'71 LTD

I was thinking yesterday about how I had a sad love affair with a car when I was in high school.

On my way to driver's ed classes there was an amazing '72 Ford LTD hardtop (no B-pillar) sedan that had straight pipes that stopped at the axle, an aftermarket radio, a 400 c.i. V8, slotted aluminum slotted mag wheels, and a killer stance. $800. This I did not have, but that car was epic in my 16-year-old mind.

about 6 months later, I saw a really clean '71 LTD hardtop sedan in the town where I went to high school for sale for $400. It wasn't as epic as the other one, but it could be with a little money input. I, once again, didn't have the money for it. Sadness ensued.
November, after I graduated from high school, I was working (shortly) for a company selling aerial farm photography door-to-door, and traded a picture for a '72 Mercury Monterey that resided in the guy's grove. $80 that I still didn't have, but could find a way to make up for. When I got home, I told my dad about the trade. He kindly reminded me I was unwise to have done that, and after a lot of mental debate and anguish, I never retreived it. I couldn't afford to transport it.

I still want something along the lines of that first '72 with the aluminum slots, but I need the money... still. Someday I'll get out of school and get a job that will give me the one thing that always makes these projects so elusive to my garage. Someday...