Extended outing for the 1600!

[jscaptura1]

For the first time in about 25 years, I took the 1600 for an extended drive/ weekend!  I drive it around town all the time in the summer,  usually 20-30 miles at a time.  My nephew wanted to use it in his wedding in Rochester, NY so I tuned it up, changed the fluids, flushed the radiator etc.  Made the 100 mile drive like a champ, no problems!  Used it in his wedding, then the 100 miles home.  Ran great all the way!  Averaged 27 MPG overall,  city and highway miles.  Picture is at the Genesee Brew House for lunch on Sunday.  Love driving that car!

[7502]

This indicates you need to drive it a bit more, at least through the summer. Nice looking car.

[Alexander]

A 1970 Granada 1600 at a wedding !

 

I no longer participate much on this forum for several reasons. But, I couldn't let this one go.

 

I've been driving and wrenching on 1600s since 1982. And, they have been apart of my life. Your car brings back memories from a bygone era.

 

In 1990 I purchased my 2nd 1600 from its 2nd owner for $900. It's an early 1969 in Granada Red. It was Martin Luther King's Day, and there was a parade in the area just off Crenshaw Blvd. in Los Angeles. I drove the car home where I sorted through it and found the original sales window sticker from a dealership located in 1969 on Crenshaw Blvd. The sticker was captioned "A Red Hot One on Crenshaw". After tuning the motor, going through the entire brake system and replacing the shocks, it became my every day driver for the following two decades.

 

On one of its first outings, It participated in a wedding at Big Bear, CA, where my then girlfriend's sister was getting married. My  girlfriend  was from Madera County, and her  brother drove down from San Francisco for the wedding. On wedding day I drove the groom, seated next to me in my 1600, along with my girlfriend's brother, seated behind me, and another member of the wedding party, seated behind the groom and holding on to the grab handle, to the wedding location. My girlfriend's sister, the bride, snapped this photo as we drove up in my car. I still can't remember  why I had removed the front bumper. It may have been because I was getting ready to paint it at Earl Scheib in Santa Monica for $150. The car was sporting the gold Enkei Apache 5 1/2" x 13 "wheels with an awful offset of ET12 and 175/70 x 13 Riken Tires, a leftover from my recently deceased 1968 1600. The swan neck mirror was also salvaged from my 68.

 

We were all in our early 20s with little to no $$$. And, we made things work as is. The couple is still married and living in San Francisco where they are raising their kids. My then girlfriend's brother became a successful hair stylist in San Francisco and went on to make a homestead in Napa. 

 

The 2nd photo below was taken with the four of us, to the left, in our cheap makeshift suits, along with two  additional members of the wedding party with my car in the background. I'm one of the two tall guys guys, 2nd from left. My girlfriend's brother is next to me, third from left, and the groom is 4th from left. It's hard to imagine this was 33 years ago.

 

These cars represented cheap, but stylish and cool transportation back then. They represent something very different these days.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Alexander

[jscaptura1]

Alexander,   love the story!  Some similar experiences to mine.  Bought the 1600 in Spring of 1985, daily driver for 3 years or so then I had it painted and didn't want to drive it in the winters of Upstate New York.  I went through a period when I was younger (much, much younger)  where I left the front bumper off as well.  My  nephew has been exposed to the 1600 his entire life, he loves old cars as well and has had a couple of old triumphs in the past.  He knows how to handle the quirky nature of old European cars.  So when he asked to use it, I was more than happy to lend a hand.  It also forced me to address some issues I had been dealing with for years.  The below picture is my nephew and his bride leaving the ceremony.   The second is the 1600 in my bumperless phase.  That one was taken before my nephew was even born.

Cheers!

Joe

[Mike Self]

Three of us just finished a trip to the Deutsche Marque show at the Gilmore Museum near Battle Creek MI--about a 500 mile round trip from Dayton--and a bit further for our third member who came up from Cincinnati.  Two 73s and a 74.  Enjoyed driving the back roads, ran perfectly the whole time.  Not nearly as long a trip for us as Vintage (around 800 miles) or Mid America, (more like 15-1600 miles).  

 

What 02s are meant for.  

 

mike