To the Editor:
Just finished my usual skim of Island news via MV Times, and a short article by Doug Cabral caught my eye. In my usual hurry to do nothing, I scanned the first and last paragraph with a quick glance of the middle, just enough to activate my memory bank and return to the article after dinner.
Well it was a pleasant surprise, and I enjoyed Doug’s reminiscing of days past when the automobile meant everything if you were a teenager. I remember my first car at the young age of sixteen. A 1950 Ford coupe was sitting in the driveway, a $100 birthday gift from my family. That was the beginning of a love affair with four wheels, glass packs and any customizing I could afford. The rest of my high school years on MV would entail a job at the A&P and finagling in any way I could to upgrade to a newer cruiser, maybe a convertible, bigger engine, dual exhausts. I remember finding a 1950 Ford convertible (pretty much ready for the auto graveyard) and pulling the engine out of my old coupe just to ride around in style. That was another story, but from there I was wheeling and dealing to improve my status with a newer and better convertible.
Doug, thanks for giving me a moment to reminisce over the good old days of rock and roll, white walls, spinners, and fender skirts. I only take exception to the last paragraph of your article. You see, out there in the big world, Hemmings magazine, Old Cars Weekly, Carlisle, and many other options exist for us old guys who still enjoy dwelling within past memories. I am about to hit my 67th birthday and one look in my garage would have you realize some of us still hold on to those wonderful days of past. Doug, if you get a chance stop by, we’ll take a cruise in my newest addition, a 1955 Austin Healey 100-4 or maybe the 1968 Corvette convertible. Any excuse will do to get me on the road.
Don Macdonald
West Tisbury
