Ferrari Bubba writes….
In 1957 I was living in Newport Beach, CA., and driving a ‘53 Jaguar 120-MC that I had just bought down on PCH for $1,995.
It was White with two blue racing stripes down the middle and had a grey interior with leather seats,and Rudge knock-off wire wheels.
At the shop that I was having it serviced at, the owner had a silver ‘55 Gull Wing with the red leather bucket seats, including the red leather fitted luggage behond on the shelf.
Because his wife was pregnant and couldn’t get in the car anymore, and where would they put the new baby, he offered it to me for $7,000.
But since I was making $2.00 an hour as a journeyman printer at the Newport News-Press, and my old man had just bought a nice 3bedroom house in Fullerton for $9,500, I had to pass. Damn!
Just 6 years later, in 1963, I bought my first house for $12,950 in Buena Park. It was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, attatched 2 car garage with a sunken den. Shake roof with lots of used brick.
By that time I was working nights in Hollywood at the Citizen News, making $135.00 a week building supermarket ads for most of Southern Calif., and lying awake days, wondering how in God’s name I was going to come up with my house payment whitch was $127.50, including taxes and insurance.
My, how things have changed.
Yer (seen it all) pal, Ferrari Bubba
Bubba:
In 1978 in Houston Texas I was offered a pair of Mercedes, both silver. This duo consisted of a 330SL Gullwing Coupe and it’s ragtop variant. $22.000 all up. In my usual astute business fashion I passed. Ever since I flagellate myself with birch branches once a year, on the day which I declined, in contrite penance for my grievous sins of omission.
