Tomorrow you’ll read about my exploits at the SCCA autocross with project Buford T Justice. I was the biggest, ugliest, most out of place looking car at the event but I did pretty well for my first time out and it didn’t take but a run or two for the big car to raise the eyebrows of the SCCA types. I certainly didn’t show up and dominate or win anything, but I exceeded their expectations and satisfied mine. Long story short, I was the freak show of the event and it took about 30-seconds for even my wife to see that. As we were entering the place she said, “Ummm, one of these things isn’t like the other….and that is you.” Between the BMWs, Miatas, Subarus, and scattered ‘Vettes, the ol’ Caprice was an ugly white tank and I kind of reveled in it.
Make no mistake. The racers and event staff were 100% welcoming and awesome. I was just another schmo off the street with a weird car and I was given the same respect and attention as everyone else. Sure there were some muffled snickers, but that was to be expected and I hold it against no one. If someone were to show up at the drags with a two cylinder French car, I’d be smiling too.
So today’s question is about your automotive past. Ever gone to an event, meet, show, or other car thing that you were clearly the odd man out? Was it cool? Bad? Were you ostracized? Accepted? Laughed out of the joint? Tell us!
BangShift Question Of The Day: Have You Ever Been The “Out Of Place Guy?”
Kinda…my car was the odd one out and it wasn’t even there…I work for a university and I was at a meeting the other day. I imagine most of my work colleagues think ( thought) of me as being just like them. They aren’t car heads at all so I never really mention that I’m into them – anyway during a break somebody announces they just bought a Prius. As you’d imagine, everyone thought this was a GOOD THING. People started comparing their little late model cars, mileage etc. and citing the size of their engines ( as you do) only smaller was better in this particular conversation. I kept out of it, till somebody said oh, do YOU have an efficient car? Ah, sure, I said – mine runs on LPG and burns cleanly. Oh good, they said, and how big is the engine? When I said uh, about 6 litres you could have heard a pin drop. People looked at me like I’d just clubbed a seal to death with a rare dolphin whilst raping a Tasmanian Tiger. During the rest of the meeting people kept shooting me odd sideways looks. i loved it!!
I am always the odd man out. With the beater Plymouth people look down their noses and with the Mustang people just walk by…whatever…both make ME smile…I dont own them to make others smile and to crowd around me and the car telling me how awesome I or the car is…
I’d be Buford was still lighter than that Challenger . . . .
Your right. The challenger is a 4200 lb car. The Caprice is around 3800 lbs.
I’m kinda the odd man out. South Georgia is Ford and Chevy country. Being a Mopar guy folks think I’m odd.
Since my daily driver is an ex-ambulance covered in “zombie apocalypses” decals, I tend to look at the foreign exotics as the odd ones.
Uh, yes…
Back in the ’80’s, when the street scene was littered with multitudes of Camaros, Chevelles, Firebirds, Mustangs, Cudas, Chargers, etc,
I drove a lemon yellow 401 Gremlin.
I am frequently the odd guy out. I have a 2000 Grand Prix GTP Daytona Pace Car replica that runs 13s at over 101 mph and gets 30 mpg. Most guys say, “Too bad it’s a front-driver- then I show them my tail lights.
I also have a 1966 Tempest Custom four-door hardtop. “Too bad it’s a four-door,” they say. Mine is a completely rust-free, black-plate California car that is so original it’s ridiculous. Let them talk, I am having fun and keeping it cheap.
I raced my 96 9C1 at the drags a few times on a Friday night and the announcer would refer my car as ‘the taxi’. Didn’t know what to say after I did a John Force style burnout and ran a low 13 sec pass! It was funny as hell!
In the late 80’s/early 90’s being a Ford driver in nearly any form of non-drag or non-top-tier racing, but in my case circle track. I love Fords, but it always seemed like Ford had absolutely no interest in designing and releasing parts geared towards supporting the lower league/budget racers. I know it’s improved somewhat since then, but not to nearly the degree it could have.
Yes. 6 cylinder stock Gremlin at the drag strip. Ran 18.8
I was the odd man out on my first ship, the USS Willamette AO-180, after my first deployment in ’93, as everyone was buying new cars after the deployment, I bought a purple metallic 1969 Barracuda fastback with a 340/4speed, not a everyday find in Hawaii, and it ran a 13:80 on street tires at Hawaii Raceway Park.
Went to a bike night at a Cycle Gear on a 1977 KZ1000, even with an RC pipe, pod filters and a quarter fairing, the bike was older than 99 precent of the riders there. The cool part was some of the local clubs on extended frame drag bike were all over it, talking about it like they were looking at a museum piece and how the KZ’s and CB’s began the sportbike era.
I am always out of place with my Impala. It is too beat up to fit in a car show, it’s too big and not a Camaro to run autocross. It’s not a full drag car at the strip. You know what else it isn’t? It isn’t another Mustang or Camaro, or any other car you see over and over at the shows and races. I like it that way. I always followed my own path and my project cars are no different.