It’s the stories that make the car special. Otherwise it’s just another ‘special’ car.
I’ve had some fun vehicles through the years: 71 Mach 1, Opel gt, 74 vette, and a 74 monte. In the mid 90s we found a 74 xj6 that had a chevy 350, and 400 auto. Great looking, riding, and performance. But when we moved in 2001 to a small acreage down 2 miles of gravel road, we sold it.
The best all round versatile and fun machine might have been the 82 Honda cm450e that I commuted from the farm to the steel fab shop 15 miles away (1991-98). Big enough to be comfortable on the road, nimble enough to charge around the cow pasture checking on cattle and mending fence.
During a 4 year stretch the longest it sat was 11 days one January (I had made an aluminum wind brake for my legs, dressed like I was snowmobiling, and watched the forecast). We lived along us67 in NW IL, which was kept pretty clean by the DOT crews. My motto was: If the road is bare, I am there. Rode by the local bank sign a few times when the temp said 0 degrees.
Our garage was not heated, so before breakfast I would put a small space heater on a 5 gal bucket, aimed at the twin carbs. Within minutes it was ready to go, and fired right up with little or no choke. Parked it in the heated fab shop at work. It was an incredibly reliable bike. A high school buddy of my youngest son bought it after I quit farming in 2001 and became a OTR trucker.
Heh, you are SO right on the mark there. Even a somewhat crappy car can worm its way into your heart!
I always thought those Opel GTs must have been a huge amount of fun to drive, and right smart looking, too!