The first car in my life was my dad’s 1937 Plymouth. By the mid ’50s, he finally wore out that reliable Mopar and purchased a gorgeous ’49 De Soto that he drove well into the ’60s. In the early ’60s, we became a two-car family, but the ’57 Ford didn’t last as long as the Mopars and was eventually replaced by a ’57 Chrysler Saratoga four-door hardtop — the car I learned to drive on. Dad went on to buy a Dodge Dart later and that Slant Six powered compact lasted and lasted again. While he was still driving the Dart, I moved to Wisconsin to work for Old Cars Weekly and I purchased a ’63 Chrysler Sport 300.Though it wasn’t a letter car, the 300 suited me to a “T.” That car lasted a good long time, too.
Dad’s Mopars and my 300 didn’t adhere to the concept of planned obsolesence. Anything Chrysler built in the 1940s-early 1970s was known as a well-engineered, long-lasting machine. Maybe the people at Fiat should make a note of this. If they really want the new “Franco American Motors” to succeed, they ought to just focus on building a car that you or I could count on for years and years. If Chrysler followed a simple concept like that, what other car would we ever want?
"Gunner" is one of of the most prolific authors and most visible characters in the old car hobby. He has written dozens of books about old cars for Krause Publications and is the former editor and publisher of Old Cars Weekly. His collecting pursuits range from old Pontiacs, to MGs, to retired police cruisers, to Indian motorcycles. He remains a frequent contributor to Old Cars Weekly and owns and operates Gunner’s Great Garage, a classic car restoration and gift shop in Manawa, Wis.
