Well, it wasn't quite new, but it only had 5000 miles on it. I did however
go to a dealer to get it. I had seen a couple of roundtail Spitfires and
always dreamed of getting one If I was to ever get a car. Alas, I figured
I could never afford such a lovely thing - surely it was expensive. Such a
sleek sexy shape, to me it looked like an Italian sports car!! Now
remember when this was and where I was in time. I had very little
knowledge of cars then, just having worked on my former vehicle very
little, and other than that was not a gearhead. In fact, other than
drawing pictures similar to what "Big Daddy Roth" (oh yeah, remember him??)
was doing, and maybe building a few models, I had no interest in cars. In
1973 I was just out of high school, and after the 1969 Simca Bertone coupe
that I had bought from my father for $200 got T-boned at an intersection I
decided that it was time for a new car - I went shopping, and after many
trips and used car viewing there it was. On the John Hine Showroom
Dealership (which is still in business by the way) was a shiny, almost new,
1972 Pimento Spitfire with a factory hardtop! Heck, with such low mileage
the factory warranty was still in effect (well in my mind it was). They
wanted $2500 for it, but I had to have it. So after a long talk with my
dad, you know, responsible people blah blah blah, Insurance blah blah
blah...he agreed to co-sign for it - OH happy day!!! We went down to the
dealer, and they even knocked $500 off it (Go figure, an "honest salesman"
:-) How little I knew then about buying vehicles That was one of the
happiest days of my life. I can still vividly remember everything -
Driving onto freeway 8 on that summer day, thinking - Man this is the
life!! I was in heaven, although I had a huge hole in my bank account, and
I still had that whopping payment of $67.22 to make for...oh my...24
MONTHS...TWO YEARS. Seemed like an eternity back then - How funny things
look in retrospect - That car sent me down the road to Gearhead-ness. I
was hopelessly hooked - 33 year later and who knows how many thousands of
miles later, I still have the car. Although it doesn't quite look or
perform as it did when I bought it :-) I now have a 1970 GT6, a 1970 (sort
of) Spitfire, a 1940 Ford pickup Hot Rod and Triumph parts hauler, a 2003
Mustang and a 1988 Skeeter bass boat - the only cars I no longer have are
of course the Simca, A 1972 AMC Gremlin - don't laugh, I really liked that
car - it was a great boat hauler(my first boat a 1978 Glassmaster
tri-hull). Sold that car to my brother. A 1993 Ford Ranger which we
traded in on the Mustang. And finally, my trusty 1973 Ford Courier I bough
for $50 which I gave to my brother about two years ago who still has it
today. None of these vehicles were bought "new". The Spitfire with 5000
miles on it had the least amount and was still within the warranty period,
so it counts doesn't it?? :-)
Barry Schwartz (San Diego)
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