My First Car - 1973

This was my first car. The photos are from on line, which is why the interior shot is blue. It was the late summer of 1973. It was a 1964 Ford Galaxy 500 with the dual tailpipes. Paid $75 for it. I was living just outside Cleveland on the shore of Lake Erie in Timberlake, a town of 300 people. In the evenings I would sit in the car and listen to 770 AM WABC out of New York.

It was a big boat and battleship grey. I had no license and no insurance was required. The speed limit on Rt 80 was 90 on some stretches until the National Speed Limit of 55 kicked in. Gas went from 35 cents a gallon to 65 cents at the Arco station. I got about 12 miles per gallon.

I still have the plate, though the car was abandoned on the side of Rt 80 when the engine seized up on the first few miles back to Brooklyn. I was 19 years old.