Saturday, July 25, 2009

Silly me

I am so silly...No really, I write a little about Panhards but for got some information. So here's a little addition:



These cars are from France. My dad has always been interested in things that are made by others and can only be obtained by "spending a little green". Dad was first interested in the Renault Dalphine. I cant even count how many we had over the years. A few of them he ordered straight from France. He was the first owner. I was to little to know how he first heard of these cars all I can remember is that one day we had these cool little cars that no one else had. Dad had several at one time (he was saving a couple in case 1 broke down) 2 were stick and 1 was automatic. Now according to my dad the automatics were a little on the rare side coming to the US. I loved that car. So I told dad not to drive it cause I wanted that one. Well, car 1 broke down so dad started to drive car 2. I kept telling him I wanted the automatic one and he had to save it for 2 more years which was when I turned 16. Unfortunately for me car 2 broke down. Dad was driving my car and his car was almost fixed when one day mom came out and said to me your dad's been in a car accident. All I could think of was Oh no my car. (selfish me). When dad came up the road I was standing in the road. I seen the front end of the car and I though oh that's not hurt. Then I seen the backside and then I cried. OH I was such a snot. more worried about car and not my dad.
Anyways it was shortly after that when my dad acquired the first Panhard. 6 panhards made it to America.(the kind like in the picture) Eventually dad owned 5 of the 6. He parted 2 out sold 1 and I have the other 2. I know he ordered 1 directly from France. The rest he bought from around the states. This is a man who would be driving down the road and see Fly wheels and slam on the breaks....but thats another story. In the summer we would drive from here to our farm inn SD driving a Panhard. We would stop for gas or to eat and instantlly we would have people looking at our car asking a million questions. One time we came out of the restraunt and not only did these people have all doors , and hood and trunk open they had our suitcases on the ground! One guy goes so this is what the new Packard looks like. Rather than tell him what it really was we nodded loaded our suitcases and took off. I think that was the only time dad never gave the people a "tour" and history of our car. opening everything and taking out our stuff really made him mad. Anyways that is how I know about these strange little cars.

3 comments:

Ed & Jeanne said...

Thanks for sharing the back story on your connection with these. Pretty interesting.

BTExpress said...

Stop by for your invitation to my pool party. Be there or regret it for the rest of your life.

suzzie said...

Hi GAB,
I have a new compter!!! So you well be hearing more from me. Now how do I transfer ALL the old photos to a memery stick? MNK well get the old one.well by for now
Suzzie

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