And now, some remembrances from throughout Humboldt County and elsewhere:
Debi August, Fortuna real estate professional: "My first car was a 1958 Ford station wagon, and it would be a show stopper at AutoXpo. At the time, I hated it but would love to own it today. It was all original with the old wood panels running down the sides and, really, in near mint condition. I was so embarrassed to drive it: I remember putting up a scarf and securing it in the driver's window allowing it to hang down so no one would recognize me. All my friends who rode around with me would duck down in their seats if cute guys were close by. Oh, to be back in the 60s."
Kent Bradshaw, former Fortuna police chief: "My first car actually was a motorcycle — a Honda 350 that I got when I was about 16. It was something I could afford, something I could get around town on. By the end of that school year, I thought I was pretty hot because I also had obtained a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle. A little later, an elderly woman in Eureka hired me to chauffer her and her friends around town in her Ford Galaxy. That probably was my first job, and she actually let me keep the car while I wasn't driving her around. One night, I was pulled over by the police for not having my headlights on. I was on my way home from the bowling alley in Fortuna and (Fortuna Police Officer) Jack Spitler pulled me over. Jack had to call the woman to make sure the car was hers. Shortly after that, I became a Eureka Police Explorer."
I installed two, 12-inch bass woofers in the back and a new Pioneer tape player and listened to Sir Mix-a-Lot with the bass way down low.
John Ford, realtor: "A brand new 1990 Suzuki Swift Hatchback. I bought it just days after Navy boot camp in June 1990. I installed two, 12-inch bass woofers in the back and a new Pioneer tape player and listened to Sir Mix-a-Lot with the bass way down low. You could hear me coming two blocks away. I also put on chrome hubcaps and tinted all the windows. I was able to drive from Oakland to Stockton in a little over 90 minutes, it usually takes one hour."
Paul Gallegos, Humboldt County district attorney: "When I was 16, I got a 1964 Austin Healy Sprite. It was a fun car, with an awesome heater for those East Coast winters. It was easy for a kid with mechanical skills to figure out, himself, how to work on it, but I had to carry a blanket in the trunk. I have many great memories of that car.