Make an Enthusiast For Life

"TractorPillow" (tractorpillow) 07/29/2015 at 13:15 • Filed to: viper, gts, dodge, jalopnik, cars, enthusiasts, story

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Yesterday somebody posted something about “what’s your car story.” I thought it was a cool idea so here’s part of mine.

In 1999 I was in 7 th Grade and a part of an organization called Civil Air Patrol. You can look up what they do because honestly I don’t remember what the actual mission was – hell, it was affiliated with the Air Force and I’ve spent the last 9 years wearing Army green (well…Army digital grayish greenish whatever color).

Seriously...is it gray? green? Whatever it is, it’s not camouflage. Thank God it’s on its way out.

I remember we talked about finding black boxes from downed Airplanes, I had to take tests about planes, we wore uniforms, we exercised, and mostly we volunteered at community activities. Not much sticks out to me as particularly memorable, except for one specific event we volunteered at.

Images from Houstonmopars.org (surprised they had archives of this! rush of memory!)

The Houston Mopar Club was having a show and race day at the Houston Raceway Park. I was 11 and had no clue what Mopar meant, but I liked cars and it was a chance to hang out with some of my friends so I signed up to help out. We did things like hand out registrations, guide cars, help park, etc.

When I got to the show I was blown away by all the cars, but one type in particular was easily my favorite and I was so excited that several were in attendance: the Dodge Viper GTS. This was my absolute favorite car.

I broke my neck on the way to church every Sunday trying to see the gorgeous blue and white GTS parked outside the Dodge showroom for just a second as we drove by on I-10. I think my dad and I were one of only a handful of people that consistently tuned into the, in retrospect, awful TV show “ VIPER.” If you haven’t seen it then go youtube some episodes, but have a 6-pack ready. I recently watched a few episodes, but fortunately I am old enough to drink, otherwise there is no way I could sit through the terrible acting. I also picked the Viper every time on whatever Need for Speed game we had on our computer.

Needless to say, this car was everything I thought a car should be. I was ecstatic at how many Vipers were present, but honestly I was too shy to even get too close to them. I was afraid the people that owned them would discount me as a stupid kid (I was a pretty shy kid in general).

I remember watching the drag races and did not care one bit about the classic cars everyone seemed to fawn over, but when the Vipers hit the strip I was awestruck. Then one of the most memorable events of my childhood happened; one of our group leaders told us we could ride back in one of the cars after they completed a run.

I remember the group of us lining up and I begged the group leader to let me ride in a Viper. He said that we had to ride in whatever car corresponded to our place in line. I unashamedly begged the kid in front of me to let me ride in the silver Viper GTS that had finished the run on his turn. Thankfully, the kid in front of me was car-apathetic and had no problem with it.

I slowly approached that gorgeous, angry beast and my palms were sweaty as I got closer. I was so happy I didn’t get stuck in a Neon. The driver got out and opened the passenger door, warned me about the hot side sills, and told me to climb on in. My first reaction was amazement at how low I was sitting to the ground and my second was how I could feel every bump in the road! We drove back to the staging area and it was over way too fast (insert obvious first timer joke here). I got back to whatever job they had me doing, but could not stop thinking about the Viper.

Fast forward to adult-hood and I’ve sat around several campfires, garages, and bars where friends have asked me what my dream car is. I always told them the same thing: Gen II Dodge Viper GTS. Not a Ferrari? Nope, not realistic enough. Porsche? No, I’m in the Army, not a dentist. Corvette? No, not a dad yet. The reason for its dream car status was because I was left with a memory when I was 11 years old of how cool that car was. Nothing that has come out since then has hit my car emotions quite like the Viper.

Recently I sold another dream car, a Lotus Elise, after two years of ownership and 13k miles. I made some money on the sale thanks to the Doug Demuro !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (in my defense I bought it before I knew who he was). I have broke even or made money on some other cars I have sold so my wife generally trusts my car purchasing decisions.

I was left with a space in my garage and a decent amount of cash in my pocket from the recent Elise sale. My wife and I are in the process of becoming foster/adoptive parents so my initial thought was to get something practical, but of course fun. So, I looked at the Subaru Crosstrek and the Mercedes GLA250 (I was seriously 95% sure I was going to get the GLA). I also jokingly threw out the idea of getting a Viper to my wife who was initially less than thrilled. Then in one of my conversations with her where we were weighing the pros and cons of different potential vehicles she said “just get the Viper.” That was all I needed; I had been secretly perusing all the car listing sites for the last two weeks anyways to get a feel for the Viper market.

A few weeks after my wife gave me the green light I had a one-way ticket to Houston where I purchased a 2002 Dodge Viper GTS. I then drove it home 700 miles in one day on not the greatest tires. I never understood what they meant when they said older Vipers want to kill you, but I quickly comprehended the statement. I respected the car, though, and felt like we were getting to know each other. When I got to Montgomery it started to pour and I drove about 5 under the speed limit in the right lane with semi-trucks passing me. This thing was not going to beat me on our first day together.

I safely made it home that night, ordered new tires within a week, and haven’t looked back…that is until someone asked me recently why I picked the Viper of all cars and I was able to tell them this story. The story of the kind Viper driver that let an eleven year old ride in the passenger seat of his pride and joy for a couple minutes.

That guy has no clue the impression he made on me and I don’t think that any of us really ever know when we might plant the seed of automobile-enthusiasm in others. So, fellow Oppos, show kids your cars; let them open the sunroof, push the “start engine” button, have them “ooh” and “ahh” as you rev it up – you never know the passion you might inspire in them. Plus it’s just plain rewarding to see little kids smile so genuinely.

This was a lot more emotional to write than I thought it would be. Hope you all enjoyed a little of my story. And, if by whatever chance the owner of that silver Viper from the 1999 Mopar show is reading this, thanks for letting me ride in you car!

My best friends chilling in the old tires - and they are both 55 lb dogs.

JR1 > TractorPillow 07/29/2015 at 09:28

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Great story! Glad to hear you obtained your dream car. Never let it go!

TractorPillow > JR1 07/29/2015 at 09:30

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Thanks, Jarod! Hopefully I won’t have to

cazzyodo > TractorPillow 07/29/2015 at 09:30

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Everything about this makes me happy. I’ve admired the Viper since I was little and would love to have one someday.

Also, this is absolutely, unapologeticly Oppo.

extraspecialbitter > TractorPillow 07/29/2015 at 09:34

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This is fantastic. Lawdy, what a sexy car.

SVTyler > TractorPillow 07/29/2015 at 09:39

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Mine isn’t nearly as awesome as yours, and isn’t about a specific car, but rather a whole bunch of them.

Some of my very first memories were of me and my dad sitting on this berm at the back of our neighborhood overlooking the busiest intersection in town and car-watching for hours. He’d get home from teaching in a really rough school and have a ton of papers and homework to grade but he’d still find time to take me every time I asked. I was young enough I don’t remember the first time we did this but I do remember what we talked about.

At first it was just calling out the colors of cars (“blue one, red one”, what have you). Sometime later that progressed to makes (“Daddy, what’s that red one?” “That’s a Chevy” “That’s a Ford”), then to specific models (“That’s a Malibu” “That’s a Mustang”). So in a way most of my knowledge and enthusiasm about cars came from my dad.

At some point we stopped going out to the hill (presumably once I was old enough to read and understand magazines or use the Internet, or just because it wasn’t ‘cool’ to hang out with your dad anymore) and the old man’s since passed on, but sitting next to him as the sun set, watching car after car after car go by is one of my fondest memories of the time we spent together.

Should also add the second-gen Viper and Elise are also two of my dream cars too. You have very good taste, my friend.

vondon302 > TractorPillow 07/29/2015 at 09:40

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Congrats on your dream car. It all comes down to what’s important to you. Great story too fp worthy.

TractorPillow > SVTyler 07/29/2015 at 09:49

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Wow thats a really cool story and I can just picture a father and son sitting on hill watching cars go by. That’s the kind of relationship I hope to have with my future kids some day. You had a good dad that obviously loved you. Discussing cars is about 90% of my conversations with my dad; it’s a safe subject without being too emotional, but still letting the other know you love them.

OPPOsaurus WRX > TractorPillow 07/29/2015 at 10:19

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I watched Viper. It was awesome an awesome show. The original Viper is still the best looking

TractorPillow > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/29/2015 at 10:25

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It was an awesome show at the time for sure. I think only car guys remember it though, nobody my age I’ve talked to about it has any clue about it.

ViperGuy21 > TractorPillow 07/29/2015 at 10:35

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Great story!

I love the Gen II GTS! Definitely on my list for future cars. It's not necessarily my favorite Viper, but it's for sure in the top few.

TractorPillow > ViperGuy21 07/29/2015 at 10:44

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what’s your favorite?

thebigbossyboss > TractorPillow 07/29/2015 at 10:53

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Yay!!!! ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US.

My friend who is not a greahed has a child whom definitely is a gear head. I keep asking him to let me take him to one of the car shows.

TractorPillow > thebigbossyboss 07/29/2015 at 10:57

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The dad should come too! He might even enjoy himself haha

ViperGuy21 > TractorPillow 07/29/2015 at 13:46

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At least until the new one, the IV ACR takes the cake for me. The Viper that got me into Vipers was the red convertible gen 3 from the drake and josh movie where they went to LA. That car, a ride in my uncle’s 997 GT3, and an introduction to Top Gear are what got me really into cars. Now my dream car is a dark blue ACR with either graphite or black stripes and quite possibly HPE modified.

Although that is my dream, another goal I have is to own at least one Viper from each generation. With a II GTS being one of those

AfromanGTO > TractorPillow 07/29/2015 at 16:23

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I remember back in the late 90s when I went to the dealer with my parent’s for something, and I remember seeing the gray and white Viper GTS sitting on the lot. I’ve loved 2nd Gen Vipers with that color ever since.

TractorPillow > AfromanGTO 07/29/2015 at 16:25

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yep, I actually wanted blue and white, but there are so many of them and this one actually has a cognac colored interior that makes it look way nicer. honestly never thought id own a gray car

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TractorPillow 07/30/2015 at 00:03

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Fantastic.

TractorPillow > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/30/2015 at 00:33

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thanks for sharing. Figured it get more love than my other posts.

AfromanGTO > TractorPillow 07/30/2015 at 03:45

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My first GTO was steel blue/gray in color, and I loved it. Now my new is blue. lol

Nauraushaun > TractorPillow 07/30/2015 at 08:14

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Awesome read. It’s great that you can pinpoint your love of cars to something so specific, and just as great that you get to own your dream car.

I remember the first day I took my first 300ZX home. It’s no Viper but I was young, driving a car completely different to the Pulsar I had, through a city I’d never driven through. I remember just trying so hard to get it home :)

TractorPillow > Nauraushaun 07/30/2015 at 09:14

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Thanks, appreciate it. 300zx was a very cool car!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TractorPillow 07/30/2015 at 17:34

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Front page worthy!

TractorPillow > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/30/2015 at 17:45

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that’d be cool, I think I posted at a bad time. Not that many views. My stupid tire-furniture post got more :-) I spent a fair amount of time writing this, though, and glad some people liked it

Nauraushaun > TractorPillow 07/30/2015 at 23:14

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At the time it felt like way too much car for me :P I thought it was damn cool.