Since others have told their non brit car one-that-got-away stories, I
feel compelled to tell mine too. This one took place 1959. I was
working for a small aerospace company in the San Fernando Valley and
going to school at night. One of my fellow work buddies came across a
supply of surplus P-51 Mustangs for sale for some ridiculously low
price, either $500 or $1500 apiece, I've forgotten which. My friend had
learn to fly in an air force flying club which had had access to T-28
trainers. He really loved flying military aircraft and wanted to buy
one of these P-51's in the worst way but he couldn't come up with enough
money. Since he knew I was interested in flying, he asked me to go
halvesies with him. I pointed out that at 150 gallons or so of avgas
per hour we couldn't even afford to fly a P-51 let alone pay for
tiedown rental and maintenance. But my friend had answers for all of
my arguments. We could find some low rent field out in the boonies
somewhere, he knew he could lean the cruise out to 75 gallons or less
an hour. Since he had been an aviation mechanic in the air force he
could do the maintenance himself. He begged me to go in with him.
Every time he saw him he pleaded. At the time I was saving up to go
back to school full time and I would have had to sell the TD I had
bought just a few months before, even so, I was very very tempted. Of
course the whole idea was stupidly impractical and I didn't give in to
it but since then I've always wondered if we could have pulled it off
some how, at least for a while.
Not long after that both of us left the company and I didn't see my
friend again for about a year. By then I was back in school and he had
gotten married and gone to work in his father-in-law's cabinet making
business. He was no longer flying very much and by then I wasn't much
into it either but I still had the TD.
Probably everyone on the list has missed some opportunity or other
they've ended up kicking themselves for later. Maybe it was a car or
real estate or even some stock you knew was a good buy. I know I've
passed up lots of deals because of a faint heart or because I just plain
didn't have the money, but once, back in 1966, I got it right. I was
looking for a roadster to replace the big Healey I had just sold and had
narrowed it down to an E-type or an AC Cobra. Both were about the same
price and there seemed to be a plentiful supply of both in nearly new
condition in the LA area at the time. In the end I opted for a Cobra
and bought one with 8k miles on it and the still strong smelled of
English leather inside. It was suppose to be my "next" sports car but
somehow I could never bring myself to sell and and I still have it
today. Now if only I could get myself motivated to finish up the brake
work I started last fall, I could enjoy driving it as much as I enjoy
owning it.
Roland Dudley
cobra@hpcdcsn.HP.COM
CSX2282
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