<VV> Corvairs, Pintos, Fiats and Other Stuff

[Mark Morgan]

  Obviously, the article in question's highly subjective (as a former newspaperman - among other career stops - I can vouch that when you write an opinion or feature piece, you're the expert...or so you think), I did get a kick out of it and like many of the others in the group took exception with several of the comments.  I also get a major hoot out of periodic Brit reviews of their cars, the commentary's particularly biting and hilarious.
   My first four cars, dating to 1970:
   1963 VW Convertible - Great car, learned how to drive a stick, very easy to work on (thus educational) and despite the rear weight bias and swing axles very predictable handling...until the night I got in over my head on a dirt road on the north side of Tucson and rolled it three times.  After that it didn't run quite the same but it ran. 
   1965 Corvair Monza 140 - Another great car, took me to UNM in Albuquerque and another good mechanical learning experience ("torque wrench?  I don't need no stinkin' torque wrench").  Sadly, had to dump it when the clutch throwout bearing (?) failed and we couldn't ID a mechanic who'd tackle the problem.  Was a Corsa member at the time but wasn't aware ABQ had a fair number of outstanding Corvair mechanics available (Reider, Zuercher, etc); CNM didn't get its start until the spring of '74, by which time I was driving a: 
   1972 Ford Pinto - One of the five best cars I've ever owned, extremely reliable, easy to work on and one of the best engine/transmission combinations I've ever run across.   Handled well enough except when things got icy in Albuquerque, would love to have another although I'd probably pull out the fuel tank and put in a fuel cell or something similar.
   1976 Fiat X1/9 - The "EnsignMobile."  Underpowered?  Shoot yes, but it handled so well and it was so much fun, who cared?  Great autocrosser except on the courses with long straights, managed two cross-country drives with all of my earthly possessions (ABQ>NAS Whidbey Island, WA; PSound>NAS Pensacola) before I outgrew it.  The better of my two Fiats, another vehicle I wouldn't mind owning again. 
   AND there's a Gremlin story in there, but I've rattled on long enough...