[Bluebird Singing]

I was the same age as those kids that year. We were “baby boomers”. A couple of guys in my school were gifted with brand new cars on their 16th birthday. They thought they were hot stuff.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Yup.
A high school classmate got a brand new ‘67 396 Chevelle a week after graduation. Another fellow received a very nice ‘66 GTO and would stomp the Chevy any day of the week.
Gasoline was $.19 gallon. A six pack of beer was $.89.

Kinder, gentler times, they were...

[urbanpovertylawcenter]

Me too, same age, cars we destroyed, Mustangs, Camaros, Chevelles, Firebirds, Roadrunners, GTXs, GTOs, and my AMX 390cu in automatic with no AC, used to run all out in a pal's Cobrajet Mustang Mach I. Seatbelts we didn't need no stinking seatbelts.

We were not hot stuff, just stupid. Small rural town in the south.

Nobody died. The caliber of our guardian angels was great.