I turned sixteen in 1962 and what young guy then didn't want his own car. My grandfather had just stopped driving, for his eyesight was failing. He offered his car, a 1950 Oldsmobile 88 two door sedan. The big V-8 made these the Camaro of their day.

He lived in Pittsburgh, so my dad, brother and I went to pick it up. Like many old cars, it overheated on the trip back to Adrian, Michigan, but fortunately we had relatives in Youngstown to visit on the way.

My younger brother and I shared this car over the next three years, with minimal repairs and a few modifications. After I went away to college, they sold it and the last time I saw it, it was in a ditch outside town.

John