I just did ~45-1/2 years of time travel

[OriginalOwner]

It was interesting to read that other thread with the Hemmings article about The Coolest Performance Cars of the 1970's because the first car listed was the 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS454.  Well, back when I bought my '74tii in November 1974, I was driving a '70 Chevelle SS396, which actually belonged to my dad.  And therein lies today's tale of time travel. 

 

November 1974, the paperwork is signed and the '74tii is ready for pickup at the dealer.  On that Friday evening in November 1974, I was stationed at the Naval Amphib Base in Coronado, CA.  One of my Navy pals and I jumped into my '70 Chevelle SS396 and we headed north to Saddleback BMW in Mission Viejo.  Signatures accomplished, my pal jumps into the Chevelle and begins the drive back to the Phib Base.  I jump into the brand-new '74tii and likewise begin the drive back.  Later that evening, both cars are on-base, parked side-by-side.

 

Ease forward just a tiny bit to September 1977:  my dad sells the '70 SS396 to a local kid in Simi Valley, CA.  

 

Now let us Time Travel ZOOM ahead just a bit over 45-1/2 years from NOV '74 ..... to arrive at this past Sunday (August 16th).  I'm cruising around Simi Valley in my '74tii and in a housing tract I see an open garage door ..... and there is the '70 SS396.  The kid (now a few years older) that bought it never left Simi Valley, and never sold the car.  He's working in the garage and I stop and tell him the story.  Neither of us can believe the "statistical impossibility" of these two cars being reunited after so many years apart, with such a unique story which first connected them together.  They were side-by-side in 1974, often in 1975 and 1976 and a bit in 1977.  Now in 2020, they are again almost side-by-side.  One owner is an original owner, the other owner is a second owner.

 

In this picture, there's the SS396 in the background, with the same license plate as when my dad first bought the car in DEC 1969.

There's the '74tii in the foreground, also with the same license plate as when I bought it in NOV 1974.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Carl

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by OriginalOwner

[Preyupy]

What a great story, I wish I could find the guy I bought my ‘70 from in Dec 1974.  It had 42,000 miles on it and he was worried about reliability.  He sold it to me and was going to buy a TR6. I still have the 02, I wonder if he still has the TR6?

[NickVyse]

very cool

[Lorin]

Great story !

[jp5Touring]

Tis a great story.?  Three years ago I found my 73 tii from the 90's at a car show,tried to buy it back.  All I got  was a no.

It did cement the idea that I needed another 2002 and how much I like these cars and had to have another.

Forty hours with a truck and trailer,a border crossing or two a cashiers check and a couple handfuls of money were all good.

After 18 months of searching. easy peasy

[zinz]

That is an awesome story, Carl.  Glad to see the guy still has the SS. I sure hope he gets it on the road; it would be such a shame to have it rot in the garage.  

 

Your "muscle car to '02" story and mine are somewhat similar... I got out of a '70 GTO Judge and into my first '02, a '69 model back in the mid 80s.  I never saw the Judge again, though I heard the guy I sold it to had blown the engine a short time later.  

 

Ed Z

[Mike Self]

Always good to hear an original owner/reunion story.  That one is particularly good, given the statistical improbability of it happening.

 

My pre-2002 car was in just the opposite direction of your SS396:  a 28 hp Renault 4CV.  Leisurely acceleration (better after a little engine tweaking) and not too bad handling after adding an EMPI Camber Compensator (remember those on VWs?).  But going from the Renault's 1942 design to a 2002 was, shall we say, eye opening.  

 

I recently had an e-mail from the original owner of my '91 E30 318is who read one of my columns and realized the car I bought in Florida back in 2014 was originally his...

 

mike

 

[Son of Marty]

11 hours ago, Preyupy said:

I still have the 02, I wonder if he still has the TR6?

Probably still trying to get it started.?

[Conserv]

Great story!

 

And only in CA would a ‘70 and a ‘74 have both escaped the tin worm! 
 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Steve

 

[Glen Karr]

Great story Carl.  No idea where my 72 Mercury Capri that I traded in for my 74 Tii is.  

Best,

Glen

[saaron]

That is incredible!  

 

What a cool pair of cars, too.  

 

The car I had before the 02 was a ‘78 Celica Liftback.  I sold it to a young family when I bought the 02.  I went back to school in the fall, and when I came back for the holidays, my Dad said he heard from the family that the Celica was rear-ended at a light, and was totaled.  That’s a bummer.  It was in great shape - my Dad bought it new when we lived in Northern California.  So it only had a few midwestern years under it’s belt.  

 

Scott

[OriginalOwner]

Conserv's comment just made me realize another "statistically improbable" aspect of the two cars:  Vehicle Locations.

 

1)  My dad bought the SS396 in Simi Valley in DEC 1969.  I know for sure it been as far south as San Diego, as far north as Palo Alto, and as far east as Las Vegas.  But the kid, I'm willing to bet it never ever got very far from Simi Valley.  I feel safe in saying the car has only escaped the Simi orbit on oh-so-rare occasions for the past 51 years.

 

2)  The '74tii has been as far north as San Francisco, and as far east as Las Vegas.  And always homeported in SoCal.  It has likewise spent lots and lots of time at the family home in Simi.

 

So it seems a very safe comment when I say that both cars have always been stuck and/or rooted not only in SoCal, but "essentially" in the same little town.

 

Cheers,

 

Carl

 

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by OriginalOwner

[bmw_e30]

this is a awesome story!

 

you gotta love california i bet the ss looks almost the same as when your pops sold it all those years ago

[arminyack]

Faaaaaantastic story! What are the odds?