It took me a while to get used to driving a stick, especially since I usually wore heels, but when I was driving my Datsun, I was driving the vehicle. Driving up the mountain from Ramona to Julian in Southern California was pure joy.
Initially my little trip was great to go to MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas. My previous car, a Galaxy 500, was like a boat to drive and maneuver. One day, I crashed into three cars trying to park. My journalism professor, Johnny Heard, let me call my father from his office. He stifled a coughing laugh when I said, “Dad, I hit a couple of cars.”
A really weird thing happened around 2009. I was coming out of Raven Orchard in Julian and my horn started honking non-stop. I was already near Lake Cuyamaca, so I went into the restaurant.
People ran out and the cook asked what the problem was. “I can’t get him to stop honking,” I yelled over the unpleasant noise. In the 30+ years I’ve owned the car, the horn never worked. It had an air horn behind the passenger seat that it had as a backrest.
Returning to the orchard with the horn still blaring, I had to drive through town. I waved like I was on parade and held up Billy the boxer’s paw. Finally, my Irish friend Patrick Brady cut the cord and silenced the beeping.
This is where it got really weird. As I came off the mountain for the second time, took the scenic route, as the amazing scenery came into view, the car horn started honking again! I stopped and got out to watch my car blaring.
Back in the orchard, my friend googled that there was a backup speaker that kicked in if the main speaker failed. It’s amazing that they both went crazy on the same day. I’ve always wondered if the person in Japan who made my car died that day. The second horn was the car greeting its creator.
One of the best memories I shared with my dad was leaving the Marriott in Mission Valley. He was stunned when he saw the beautiful restored version of that precious two-seater. He laughed and said that he needed it now.
Bright rusty paint to match the original, a new engine and all the bells and whistles – an amazing stereo, new seats, upgraded carpet, interior and dash. A Bose stereo was installed and was placed in the rear of the coupe instead of behind the seats. The car could now be filled with music and often did.
At 17, when I was driving this car, my long, Texas blonde hair turned heads. At 47, people just wanted to take a closer look at my journey. It really was lovingly restored and was worth the 10k spent.
And then, I got in trouble with the IRS. They took my Z and sold it at auction. I read that the starting offer would be $4,500. The car was 35 years old at the time and we were the original owners. I felt like a part of my family was gone when I lost this heirloom.
