Quote: Mid 70's, Rochester, MN and I take young # 1 son out for a ride through town in my 56 Chevy with a hot 331 and 4 speed. He's probably 4 years old at the time. The 331 was out of the front engine dragster I'd run for a couple years so it was healthy enough.
Minding my own business, stopped at a red light and 2 kids in a Camaro pull up next to me and immediately start revving the engine, hollering at me to race. I'm trying to be a responsible parent and ignore them. #1 son yells 'race them Dad!' as the light changes. I unload the 56 and am making short work of beating them as we roar by two city squad cars parked in a 7-11 lot.
Before the cops are even out of the lot I've made a quick right turn, turned off the lights and made another turn into an alley heading back in the direction we'd come from. I managed to make it home driving alleys all the way back. Son kept asking me what I was doing. I kept saying "you can't tell Mom". Of course once we did get home you can imagine what the 1st thing that came out his mouth was. I got 'the look' and 'the lecture'.
Son talked about the experience for many months. I let him drive the same car for his high school prom when he was old enough. When he brought it back it was missing a front baby moon hubcap. Of course he had no idea how that happened.
I love stories like these. In '76, my daughter was barely a year old in the fall. She rode with her mom - who was a tomboy/gearhead - and me in a carseat strapped to the middle spot of the bench seat in front. There was no back seat in the car - a 1957 Chevy 150 2-door sedan, AKA business coupe. It had an uprated 327, a 4-speed and 4:11 gears.
So, we're all at a light on Brookside, one Saturday night, the light turns green, the guy in the next lane punches his '65 Malibu and the tires chirp. Little girl Jackie says her first complete sentence - "Go, Daddy, go!" First time I ever got "the look" from her mom.
I hopped on the '57, but was laughing so hard at her antics [the child's] that I missed 2nd gear and just let back out of it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
