it was growing up in Newark. Quickly I became sort of the storyteller there and the people liked my true stories.

(I was blessed with a 95% recall ability when it came to remembering the past and vivid details, all my family and relatives came to me like I am some sort of old Indian man that remembered the ancient past.)  

I floated the idea to the Webmaster if he would give me my own post where I could write a car story about my brother's first car and he did.
I did not have anything written down -and I said to myself I got to do this for Jacques and I want to take the reader along with me on all the crazy adventures.

I always liked movies so I decided to make the story follow a movie script
like introducing the main characters and then the opening scene.
Still I did not have anything written. Where do I start?

First I wanted the story to be absolutely accurate - so I found a guy on the Newark site that grew up on my street but was there in an earlier time slot. Jules was his name - he knew everything about Newark - 4th generation Newarker.

I asked if he would accompany me and venture back to the street were we both lived on.
This was very risky – Still a very bad area (As a matter of fact a boy and a girl were killed two weeks later in a ride bye shooting 3 blocks from where we visited).

The reason I went there was to verify my facts on the story. While I was on my block with Video and Camera Jules found an old black couple just sitting on their front porch taking in the afternoon sun.  Jules called me over and introduced me to the folks and said this gentlemen (me) used to live on this block. The old man looked up at me with sad suspicious eyes and "When did you move out of here – with a sort of sarcastic tone in his voice" I shot back "When did you move here?" He said 1965 I said we left in 1968. He just looked away – I could see I was losing his attention. So I asked him a direct question: Do you remember that boy who had that big car in keep in the lot two houses up? (The Corral)
The Old man eyes widen up You mean that Crazy Boy and that Big Car? I said YES that was my brother. He stated laughing Shooooo That Boy was Crazy.

That broke the Ice and we talked about all sorts of thing we had in common.  He knew my family and said my father was a decent man and had to leave cause the town was not a place to be with all those young ones. I made a believer out of Jules that day, It also was the biggest spark I needed to write the story. I photographed the Kings House – The Corral – 11th St. where all the races roared down my block and our house were I grew up in.

I then visited South Orange Ave – Drove by the Fairmount cemetery and then by the Connelly house.
Lastly where the New Yorker crashed across the street from Pabst Brewery which coincidentally was being taken down that very week – pretty strange day –  where the Blue Ribbon Restaurant use to be it now an empty lot --- Lot of strange energy was flowing on the day I revisited Old Newark – First time in thirty years.

Afterwards I contacted Jim and went over some of the details of the races described in the story-- again accuracy was what I was striving for.

The first part of the story that I wrote was the first race on Central Ave, After that was penned the rest came easy and just flowed.  I loved writing it. I was transported into time – I would go to sleep and wake up with more details. I finished the story a few days before Jacques 57th  birthday.  I had the story on the site and my older brother Pierre picked Jacques up from the nursing home and presented him with the story. Pierre said that was the first time he'd seen Jacques cry.........

I invite anyone to please write a story about a time of your life that meant something special to you – I guarantee that it will be most satisfying.

My son, Johnny, loved the story.

I had to write this story cause Jacques meant so much to me growing up – he was my mentor – guardian – equalizer. There was no bully that I picked on me that didn't feel Jacques wrath. I could walk down the meanest street of Newark and feel no fear with Jacques by my side – He had Howitzer Punches. – He never looked for a fight but he Never backed down from one – totally fearless. And I was his little brother who he protected – we were inseparable. All my best time growing up had Jacques in the mix, this is way I cared so much for him in a protected way (Granny)

By the way I'm not Granny anymore-I walk in Jacques footstep.......................

[purplepickup]

I invite anyone to please write a story about a time of your life that meant something special to you – I guarantee that it will be most satisfying.

Some of our members have done just that.  One in particular has written a book about growing up as a hotrodder in California in the 50's and 60's.  C9 has authored "California Hot Rodder" which is a great read.  You can read a little bit about it here:  http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewwork.asp?id=7479  I'm sure that writing it was satisfying to Jay.  It certainly has been satisfying to those of us that have read it.

[FOXBAT008]

I invite anyone to please write a story about a time of your life that meant something special to you – I guarantee that it will be most satisfying.

Some of our members have done just that.  One in particular has written a book about growing up as a hotrodder in California in the 50's and 60's.  C9 has authored "California Hot Rodder" which is a great read.  You can read a little bit about it here:  http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewwork.asp?id=7479  I'm sure that writing it was satisfying to Jay.  It certainly has been satisfying to those of us that have read it. :D

Thank's Purplepickup - I will - Good Information

[Ohio Blue Tip]

Thanks for the story, it was a great read.   What's next?

[FOXBAT008]

Behind the scene

I wrote the Story because I almost lost my brother Jacques twice to the big "C" cancer and since we are so far apart Seattle Wash - Flanders N.J, I thought it would be nice to remember and write the story about our youth and Jacques first car. I just did not know where to start - get a piece of paper and write it?  Na, that wasn't an incentive that I needed to get me to write it. One day me best friend Jim (the skinny Irishman) told me about a Web site where people that lived in Newark conversed and talk about a gamut of things pertaining to my old-lost neighborhood.

It was like a bridge to the past – WOW   I signed up and started slowly adding my memories of how it was growing up in Newark. Quickly I became sort of the storyteller there and the people liked my true stories.



(I was blessed with a 95% recall ability when it came to remembering the past and vivid details, all my family and relatives came to me like I am some sort of old Indian man that remembered the ancient past.)  

I floated the idea to the Webmaster if he would give me my own post where I could write a car story about my brother's first car and he did.
I did not have anything written down -and I said to myself I got to do this for Jacques and I want to take the reader along with me on all the crazy adventures.

I always liked movies so I decided to make the story follow a movie script
like introducing the main characters and then the opening scene.
Still I did not have anything written. Where do I start?

First I wanted the story to be absolutely accurate - so I found a guy on the Newark site that grew up on my street but was there in an earlier time slot. Jules was his name - he knew everything about Newark - 4th generation Newarker.

I asked if he would accompany me and venture back to the street were we both lived on.
This was very risky – Still a very bad area (As a matter of fact a boy and a girl were killed two weeks later in a ride bye shooting 3 blocks from where we visited).

The reason I went there was to verify my facts on the story. While I was on my block with Video and Camera Jules found an old black couple just sitting on their front porch taking in the afternoon sun.  Jules called me over and introduced me to the folks and said this gentlemen (me) used to live on this block. The old man looked up at me with sad suspicious eyes and "When did you move out of here – with a sort of sarcastic tone in his voice" I shot back "When did you move here?" He said 1965 I said we left in 1968. He just looked away – I could see I was losing his attention. So I asked him a direct question: Do you remember that boy who had that big car in keep in the lot two houses up? (The Corral)
The Old man eyes widen up You mean that Crazy Boy and that Big Car? I said YES that was my brother. He stated laughing Shooooo That Boy was Crazy.

That broke the Ice and we talked about all sorts of thing we had in common.  He knew my family and said my father was a decent man and had to leave cause the town was not a place to be with all those young ones. I made a believer out of Jules that day, It also was the biggest spark I needed to write the story. I photographed the Kings House – The Corral – 11th St. where all the races roared down my block and our house were I grew up in.

I then visited South Orange Ave – Drove by the Fairmount cemetery and then by the Connelly house.
Lastly where the New Yorker crashed across the street from Pabst Brewery which coincidentally was being taken down that very week – pretty strange day –  where the Blue Ribbon Restaurant use to be it now an empty lot --- Lot of strange energy was flowing on the day I revisited Old Newark – First time in thirty years.

Afterwards I contacted Jim and went over some of the details of the races described in the story-- again accuracy was what I was striving for.

The first part of the story that I wrote was the first race on Central Ave, After that was penned the rest came easy and just flowed.  I loved writing it. I was transported into time – I would go to sleep and wake up with more details. I finished the story a few days before Jacques 57th  birthday.  I had the story on the site and my older brother Pierre picked Jacques up from the nursing home and presented him with the story. Pierre said that was the first time he'd seen Jacques cry.........

I invite anyone to please write a story about a time of your life that meant something special to you – I guarantee that it will be most satisfying.

My son, Johnny, loved the story.

I had to write this story cause Jacques meant so much to me growing up – he was my mentor – guardian – equalizer. There was no bully that I picked on me that didn't feel Jacques wrath. I could walk down the meanest street of Newark and feel no fear with Jacques by my side – He had Howitzer Punches. – He never looked for a fight but he Never backed down from one – totally fearless. And I was his little brother who he protected – we were inseparable. All my best time growing up had Jacques in the mix, this is way I cared so much for him in a protected way (Granny)

By the way I'm not Granny anymore-I walk in Jacques footstep.......................

Just a quick Note

When I was doing my investigation and gathering fact of the story - I researched the Newpapers and Police reports to find out if anyone was injured or worst killed the Night the New Yorker took out 1 Beer Truck - 3 parked Cars - 2  Parking Meters - One Restaurant front - One Cigarette  Vending machine -----

I was relived that the answer was No - Thank God  ---

I had always wondered about this for 39 years now I can rest the case

[FOXBAT008]

Thanks for the story, it was a great read.   What's next?

Thank You Very Much Ohio Blue Tip. --- Yours was the best compilment  

What's next - Will I do have one more Racing story that also happen in 1967 -- (Before my brother got the New Yorker)  I guess I can tell it now with out worrying about a law Suit - Lolo.

Again its a true story - This time we did about 25,000 worth of damage without really trying  --- No-one got hurt - Just our ego and some very expensive piece of equipment.  --- Yeps!~

I have to write it ----
(Ahhhh don't worry some of you's it won't be a long story)

See Ya!

[FOXBAT008]

Hi  Name is Jack/Jacques
I was born  6-11-48,  A Gemini
My mother said I was feisty the first time I took a breath
I rolled off the kitchen table the first day my parents brought me home –
I guess that's the day I started to Rebel  
Here is my creed that I lived by
I was born standing up and talking back
My daddy was a green-eyed Canadian jack – who did not give me any slack
He tried the best he could – but could not break my ways or my will.

I've never looked for trouble
But I've never ran
I don't take no orders from no kind of man
I'm only made out of flesh, blood and bone born and raised in Thundering Newark N.J
If you're gonna start a rumble,,,,Don't you try it on alone -
I'm here ready willing and able.
Because I'm Jack, my middle name is "Defiance" I never run.

Some people say I'm Crazy – They say I was untamable – That might be true.
I was stranded in the combat zone and made it out alive –
They said I was insane they may be right.
I like "Smoke" and "Lightning".
I headed out on the Highway's looking for Adventures.
I've climbed so high and I made it happen...
They said I would not come back from Dead Man's Curve - I proved them wrong.
They said I had a edge – I said I laid back and let them make the first moves.
I say I couldn't get Satisfaction no matter what I tried, ,it bored me.
I tried to set the night on fire and I achieved it on more then a few occasions.
I liked Sweet Soul Music and had the Newark rhythm in my stride.
I was born to be "Wild".

I lived on the streets mainly the West Ward – It was a tuff turf  -
The streets of Newark were made out of granite curbing and the pavement that always heated up to a burning point in the summer time. The sidewalks were crooked and heaving each and every way. It was not easy strolling down them each day.
These were not friendly passageways by no means.
So I had to be good with my hands.
If the left don't get yea, the right one surely will – you can bet on it....

Had my first job at 9 – Newark News – got mugged the same year and then learned how to survive on the streets. I learned from the book of hard knocks. After that the muggers were mugged – they thought I was just another pansy = Surprise BANG!
I had a howitzer punch that flatten many a challenger – Ask Jean. He was with me when I took an assailant down with my infamous preemptive first strike. He fell to the pavement like a bag of coal. He was out cold! – His four buddies spatter away like scattering pool balls. Vengeance was mine. They mistook us for easy prey not knowing that their big bad leader was going to be scratch and become the victim thrown down into the side pocket.
You could not intimidate me........................

Hangouts
The Parks and Sweet Shops were where I hung – and wherever there were ladies – I was there.  I could talk so sweet – I could make the little girls talk out of their heads
I lost it when I was just thirteen above the Sweetshop on South Orange Avenue and Twelfth Street
 
Loved Downtown – Got my treads at Larkey's Men Shop and my glass bottom shoes at Florshiem – I liked dressing sharp, Italian Knits-High Rolls- Shark Skin Slacks -Swank cufflinks –Ascots.  In essence I was a Playboy with Iron Knuckles.  

Places I went to.
One  was "Jimmy's Fun Shop" where South Orange and Springfield Ave meet.  I also frequented Bamberger's / McCrorys / Woolworth Soda shops counters. The girls were plentiful there after school when I attended Arts High.
Shared quite a few soda straws with the pretties there. Sweet for my Sweets.
I took all my classy dates to Schraft's near Hanes.  

Schools
I started in St. Antoninus – "Father Sullivan" The Big Fire breathing Irishman"  Excommunicated me out of there after 5th Grade.
Next – 14th Ave School – Thrown Out after 6 months try out.  
Finally I finished up at 15th Ave School – I had a crush on a girl called  "Helen Climax". What a gal – what a name – Blond hair and smiling eyes, funny what a chick can do to you. She was pure innocence – I was hardcore. I had my first French Vanilla French kiss with her at a Caravel Ice Cream joint on Chancellor Avenue in Irvington  "OooooEeee". For the first time I did good in school trying to impress her with my smarts – Aced It with "A's".  Sadly the affair did not go far – her daddy decided that a pretty young girl that had Grace Kelly looks about her did not belong in this section of Newark. She was an enigma to me. I was never able to pick her flower. After graduation she was gone and no forward address was left and all I had left to comfort me were Roy Orbison's sad lonely love ballads that I listen to on the old Webcord HiFi in my room for days.  After I got over her it was pure conquest after that.

High Schools
 I got kick out of every High School in Newark Arts High – East Side – Central – West Side to name a few – I never did get the sheep skin – school was not my thing.

The Law
Got in trouble with the law a few times.....
Like Marlon Brando (Johnny Stabler in the Move 'The Wild One') said: "I don't like Cop's"

Jobs
My father accepted that it was to work I should go
Tried my hand at many jobs never lasted long – you see I get bored very easy
Once I master it – I quit
Finally my POP got me in at Tuscan Dairy and said if I held on to it he would let me get my first set of wheels.
Worked on maintaining the Mr. Tuscan truck fleet great money then – I was able to stash away lots of bread.

Cars
I hung around at the ESSO gas Station at 9th and South Orange Avenue with my black soul brothers.  There I got to try out various cars that were there for repairs. I was an advert reading of car books and magazines and always got a kick out of the road tests done in the Mechanix Illustrated featuring my man – old chrome dome himself – Tom McCahill who did a monthly road test on a particular car. Well I decided that I would conduct my own road tests too. I would go to the back of the garage (The stable as I called it) and pick me out a car for my testing / outings and dates. Like in the cult movie Vanishing point
What I was most interested in was All Out Power/ Handling/ Braking and how well it would hold up to my torture test. This is when I got to appreciate big displacement engines and found there was a King Kong. My tests were done mainly on South Orange Avenue late at night heading to South Orange Mountain reservation and up to the infamous S turns. There the car was put to the Jacques test. I tested each car on how fast it could go around the S turns without fish tailing out of control and how well the brakes would hold up
before they faded out. I push each car to it maximum amount that it could sustain
A lot of screaming tires noise and smoky brakes.
I looked to see if the engine and power train would hold up and if there was any weakness such as overheating ect. –  Wide Track and fancy performance names did not impress me – show me what you can do when I stump my big right foot to the floor– was what it was all about in my book. I love a challenge and this was right in my book of things I like to do – Push it to the edge, too it's absolute limit.
I think I would have made a good test pilot.  

One night parked in the stable was a true thoroughbred. A 1957 white on white Chrysler Imperial Crown. A real King's car.  I was so impress with this fine and powerful handling automobile I knew then this was the car I wanted. It had Size-Style-Power and prestige and it pass the Jacques/McCahill test with flying colors beside it had what the dragsters had a HEMI motor that could be modified to have stratosphere horsepower rating.......... O' Ye
That's how I ended up getting the New Yorker, which I transformed, into a true Super Car able to leap tall buildings – pull out tree stumps – shake the ground and blow away all street Punks..

As John described it so well in the story it was a car to be reckoned with.  I had it pushing out 600 horse power – the money it spent on that car I could have easily gotten a brand new Pontiac GTO. But to me the New Yorker was my type of super car and I built it to take out all challengers.

Drag Racing
I raced it many times outside of Newark – RT22 – Springfield -Union-Mountainside-Maplewood-Pleasant Valley way – South Orange Village and of course the S Turns..
I blew away all the young Trojans and Collegians with their penny loafers and sent then off with their bent pride back to their car hops and Ice cream parlors, some times I ended up with their chick as a reward.
You see they were good off the line but when it came to all out High-Speed racing this is were they all punked out – with only a few exception.
The HEMI was at it's best at top end and I always took it to the top...........Always.
I'm not bragging but I shut them all down.
I broke in the upholstery many times at the in the Newark/ Union/Drive Inns.
It was great fun ruling the streets and strip back then with my mighty machine.
My big steed outran many cops that tried to catch me – but they never could.
Jean / Granny was horrified when I raced on the side streets with it – to me it was a RUSH


The Trio
Connelly – The skinny Irishman =Front Seat Co-Pilot
Had never drove a car but had great nerves –I could never shake him.
He always had bread and smokes on him, quick wit and great with the jokes.
With him on board I felt I had to challenge any thing that come to the side of my rocket.
He always edge me on. "Come On Jack Blow his doors off"

Granny – Jean
He did not like racing at all.
He was best in the back seat saying his prayers


The Wander
Although I was from the Poor Side of Town"
" I Got around-round-round I got around" –
I was getting tired of the same old strip I had to find a new place where the Chicks were hip""
Drag Racing and looking Cool was one thing
But this was the real Bounty = Girls-Girls-Girls
I took my New Yorker many times to Verona and Upper Montclair this was where the all the classy girls frolic and were easy picking on my Sunday morning outings. Those were great spots for pickups. The soft girls liked a Rebel – These were upper crust pre Hippie Bobbers.
I would go there with my artist easel, a pad, charcoal crayons and I was in like Flint.  (Arts High would have been proud of me)  They liked the Newark slang and style– it was rebellion to them. There were lots of pretty rich spoiled Jane's and I was their back door man.  
"These Boots were made for walking and I got all the best"
"Shoot them down – Turn Around – Come on Mony!
Yeah she looks so good and I feel alright – It was,,,,,,,,,,,, Out-of-sight!!!!!!!!!!    
I guess I was an anomaly to them – something different.
The pretty boys would give me a wide wake – I guess I looked like trouble to these softies.  


It comes to an end
Then came July 67 the sands of time ran out of the hourglass

My Car meet it's faith on July 12th taking out three cars – a beer truck and demolishing the front of a Restaurant and then it disappeared into the abyss.
Then the beginning of the end  - July 13 struck
All my Avenues  (Literal and Physical) were gone.
All my gold was in that car – it left me broke –
I thought it was going to last but ended up in Dewy Police pen wrecked and dead alone with all the other carnage piled up in a scrap heap from the storm of July 13th.
It was the end of Newark for me – The streets were impassable
In 1968 I mainly went to the Village in New York for the action and Cafa's –
Newark was in "Shambles" .


Leaving
"Give me a Ticket for an Aer-o-Plane"
"Ain't got time to take the fast train"
Decided to pack it in Sept 1968 and off to La la land
Seattle Washington became my perch – been here ever since
Setting on my front porch
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,
But I know it's nobody's fault

I had fired all my guns at once in Newark – It was a wild time – I'm surprise I lived thru it.

As Pop-Eye Said I Yam What I Yam  "A Maverick" What you See is What You Got!
I'm One of a Kind - I was Jumpin' Jack Flash!

There been some nights while I was in a Seattle bar blowing smoke swirls in the air and hearing a mighty engine outside the joint, it would some times bring me back to the days of the New Yorker. I did not have it encapsulated in memory like Jean had. I guess cause he was in the back seat and his camera memory was on  and he took it all in. Reading it placed me right back there – crazy as I was, he captured it. Granny was no dragster but he more then made up for it in his writing and telling of it with his unique style of Technicolor verbiage.

Looking Back
What I missed most were all the crazy adventures and close calls that I experience in the old town' All the mom and Pops grocery candy/soda shops were neat' Downtown with all it's movies houses – that was pretty much on the way out when I left and beside I could not bring a date back to 11th street- Who in their right mind would go there...........................
Life goes out without me
But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas!
I was only having Fun never Hurting Anyone  - Out

Merry Christmas Everybody

[FOXBAT008]

Greetings

Hope Everyone is doing well

I was glade to see my story is still on this Great Site. (I had computer crash and lost it) Thanks Soooooo Much.

I have One Christmas wish - Can this story be moved to your section called Stories?

I want to wish Everyone a "Merry Christmas"

[FOXBAT008]

Hi Everybody

Thank you for keeping my story on your fine site
Just want to wish everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I'm new to this site and I am very happy to be part of this family.

I guess everyone has a fond memory of their first Car and the a thrill of ownership - building  - customizing it and going for it first Show Down = Race.

I want to share my true story that takes place in Newark New Jersey 1967.

I came from a family of 11 brothers and sisters and living in a town that had just months to live. That did not bother us cause we were used to it.
And we had something new to distract our attention.........

     My story is titled "The Last Flight of the New Yorker"

Its about my brother's first car - a 1958 Chrysler New Yorker that packed a HEMI and me as his younger brother who knew nothing about cars and was going to find out that this faded blue bomb was going to become a legend.

At first I looked at this monster that my brother bought as nothing but an out dated big finned behemoth that  was totally out of date in 1967

I was more concerned to keep my brother Jacques(Jack) out of trouble with this new so called Super Car of his?

I want to share my story of this true account with all the folks of this fine site - Anyone who loved the Music - Car Culture - Fast Races - Close Calls
and beating the odds will love this story

Please Click on to this Link and Hold on Tight - Cause there are No Seat Belts

Here is a little Preview of what it in the story

Jacques Started cruising the Ave.
I tried to strike up a conversation to settle Jacques down.

All of a sudden Jacques sees something ahead.
He starts waving in and around slower traffic ahead of him.

(Sort of like a Cheetah weeding out the heard looking for a kill)

I spotted it a half a block ahead, slowing down for the changing light.

It was a Sleek Low to the ground fully decked out 1960 White Pontiac Bonneville.
This thing looked wicked and loaded with all the right do-dads, Rear fender skirts – Twin Antennas on the back trunk - Side Pipes, Spinners on all four wheels and the Lettering Flanking the front quarter panel in Black reading RESPECT!

Its Gloss white Paint "Glisten" in the Florescent lights from the Ave.
It was the "Millennium Falcon Star Cruiser"

To Myself I said NO!  Not this car!!  It going to make Jacques ride look like a "Hay Wagon"!

It's gleaming shinning profile, it's low to the ground grouse and the sweet sound resonating from it's twin side pipes had me convince that this car might be too much to take on.

I then looked at Jacques to see if he did not notice this challenge.

Jacques went from a mild manner Clark Kent to this Street Gun Fighter.
A serious look came to his face – His Thick Black rimmed glasses looked like Phase Array Radar that had locked in on the Bonnie.  

As we pulled up right next to the Bonnie door handle to door handle
I looked at my buddy Jim – acknowledging It was on!

Again Thanks to the Site Admin for providing this fine sit and letting us share our stories.

Personal Note:  I love going  to Car shows and seeing all the fine Cars, be it Customs - Original - Work of Art - it is so impressive to see these Time Capsules of American past in flowing sheet metal - What I hold most dear is the people that these car belong to,
These are the last great Americans from an era that will never be again!

I say God Bless them all - when they all go to that big Car Hop in the Sky America will never be the same - so lets enjoy it while we can.

God Bless America
John Desranleau - Flanders New Jersey
johndesranleau@hotmail.com